Art Is My Weapon Erasmus Project

Project Title

Art Is My Weapon

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: Inclusion – equity; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The cultural and creative sectors, especially the venue-based sectors (museums, performing arts, festivals, exhibitions, etc.) are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. They stimulate innovation, as well as have various positive social impacts, such as well-being and health, education, inclusion, urban regeneration, etc. In some way, the lockdown and social distancing measures have made evident the importance of arts and culture for people’s mental well-being, and this recognition provides a new opportunity to capitalize on the role of arts and culture in the face of Covid-19 emergency. Also, during these unfortunate times creativity and innovation are very important, because they represent powerful tools for education and development. Given that, this Strategic partnership between 6 organisations working in the field of youth, creativity and arts seeks to enable building the capacities of educators, youth workers and young people to use arts as educational tools for addressing positive values, such as solidarity, unity, inclusion, and equity, which have crucial importance in dealing with the Covid-19 emergency. Now, probably more than ever, it is time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop its long-lasting consequences. That being said, with the project ‘Art is My Weapon’ we seek to engage young people across Europe in a unique intercultural action for addressing solidarity, unity, inclusion, and equity through painting murals on public surfaces across Europe in partners’ countries.
Thus, during the project 42 participants will take part in a Youth exchange where they will paint murals on a wall (2 meters tall and 15 meters long) of a football field part of the Red Cross Training Center in Struga, the Republic of Macedonia. Upon return to their home countries, the partners and participants by involving local young people will paint one mural on a public surface in their local communities as well. All murals in each country will be part of one concept that will reflect the project idea in order to create landmarks in partner’s countries who participated in this project which will be revealed during an online exhibition on 12 August – the International Day of Youth. Also, during the project 24 youth workers will be trained in non-formal methods addressing solidarity, unity, inclusion and equity. The methods will be part of a Toolkit published on the project’s website for other youth workers, educators and young leaders to use in their future work, supported with video tutorials on their implementation. In that regard, the project’s objectives are set as follows:
to commemorate the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to raise awareness about European values among youth and the general public, such as solidarity, unity, inclusion and equity through painting murals in all partner’s countries;
to provide an opportunity for international cooperation and exchange of experiences and good working practices related to using arts as an educational tool in partner’s countries;
to create a Toolkit about how to use arts as an educational tool, thus to increase youth workers’ capacity to facilitate activities addressing solidarity, unity, inclusion, and equity among young people through use of creative non-formal methods;
to design and develop a Website about how to use arts as a tool for education, social and community development;
to organize and implement an online exhibition where the murals painted in each partner country will be revealed, happening on 12 August – International Youth Day;
to promote the Erasmus+ Programme, intercultural learning and non-formal education.

The murals painted in the local communities of partners’ communities will have a long term impact on the general public who will be able to receive the message behind it for 5-10 years to come. One big mural will be painted during the Youth exchange by the participants, as well as 6 other murals in partners’ local communities that will be part of one cohesive concept. All murals will commemorate the Covid-19 emergency by promoting solidarity, unity, inclusion and equity. Thus, the murals will be painted on public surfaces by involving young people from partner’s local communities in order to make an impact on local and European level by showing what can be done by youth coming from 6 different European countries and backgrounds. With these murals we seek to make a triple impact – to beautify the environment, to make young voices be heard by promoting solidarity, unity, inclusion, and equity and to commemorate the Covid-19 emergency. In addition, since the youth workers will use the methods learned during the project, young people and other youth workers in partner’s countries and around Europe will be able to benefit from this methodology.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 95608 Eur

Project Coordinator

Youth Work Alliance UK & Country: UK

Project Partners

• ASOCIACION CULTURAL Y DEPORTIVA LAHOYA
• ASSOCIAÇÃO MY MADEIRA ISLAND
• ZNANSTVENO-RAZISKOVALNO ZDRUZENJE ZA UMETNOST, KULTURNE IN IZOBRAZEVALNE PROGRAME IN TEHNOLOGIJO EPEKA, SOCIALNO PODJETJE
• YOUTH COUNCIL NEXT GENERATION SKOPJE
• GENCLIK MEVSIMI DERNEGI