Arts Empowering Youth Work Erasmus Project

Project Title

Arts Empowering Youth Work

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The project aim of our project was to make a significant contribution to the quality of youth work by integrating participatory arts working methods with the youth workers’ activities in a creative way specially in international youth exchanges and with young people with different backrounds.

The objectives were:

1. A research of arts as a tool in youth work was conducted in the project and videos based on intervieuws about creative methods were produced along with an e-book about the results of the research. The book gives the philosphical basis to the results and identifys concepts to support participative art-based methods and makes the creative process and participative methods as a support for inclusion in youth work visible.
2. We trained 21 youth workers and artists from our partnership organizations and 11 from other organizations to learn how to use participative art based methods in their work in order to create a new generation of facilitators and artists
3. We expected to have also 2 new members in Drums for Peace -network. We succeeded to have one new member

The above mentioned 32 trainees were participants in our 2 mobilities. The profile of the participants was in line with our objectives: youth workers, artists, voluntary workers, and youth center staff. Everyone was interrested in using creative art-based and non-formal methods in youth work and as a tool in socio-pedagogic context among yong people with different backrounds. In the trainings in mobilities participants explored the process of a youth exchange and the use of participative art based methods. In the training of the second mobility trainees were able to bring their new skills to practice by working with groups of local youngsters.
The research method was participative and active (action reserach ) supported the trainings and the quality of the whole project. All trainees showed new skills learned in the project and were fully able to conduct creative and participative art-based method in international youth work and local community as well. The project made an impact to local youth work specially in the “hands on” part of the training in Orivesi and Juupajoki in finland where it reached approx. 110 local young people, youth workers, voluntary workers and also teachers.
2 mobilities with trainings were rconducted in the project:

1 Cinisello Balsamo, IT, 14-21.2.2019
2 Sammalniemi, FI, 16-23.3.2019

There were 3 project meetings:

1 Kick-off meeting in Copenhagen, DK, 6-8.10.2018
2 Midterm meeting in Sammalniemi, FI, 3-6.8.2019
3 Final meeting in Gaia (Porto), PT, 10-16.11.2019

Results

Arts Empwering Youth Work -booklet
research based picture of common creative process in a participative art-based workshop. Models that connect people with different backrounds
Video intervieuws of experienced artist facilitators sharing their methods and vieuws

The trainees learned how to use participative art-based methods and common creative process in youh work among young people with different backrounds and international youth projects
The trainees learned to find models used in youth work and projects that connect people and create them by themselves
Erasmus+ program, planning and application process was discussed widely and processed in groupwork

In the second mobility (C2) trainees were able to see and understand the effect of newly learned skills in the feedback from young people

We expect the booklet and videos to make an impact widely and the will be available in the internet. These are specially aimed to facilitators in artistic context but also to educators and teachers who want to develop their methods.

The booklet and the printed version will be available for free to anybody
We will follow the results of the research in coming projects
Planning of new projects and application processes that benefit from AEYW -project has started
All participants in the trainings of this project who express their interrest will be allowed to work in their organization and invited as recognized members to the Drums for peace artists community
partners of this project will try to make an impact in youth work and youth policy locally, nation wide and international context.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 68514 Eur

Project Coordinator

SDPL:n Helsingin ja Uudenmaan piirijärjestö ry & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Grupo de Acção e Intercâmbio Artístico e Cultural GAIAC
• Arci La Quercia
• ASOCIATIA CULTURALA PENTRU TEATRU SI ORIGAMI DIN ROMANIA-A.C.T.O.R.
• ARTTRAIN