What is C.O.P.E.?

C.O.P.E. is a project funded by the European Commission under EaSI (European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation), dedicated to the health and social inclusion of NEETs, young people excluded from training, study and employment, running from January 2022 to June 2024, with the involvement of 7 partners from 4 different European countries.

What we aim to achieve?

Build a local network of proximity, to reach the NEETs through the involvement of institutional subjects (such as employment services, social and housing services, schools), protection and voluntary organisations and other stakeholders (e.g. companies, sports clubs, cultural associations, local leaders);

Train institutional and non-institutional actors in Italy and Portugal on the ‘relational proximity’ approach, loosely based on the ‘social prescribing’ model in the UK;

Implement two pilot actions in Italy and Portugal and evaluate their results and sustainability;

Disseminate the knowledge acquired so that it can be implemented in a generalized way, using the tools and experiences produced by the project;

Develop guidelines for adopting best practices learned at national and European level.

Theory of change

The diagram represents potential combinations of Context, Mechanisms, Agency and Outcomes. More specifically, Context factors are related to C.O.P.E. Link Workers, Service Providers, Re-Activation and Community, which are all primarily found at the community level both prior to the intervention as well as in its first implementation steps. Mechanisms at this point are related to potential positive perceptions about the intervention, which in combination with Agency are able to ignite the spark that is needed to produce results. Outcomes are the desired results, which position C.O.P.E. beneficiaries more favourably in the community through enjoying better heath, gaining better employment and education as well as through becoming more active as citizens. 

Target groups

Youngsters (NEET)

Link workers

Employment services

Researchers & Academia

Media and journalists

Policymakers

NGOs, International Organisations

Local Stakeholders

Workpackages

WP1

Coordination

WP2

Dissemination and Communication

WP3

Training and capacity building

WP4

Evaluation

WP5

Sustainability

WP6

COPE Pilot preparation

WP7

COPE Pilot implementation