PROJECT CONTEXT. Tackling early school leaving is a key contribution to the Europe 2020 agenda. To reduce dropout rate in the EU to less than 10% (15% in the case of Spain) is one of the objectives of E2020 Strategy. (Rates 2013: Spain 21.7%; Italy 17%; EU 12%). The two participating countries show dropout rates significantly above the European average, being necessary to undertake strategic actions in this regard. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The project aims to promote a strategic partnership between the city of Vila-real (Castellón) and the City of Sacile (Italy) as local education authorities, with support from schools and local educational organisations, to develop a methodology based on school mediation as a innovative strategy for preventing early school leaving, that allows to provide high quality education and addresses the increasingly diverse needs that occur on school contexts, in line with the priorities of E2020 and the strategic framework E&T2020. Specific: 1. Improve the skills and competences of teachers to address the diverse needs that occur in school contexts so that they can adopt innovative approaches focused on students (school mediation), further reinforcing key competences such as digital and language competences. - Activities: training activities for teachers and creation and revitalization of a TwinSpace about the project. 2. Facilitate the students development of basic skills (especially communication and social skills, digital and language competences) to enable them to participate effectively and constructively in social and professional life. Activities: Training as school mediators, participation in the project TwinSpace, virtual mobility associated to a system of peer learning and certifying learning through Europass documents. 3. Improve the capacity of participating organizations of internationalization adding European value added to the experience of school mediation through working with European organisations and the use of European tools for sharing and recognition of learning outcomes (e-Twinning and Europass). 4. Facilitate the permeability of the methodology of school mediation from non-formal to formal education, analyzing the possibilities of implementing the program in schools and guiding the implementation process with quality assured through the following intellectual products (digital format, accessible and Creative Commons license): - "Toolbox" Multi-MEDES consisting of multimedia educational materials on school mediation, which enable the development of up to 60 hours of training on school mediation aimed at students, teachers and families. - Methodological Guide for supporting the implementation of amediation programme in schools. - Methodological Guide for evaluating the quality of school mediation programs, linked to a quality award "MEDES". NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS The project MEDES involve approximately 5830 people, both directly and indirectly. The profile of direct participants: teachers and secondary school students between 11 and 16 years as well as professionals from local educational organisations. Indirect participants: students and teachers from other schools; regional, national, European and international educational centers at different levels and / or educational fields; local, regional and national education authorities, teachers associations, education unions, associations of parents of students and other socio-educational professionals. RESULTS AND IMPACT Teachers and students will be trained as school mediators, developing key competences such as social abilities, communication, etc. as well as linguistic and digital skills. Open educational resources, multilingual and freely available will be developed. The implementation of mediation in schools will be facilitated through a methodological guide and quality standards. At level of long-term impact, the MEDES project aims to include school mediation as an innovative strategy for preventing and reducing early school leaving within educational strategies at the local, regional, national and European level.