For The Record Erasmus Project

Project Title

For The Record

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Access for disadvantaged; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Project’s GENERAL OBJECTIVE is developing adult educators’ creative skills, implicating artistic languages, to give an added value to socially dependent people’s memories in educational activities.

Collecting and sharing old people’s life stories is a practice of high educational value for:
– students of all ages who can find there original material about historical periods or events; for reflection on contemporary social phenomena; components of traditions and cultural identities; material for playful activities that are genuine and free from the negative influence of standardisation and commercialisation
– adults who will reflect on more or less distant memories, comparing them with current social problems, recovering traditions and cultural/popular forms of expression
– socially dependent people themselves, who in the process can improve self-confidence, regain an active role in society, preserve/recover cognitive abilities

The educational value of memories can be better understood when we think that remembering is not just re-evoking past: it is also reflection on oneself, care of one’s own life experience, to define through self-knowledge and self-awareness one’s identity. Memory doesn’t preserve the memories of our past mechanically, arranging them in coherent narratives: in fact, we constantly rebuild our memories modifying them every time we tell our story, rebuilding and renovating this way our identity too. This doesn’t mean that we are free to invent or build ourselves as we like: our narrative construction is subject to constraints, especially because narration is always addressed to others who are calling us to account for what we attribute to ourselves.
People’s life stories are therefore not only a precious part of the intangible heritage of a community, but also decisive in building the sense of identity and belonging of its members: not only as memory-chronicle of facts and events, but also as an attitude, born out of the act of remembering, that fosters mutual listening, dialogue, engagement in the construction of a collective identity that takes into account reasons and memories of others.

Therefore, SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of the project are:
– improving the artistic value and appeal of activities presenting and sharing old people’s memories, to reach a wider audience and enhance their educational value
– fostering interaction and exchange of competencies between social workers and performers, writers, video-makers and visual artists to create different formats of sharing collected memories with the audience
– promote intercultural training and multidisciplinary exchange between artists, educators, therapists and experts in autobiographical methods

Overall around 100 people will be directly involved in project’s activities: besides the professionals and experts mentioned above, a large number of socially dependent people will take part in the experimental projects, enjoying new ways to relate with people, be active and share their memories.

Main result of the project will be a set of educational resources including guidelines on autobiographical methods, reflective practice and quality assurance, and a repository of experimental projects that could be of inspiration for other professionals interested ion working in this field.

The project is likely to produce a significant impact on the quality of activities aiming at harvesting and presenting/sharing autobiographical material, on the skills and competencies of artists and social carers/workers and on quality of life of socially dependent people.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 258399 Eur

Project Coordinator

Wren Music & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Poleski Osrodek Sztuki
• SERVICIO MADRILENO DE SALUD
• euridea
• La Vie Active
• Libera Università dell’Autobiografia
• Asociacion de Personas con Discapacidad Verdiblanca