The Nordplus Programme

Nordplus is a program established by the Nordic Council of Ministers, with projects aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries, improving the education systems of the participating countries and introducing innovations. The Nordplus program supports projects that promote knowledge acquisition, exchange, and the creation of cooperation networks.

The general objectives for Nordplus 2023–2027:

• strengthen and develop Nordic and Baltic co-operation on education, including early childhood and care, and help to create a Nordic–Baltic educational area,
• support, build on, reap the benefits of and promote innovative products and processes in education through the systematic exchange of experiences and good practice,
• contribute to the development of quality and innovation in the educational systems for lifelong learning in the participating Nordplus countries through co-operation in education and training, as well as co-operation with the labour market on development projects, exchange programmes and networking,
• enhance mobility for educational purposes and expand digital collaboration in education in the region,
• enhance opportunities for all, regardless of background and resources, to participate in regional educational collaboration and to gain new knowledge and skills based on collaboration between organizations,
• promote Nordic languages and culture and mutual Nordic-Baltic linguistic and cultural understanding,
• improve inter-Nordic language comprehension (primarily between Danish, Swedish and Norwegian), especially among children and young people,
• stimulate interest in and knowledge and understanding of the languages of the Nordic countries essential to society (Danish, Finnish, Faroese, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami and Swedish) and Nordic sign language, and
• revitalize national minority languages in the Nordic Region for cultural and inclusive purposes.

The total yearly Nordplus budget is approximately 9.8 million EURO.

More information about Norplus there!

Nordplus sub-programmes

Nordplus consists of the following sub-programmes:

• Nordplus Junior
• Nordplus Higher Education
• Nordplus Adult
• Nordplus Horizontal
• Nordplus Nordic Languages

Project Happy Teacher - Happy Future, NPAD-2024/10113 

Nordplus finascial support 55 325 euro 

In recent years residents of many countries have had to live under conditions of long-term increased stress caused at first by C-19, later by the war in Ukraine and the possible long-term consequences of these events, especially for the Baltic States and Finland. Various studies conducted in the Baltic States confirm that stress levels and following burnout for teachers are very high because every third teacher (32,65%) suffers from increased work stress and every fourth teacher (25,1%) suffers from burnout and other health problems associated with high stress levels.

The target audience of the project Happy Teacher - Happy Future, NPAD-2024/10113, are adult educators who suffer from increased stress in their work. A secondary, subordinated target group, who can directly benefit from the results of the project, is adult students suffering from stress (refugees, immigrants, groups at risk of exclusion) with whom teachers are working. Based on data research and professional experience in educational institutions, the project participants want to develop training programs for educators, learning which they will be able to recognize the symptoms of increased stress and burnout and will learn various methods and exercises to reduce stress levels. In addition, recommendations will be compiled for teachers working with adult students who have experienced severe stress (refugees, persons from social exclusion risk groups etc.), and recommendations for heads of institutions on how to support teachers in conditions of prolonged stress. During the project, participants' meetings will be organized, in which various stress reduction methods, techniques, and exercises will be selected, evaluated and approved together, as well as specialists and representatives of the target group involved in the discussions, so that the programs are developed as efficiently as possible, adapted to the needs of the target audience.
The project involves Eira High School for Adults and the Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki from Finland, Nooruse Maja from Estonia, Klaipėda Adult Gymnasium from Lithuania and the project coordinator Personal Development School NARA from Latvia.
Four meetings of participants are planned in each country during the project.