Young Creators Discover 3D

Background Skills that are essential to have success in the professional world of the digital age differ a lot from what was demanded earlier. Digital and technological competencies, together with creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication, rank among the most important 21st century skills. They open more opportunities in the employment scene. However, an existing offer of technological education is still of limited availability to many young people, especially those with fewer opportunities due to economic, social or geographical obstacles. Project partners initiated this project in order to bring 3D printing technology to non-formal learning environments where youngsters could learn, create, innovate, communicate and collaborate with their peers. Through non-formal learning, we could support the needs of young people to develop essential creative, interpersonal, communicative and cognitive skills. 3D printing was chosen as a topic of the project as it is one of the key technologies that represents the digital era. It enables individuals all over the world to design their own custom products. Therefore, 3D projects are a promising approach for preparing young people for the emerging needs in the labor market. Objectives Partner consortium set a goal to develop creative skills among at least 300 young people and to strengthen at least 30 youth workers and educators’ competencies in delivering innovative non-formal activities by offering a 3D workshop methodology to respond to the limited availability of up-to-date, non-formal technological education. The objectives of the project were to: 1. Develop a 3D modelling and printing workshop methodology for beginners. 2. Provide competence development for youth workers and educators, as key actors in the implementation and sustainability of the produced intellectual output in partner and associated organizations. 3. Engage young people, including with fewer opportunities due to social, economic and/or geographical obstacles, in exciting technological activities based on non-formal learning principles in their community/city/town. 4. Disseminate the project’s intellectual outputs and best practices across youth, governmental, non-governmental, formal and non-formal educational sectors. Implementation 1. Development of methodological materials for a 3D printing and silicone-moulding workshop for youngsters (13-19 years old). 2. Delivering training for youth workers and educators on the developed methodology during a transnational short-term joint learning/teaching/training activity. 3. Testing and validating the methodology with young people at partner and associated organisations during local workshops in three countries. 4. Implementation of a product quality and skill development survey to collect feedback from workshop facilitators about the testing activities. 5. Updating the materials based on feedback received and preparing methodological guidelines for workshop facilitators. 6. Presentation of the project’s results at local, regional, national and European levels. 7. Collaboration with local partners from youth and education sectors in the implementation of the project. Achievements 1. A concept of a hands-on 3D printing workshop for youngsters where they learn to create their own unique 3D model with beginner-friendly software and then use this model to mould a multi-use form from silicone. 2. A concise 3D printing workshop methodology (O1) consisting of: guidelines for youth workers and educators based on project’s best practices and research results; methodological materials to be used during workshops; teacher’s books; a workshop scenario; a list of needed materials and equipment; suggested evaluation methods and non-formal activities; other downloadable files and links to useful resources. 3. Project’s methodological materials, available on play.gaminu.eu in English, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian languages. 4. 30 youth workers and educators from 3 partner countries trained in 3D printing workshop methodology. The majority of them had no previous knowledge about 3D printing and silicone moulding. 5. More than 300 youngsters from 3 partner countries, at least 100 of them with fewer opportunities, involved in 3D workshops based on the project’s methodology. 6. More than 70 participants introduced to the project’s methodology and outcomes during multiplier events in 3 partner countries. They included young persons, youth workers, teachers from formal and non-formal education sectors. 7. Project’s website youngcreators.gaminu.eu.