Project events

2000 to 2007: How it all started

In year 2000 Professor David Barrett, and Course director of Youth and Community Studies, Fiona Factor, University of Bedfordshire, visited HUMAK University of Applied Sciences’ headquarters at Kauniainen, FINLAND, as part of European Union Erasmus funded HEI’s. They were then transferred to the HUMAK’s Lohja campus situated at the region of Southern Finland in order to get familiar with the activities in practice.
2001-2002 Senior Lecturers Janet Adams, Gill Albon and Neville Palmer, University of Bedfordshire, visited HUMAK and student and teacher exchange was launched between the organizations.
2003-2004 Work placement exchange programme was being set off by HUMAK and Bedfordshire and transnational seminars was being held in Helsinki.
2005-2006 Professor John Pitts from Bedfordshire and researcher/lecturer Tarja Kuula, HUMAK, published articles together in the international and national publications.
2006-2009 University of Tartu joined in and joint teaching was being organized between the institutions in the form of EU Erasmus-funded intensive programmes. Each countries’ institutions hosted others' teachers and students in different years: the course Comparative youth, justice and welfare took place in Estonia, Finland and UK respectively.
2007 Funding application for the joint MA programme was being made to Brussels

2008 the three-year ERASMUS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT “YOUTH WORK FOR DISADVANTAGED” started

December 2008 kick-off meeting in Helsinki was being successfully held. The overall structure of the programme was discussed, as well were the financial issues of the project, esponsibilities between partners, timetabling of different work packages, communication and technical issues and dissemination of the results.
March 2009 and May 2009 video-meetings were being held between partners to clarify urgent issues and to discuss important issues to be decided at the following face-to-face meeting.
May 2009 meeting was held in Bedfordshire and included decisive discussions about the nature of the degree and its’ validation in different countries as well as detailed discussions about the mobility of individuals and content of the programme.
September 2009 video-meeting was held in order to discuss pending issues and issues to be decided at the October 2009 face-to-face meeting.
October 2009 Estonia and University of Tartu hosted partners in Tallinn and in Viljandi. The teaching methods, assessment, credit validation and deadlines were among the topics of lively discussions this time.

History of the partners continued

After the meeting in Viljandi October 2009, the Project Management Group (PMG) set to work preparing the curriculum, marketing the new programme and agreeing recruitment processes. Individual universities also pursued their own approval processes for the academic validation of the programme.

Alongside these developments the learning platform was being designed, hosted by HUMAK and available at moodle.humak.fi

On November 25-27 2009, Sari and Jukka travelled to Luton, University of Bedfordshire to further progress discussions of the joint curriculum, assessment tools and to explore the scope and nature of the evaluation processes and a legal contract to make clear each institution’s responsibilities. This information was conveyed to Allan at Kultuur Academy the following week, for his approval.
Using video conferencing technology, the PMG held a meeting on 04.03.10, the first of many using the technology available. It was at this point that the mid-term evaluation required by the Erasmus Curriculum Development grant was discussed and Timo agreed to complete the necessary documentation for EU colleagues in Brussels.

Another video meeting was held on 25.05.10. This discussed the requirements of the first block week in Helsinki in September and updated all partners on the progress of approval in their institutions and recruitment matters.

Finally, the programme started with the block teaching week in Helsinki, hosted by HUMAK on 13-16th September. The PMG met on the Sunday night to confirm the week’s arrangements and deal with administrative issues. The students (4 – UK, 7 -Finland and 7 – Estonia) met for the first time and spent the week learning about Finnish youth policy and citizenship – study areas 1 and 2.

19.10.10 Video conference

18.11.10 Student video conference following up the themes discussed in September on youth policy and citizenship and participation in Finland.

The PMG met once more in a snowy Helsinki on 13/14.12.11. Here the issues with regard to finances and evaluation were explored more fully, and decisions about future dissemination of the project’s outcomes.

The first assignments for study area 1 and 2, case Finland, were submitted in January 2011.
28.02.11, a video conference meeting took place to discuss the issues that became apparent from the assignments submitted the month earlier. Appropriate support measures were put n place to support the students further with their academic studies. Arrangements for the UK block week in May 2011 were also agreed at this meeting. The University of Bedfordshire indicated its likely withdrawal from future collaborative projects of this nature.

17.03.11 Fiona Factor and Dr Isabelle Brodie (UK coordinators for study areas 1 and 2) prepared and chaired a student video conference. Details of the content of this session can be found at
www.eu-youth-ma.eu/studies/curriculum/

Between May 15-20th 2011, the University of Bedfordshire hosted the second block teaching week at the Polhill site in the town of Bedford. Further details about curriculum content can be found at the web address above.

15-17th June 2011 saw the PMG group meet in Viljandi to discuss the final reporting for the project and arrangements for the final block week in Estonia in September 2011 and the project end/dissemination meeting in Helsinki 28-30.09.11.