On January 26th, 2022, the next online edition of the New Education Forum (NEF) took place in Brussels, under the name of “Crossroad for VET and Outdoor”.
This year’s NEF event was, among others, an opportunity to present the effects of Outdoor Learning used as an approach to activate youth in the FOLM project – based on the excellent results of the project at the level of 80% of the success rate, but also interesting discussions on topics related to vocational education, labour markets and career paths of young people as well as the situation of employers.
Mariya Gabriel – Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth and Tomasz Frankowski – Member of the European Parliament, CULT Committee took the floor in the welcome speech. We have heards many valuable words from the Commissioner, but one sentence was particularly remembered by us, giving reasons to be optimistic about the future: “Now, after two years of the pandemic, education will be the basis for a return to normal …”.
During the discussion about the labor markets and the chances of young people, it sounded that small workplaces had been ready to meet the expectations of potential employees. Despite the lack of financial resources, they try to create attractive jobs, at the same time taking care of their employees in all possible ways. We have heard that it is now very important to acquire transversal skills that are currently valued by employers. The panellists emphasized that it is worth combining formal education with informal outdoor education opportunities. Thanks to Outdoor Learning, we not only strengthen ourselves, but also improve teamwork or coping with various problems. “We must continue to invest in the goal of strengthening educational competences at European level,” these are the words of Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament. In each country, Outdoor Learning still looks a bit different. We have different habits, methods, also resulting from different climatic conditions – but what we have in common is the willingness to change and move forward! “We recognize that there are many professions that can benefit from Outdoor Learning. We would like to translate Outdoor Learning into everyday life, ”recalled Simon White, the Venture Trust, Operations Resource Manager.
The event was attended by 170 participants from various countries, mostly from Europe, but we also hosted participants from South America. We are enjoying the great commitment of our wonderful community. Thank you for being with us!
We are already pleased to announce that on May 24th-25th, 2022, the New Education Forum will be held in Warsaw – more information soon! Stay up to date with us and follow our social media.
More info about the event you can find on: https://www.neweducationforum.com/pl/wydarzenia/108-nef-bruksela-2022