The DesignMyFuture project concludes at the end of 2022 and to celebrate and share the project outcomes, we host a free hybrid conference at Universidade Lusíada, Porto, on 13 December 2022.
Read about the conference in: Slovenian Portuguese
DesignMyFuture aims to reduce early school leaving, promote positive decision making and prevent young people across Europe from entering the job market with insufficient skills. The conference brings together teachers, parents and policymakers to discuss how this can be achieved, and to share the project resources which will be launched at the end of 2022.
The full-day conference is split into two parts:
- Morning talks are in English, starting with a keynote speaker from the Portuguese Psychologists Association and followed by demonstrations of the project resources. Following each talk, there will be a live question & answer session.
- The afternoon is run in a workshop style, aimed at teachers. You can learn in more detail about the guide and training videos. The workshop will be delivered in Portuguese.
The conference is organised by the DesignMyFuture project team at PIN – Partners in Neuroscience, led by Pedro Rodrigues, and hosted by Universidade Lusíada in Porto.
How to register
You can join the conference in person, or remotely via the university’s streaming system. If you attend remotely, we will send you a link a few days before the event. All morning talks will be recorded and made available here after the event.
How to attend
We look forward to welcoming you at the DesignMyFuture conference. If you attend in person, please come to Anfiteatro 5 piso 0 at Universidade Lusíada Porto.
To attend virtually, please join the MS Teams meeting
Conference programme
All times are Central European Time (Porto timezone)
| Morning Session | Chaired by Prof Mhairi Beaton, Leeds Beckett University, UK |
| 10:15-11:00 | Prof Mhairi Beaton, DesignMyFuture Project Lead Welcome to the conference and introduction to the project |
| 11:00-11:30 | Tamara Malešević and Vanja Kavčnik Kolar, National Education Institute, Slovenia Guide for Teachers |
| 11.30-11.45 | Lola Wilson and Faron Convey, Ahead PArtnership, UK Training Videos for Teachers |
| Coffee Break | Refreshments at the conference (or if you are at home you can make yourself a cup of coffee) |
| 12:15-12:45 | Pedro Rodrigues, PIN, Portugal Guide for Parents |
| 12:45-13:15 | Dr Marc Fabri, Leeds Beckett University, UK Skills and Occupations Game for Young People |
| 13:15-13:30 | Prof Mhairi Beaton and Dr Marc Fabri, Project Leads Closing remarks and evaluation of the morning session |
| Lunch Break | Opportunity to have lunch and network |
| 14:30-16:30 | Workshop for Teachers (in Portuguese) Chaired by Pedro Rodrigues, PIN, Portugal Education Researchers Prof Ariana Cosme and Dr Helder Ferraz from the University of Porto will share their experience of working with socially disadvantaged groups. You can also find out more about the guide and training videos for teachers. |
DesignMyFuture project resources
We will publish the final resources at the end of 2022. At the conference, we will show near-final versions and there will be an opportunity to contribute to the final stages of development.
GUIDE AND TRAINING VIDEOS FOR TEACHERS
The focus of this guide is to support teachers to develop supportive learning environments that focus on the voices and needs of all students and explore possibilities for informed career choices. The first part of the guide provides strategies for promoting learning opportunities in class. The second part aims to deepen the knowledge of student identities and experiences, especially for those from potentially marginalised or vulnerable backgrounds. There is also an accompanying set of training videos.
GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
This guide for parents and carers provides information about how the world of work has changed in the last few years and the implications this change might have on the career choices that will be open to young people. It contains helpful advice on how to support young people when they are thinking about future careers, and some examples of how other parents and carers have done this. Through questions&answers and case studies the guide we share good practice for how to support young people with their important life choices.
GAME FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Finally, we have developed an interactive online game for young people to discover their skills and explore possible future jobs and careers. Using a space scenario, players travel between several weird and wonderful planets to find out more about themselves. The helpful professor then recommends jobs based on their skills. NB: The game uses the EU’s ESCO database of occupations and skills to provide accurate and internationally transferable information.
All resources will be provided in the 5 project languages English, Norwegian, Slovenian, Italian and Portuguese.