From 10th to 18th August young people from Bulgaria, Austria, Spain, Italy and Poland came together in Carinthia to explore and develop their skills and raise them to the next level. This youth exchange was all about future skills and how to understand and improve them.

Skills Up! was a project that addressed the increasing need for soft skills when it comes to the employment of youth. Because of the economic consequences of Covid-19, it was (and still is) more important than ever to develop our so-called “future skills” so that we can enter the job market or create our own jobs. Through the methods of different non-formal educational activities, such as group work, discussion, presentation, research, role playing, experiential learning, body movements, theatre, debating, journaling, open space activities and reflections, participants of the project could improve their key competences, specifically their leadership, learning to learn & adaptability, critical thinking & media literacy, creativity, communication & persuasion, project management, and cultural awareness & inclusion skills.

In addition to these, the project also aimed to foster intercultural understanding and sensitivity as a skill, to get a deeper insight of the participating countries’ culture and to improve the self-reflection of youngsters, in order to support their development and lifelong learning.

All participants had the opportunity to find new skills in them and put them into practice by taking over different program elements throughout the week. See for yourself!