Culture and Art for Restorative Justice Erasmus Project

Project Title

Culture and Art for Restorative Justice

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Migrants’ issues; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The successful and organic integration of migrants into EU hosting societies remains problematic for many national migration policies. This is a persistent Europe-wide challenge, which has now become more urgent, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted our lives and societies, but extensive research is showing that the pandemic has already revealed and exacerbated pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities of migrants, a group facing also the additional burden of xenophobia and discrimination. These persistent phenomena are triggered by cultural misunderstanding, bias and fear of the “other”. At the same time the cultural and artistic sectors were hit the most.

Culture and Art for Restorative Justice (CARJ) aims to respond to this need, using the power of art and restorative justice to increase cultural awareness and thus contribute to the successful integration of migrant communities at one of the most challenging times for Europe. It will exchange its results at national (the UK, Greece, Turkey, Spain and Cyprus) and European levels, helping in this way to achieve the objectives of the EU Integration Action Plan, and supporting the Erasmus+ priorities. The project will adopt a user-led methodology in order to address several Sectoral and Horizontal Erasmus+ Priorities.

In particular, CARJ aims to empower creative and cultural professionals who support migrants and especially those who are at risk of marginalization. It will increase the skills, knowledge and confidence that will allow them to foster their migrants’ development of social, civic and intercultural competences, while helping them to develop ownership of shared values and boost social inclusion. This will be achieved through the project’s tailored and evidence-based accredited trainings and other social actions, which use creative arts combined with the values of restorative justice. The starting point of our intended, innovative training programme is the UK tested “Culture and Art for Unity” a user-led project, which received multiple awards by the London Mayor. It was run by the RJ4All International Institute in 2018-19, and used creative restorative justice art to increase community cohesion in a divided London area. Combined with restorative justice and creative arts, our project will bring people closer, showcasing what unites rather what divides us. This is an area that has not been developed for adult education training and which we will address via our project. These results will also include inbuilt assessment tools creating for the first time educational and training materials that are CPD accredited and which will help prevent the marginalisation and social exclusion of migrants through a positive approach that combines creative arts with restorative justice.

Moreover, acknowledging that prevention of migrants’ marginalisation requires a holistic approach to social inclusion and inequality, CARJ will put emphasis on connecting cultural and art organisations with civil society, and strengthening cross-sectorial cooperation. To overcome the COVID19’s impact, the art and cultural sectors will be connected with restorative justice practitioners, education, social and health services, mental health and community organisations who support migrants’ integration creating new market opportunities and break the silo working.

CARJ also tackles the social inclusion priority, as it aims to contribute to the successful integration of migrants, a group impacted disporporionately by COVID-19. This will be achieved, by supporting the workers and professionals working with them through the development of training tools and manuals; also, by involving them directly in the project’s educational and creative activities, using art as a vehicle to support them in their integration. The project will also generate many opportunities of social action for professionals supporting migrants and migrants themselves. The planned activities will focus on empowering them to take part in the project, fostering their active citizenship and preventing their marginalisation, taking into account the European values of freedom, tolerance, equality autonomy and respect of human, social and economic rights.

By the end of the project, CARJ will deliver:
– 4 Intellectual Outputs (handbook, e-course, training, pilots, ebook)
– 4 national and 1 international multiplier
– hundreds of volunteering learning opportunities to adult learners and migrants
– regular e-newsletters, press releases, a dedicated project website and social media engagement
– multiple networking opportunities between cultural, art organisations and civil society as well as national and European funders and stakeholders.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 174815 Eur

Project Coordinator

Restorative Justice for All International Institute cic & Country: UK

Project Partners

• RESEARCH AND EDUCATION OF SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT AND TRANSFORMATION-RESET LTD
• IASIS
• KINONIKES SINETERISTIKES DRASTIRIOTITES EFPATHON OMADON
• Reframe House Ltd
• Kapadokya Egitim ve Arastirma Dernegi
• Consultoría de Innovación Social