The European ESSENCE project aims to promote the exchange of experiences between European partners from diverse geographical and social backgrounds, with the aim of developing transversal green competences, citizenship and active participation in the life of local communities. The project focuses on adults with fewer opportunities, including older people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, women victims of violence and migrants/refugees. By training educators in methodologies and practical activities, it aims to achieve these learning objectives. The main outcome of the project is a Manual that will bring together the good practices shared during the project in order to train adult education professionals in the inclusion of these target groups.
Italy is the coordinator and Portugal, Greece and France are the partners. ESSENCE contributes to the priority of creating new educational opportunities for adults with low levels of skills, knowledge and competences. The exchange of good practices between the partners aims to actively involve and empower adults with fewer opportunities, particularly in relation to the transversal competences of environmental sustainability, citizenship and active participation in the target communities. The project addresses several other Erasmus+ Programme priorities that are important to the European identity of the partners and the project coordinator.

The target groups of the ESSENCE project include the educators of the partner organisations and three groups of disadvantaged adults: the elderly from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, women victims of violence and migrants/refugees. The project aims to directly involve these groups in non-formal educational activities, as well as training educators to work with these audiences.
ESSENCE contributes to the priority of creating new educational opportunities for adults with low levels of skills, knowledge and competences. The exchange of good practices related to the experiences of each partner for the active involvement and empowerment of their target group of adults with fewer opportunities (the elderly - Italy, women victims of violence - Martinique, France and migrants/refugees - Greece and Portugal), particularly in relation to the transversal competences of environmental sustainability, citizenship and active participation in the target communities, will allow new paths to emerge for improving the key competences of adults in non-formal learning.
To this moment, three training courses (LTTA) have already been held: the first in Martinique from 9 to 11 May 2023, the second in Greece from 18 to 20 September 2023 and the third training meeting in Italy from 22 to 24 January 2024.

LTTA Martinique

LTTA Greece

LTTA Italy 

The motivation for funding the project lay in the need to address the challenges faced by adults with low levels of skills or qualifications in society and on the labour market. The ESSENCE project seeks to empower these adults by promoting their active participation in education and society through the development of key competences and involvement in community activities.