Anti-Bullying Movement Series Erasmus Project

Project Title

Anti-Bullying Movement Series

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: Creativity and culture; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

CONTEXT:
-“The phenomena of school aggression (harassment, victimization, clicking, exclusion from the community) – in the opinion of many – cover community conflicts that are a natural part of the life of institutions. Their frequency depends primarily on the institutional community, & in particular those responsible for its organization & management, being aware of the problem in a timely manner (which is an essential condition for prevention), perceiving problems (if they have already appeared), & whether they are accurately diagnosed & have adequate means to deal with them. The preparedness & information of teachers, staff & professionals are therefore perhaps the most important key elements in preventing, detecting & treating school bullying.” Stieber-Klemm Bettina, https://ofi.oh.gov.hu/sites/default/files/attachments/iskolai_agresszio_es_bantalmazas_kutatas_zarotanulmanya.pdf
-Nevertheless, in Georg Koenne’s article, “Warum an Schulen Mobbing betrieben wird (Why bullying is practiced in schools)” he states that “educators are not primarily trained for this. Their main task is to impart knowledge.”

ABMS’ MAIN OBJECTIVE: Our partners all serve underrepresented populations & have come together to use art & culture to disrupt bullying in youth-at-risk by increasing the skills & competences of artists, educators, youth workers, educational leaders & support staff that serve youth-at-risk.

PRIORITY 1: SOCIAL INCLUSION: The intention of ABMS is to use dance (as well as to a lesser extent other genres) to disrupt bullying in vulnerable populations as a method for increasing social inclusion. Nevertheless, ABMS is not intended to directly disrupt bullying routines, beliefs, & behaviours directly in youth-at-risk; instead direct recipients of ABMS are adults that serve vulnerable youth.

PRIORITY 2: SUPPORTING ARTISTS, EDUCATORS, YOUTH WORKERS, EDUCATIONAL LEADERS, & SUPPORT STAFF through the provision of LTT activities that use movement as well as additional skills & competences from our partners’ experiences in theatre, literature, visual arts, cultural heritage, & even gastronomy!

PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS: Recruiting preference will be given to persons who are or work with populations that represent:
-rural & remote populations
-inner-cities
-low-income
-minority language groups
-minority ethnic groups & religions
-LGBTQ2
-newcomers, refugees
-people of diverse abilities (including mental health)
-young women & girls

Among other things, PARTICIPANTS will learn
-To implement new tasks & exercises to create learning environments for youth-at-risk that disrupt bullying through a positive lens
-To encourage youth to develop empathy for others’ perspectives & experiences through art
-To encourage youth to explore how the arts connect our experiences to the experiences of others & how in the exploration of movement, we can demonstrate positive social behaviours that encourage compassion, empathy, & understanding through body language, tone of voice, & facial expressions
-To encourage youth to understand how cross-cultural sharing can be effective in problem solving
-To consider ethical considerations & cultural appropriation related to the arts
-To make collaborative dance experiences that build community & nurture relationships with others
-To implement cultural safety practices in their learning & teaching environments

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 365 (a mix of blended mobility adults learners & individuals with formal relationships to our partners)

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES: Each of our partners will host a 5-day adult training activity in their home communities—except for our lead partner, Município de Vila do Porto, who will host both the opening & closing training activities of which the closing event will culminate in an island-wide dance festival that will share results by live-streaming to our partners venues. This is our strategy for instigating new methods of cultural collaboration & consumption in light of COVID–to promote greener cultural practices. ABMS LTT activities feature
-exercise and task development amongst participants
-targeted discussions about pressing community issues
-presentation & practice of Good Practices by our partners & training participants
-community field-trips to learn from local additional experts
-practicums with local youth-at-risk to ensure training participants’ skill & competency before they return home
-lecturers from communities leaders

LEGACY: ABMS will create a final public policy paper that we will use to instigate growth in the education & cultural sectors to more closely link arts education with bullying by lobbying for the augmentation of course curriculums to give them more “teeth.” By linking bullying with education more directly, we will give educators curricular stimulus to address behaviours that fester into bullying to ensuring we produce meaningful, long-lasting change in the education system & in the lives of bullying victims.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 299474 Eur

Project Coordinator

Município de Vila do Porto & Country: PT

Project Partners

• ASSOCIATION KULTURANOVA UDRUZENJE
• PRO PROGRESSIONE KULTURALIS NONPROFIT KOZHASZNU KFT
• Xenia. Verein zur Förderung der Vielfalt
• Netzwerk Kultur & Heimat Hildesheimer Land e.V.
• FUNDACIÓN UXÍO NOVONEYRA