New Re-Generation
New Re-Generation is an EU-funded Virtual Exchange project that connects young people from Europe and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region through an innovative Virtual Youth Academy. By combining online learning, mentoring, peer-to-peer exchanges and intercultural dialogue, the project empowers young people to become agents of regenerative and sustainable change. Through learning pathways focused on activism, entrepreneurship and community development, participants develop key skills and earn micro-credentials that recognize their competencies and support their personal and professional growth.
The Project
Project
New Regeneration
Project number
10119365 ERASMUS-EDU-2024-VIRT-EXCH
Type of project
Virtual Exchange
Programme
Erasmus+
Young people today face increasingly complex global challenges, including climate change, social inequalities, economic uncertainty, technological disruption, and political instability. These issues require new forms of leadership, active citizenship, and international cooperation. While young people have the potential to become key drivers of positive change, many still lack access to quality learning opportunities, meaningful participation, and the skills needed to contribute effectively to sustainable development.
These challenges are particularly evident across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where high youth unemployment, limited civic engagement opportunities, social inequalities, and barriers to non-formal education continue to affect young people’s prospects. At the same time, youth organisations often need additional capacity and innovative tools to support young people in developing the competences required to address local and global challenges.
Virtual Exchange initiatives provide an inclusive and accessible response to these needs by creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue, collaboration, and learning across borders. Through online people-to-people interactions, young people can develop key competences such as critical thinking, digital literacy, teamwork, leadership, and global citizenship while building mutual understanding and respect among diverse communities.
New Re-Generation was developed as an EU-funded Virtual Exchange project that connects young people, youth organisations, and educational institutions from Europe and the MENA region through an innovative Virtual Youth Academy. The project combines online learning, mentoring, peer-to-peer exchanges, and collaborative activities to empower young people to become agents of regenerative and sustainable change. Through learning pathways focused on activism, entrepreneurship, and community development, participants strengthen their skills, expand their international networks, and gain practical tools to create positive impact in their communities. The Academy also integrates a micro-credentials approach, recognising the competences acquired throughout the learning journey and supporting participants’ personal, educational, and professional development.
Objectives
Overall Objective
To empower young people from Europe and the MENA region to become agents of regenerative and sustainable change through an innovative Virtual Youth Academy that promotes intercultural dialogue, skills development, active citizenship, and youth-led action.
Specific Objectives
Develop and implement an accessible Virtual Youth Academy that provides high-quality online learning opportunities for young people regardless of their geographical location.
Foster intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation between young people from Europe and the MENA region through Virtual Exchange activities and peer-to-peer learning.
Strengthen the capacity of youth workers by providing training in mentoring, facilitation, regenerative leadership, and educational methodologies.
Equip young people with key competences in activism, entrepreneurship, and community development, enabling them to design and implement positive local initiatives.
Enhance participants’ digital, leadership, communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills to improve their civic engagement and employability.
Promote awareness and understanding of the social, ecological, economic, and technological dimensions of sustainable and regenerative development.
Encourage active citizenship, inclusion, tolerance, and shared values through collaborative learning experiences and international exchanges.
Recognise and validate the competences acquired by participants through a micro-credentials framework aligned with European learning and skills recognition approaches.
Results
New Re-Generation Platform:
An integrated digital platform providing learning resources, mentoring activities, peer-to-peer exchanges, self-assessment tools, micro-credentials, and an online community connecting young people and organisations across Europe and the MENA region.
Micro-Credential and Accreditation Framework:
Methodologies and procedures for the identification, assessment, validation, and certification of skills acquired through Virtual Exchange activities, including the accreditation of youth organisations and stakeholders to manage micro-credentials.
Training and Facilitation Handbook for Mentors:
A practical guide for mentors and trainers covering pedagogical approaches, facilitation methods, digital education, and the learning content of the Virtual Youth Academy.
Virtual Youth Academy Replication and Sustainability Handbook:
A compendium of methodologies, educational processes, impact assessment tools, and strategies for replicating and sustaining the Virtual Youth Academy model.
Virtual Exchange Methodology Handbook:
A practical guide presenting the project’s pedagogical framework, learning pathways, facilitation methods, and good practices for implementing Virtual Exchange activities.
Virtual Exchange Micro-Credentials Catalogue:
A set of micro-credentials recognising competences developed through Virtual Exchange activities, designed in line with the 10 EU principles for micro-credentials, including quality assurance, transparency, relevance, assessment, recognition, portability, learner-centredness, authenticity, and guidance.
Online Human Library Stories:
A digital repository of stories, videos, and creative testimonials documenting the experiences, achievements, and learning journeys of youth workers and participants across all partner countries.
Project Activities
The project runs in two stages to support young people and youth workers across Europe and the MENA region.
– In the first stage, youth workers are trained and certified as mentors through the Mentors Academy, building skills in mentoring, facilitation, leadership, and intercultural learning. Alongside this, a micro-credentials system is developed to recognise and certify the skills participants gain along the way.
– In the second stage, these trained mentors support two groups (“cohorts”) of young people through the Virtual Youth Academy, an online learning experience focused on activism, entrepreneurship, and community development. Participants connect through peer exchanges, cultural events, and a Co-Creation Lab, where they design real-world projects to tackle challenges in their own communities.
– The project ends with the Online Human Library, a collection of stories and testimonials from participants, sharing their journeys and impact with a wider audience.
Partners
ASED
Tunisia
COCONUTWORK
Morocco
SUPPORT YOUTH LEADER
Jordan
ALDA
France
GAIA EDUCATION
Belgium
IBN TOFAIL UNIVERSITY
Morocco
LEARNING BY HELPING
Spain
LEARNING DIGITAL
Italy
METROPOLITAN COLLEGE
Greece
THINKING ACADEMY
Egypt
UNIVERSITY OF SFAX
Tunisia
PALESTINE AHLIYA UNIVERSITY
Palestine
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.