On Wednesday 23 October 2024, the Multiplier event of LCYouth for the JOBS4ALL project took place at the premises of LCYouth in Limassol, Cyprus. 37 people participated in the event, which included Youth workers, Policy makers, Employers of YPwDs, NGOs, Professions directly working with the target group, Educators, Psychologists, Volunteers – Parents, Social Workers and Support Workers.
The event began with a warm welcome from Dr. Litsa Charalampous, Head Trainer in LCYouth and Disability specialist, who also provided an overview of the project and its objectives. She then offered a keynote speech on “The Role of Emerging Digital Technologies in Empowering Youth with Disabilities” analyzing how digital transformation, including VR simulations, enhances employability for young people with disabilities in the JOBS4ALL program.
The event continued with the detailed presentations of the first three project results (PR1, PR2 and PR3) by Mrs. Toumazina Dimitrakopoulou, and Mr. Miltos Prastitis. In particular, emphasis was put on the JOBS4ALL project’s key findings, the employment mapping tool, training materials and the VR simulations game, which was developed for skill-building.
A very fruitful discussion ensued on the topic of “Challenges in Employment for Young people with Disabilities”, where representatives from other project partner organizations, youth workers and educators participated actively each offering their own insights and views on the subject.
After that, a Workshop entitled “Strategies for Building Inclusive Employment Hubs” took place during which the results of PR4 were presented and participants together with YPwDs discussed the importance of inclusive employment hubs. During this workshop, YPwDs had the opportunity to share their experience using the e-Learning platform and the VR Game. After the closing remarks, where a summary of the JOBS4ALL insights was provided together with future directions for the project and opportunities for collaboration, a dinner was offered to participants, which offered a wonderful opportunity for further discussions on the JOBS4ALL project.