“Leading my own life” Erasmus Project

General information for the “Leading my own life” Erasmus Project

“Leading my own life” Erasmus Project
July 7, 2020 12:00 am
153

Project Title

“Leading my own life”

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Creativity and culture; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

People with disabilities (PWD) come from a group of people that are rarely found in leading positions in society. PWD have often been in learning, subordinate situation all their life. They are the ones getting supervision and help from professional leaders. To change this is complex. Needs and target groups: 1. To train PWD in leading workshops/ study visits/ giving lectures. 2. To train staff in how to support this process of new thinking and learning, and also in supporting the staff in taking one step back 3. to train PWD how to be a leader in education and work, to think about independent leaving. This project challenges the norm about who has the right to be a leader and what it means to be a leader of your own life. All three partners (Poland, Swede, Northern Ireland / UK) had different experiences in working with PWD and leadership, but in different areas (education, culture and work) and we learned from each other. Our mission is a world where all people (including PWD) will have the possibility to lead their own lifes and also to be able to share their knowledge with others by being in leading positions.
The aim of the project was to promote involvement in society among mentally disabled persons. Even when planning the project activities in different partner organizations, disabled persons were included in the planning team, one of them in every organization were a second coordinator.
Partners of this project presented all those main areas of human life in which person himself can affect; education, working life, art, leisure time and hobbies. The transnational aspect gave new ways of planning and working to every partner organization. For example partners from Sweden, Northern Ireland / UK and Poland focused on developing the art activates (music, theatre, painting, video) hobbies and leisure time but also in work.
In the project, we created continues workshops in our countries where PWD where they were trained how to “Lead my own Life”. All partners learned PWD how to be a leader in art, theatre, music, sport etc. All partners trained 90 PWD and some of them joined to an international meeting. What is also important our PWD during the project organize workshops in different places like schools, associations, festivals, centres for people with disabilities etc and we reached more than 250 people.

We organized 3 blended mobilities for PWD and one short term join staff meeting for staff. All of those meetings had their own specific. 1 meeting in Sweden was dedicated to workshops on how to be a good leader and how to present your self. We also have seen places were PWD are living and working as independent people. In Northen Ireland, we had workshops connected with the local event of Halloween. We prepared a special theatre performance called H’ween Widows. We present the performance in 3 days for 3 hours and it was open to all the public. In those days more than 5000 people could see our performance including PWD as actors. Meeting in Poland was dedicated to present results of our polish NL possibilities. We had music, theatre and painting workshops done by PWD. In all those meetings we also recorded Super Love WOman movie that was one of the important initiatives of the project. Super Love Woman was a superhero that apiaries always at the moment when PWD rights to be independent were not respected. PWD create the scenario of every scene. The idea was to make a funny and educational movie for staff and PWD. We always present a bad and good example of behaviour for PWD. In all international meetings, we shoot at least 1 scene. Movies are available on youtube, facebook page and EPALLE page of Polish and Sweedish platform.

During the project, we create also, facebook page where we showed our tools and way of working with PWD and staff. Results were also presented on every facebook page of organizations involved in the project.
Page of the project – www.facebook.com/LeadingMyOwnLife/
link to the movie – https://www.facebook.com/LeadingMyOwnLife/videos/2324642587802914/

During our project very important was to make an educational movie for staff and PWD that shows our main ide that people with disabilities can be a leader. We are very satisfied with the results and we show the movie in many places (schools, associations, local policymakers, local social institutions and workers). MOvies is available on youtube, facebook page and also EPALE so we hope it will be a future tool for staff to work on independent for PWD.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59400 Eur

Project Coordinator

Polskie Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Osob z Niepelnosprawnoscia Intelektualna Kolo w Gdansku & Country: PL

Project Partners

  • Sensus Stockholm-Gotland
  • North West Play Resource Centre