Social inclusion and Well-being through the Arts and Interdisciplinary Practices Erasmus Project

Project Title

Social inclusion and Well-being through the Arts and Interdisciplinary Practices

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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social entrepreneurship / social innovation; Health and wellbeing; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

This project aims at the modernisation of learning environments in the arts, through an interdisciplinary dialogue between higher educations and associated partners from the field.

The objective was to develop curricula for a study programme, which will train artists and health workers with an arts background to work with social inclusion in their artistic projects. The goal is to introduce them to art’s abilities to make connections, facilitate well-being, empowerment and strengthen self-confidence. Emphasises will be on training flexible and sensitive artists, capable of relating to advanced ideas and finding new roles in the constant changing society.

The project consisted of several activities over a two-year period, offering a collaborative learning community for all art disciplines, with the active participation of academics and students in the field of arts and therapy, and healthcare specialists. Enhancement of personal skills, self-confidence, community engagement, collaboration skills and reflective practice was central elements of all activities. They were in the form of two intensive programmes and a staff development seminar, focusing on reaching out to people suffering the Alzheimer disease and youth at risk of dropping out of school.

The project activities served as a venue for exploring learning approaches developed by an interdisciplinary group of specialists, which have the common ambition of using art as a tool for social inclusion. The group’s development work resulted in curricula for a study programme that provides artists and health workers with an arts background, with opportunities to train and work in a professional environment, presenting creative interdisciplinary learning approaches. See here: https://swaipproject.lhi.is/the-swaip-programme

This project utilized the positive aspects of working cross-arts and cross-disciplinary, serving as an effective model of how transnational collaboration can function as a tool for curricular innovation. The project’s progress and results have been widely disseminated, hopefully making a significant impact on higher education in the fields of arts, social inclusion and well-being in Europe and beyond.

Project Website

https://swaipproject.lhi.is/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 199801 Eur

Project Coordinator

LISTAHASKOLI ISLANDS & Country: IS

Project Partners

• ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES CONSERVATOIRES, ACADEMIES DE MUSIQUE ET MUSIKHAOCHSCHULEN AISBL
• THE UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION
• Akademie der Bildenden Künste München
• UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO
• METROPOLIA AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE