The digital skills of children and young people influence the degree of their social participation to a growing extent. Consequently, the integration of children and youth who are third-country nationals can be accelerated through targeted digital skills development. And this is exactly the goal of the pilot project “Going Live: digital workshop schools for integration and skills development”. Under the project, ten schools of different school types from the entire Dortmund area receive targeted support over a two-year period (2021-22) in order to promote the schools’ digital development and the use of digital learning materials in the interest of more differentiated and varied teaching. The following schools are participating in the project: Diesterweg-Grundschule, Freiligrath Grundschule, Libellen-Grundschule, Stift-Grundschule (elementary schools), Ricarda-Huch-Realschule, Wilhelm-Röntgen-Realschule (intermediate secondary schools), Gustav-Heinemann-Gesamtschule (comprehensive school), Helmholtz-Gymnasium, Leibniz Gymnasium Dortmund, Stadtgymnasium Dortmund (grammar schools).

“Going Live” is a joint initiative of the Pacemaker Initiative, a collaborative project of EDUCATION Y and Teach First Deutschland, with the systemic consultancy firm IMAP. The project is being implemented in cooperation with the city of Dortmund and receives major financial support from the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). It is co-funded by private sponsors, including the Wilo-Foundation.

The Pacemaker Initiative, a collaborative project of EDUCATION Y and Teach First Deutschland, empowers schools to develop their own digitalisation strategy. Targeted schools development and innovative ways to enhance skills of teachers and pupils pave the way for new forms of teaching, with digitally confident teachers and learners being involved equally in the process.