Creability – Creative methods for an inclusive cultural work in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creability – Creative methods for an inclusive cultural work in Europe

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 : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

Inclusion is a task that touches upon all aspects of life – including all state and social institutions. Most EU countries signed the UN Disability Rights Convention on 30 March 2007. The convention specifies that disabled people have the natural right to fully participate. This must also be true for culture and education!

We are called to increase our focus on active equal participation in cultural education – as a place to develop one’s own creative potential and to bring together individuals of all kinds of personal circumstances. Because cultural education opens up new dimensions of perception and communication for disabled and non-disabled people and creates an experimental space that allows to change perspectives and habits. This is where we can find new ways of exploring what »disability« truly means and how we define our perception of »normal«.

Over the course of two years, in the international project Creability we looked into the following key question: How can we reshape tasks, exercises and methods from the performing arts to make them practically accessible and applicable to all human beings? For example, how can deaf people take part in a voice-led rhythm exercise or how can a dance warm-up be done in a wheelchair?
The result of this project is a Practical Guide (IO) a toolkit published in English and German to help interested artists, multipliers in youth work, social work and services for disabled people, teachers and other educators plan and conduct creative and artistic activities for different target groups. At the same time, it is meant to allow everybody interested in cultural work, whether disabled or non-disabled, to participate equally and fully in cultural education.

Numerous different workshops (National Pilots M1 and M2) and training activities (C1 and C2) that took place in Germany and Greece between June 2018 and December 2019 allowed over 130 disabled and non-disabled artists and other cultural professionals to examine more than 70 tested methods and smaller teaching units (tools) from dance, acting, and music. They aimed at modifying and further developing the tools in such a way that they can be used largely without restrictions in future inclusive practice. The TU Dortmund University monitored the project to ensure that the inclusive tools produced met the latest scientific standards. In a final workshop series (National Pilots M3), the best approaches were further tested by different target groups with and without disability (85 participants 48% with a disability). We were particularly interested to learn whether the tools were more accessible now and whether they could help promote social participation.

The result (IO) of this process the Practical Guide – Creative and Artistic Tools for Inclusive Cultural Work features a collection of the best 31 tried-and-tested creative tools. This toolkit is meant to encourage people to create their own inclusive offers. In addition, it comes with important general guidelines and practical checklists for even more specific guidance and advice. Through the two multiplier events in Germany and Greece, and through extensive PR and public relations work, the results were disseminated throughout Europe.

We will be happy if this handbook will be used to explore new paths to create varied opportunities for disabled and non-disabled people to come together. We wish that it helps grow the international network of inclusive cultural and creative offerings. Because fostering culture through inclusion helps positively impact, enrich, and diversify our European society.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 207752,12 Eur

Project Coordinator

FREUNDE UND FOERDERER VON UN-LABEL E.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• SYNERGEIO MOUSIKOU THEATROU ASTIKIMI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIREIA
• TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DORTMUND