#10 Equipping Youth and Ethnic Minorities With Laptops and Digital skills
71% of respondents had never heard about the Circular Economy. 47.6% declared being able to use some basic features of a computer. Asked if they can find a job online, only 19% declared to be able to access an online job portal without any help.
In the framework of the project “Inclusion and Digital empowerment through circular economy”, five organisations from Malta, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus have created two needed training materials to support ethnic minorities and migrants for their digital empowerment. Based on the responses of the survey collected in Malta, it is evident that the courses are needed.
A media campaign to donate second-hand laptop and digital devices
Started in September 2023, a media campaign invited stakeholders and individuals to donate second hand laptops still functioning well. Such computers are donated to all participants at the end of the training. The consortium collected more than 50 computers, from IT companies, Schools, Individuals and many other different profiles of donors.
Across the partner countries, the delivery of the two training courses is ongoing, until October 15th.
- A digital literacy course comprising five modules, that gives focus to the benefit of Digital Circular Economy, as well as all necessary skills to grab the basics of files management, computers components, software knowledge and many more topics.
- An Online Jobs Search training course, comprising seven modules, where learners get knowledge about accessing the Internet and exploring with their newly acquired device jobs opportunities, internet safety, CV making and various Jobs interview skills.
The direct beneficiaries are ethnic minorities youths and youths from a migrant background
In Malta, the training was delivered to a group of 14 youths living in the communities and in a refugee centre. All received a used, but still working laptop at the end of the 20 hours of training, spread over six days.
In Italy, 20 youths will receive a Youthpass at the conclusion of the training, which could open for them new possibilities.
In Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, numerous youths from ethnic minorities are being registered to be trained, hoping to gain all the benefits stemming from the skills they will build through the workshops.
To expand on the information concerning the philosophy of Circular Economy, the consortium has interacted not only with the direct learners, but also with the broader audience by producing written content in six languages about various aspects of the Circular Economy. All available on the social media platforms of the project.
Some examples of articles produced for the general audience are:
- How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the Circular Economy.
- The Life Cycle of a Laptop Explained to My 10-year-old Friend: From Production to Recycling.
- Exploring the Role of Digital Tools in Supporting the Circular Economy.
- From Renting Furniture to Leasing Lighting: How Companies are Embracing the Circular Economy to Reduce Environmental Impact.
- Entrepreneurship in the Circular Economy: Benefits and Opportunities
They can be found in the News section of the Project website.
Both training modules can be found on the project’s E-Learning platform in six languages, including Arabic.
