A highly active project autumn lies ahead for Public Open University Čakovec. In this year’s spring Erasmus+ application round, four new projects in the field of adult education involving POU Čakovec as a project partner were approved. Their total value amounts to €770,000, with the first activities beginning as early as September.
The four projects include two larger Cooperation Partnerships (KA220-ADU) and two Small-scale Partnerships (KA210-ADU) in the field of adult education, which POU Čakovec will implement together with organisations from a number of European countries. The new projects address some of the most relevant issues in adult education today – from the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality and the financial literacy of vulnerable groups to the digital and green skills of older adults, learners’ mental wellbeing and the use of nature as an educational resource.
AI4ID – Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality for Greater Independence of People with Intellectual Disabilities
The largest of the four new projects is AI4ID – Improving Rehabilitation and Independent Living Skills of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Using Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence, worth €400,000. Project implementation will begin on 31 December 2026 and continue until 30 December 2028.
Virtual reality and artificial intelligence will be used to improve rehabilitation and develop the skills adults with intellectual disabilities need to live as independently as possible.
The project will develop nine interactive virtual reality (VR) scenarios. Five will focus on different areas of rehabilitation – cognitive and physical rehabilitation, speech and language, social skills and emotional development – while the remaining four will be used to practise skills required for independent living at home, developing social relationships, participating in the community and navigating the workplace.
Artificial intelligence will be used to adapt content to the needs of individual users and monitor their progress, while the developed solutions will be tested with end users and professionals. Particular attention will be paid to safety, the ethical use of technology and the creation of controlled virtual environments.
POU Čakovec will participate in the project as an expert partner in the field of adult education and the testing of the developed VR scenarios, with a particular focus on validating the solutions with end users and contributing to the development of the educational methodology and evaluation of project results.
BARVALO – Financial Literacy as a Tool for the Economic Empowerment of Roma Communities
The BARVALO – Budgeting, Awareness, Responsibility for Valuable Opportunities project, worth €250,000, will begin on 1 September 2026 and continue until 31 August 2028.
The project will improve the financial literacy of adult members of Roma communities in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia. The emphasis will be on practical knowledge required in everyday life – managing personal finances, planning household budgets, saving, responsible borrowing and recognising financial risks.
A particular strength of the project will be the involvement of members of Roma communities as mentors who will pass on the knowledge they acquire to other members of their communities. In this way, educational content will be brought closer to learners for whom conventional forms of education are often less accessible.
During project implementation, 20 Roma mentors will be trained, a financial literacy programme and at least 20 open educational resources will be developed, and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform will be established, designed to be accessible also to people with lower levels of digital skills. Through eight programme piloting activities in four countries, at least 100 adult members of Roma communities will participate in the educational programme.
POU Čakovec will have a key expert and coordination role in the development of educational content and will participate in developing the methodology for training Roma mentors, creating the financial literacy programme, and developing and adapting open educational resources.
NATUREscapes – Using the Sounds of Nature to Address Digital Fatigue
Implementation of the NATUREscapes – Nature-based Soundscapes for Adult Learning project, worth €60,000, will begin on 1 October 2026 and continue until 31 March 2028.
At the heart of the project is the growing problem of digital fatigue among adult learners, referring to the mental and cognitive strain associated with prolonged use of screens and digital technologies.
The project will explore how nature sounds and the principles of restorative pedagogy can be used to reduce stress, improve concentration and create a more pleasant learning environment. It is based on the idea that digital technology does not have to be solely a source of additional strain but can also be used as a tool that helps learners relax, direct their attention and focus more easily on learning.
During project implementation, a methodological handbook for teachers and adult education professionals will be developed, together with a multimedia collection containing 12 high-quality recordings of natural soundscapes and six videos recorded in 360° format in the Mura and Drava areas of Croatia and Slovenia, as well as a web application. The application will allow users to combine different nature sounds, use a timer for focused learning (Pomodoro timer), and explore the locations where the sounds were recorded through an interactive map.
POU Čakovec will participate in the project as an adult education partner and will be responsible for developing and testing the web application and related digital tools. It will also contribute to presenting the project results and supporting their application in adult education.
RENEW – Digital and Green Skills for Active Ageing
The RENEW – Retirees’ Engagement in New Media and Environmental Wisdom project, also worth €60,000, will be implemented from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2028.
The project will combine the development of digital competences with the preservation and transfer of older adults’ environmental knowledge. Its aim is to provide retirees with new knowledge and skills while also enabling them to share their own life experience and knowledge with others and thereby participate more actively in community life.
At least 60 retirees aged over 60 from Slovenia, Croatia and North Macedonia will learn how to record, edit and publish their own audio content. At the same time, they will develop practical green skills related to reducing food waste, composting and managing households more sustainably.
Retirees will participate not only as learners but also as content creators and transmitters of their own experience. The project will produce 15 podcast episodes in which participants will share their experiences and knowledge, an educational programme entitled “Environmental Wisdom at Home” with practical materials for more sustainable everyday living, and nine intergenerational workshops in which knowledge and experience will be exchanged between older and younger generations.
POU Čakovec will participate as an adult education partner in the implementation of workshops and the development of retirees’ digital competences, while also contributing to the development, adaptation and testing of educational content and materials related to podcast production.
A Productive Project Autumn at POU Čakovec
Starting in September, BARVALO, NATUREscapes and RENEW will begin one after another, with AI4ID joining them at the end of December. The four new projects address different themes, but they share a common objective – developing new educational opportunities that respond to the real needs of adult learners and the communities in which they live.
Through financial and digital literacy, green skills, active ageing, support for mental wellbeing, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, Public Open University Čakovec will continue to develop contemporary approaches to adult education while strengthening cooperation with European partners.
The experience gained, educational content developed and new digital tools created will continue to be used after the projects have ended, ensuring that the results of international cooperation remain available to learners, educators and the wider community.
More information about the projects and their activities will be available on the website and social media channels of Public Open University Čakovec in the coming months.
