SEAL CYPRUS
Cyprus Organisation for Sustainable Education & Active Learning

Brief description

The Lead Partner, SEAL CYPRUS is a non-profit organisation based in Nicosia, the ethnically divided capital of Cyprus, working with both ethnic groups to overcome the results of the urban division.

We support competence development of individuals by offering customised education, training and career resource solutions. We assist the capacity building of organisations by providing training in leadership, project management and dissemination strategies.

SEAL CYPRUS achieves excellence by:

• Developing and delivering state-of-the-art training and coaching;
• Building strategic partnerships to address the learning needs of individuals and organisations;
• Implementing international projects granted by European Programmes;
• Attracting, developing and retaining dedicated and skilled trainers & adult educators.

SEAL CYPRUS stands for Cyprus Organisation for Sustainable Education & Active Learning.
With participatory teaching and learning methods, we motivate and empower youth and adult learners to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.
Starting from the needs of the learners, we provide blended learning solutions based on accurate scientific ground. We use a wide range of innovative interactive educational methods to provide open and distance learning, non- formal education, e-learning and on the job training.

We are working with individuals, nonprofit organisations, and public sector entities.

You can find our full profile here: https://sealcyprus.org/about-us/

Role in the Project and Added Value

SEAL CYPRUS has sufficient experience to manage a transnational cooperation project.

As a Lead Partner, the organisation is supporting the partners to implement the planned activities and to achieve the expected results. Moreover, SEAL CYPRUS is guiding the dissemination activities and the stakeholders’ dialogue.

The Lead Partner, SEAL CYPRUS was selected among experienced partners to coordinate the project with the following rationale: The consortium has decided to implement interventions towards NEETs in four countries of South of Europe. Given that Cyprus is by far the country with the lower population, the numbers of people to be reached by the organisation will be significantly lower which makes the organization more flexible to handle both the interventions and the managerial aspect of the project.

The lead partner’s role is to coordinate and monitor the project following a results-based management approach and to:
-communicate with the Fund Operator (a consortium of ECORYS and JCP).
-be responsible for the narrative and the financial report
-liaise with the partners about the context, the methods and the logistical aspects of the project
-implement interventions towards the target group in Cyprus
-perform evaluation activities at regular intervals
-guide the partners in stakeholders dialogue
-develop and maintain the project website
-be in charge of dissemination and visibility activities and organise events to increase the impact of the project and the EEA and Norway Grants
-coordinate sustainability measures to prolong the project impact.

The project will benefit from the direct outreach of the organisation to youth NEETs and the experience in the youth field and specifically in:

International Cooperation
Competence Development
Entrepreneurship Education
Development of educational tools and curricula
Non-formal Learning
Dissemination & Exploitation of Results

Experience

SEAL CYPRUS has experience as a coordinator in three (3) Erasmus+ KA2 “Strategic Partnerships for Youth.”

(1) “TRACES- Supporting youth to manage their digital & social media presence” (2019- 2021). With this project, we are developing Digital and Social Media Literacy Curriculum Resources, In-service Training Handbook, Collaborative online Learning Database, E-learning Portal, Library of Case Studies, Guidelines for Youth Workers working with Digital Media.
(2) “CURSOR- Crafting Career Roadmaps” (2018- 2020). We have developed a Training Handbook and digital tools for youth workers to use in their work to support young people with fewer opportunities in Career Planning. The digital tools are aiming in building career management competences.
(3) “ARTSQUAD” (2017- 2019). After researching blended learning opportunities in Cyprus, Ireland, Estonia and Romania, we developed a Training Curriculum and digital tools for youth professionals and school teachers who wish to use Digital Media, Storytelling, Drama and Music.

“EXEMPLAR- Young Migrant Integration Leaders” (Adult Education- 2018- 2020) coordinated by JUGEND- UND KULTURPROJEKT E.V. (Germany).
“Forest Schools and Bushcraft Practices” (2019- 2022) coordinated by Essex Boys and Girls Clubs (U.K).
“Young Female Entrepreneurs Program” (2019- 2021) coordinated by Autokreacja (Poland).
“FEMME- Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindset in Migrants through Education” (2019- 2021) coordinated by Centre Interculturel du Développement.
“Strategic partnership to develop open educational resources for teaching digital citizenship” coordinated by Asociația TEAM 4 Excellence.
We are also partnering in a Capacity Building (Western Balkans Youth Window projects). The project is titled “Promoting Equality through Gender-sensitive Journalism” We are partners in the Europe for Citizens project “Debating the Future of Europe and Challenging Euroscepticism: A Journey into Media Literacy to Fight Eurosceptic Narratives”.

SEAL CYPRUS supports the professional development of educators, youth workers, trainers, mentors of EVS/ ESC volunteers. With the support of the European Programme Erasmus+: we have coordinated twelve (12) international training courses as follows:
Two projects on Dissemination & Exploitation of Results “Make an Impact!” (2015) and “Dandelion Effect” (2019). These projects provided our organisation with substantial experience which we are planning to apply to this particular project to create a profound impact.
-“Know the Way- Go the Way- Show the Way” (2015) on Leadership.
-“Making Ideas Happen” & “ARTrepreneurship” (2016) on Entrepreneurship Education.
– “Youth Minded” about the mental health of young people in the era of social media.
– “Human Rights Education versus Cyber-hate” (2018) to tackle hate speech and radicalisation.
– “Go Digital” (2018) and “ADD ME- Adopting Digital Media in Youth Work” (2019) on Digital Competences and Media Literacy in youth work.
– “YOUTHPASS EXPANDED” (2017) and “YOUTHPASS PLUS” (2020) aiming at recognition and certification of non-formal learning and the Revised EU framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning.

You can find more info about all the projects we are coordinating here: https://sealcyprus.org/our-projects/

You can find more info about all the projects we are partners in here: https://sealcyprus.org/partnerships/

Experience in the project topics: Youth Employment, Careers Advisory, Entrepreneurship Education, Validation of Learning

At the local level, we are implementing projects on employment and entrepreneurship. Our activities target both ethnic communities but also minorities in Cyprus.

At the international level, all our projects are aiming at raising Employability in the sense that we work towards competence development and validation of learning.

Of our projects, the ones which are specifically about Entrepreneurship are:
Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships:
“Young Female Entrepreneurs Program” (2019- 2021) coordinated by Autokreacja (Poland).
“FEMME- Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindset in Migrants through Education” (2019- 2021) coordinated by Centre Interculturel du Développement.

Erasmus+ International Training Courses on Entrepreneurship coordinated by SEAL CYPRUS: “Making Ideas Happen” & “ARTrepreneurship” (2016) on Entrepreneurship Education.

Erasmus+ Training Courses on Validation of Learning coordinated by SEAL CYPRUS: “YOUTHPASS EXPANDED” (2017) and “YOUTHPASS PLUS” (2020).