Meakusma x Terraforma Erasmus Project

General information for the Meakusma x Terraforma Erasmus Project

Meakusma x Terraforma Erasmus Project
July 7, 2020 12:00 am
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Project Title

Meakusma x Terraforma

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: Access for disadvantaged; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Partners Meakusma and the Terraforma Festival (organised by the Threes organisation), from Milan, are both active in the music industry. Next to concerts, both associations also organize a multi-day festival focusing on musical performances, lectures, workshops, artist talks and installations. Now both partners have decided to work together for the first time as they will develop and build
two wooden installations together with several young participants. Both will be sound installations designed to enhance the natural sounds of the installations’ environment. The architectural design and construction of the installations will be done by young people from Italy and Belgium. The blueprints and a detailed description of the project will then be made freely available, giving the project an additional sustainable dimension. Other interested parties are free to use all information to carry out similar projects. The installations will be presented at both partners’ festivals. When the festivals are over, the installations will be made permanently accessible to the public. The Terraforma festival takes place in a historic park and the installation will find a permanent home there. The installation in Eupen will be brought to a yet-to-be-determined location in the nearby forest or in the High Fens in East Belgium. Nature Center Botrange, located in the center of the High Fens, will be involved in the decision and process of relocating the installation.

Eight young architects from Italy and ten young craftsmen from Belgium are to be involved in the project. The participants’ respective experiences will vary greatly. There will both be an experienced architect and an experienced carpenter on hand to guide the participants through the project. Another goal is to also involve young disadvantaged people. That is why a collaboration with social service Oikos from Eupen has been struck up. Oikos runs an assisted living project for young adults of whom some will be participating in the project. For the search of participants, we will work together with local youth workers and with the local school for carpenters.

The goal is to form a heterogenous group to create a very diverse experience for everyone involved, focusing on creating a driving and special group dynamic. This is where the experience of the supervisors will come handy. Two Meakusma employees are licensed educators with one of them even having completed an apprenticeship in carpentry. The supervisor of Oikos will also be heavily involved in the project.

The aim of the project is to provide young people with a whole range of new tools for their professional and personal development. Next to technical competences concerning the design and the construction of the installations, organizational and communicative skills will prove to be key. Given the fact the project is developed in Italy and Belgium with people from both countries involved, language will also play a major part in the project. The project language will be English and as the participants’ English language skills will vary, there will be a need for everyone in the group to support each other. All participants will naturally also expand their professional and personal networks. On a personal level, the project aims to give way to more self-confidence and independence. All participants will also be able to volunteer for future projects of both partners, thus playing an active role in the cultural field. Appropriate educational support will be on hand. For both partners, the project will result in a fruitful professional exchange in which the complementary experience of both organizations will flow in similar yet not identical areas. The collaboration will also increase both partners’ visibility. On a local level, there will be a stronger anchoring, on the one hand because of the visibility of the project and on the other hand because of building up a local network involving new and young people. The idea is also to get the message out to other structures in the field of youth and social work that it is possible to develop projects with project partners that have a relevant social touch.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 37525 Eur

Project Coordinator

Meakusma & Country: BE

Project Partners

  • Threes