Five success factors for projects involving NEETs. Part 3: Sustainability and Communication
In this series of articles on projects targeting vulnerable young adults I have presented some of my reflections on motivation, learning and networking. These reflections are based on experiences, practice and research on NEETs and adult learning. In this third and final article I will present some input on two important project issues: sustainability and communication.
Sustainability – a multifaceted concept
Sustainability is a concept that is applied in a variety of contexts. In projects it has at least three different meanings: sustainable project results that can survive without continued external financial or administrative project support, long-term outcomes for the individual participant, and ecological sustainability.
- It is a goal for most donors that projects supported by a fund or a programme should be sustainable and carry on without further support after the project period has ended. If the project obtains good results the methodology or practice should ideally become a part of the normal activity of an organisation and be implemented within the general budget. Successful methods, approaches and practices are thus made available for new target groups that did not take part in the project.
- Learning outcomes need to be sustainable for the individual participant. In a project targeting NEETs the participants should experience increased employability and find that the project activities have strengthened their self-esteem, attitudes, skills and competences.
- It is a growing trend among donors to expect ecological sustainability from the project activities, partners and participants. This means that the project must develop methods and practices that protect the natural environment.
It is my experience that many projects have difficulties with all three types of sustainability issues. Many projects are good at small-scale ecological practices like using recycled paper and coffee filters, sorting the litter and returning bottles. However, a project with an ecological consciousness will also assess the environmental effects of transportation (avoid flights and conduct project meetings online) and food (select non-meat options during project lunches and dinners).
A project is characterised by its limited time span and the fact that it takes place outside the normal work tasks of an organisation. This is why it needs a separate budget and a separate administrative setup. Ideally, the partner organisations will feel strong ownership of the project and have decided during the planning phase that any positive project results will become a part of their ordinary approaches or strategies. Unfortunately this is seldom the case. There are many successful project results that are not implemented further due to lack of internal financing or ownership.
Fortunately, many participants experience positive learning outcomes from project activities. The best projects apply democratic approaches to ensure participant inclusion and ownership. The project applies research-based methods that work in practice, and the participants report increased employability. Unfortunately there are also some projects that are not sustainable for all participants. Some young adults transfer from one project to another or one initiative to another. Instead of gaining increased employability they become exhausted and demotivated.
Communication – sharing the project with the world
Communication is a complex field and involves both internal project communication and how to communicate the project activities and results to the external world. In this article I will focus on some external communication practices. The objective of external communication is mainly to highlight the project activities and demonstrate the project results via relevant channels.
- Many projects use a dedicated web page and social media accounts to communicate the project, in addition to external presentations and reports. Some projects create a handbook on the execution of the project and lessons learned. Such handbooks can be very valuable for other organisations that would like to replicate the project´s approach and good results.
- Powerpoint is normally used to present the project to external stakeholders and the general public. The current trend is to insert engaging photos into the ppt-presentation and talk about the project, instead of showing slides with a lot of text. This is a good approach as one avoids boring presentations where the speaker reads the information already provided on the slides. The main problem with such presentations is that the future usability is very low, unless the speaker has added the relevant information in the commentary fields below each slide.
- Most projects have a communication plan. To ensure replicability and information flow after the project ends, the plan should include information on which organisation is responsible for continuing the web page, and which organisation is responsible for having a contact person who can present the project and the results, disseminate reports and other materials, and support other organisations that would like to reuse the project methodology and approaches.
- Most people working in communication are fond of participants telling their personal stories, highlighting the project relevance and good results. In projects with vulnerable NEETs it is necessary to apply an ethical framework for such personal exposure. Personal stories will stay accessible on the internet many years after the project ends, and sometimes this will not be in the participant´s best interest.
- Many projects that seek sustainable solutions to the challenges of young vulnerable NEETs have shared interests, target groups and philosophy. It may be a good idea to join forces with similar projects and cooperate on e.g. presentations to external stakeholders. Such cooperation may be beneficial to both projects and the public.
In this series I have focused on five areas relevant to the planning and implementation of projects for young adults in vulnerable situations, the so-called NEETs. My experiences are gathered from 30 years´engagement for lifelong learning, with a special focus on vulnerable groups. The last six years I have been responsible for developing the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. The objective of this fund is to develop innovative solutions for young NEETs. I have been privileged in getting to know the excellent project partner organisations and through our cooperation l have learnt a lot about new research and practice for accommodating the needs of NEETs. For more information, please have a look at the fundoperator´s online magazine, that presents the projects, activities and results.
