In the evolving knowledge-intensive economy, typified by ubiquitous media platforms, opportunities to harness the pervasiveness and potential of media applications for developing key competences of groups on the margins of society abound. Second-chance education and youth development support programmes differ considerably from mainstream provision and are often places where real educational innovation takes place. The aim of DLQ is “to support innovation in education for youth-at-risk by harnessing the potential of ubiquitous media platforms to develop key transversal competences of the target group supporting their re-integration to formal education and their personal progression and continued engagement as valued members of European society”. DLQ responds to the challenge of ensuring that all those with a non-traditional educational history can benefit from innovative technology based interventions to acquire the key competences for active citizenship and personal development.

The objectives of DLQ are to:

1. Design and implement an accredited media production training programme for youth leaders and second-chance education workers to support their use of new digital media platforms as robust, pertinent, and highly attractive learning tools and environments creating a cascading model of training.
2. Design, develop, and deliver a comprehensive suite of media based, traditional and embedded-learning key competence development resources for youth-at-risk. These resources will comprise of:
   
   • ab initio instruction in video and audio production for web-based platforms to support their engagement with the embedded-learning key competence resources and develop their digital competence
   • a range of bespoke media based, embedded-learning curriculum resources addressing social and civic competence, as well as cultural awareness and expression
   • a range of enquiry-based learning resources essential for media production like research, planning, and budgeting to address literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking competences
   • a range of bespoke, blended learning personal development and career guidance supports presented within a ‘Digital Media Skills & Opportunities Road-map’ that identifies further learning opportunities, key skill requirements and potential careers in digital media production to support the development of personalized learning pathways
3. Provide a series of virtual collaborative environments:
   
   • linking youth-at-risk from 4 EU member states to raise awareness of cultural diversity and stimulate collaborative endeavours promoting creativity and self-confidence
   • linking youth workers and other professionals working with youth-at-risk to create a supportive trans-national environment facilitating exchange of best practice
   • to create a model for an innovative ‘augmented reality’ language learning resource based on media productions created by youth-at-risk themselves

Partners: MCRSDP (Ireland); CARDET (Cyprus); KBW (Germany); IC (Lithuania); Timesnap (Ireland); Innov (Finland)

Project website:www.digital-latin-quarter.eu