Color made inclusive Erasmus Project

Project Title

Color made inclusive

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project Color made inclusive was upstarted to create new methods of giving learning/training opportunities and future employment opportunities for youths from vulnerable areas and for young individuals in general in the participating cities. At the same time as taking part in work-based learning and training, these youths took part in developing and decorating walls in the cities which needed particular attention with regards to social exclusion areas. Inclusion and integration are strongholds within the project. The crafts and measures we did focus on where learning and training of youths related to building restoration, color schemes, and mural paintings.
UNIEP, representing the European painting branch of the Construction sector with around 60,000 businesses through its 15 member associations in 14 European countries, has identified three key challenges for the future: the lack of young people entering the profession, the lack of quality in education/training creating a gap from real market needs and the lack of knowledge of market innovation by the painters and training institutions.
At the same time, in the European Union, youth unemployment is an extreme challenge to handle. It causes high costs for the member states and its inhabitants, both in terms of social exclusion and in terms of strain on the state budgets. In certain areas of the large and medium sized cities, with a high percentage of immigrants or considerable urbanization, unemployment reaches levels that could cause long term damage on society.
A very high percentage unemployed youths throughout Europe are facing hard conditions in terms of social exclusion, economic obstacles and non-existing networks for finding an employer. These youths, given the proper conditions, need normally no more than 2-3 months to change from having no routines, no trust in the future or in authorities, to make a large change in mind set. Given an inspirational teacher, entering a group of likeminded and actively participating in city development through painting, these youths surprisingly fast choose a path that soon will make them employable.
The aim was to deliver three LTT activities for these youths. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the three planned activities had to be divided in four smaller ones. A total of 49 participants plus 11 accompanying persons took part in one LTT-activity in Spain and three LTT-activities in Sweden. Furthermore, 45 local participants joined, of which about half of these in Sweden (age group 19-24 years) and half of them in Spain (age group 17-26 years).
The LTT-activity in Spain had a tremendously good coverage in Spanish media, including interviews in national television media, articles in two of the largest national newspapers, regional TV – radio – newspapers and local media in the municipality of Hospitalet de Llobregat. In specialized and Internet based media, there were an accountable number of coverages of different kind. Actually, this was the aim for LTT activities in Spain related to the connecting IO and large resources where put into developing this concept, as a way of bringing attention and pride to the participating youths. The LTT-activities in Sweden also reached good media coverage, although not at the same level as in Spain. In general, our focus on integration and inclusions became also the focus of media coverage. This, in a positive international European context, seems to be what triggered the large and positive coverage.
Two IOs have been produced, one in Gdansk/Malbork by the University of Gdansk related to inclusion of boys from a juvenile school in Malbork and the challenges they are facing when searching for reintegration into society. Another IO in Spain/Barcelona related to the possibility of bringing excluded youths into a position of integration and inclusion through the forces of obtained positive media attention.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 185430 Eur

Project Coordinator

Måleriföretagen i Väst & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Arbetsmarknadsförvaltningen
• Lead to Change SL
• LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE
• UNIWERSYTET GDANSKI
• KP Måleri AB
• Cámara de Comercio Hispano-Sueca de Barcelona
• UNION INTERNATIONALE DES ENTREPRENEURS DE PEINTURE ASBL