Getting started, motivation and idea
Skills: self-awareness, participation, oral expression, tolerance for unfinished ideas.
Transfer value: being able to put motivation into words, get started and take an active part in a group.
The STEP model: a learning model for mastery, participation and agency
STEP is a modular learning model for young people aged 16–24 in vulnerable transitions. Work on an idea, a project or an initiative is used as a learning environment. Through small, clearly defined steps, the model helps participants explore, create, plan, test and refine something that feels meaningful. The aim is to strengthen agency, participation, mastery and key soft skills through practical work.
How STEP works
STEP has been developed as a practical, modular learning model. It combines clear structure with high levels of participant activity, and gives young people space to develop ideas, skills and direction through small, manageable steps.
Practical and visual learning journey: STEP uses concrete tasks, visible working tools and short explanations that make it easier to understand, take part and keep an overview.
Participants' own ideas, experience and motivation as the starting point: Participants begin with something they themselves want to develop, and are able to draw on their own experience as part of the learning process.
Structured progression from motivation to testing: The model provides a clear journey from starting out and exploration to planning, implementation and simple testing.
Soft skills developed through action and collaboration: Skills such as communication, perseverance, responsibility, flexibility and collaboration are developed through the practical work.
Background
Developed through co-creation and practice
STEP was developed by MIKS Ressurssenter and AE2O through an Erasmus+ collaboration in 2025. The model was shaped in co-creation with young people who themselves have experience of vulnerable transitions between education, work and other forms of activity.
The development work started from the need for a learning model with a low threshold for participation, clear tasks and more room for participation, mastery and practical development.
Testing in Norway and Portugal influenced the language, pace, working methods and module structure. What worked best were short explanations, visual tools, active facilitation and a clear thread running between sessions.
The result was a modular, practice-based model that combines entrepreneurial learning, relationship-based work and non-formal pedagogy.
Methodology
10 pedagogical principles
This is how STEP works in practice. The model is built around ten pedagogical principles that shape the learning environment, the facilitator role and the way young people work throughout the process.
1 Participants' ideas and experiences are the starting point
STEP works best when participants feel a sense of ownership. The work begins with
what they themselves care about, are curious about or want to achieve. Starting
from their own ideas makes the learning more relevant, even if the group later
comes together around a shared direction.
2 The facilitator takes an active part in the learning process
When the facilitator takes part in exercises, shares their own reflections and
works side by side with the group, the threshold for contributing becomes lower.
This creates a sense of equality, builds safety and models that it is acceptable
to try, adjust and learn along the way.
3 Safety comes before performance
The target group needs a setting where it is acceptable to be unsure, ask
questions and think out loud. Relationship-based work is therefore part of the
method itself. When early experiences of success are built into the process, it
becomes easier to dare to participate.
4 Theory should be brief and linked to activity
Abstract concepts need to be explained in small doses, translated into everyday
language and linked to concrete examples. The main rule is that explanations should
quickly be followed by something participants can do in practice.
5 The work should be visual and tangible
Post-it notes, cards, boards, templates and sketches make thinking visible in the
room. This reduces the need for large amounts of text, eases the burden on working
memory and makes it easier to collaborate on ideas, choices and progress.
6 The most important work should happen in the sessions
Homework should not carry the responsibility for continued progress. What matters
for learning, decisions and participation should happen together in the room, with
support from the facilitator and the group.
7 Progress should be broken down into small steps
Large goals become manageable when they are translated into sub-goals, concrete
tasks and visible milestones. Small steps make the work feel more achievable and
increase the experience of mastery early in the process.
8 Reflection should be connected to action
Conversation alone rarely creates change. In STEP, reflection leads on to choices,
sketches, decisions or simple tests. Each session should end with a clear thread
forward: What did we discover, what do we choose now, and what is the next step?
9 Flexibility is built into the model
A module can be delivered as one longer session or divided into shorter blocks,
depending on the context and the group's capacity on the day. Visual summaries are
used actively to make re-entry easier and preserve continuity after absence or
interruption.
10 Soft skills develop throughout the process
In STEP, soft skills are not a side effect, but part of the way young people work
itself. Self-leadership, collaboration, communication, flexibility and
perseverance are developed as participants explore ideas, listen to others, plan,
carry out tasks, receive feedback and make adjustments along the way.
Learning outcomes
Soft skills developed through STEP
In STEP, soft skills are developed through activity, collaboration and concrete tasks. These skills are not developed as a side effect, but as a central part of the learning process itself. They also have clear transfer value into education, work and other communities.
User understanding and target group
Skills: empathy, active listening, perspective-taking, curiosity.
Transfer value: understanding other people better in education, work and social situations.
Value creation and relevance
Skills: analysis, communication, judgement, collaboration.
Transfer value: being able to explain why something is relevant and see an issue from multiple sides.
Goals, sub-goals and progress
Skills: self-regulation, prioritisation, structure, perseverance.
Transfer value: keeping track of tasks, goals and progress in everyday life.
From plan to implementation
Skills: responsibility, decision-making, realistic thinking, systems understanding.
Transfer value: being able to deal with requirements, structures, finances and agreements in a safer and more structured way.
Prototype, testing and learning
Skills: experimentation, the ability to receive feedback, flexibility, resilience.
Transfer value: being able to handle adjustments, learn from attempts and make wiser choices going forward.
Modules
The 6 modules
STEP is structured in six modules that can be delivered together or divided into shorter sessions. Each module has a clear function within the process and helps participants move from motivation and exploration to testing and learning.
Getting started, motivation and idea
Builds safety, ownership and direction. Participants explore what motivates them, and which ideas, projects or initiatives they want to continue working on.
User understanding and target group
Shifts the focus from the idea itself to who it is relevant for, and what needs, challenges or wishes exist within the target group.
Value creation and relevance
Clarifies what actually creates value, why anyone should care, and what makes the idea, project or initiative relevant.
Goals, sub-goals and progress
Turns direction into a plan. Participants work with realistic goals, sub-goals, responsibility and visible progress.
From plan to implementation
Makes tasks, resources, costs, roles, partners and external conditions concrete so that the work can move forward.
Prototype, testing and learning
Makes the idea or project testable. Participants try out a simple version, gather feedback and continue refining it.
Facilitation
The facilitator role in STEP
In STEP, the facilitator has an active and clear role in the learning process. The role is about creating structure, safety and progress, while participants retain ownership of the content.
What the facilitator contributes
- Creates structure and clarity from the outset.
- Translates concepts and tasks into plain language.
- Supports progress and adjusts the pace along the way.
How the role is carried out in practice
- Takes part in relevant exercises and models reflection.
- Builds safety and a low threshold for participation.
- Helps the group stay on course without taking over the content.
Rule of thumb
A useful rule of thumb is that the facilitator holds the structure, while participants own the content as far as possible.
Practical framework
How STEP can be organised in practice
STEP can be organised in several ways, depending on the target group, the framework and the time available.
Group size
4–10 participants often work best. For larger or more mixed groups, having two facilitators is an advantage.
Duration
A module can be delivered in around 3 hours, or divided into 2 x 90 minutes if the framework calls for shorter sessions.
Space and materials
STEP works best with movable tables, wall space, large sheets of paper, Post-it notes, markers and easy access to a screen when needed.
Start of the session
Where possible, include a 10–15 minute social start with check-in, simple food and informal conversation.
Documentation
Take photos of walls and boards, collect templates and create a simple summary after each session to preserve overview and progress.
Between sessions
Avoid making homework a condition for continued progress. The most important work should happen collectively during the sessions.
Possible formats
STEP can be set up in different ways, as long as the framework still provides clear progression and enough time for activity, reflection and summary.
Continuity
Continuity and re-entry
STEP builds continuity through visible summaries, simple logging tools and clear re-entry practices. This makes it easier to pick up the thread again and re-enter the process.
What characterises STEP
What defines STEP across the whole process
Safety and relationships first
STEP is built on the understanding that learning and participation take root more easily when young people meet clear adults, predictable structures and room to be unsure without falling out of the process.
Participation and ownership
Participants work on something they themselves care about, and have real influence over direction, choices and development along the way. This strengthens motivation and the feeling of being taken seriously.
Practical and visual work
The model uses concrete tasks, visual tools and creative ways of working that make learning easier to understand, take part in and collaborate around.
Small steps with clear progression
STEP makes large goals more manageable through sub-goals, task breakdown, visible progress and continuous adjustment. That makes mastery more achievable along the way.