Foster Competencies on Roots Tourism in VET Schools to Promote Sustainable Tourism and Destinations in Europe
Erasmus+ KA2
2025-1-HU01-KA220-VET-000354851
Partners & contact persons
Coordinator
- Tudás Alapítvány, Hódmezővásárhely (Hungary): János Palotás
Partners
- Euphoria Net SRL, Rome (Italy): Nemes Erika
- ECOCLUB SA, Neo Psyhico (Greece): Antonis Petropoulos
- Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Katowice (Poland): Natalia Tomczewska-Popowycz
- Associação Torrejana de Ensino Profissional, Torres Novas (Portugal): Catarina Silva
- Provincia di Campobasso, Campobasso (Italy): Carmela Basile
TUDÁS ALAPÍTVÁNY
The Tudás Alapítvány (Foundation of Knowledge) was formed in 1994. Our objectives are:
- to support young artists and their art exhibitions
- to support lecturers and researchers
- to support book and journal publishing
- to release various publications
- to organise scientific and cultural conferences
- to cultivate cultural contacts between European nations
- to present and support Hungarian culture abroad
- to support the studies of talented students
Within the general objectives listed above the foundation gives special attention to
- the improvement of the competitiveness of lecturers and researchers working in the field of economy or agriculture and that of the college or university students taking part in education related to these fields and also the farmers concerned; the foundation wishes to achieve this through imparting up-to-date knowledge about economy, agriculture, environmental protection, rural development etc.
- the preservation of natural and cultural values
- the growth of cultural values by supporting new works of art (such as: statues, paintings, books, theatre performances, literature, music etc.)
- the preservation of historical traditions
- the support of the discovery, preservation and study of folk art and folk culture
- teaching the healthy way of life and the healthy attitude to life
EUPHORIA NET SRL
Euphoria Net is an Italian company specialized in three main fields:
- Project management and implementation: we manage all aspects of EU projects, including planning, writing, implementation, dissemination, and Our focus is particularly on the educational sector, where our team is skilled in developing innovative educational tools and methodologies, as well as instructional design tailored to enhance learning outcomes.
- Training courses: we design and deliver training for schools, universities, youth organizations, and associations on topics such as project management, digital competencies, entrepreneurship, digital marketing, EU digital citizenship, and innovative teaching As a hosting organization for Erasmus KA1 courses, we have established a strong network of schools across Europe, offering both on-site and e-learning tailored training formats.
- Organization of events and communication strategies: we organize dissemination strategies within projects, including the set-up of project branding, communication, mapping stakeholders, organizing and coordinating events all over Europe, creating contents for events and social media We also develop graphic works in order to provide a full visual identity service within events and digital marketing.
We started to build-up our experience and deepen our knowledge and expertise within Euphoria Association (established in 2014) that we developed and enlarged further under Euphoria Net, set-up in 2019 bringing together the experience of two co-founders, Erika Nemes and Cristina Ceccarelli who worked for many years in the European Commission in various departments: political affairs, communication, financial management. We are currently a hub with various partnership networks set up with different associations, trade unions, schools, companies, universities and research centres in all Europe which are activated and triggered during project implementation and dissemination activities. The two founders of Euphoria so far have been participating and managing in 30 European projects and delivering training courses for schools, universities, Public Administrations, the European Commission Representation, school-related associations and cultural organizations all over Italy and Europe.
ECOCLUB SA
Ecoclub SA is a media and consultancy company in Athens, Greece, focusing on sustainable tourism. Since 1999, we’ve operated Ecoclub.com, the world’s first ecotourism portal, connecting over 1,100 professionals worldwide. We promote best practices like Ecoclub EcolodgesTM and conduct Eco LuminariesTM interviews. Our Ecolodge Ecolabel ensures authentic eco-friendly stays. We’ve managed 15 global projects, prioritizing local well-being and environmental conservation. Our Eco LuminariesTM interview series highlights inspiring eco practitioners and academics. Our directors are actively invloved as experts or project managers in Eurocluster Rural tourism Project, COSME-SUSTOUR project focused on certification of tour operations and COSME-i-STARS focused on providing support and mentorship to small european tourism SMEs about sustainability issues. Furthermore, we have coached and audited 25 Ecolodges, and we were engaged with managing 15 social development and environmental conservation projects worldwide from the start until final reporting. Ecoclub funded projects focused on improving local well-being and protecting the environment according to the principles of Ecotourism.
Currently, we are an associate partner at the COSME Eurocluster Rural Tourism Project, while our Co-director serves as a project officer for the EURACADEMY. The Eurocluster Rural Tourism, launched in September 2022, aims to help micro and nano SMEs in the tourism sector through the structure of a Eurocluster – ERT. It provides a unique opportunity to upscale activities and, at the same time, create a critical mass of 190+ European rural tourism services in 15+ countries that are supported under this form of collaboration with a vision of internationalization. As experts, we mentor small and medium size businesses to achieve sustainability, offer certification guidance and business advice. Other recent projects include evaluating candidate cities in the European Capital of Smart Tourism Award 2024 and European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2024 competition and providing sustainability training for greek tour operators. Our members range from seasoned professionals to promising graduates. We’ve participated in conferences and seminars worldwide, delivering presentations and training sessions. Our portal attracts over 5,000 unique visitors monthly, endorsed in academic publications and testimonials.
UNIWERSYTET ŚLĄSKI W KATOWICACH
The University of Silesia in Katowice is one of the largest and most dynamically developing public universities in Poland. Founded in 1968, the University of Silesia quickly established a reputation as a vibrant academic institution and an important interdisciplinary research hub. With a tradition of launching new programs to best meet the needs of rapidly changing labour markets, the University of Silesia offers students a variety of programs and specialized fields of study. With outstanding research teams and well-equipped laboratories, we are an important player in the global researcharena. We actively participate in European Commission initiatives focused both on educational and scientific development, and realize projects within the Horizon, Creative Europe, Erasmus +, Interreg, Visegrad Funds, EEA Funds, Structural Funds and others. Currently, the University of Silesia is running over 320 projects carried out in conjunction with various outside institutions, both domestic and foreign, including business organizations. A substantial part of our research prioritizes innovation and practical applications for the economy. The internationalization of research and education is one of the priority directions of the development of the US.
The University of Silesia gives its students a unique possibility to develop their interests, fulfil their passions and gain practical skills necessary in the constantly changing job market. In the academic year 2022/2023 we offer 83 programs and almost 206 specializations designed to help our students and alumni meet the challenges of changing reality and the labour market, and provide a stimulating learning environment where individual interests can be pursued and academic ambitions achieved. The University of Silesia serves almost 22 000 students on full-time and part-time studies. Our community consists also of almost 1900 teachers and researchers. The University of Silesia also offers numerous doctoral degree programs (18 disciplines) which allow students to deepen their knowledge of various disciplines and provide them with opportunities to conduct interesting and innovative research projects. Internationalization is a priority for the University of Silesia. Our efforts in this regard translate into a variety of EU financed initiatives directed at students and academics alike.
These undertakings focus upon the development and upgrading of our research and educational infrastructure and, simultaneously, are oriented toward the advancement of learning that caters directly to the development of the region. The University of Silesia in Katowice has a big experience in cooperation with many entities on the national and international level: hundreds of cooperation agreements with foreign partners, over 2000 contracts, agreements and letters of intent concluded with business, scientific, local government and business environment entities. Currently, the University of Silesia in Katowice is involved in the implementation of over three hundred research and educational projects. The university has the organizational potential needed to implement the project: Project Department, which will be engaged in administrative matters related to the management of the project has vast experience in the EU Projects implementation.
ASSOCIAÇÃO TORREJANA DE ENSINO PROFISSIONAL
Associação Torrejana de Ensino Profissional was created on August 3, 1991, by the Torres Novas City Hall, Nersant – Santarém Business Association and ACIS – Torres Novas Trade, Industry and Services Association and has sought to impose itself, in the local and regional panorama, as a reference in the areas of education and training. Throughout these 30 years we have contributed to the development and integral formation of almost 1500 young people, combining the preparation of our students for the insertion in the active life to the promotion of a varied range of competences, hard and soft skills, and values such as responsibility, freedom, respect, tolerance, solidarity and sharing. We provide mechanisms for bringing schools and companies closer together through curricular internships lasting more than 600 hours, spread over 3 curricular years. We also have an extremely cohesive, multifaceted and dedicated team of professionals that ensures the preparation and monitoring of students, both in the classroom and in the context of work training.
Our contribution to the individual, social and cultural development of the students is ensured by the numerous activities and initiatives we have developed throughout the school year, in several areas: study visits, international experiences, health education, citizenship education, school sports, in articulation with community partnerships. These activities allow the development of transversal competences, linked to citizenship, which have an added value in terms of learning.
This school year, we have about 220 students, distributed by professional courses level 4 QEQ from various sectors (IT, Marketing, Management, Tourism, Logistic and Sociocultural Animator). Students age are between 15 and 19 and are equally distributed by both sexes. In socioeconomic terms, the majority of students come from families with economic difficulties. The teaching staff is composed by 32 teachers, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The non-teaching staff includes 11 elements who provide the various services of the school.
PROVINCIA DI CAMPOBASSO
The Province of Campobasso is a territorial public body that covers an area of 2 909 km2 and includes 84 municipalities. It represents the community of the territory and oversees its interests and development. All the rules of a general nature applicable to bodies that, like the Province, have statutory, regulatory, financial and organisational autonomy apply to it. In implementing Law No. 56 of 7 April 2014 and other State Laws, the Province of Campobasso, within the limits of its functions, promotes actions to protect the community and the territory.
The Province is the holder of its own functions and of those conferred by the State and the Region of Molise, subject to available financial resources.
The Province has a strategic interest towards roots tourism as a substantial part of the Molise population – a third – is resident abroad. In absolute terms, 89,192 people from Molise are registered in the Registry of Italians Abroad (AIRE) out of a total of 305,617 resident people (as of January 1, 2019), equal to 29.2%.
