Meet the Partners

Masaryk University was one of the first to introduce a three-tier degree structure based on the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and is holder of the ECTS Label. Masaryk University emphasises equitable access to education, therefore, in 2000 it established the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs. It is the largest support centre for students in Central Europe. The Faculty of Education at Masaryk University focuses on providing education to future general education teachers and counsellors in bachelor and master’s degree programmes. It offers also bachelor and master’s degree study programmes focusing on students with special educational needs.

The Institute for Research in Inclusive Education (IRIE) is a new and dynamic department which was derived from and closely cooperates with the Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education at Masaryk University. IRIE guarantees and delivers the study programme Special Andragogy focusing on adults with special educational needs/disability (SEN).

IRIE emphasizes a close connection of education and practice. Therefore, IRIE actively cooperate with a number of institutions and NGOs. Apart from lecturing, it also carries its’practically oriented research aiming at evidence-based practices and their implementation in education of people with ASD, improvement of education and employment opportunities of persons with SEN, enhancing their independent life and social inclusion. IRIE has been involved in a number of international projects focusing on enhancement of educational and counselling services for people with SEND, for example increasing accessibility of people with disabilities to education and labour market, for example Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequalities in Society (ISOTIS) (EU, RIA, H2020-SC6-REV_INEQUAL; 2017-2019), Family Education Programme for Parents of Disabled Students (EU, Erasmus+, 2016-1-TR01-KA204-035200, 2016-2019), Positive Parenting (P+): an autism parent training to address children problem behaviour and teach them socially important skills (EU, Erasmus+, KA204-0D1B6587, 2020-2022), The “A” class: integrating and supporting students with autism in the mainstream classroom (EU, Erasmus+, KA201 – Strategic Partnerships for school education, 2020-2023).

These experiences allow any individual to live an emotional, fun, and compelling experience. The only necessary competencies required to join the experience are to be able to read and write. Furthermore, the experience is focused on team-building and empathy, two key elements in the learning process of the teams that play the edu-escape games.

Escape4Change solution is:

– UNIQUE for its educational focus and its approach that transform and innovate a simple collaborative game into an immersive and educational experience in which is possible to build competences and growth as individual;

-EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT because it’s designed to support participants to enter in an open learning process in which they can acquire new knowledge, going deeply in unknown aspects and build personal competencies and skills to act and become agents of change;

– SUSTAINABLE because it is possible to replicate the experience with a wider audience and the solution can be integrated easily in formal and non-formal contexts to improve the impact of specific topics on participants.

Escape4Change  has strong expertise in creating fun and educational game experiences including physical and digital escape rooms, gamified training, and cooperative games. In addition, the organisation has extensive skills in co-design, implementation and management of multilevel projects and actions.

The connection with the association sector and the local area, as well as with a network of national and European partners, allows us to plan, design and implement pilot sessions with different target groups. Regarding the group type of learners, we address different target groups: from students, to corporate employees, to the general public. As a type of training, we set game-based learning, edutainment, and serious games as our methodology of choice. Specifically, our game-based training activities are always aimed at groups of people, involved as a collective dimension.

The number of people potentially reachable depends considerably on the type of target group identified. The subjects we include in our training courses are those mainly related to sustainable development goals and activities aimed at implementing a concrete improvement in the world, from a cultural, social, environmental point of view.

The E4C solution consists of co-designing a physical or digital edutainment experience on highly relevant topics such as climate change, anti-racism, urban greening, circular economy, etc. The experience can be realised physically, in 2D, using basic digital tools (e.g. Internet connection and PC/Tablet/smartphone) or in an advanced form, with an additional investment in technology, edu-escape rooms could be developed in 3D.

Through our work, we provide close and effective support to address the specific needs of this group, offering practical responses that contribute to improving their quality of life and opportunities for participation.

Youth is a key stage in the development of identity and personal values. For this reason, we believe it is essential to promote awareness and understanding of diversity during these years, highlighting the richness it brings to society. Young people are powerful agents of change and a driving force for social transformation. At ASPAYM Castilla y León Juventud we work to promote active citizenship, encouraging young people to engage with their communities and defend inclusion as a fundamental social value.

ASPAYM Castilla y León Youth coordinates several KA1 projects and participates every year in different international initiatives. These projects focus on individual mobility in the educational and youth fields, providing young people and youth workers with opportunities to gain international experience, develop personal and professional competences, and strengthen intercultural dialogue and cooperation between countries.

Among the main activities we promote are:

• Youth Exchanges:
  These initiatives aim to promote the inclusion of young people from different European backgrounds, regardless of their personal circumstances, while encouraging European values, active youth participation and the development of skills and competences that support youth empowerment. During these exchanges, participants take part in intercultural activities where each country presents its organisation and shares traditions and cultural elements from their place of origin.
• Mobility for Youth Workers:
  Mobility projects for youth workers, organised both in Spain and abroad, aim to strengthen professional skills and provide youth workers with new tools and methodologies for delivering non-formal education activities in a fully inclusive environment.

Overall, these projects contribute to the development of new methodologies and approaches for working with young people, promoting social inclusion, active participation and intercultural awareness, and creating a positive impact both for participants and their communities.

Vision of the Organization: “Inclusion of people with autistic spectrum disorder in all spheres of society.”

Areas of action of “Blue Firefly” are: disability, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), human rights, education, quality of life and social inclusion.