The Art of Wholeness- innovative tools and practices for inclusion of vulnerable young people Erasmus Project

Project Title

The Art of Wholeness- innovative tools and practices for inclusion of vulnerable young people

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Creativity and culture; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

CONTEXT
Before the pandemic, a significant number of youth in the countries involved faced several challenges. The COVID-19 crisis worsened further the situation of youth. The most negative effects concentrate on CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTORS. The poorest households are the ones most severely hit by lockdown, indicating that social exclusion and poverty threaten severely vulnerable people. Moreover, “1 in 6 youth aged between 18-29 had stopped working since the onset of the crisis” while the pandemic elevated rates of stress or anxiety, loneliness, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, and self-harm behavior.
In order to assess the specific needs of the youth in LV, RO, CY, we made a Needs Assessment among the partners. Based on this the most important needs of youth now are social inclusion, personal, professional and socio-educational development, resilience to face unprecedented risks, empowerment, acquirement skills & competence, creativity.
During these unprecedented times, we wish to offer innovative practices to address the needs of all youth, including the ones who are vulnerable, without anyone left behind.

METHODOLOGY
The project brings innovation to youth work by combining non-formal learning with these methods/concepts:
– Creativity in nature
– Ecocentric and Soulcentric Development
– Arts (storytelling, poetry, dancing, singing, music, drawing, crafting)

OBJECTIVES
AIM: to raise the Quality and promote Innovation in Youth Work in order to foster social inclusion, creativity, resilience and the acquirement of competences for youth (especially the vulnerable ones)
Objectives
• To equip youth workers with competences deriving from innovative methodologies and improving their professional profile in using ecocentric and soulcentric education through art and nature
• To develop innovative practices and tools that empower the creative potential of youth, and develop their competences to engage proactively in the world.
• To introduce into youth work practice innovative concepts so that new educational content is created, a content which is based on art and nature
• To increase the capacity of youth organizations to better address the need for social inclusion, creativity, resilience and employment
• To disseminate the project results among youth work organizations from the partner countries and EU countries

INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS- TANGIBLE RESULTS
(O1) VIDEOS: Art for Wholeness – “Ecocentric and Soulcentric Development and Innovation”
(O2) Manual: “The Art of Wholeness: Cultivating the innate resources through Art and Creativity in Nature”
(O3) Podcasts: “Stories of Wholeness”
(O4) Educational Tool: “Looking from within”
(O5) Webinars: “The Art of Wholeness Webinars”
The outputs and activities of the project will generate also other results, such as
– films for every training activity
– a number of articles
– 4 evaluation reports (for each activity)
– 1 impact assessment.

ACTIVITIES
– 3 Multiplier Events (Conferences) in Latvia, Romania, Cyprus.
– 4 Learning/Training activities: 3 training courses (C1,2,3) for youth workers from Latvia, Romania, Cyprus) and 1 youth exchange (C4) for vulnerable youth from the same countries
NUMBER & PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS
– 372 youth workers (youth trainers, youth teachers, youth leaders, youth coaches, people who work with young artists, etc) from Latvia, Romania, Cyprus. The 72 of them will take part in the training activities C1,2,3 and the other 300 will take part in the multiplier events (E1,2,3).
– 18 vulnerable youth from Latvia, Romania and Cyprus who will take part in the youth exchange C4.

IMPACT:
– 372 youth workers will have increased professional competencies for working with vulnerable youth
-738 vulnerable youth will have improved creative potential, inclusion and employment prospect (18 from C4 and 720 from follow up workshops of C1,2,3)
– increased quality of youth work and capacity of partners to empower vulnerable young people of current and future generations on local/regional/national level
– Enforced connections and partnerships between youth work sector and Art/Creative sector, as well as with the associated partners
– The dissemination activities of this project, aim to reach out to a great number of youth workers, youth NGOs, Art organizations, key stakeholders and decision makers in local, national and European level. Our aim is to create new synergies for positive reforms in youth work.

LONG TERM BENEFITS
We expect a strong long term benefit as we plan to disseminate the results among Ministries, the National Youth Councils, European Networks of NGOs, etc. We foresee an increase in the quality of youth work at European level and the usage of innovative activities when working with youth, ensuring thus that no-one is left behind. As a long term benefit, we envision young people of current and future generations to be empowered, successful innovators with enhanced skills and developed competences and resilient citizens.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 138457 Eur

Project Coordinator

Aluksnes un Apes novada fonds & Country: LV

Project Partners

• Asociatia Actions for Change
• Inspiration Path