On April 30, 2024, we completed the project „The Future of Education and Skills – a program for the development of key psychosocial competencies of children and youth.”

The aim of the project was to create tools—comprehensive training and development materials for staff working for the well-being of children and youth aged 12-16, developing key psychosocial competencies. As indicated by the OECD in the document “The Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030. The Future We Want,” these competencies are identified as future competencies.

The project, developed by a group of experts including psychologists, educators, trainers, and methodologists, resulted in the Youth Future Skills Development Program – ProComp, which includes comprehensive tools designed to develop the key competencies of youth aged 12-16.

The development program is based on close cooperation between the teenager and the parent/guardian, working together on tasks. This is made possible through the development and implementation of the main result, namely two interconnected applications. The tool focuses on the development of 16 psychosocial competencies: learning ability, creative thinking, critical thinking, communication skills, effective teamwork, emotion management, stress management, self-regulation, empathy, self-efficacy, assertiveness, goal setting and achievement, perseverance and consistency, time management, social engagement, and participation in civil society. Each competency includes substantive and theoretical content/micro-trainings along with tasks to be completed. Both components for the mentee and the student are closely linked and synchronized. The content is divided into training blocks that can be completed independently, though within each block, materials should be reviewed according to the established competency.

The ProComp program also includes lesson plans that can be implemented by teachers in schools as an introduction to working with the application before starting the micro-trainings for a given competency.

An additional element is the Train the Trainer Program, which prepares trainers to work with products for teachers, educators, social workers, and caregivers. The aim of the training is to develop the competencies of staff in the area of developing key psychosocial competencies of children and youth.

The Youth Future Skills Development Program – ProComp was tested at the School Complex in Wohyń and, after implementing changes suggested by the recipients, was presented during training sessions in Warsaw, Krakow, Gdańsk, Lublin, and during the dissemination conference „Education for the Future: Psychosocial Competencies in the Context of Educational Challenges.”

We hope that the application and all the results developed within the project will be a useful tool supporting the development of key psychosocial competencies of teenagers and will provide an opportunity to build good relationships between teenagers and their parents (guardians).

The project included a series of dissemination activities: training sessions were organized across Poland, webinars were attended, a conference with live streaming was prepared. The communication with project stakeholders was facilitated through OIC Poland Foundation’s social media channels on Facebook and TikTok, which provided current information about the project and gradually communicated the results.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the results and use the materials available in the „about the project” section.

The project „The Future of Education and Skills – a program for the development of key psychosocial competencies of children and youth” is funded by a grant of EUR 145,531.80 received from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Funds.

Today, at the Polish Foundation of Centers for Economic Development Support „OIC Poland,” Dr. Wiesław Talik from Ingenio. Development Projects is conducting the final training session for representatives of primary and secondary schools, principals, teachers, educators, specialists, as well as family assistants and representatives of youth educational centers. The training aims to prepare participants to work with the products of the project „The Future of Education and Skills – a program for the development of key psychosocial competencies of children and youth”!

Participants in the training include representatives from:
Primary School in Kalinówka, Foundation „Wings for Education,” Non-public General High School Altum in Lublin, Primary School No. 38 in Lublin, Non-public Pedagogical and Psychological Counseling Center ARKA in Lublin, General High School named after Jan III Sobieski, Primary School No. 16 named after Fryderyk Chopin in Lublin, Lublin Center for Vocational and Continuing Education, School Complex of Chemistry and Food Industry in Lublin, Public Primary School in Żuków.

Reporters from TVP3 Lublin are also observing how the application works and how it can be used in working with children and youth www.procomp.oic.lublin.pl.

Thank you for your presence!

The Future Skills Development Program for Youth – ProComp is ready!

Additionally, as part of the project, 16 lesson plans have been prepared, which can be implemented by teachers in schools as an introduction to working with the Application before starting micro-training on a particular competency.

We hope that the Application will be a useful tool supporting the development of key psychosocial competencies of adolescents and will provide an opportunity to build good relationships between the adolescent and their parent (guardian).

We have completed the first stage of preparing the Future Skills Development Program for Youth – ProComp. We are starting testing at the Unitów Podlaskich School Complex in Wohyn.
After completing the testing phase, we will proceed to the final phase of preparing the project outcomes.

The final block of competencies that will be developed through the application we are working on in the project „The Future of Education and Skills – program for the development of key psychosocial competencies of children and youth” is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. We are developing a range of additional psychosocial competencies in it:

• Setting and achieving life goals – individuals possessing this competency have a clear vision of their future and take conscious actions, enabling personal and professional development.
• Persistence and consistency – persistent and consistent individuals do not give up in the face of adversity but continue their efforts, leading to the achievement of desired results.
• Time management – individuals capable of managing their time are more productive, effective in task accomplishment, and able to find a balance between work and personal life.
• Social involvement – socially active individuals support the development of the local community, build interpersonal relationships, and contribute to solving social problems.
• Participation in civil society – individuals participating in civil society support democratic values by engaging in social and political issues, contributing to the building of a better and more just society.

Resolving Tensions and Dilemmas – is another group of psychosocial competencies that is the subject of work by the expert team in the project „The Future of Education and Skills – program for the development of key psychosocial competencies of children and youth” and will encompass an important element in the prepared application/program for the development of youth psychosocial competencies.

Below, we present the competencies that will be possible to learn and develop through work in this block, and why they are very important.

• Managing Own Emotions- is crucial for maintaining mental balance and effective functioning in stressful situations, both in personal and professional life.
• Dealing with Stress – individuals who can cope with stress are more flexible and psychologically resilient, which allows them to function better even under high-pressure conditions.
• Self-regulation – thanks to self-regulation, people can effectively focus on tasks, control impulsivity, and maintain discipline, which contributes to achieving life successes.
• *Empathy- empathetic individuals can build deeper interpersonal relationships, better resolve conflicts, and cooperate more effectively, contributing to the creation of a positive social environment.
• Sense of Self-Efficacy – individuals with a high sense of self-efficacy are more motivated, persistent in pursuing goals, and better able to cope in challenging situations.
• Assertiveness – allows for effective communication, building healthy relationships, and defending one’s interests without violating the rights and dignity of others.

The expert team has already prepared the first block for the application, which is being developed as part of the project „The Future of Education and Skills – program for the development of key socio-emotional competencies of children and youth.” In the block „CREATING NEW VALUE,” there will be an opportunity to familiarize oneself with competencies such as: the ability to learn, creative thinking, critical thinking, communicativeness, and effective teamwork.

These are very important skills and competencies:

• Ability to learn: Individuals with this skill are flexible and can quickly absorb new information, allowing them to effectively adapt to changing professional and personal situations.
• Creative thinking: People who can think creatively are capable of generating new ideas, solutions, and approaches to problems, contributing to the development of entrepreneurship and social progress.
• Critical thinking: Possessing this skill allows people to make well-thought-out decisions, avoid manipulation, and approach information with skepticism.
• Communicativeness: It forms the foundation of effective interpersonal interaction both in personal and professional life; communicative individuals can clearly express their thoughts, listen to others, understand perspectives, and effectively convey information, building healthy relationships and supporting collaboration.
• Effective teamwork: Individuals who can collaborate effectively in a team are flexible, open to diverse ideas, able to listen to others, and can resolve conflicts, contributing to the achievement of organizational goals.

We are commencing the implementation of the project „The Future of Education and Skills – program for the development of key socio-emotional competencies of children and youth.”

We are pleased to announce that we are beginning the implementation of the project „The Future of Education and Skills – program for the development of key socio-emotional competencies of children and youth.” Together with our project partner, Ingenio. Development Projects, over the coming months, we will be working on creating tools – comprehensive training and developmental materials for professionals working for the well-being of children and youth aged 12-16, developing key socio-emotional competencies.

The team of experts appointed in the project will work on creating and developing educational materials, training programs, materials for educators, as well as an application component for youth and educators.