TANDEM Erasmus Project

Project Title

TANDEM

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

In the 3 years-long TANDEM project, the partners from 7 different countries met to test, develop and share tools and new approaches for people with disabilities to explore museums. The project accomplished the aim to support better understanding of inclusivity in education and ability to creatively deal with diverse groups of learners with and without disabilities. We don’t see any “disability” as a disadvantage, but instead, we see it as an opportunity to work creatively in a diverse European society to support democratic values.
The project is developed by the educational departments of museums and by several other organizations closely collaborating with them: mu-zee-um vzw (Belgium), Deaf Museum (Norway), MUSAC – Fundación Siglo para el Turismo y las Artes en Castilla y León (Spain), Estonian Maritime Museum (Estonia), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal), The Berlin Wall Foundation (Germany) and Istituto Per I Beni Artistici Culturali e Naturali della Regione Emilia Romagna (Italy).
All partners were experienced in non-formal education, but nevertheless they had different levels of experience in the field of education for people with disabilities. TANDEM was a unique opportunity to share good practices and develop new knowledge together. By developing new programs, interactive methods and the use of new technologies we wanted to make museums and non-formal education accessible for as many adults as possible (visitors with different kind of disabilities such as visual disability, hearing loss, mental disabilities, autism, people with learning difficulties, alzheimer, parkinson,…). We paid special attention to involve learners, who haven’t had an opportunity to participate in museum programs yet (people with fewer opportunities, low-skilled adult learners, unemployed).
In the TANDEM project, education met active cultural life which is represented by visiting venues such as museums and galleries locally and abroad. The diverse educational activities followed specializations of participating museums (art, history, science…). The international dimension of the project led to the exploration of multiculturalism (participating in Transnational meetings). The activities were devoted to the education of staff (trainers, teachers) internationally as well as education of learners themselves locally. All partners were working on their local activities in constant contact with partner organizations and meet personally at Transnational meetings. Involved staff is educated to understand better non-formal inclusive education by meeting specialists and collaborating with organizations supporting people with disabilities. Staff of partner’s organizations also learnt from each other by communication and by personal meetings. The TANDEM project helped involved staff to understand better specific requirements and needs of each group of learners with different kind of disabilities and it became a way of sharing good practices that brought inspiration to the several partners but also towards organisations/museums locally and internationally.
On local level, the staff of each organization developed and tested new methods within one organized homogeneous “core group” of (more or less) 14 adult learners with and without disabilities. Each learner of the “core group” participated in the local workshops during the project and in the transnational meeting in their own country. In this way, the learners were directly involved in several phases of the project. All positively evaluated new inclusive educational activities were disseminated to all visitors by integrating them to the permanent programs of museums. Participating organizations organised events open for all public to involve as many people as possible.
During all local activities the partners communicate via internet to consult, compare and be inspired by the methods of other partners. They are encouraged to use ICT not as passive receivers, but for their active education and (international) communication. Within the TANDEM project, the interactive website was created. It serves as a communication platform and Help-desk for educational departments, organizations for people with disabilities and public, providing information about inclusive non-formal education.
TANDEM project had the following structure: 1st phase 2017: Exploring Year – 2nd phase 2018: Creating Year – 3rd phase 2019 : Disseminating Year

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 144620 Eur

Project Coordinator

mu-zee-um vzw & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Stiftung Berliner Mauer – Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer und Erinnerungsstätte Notaufnahmelager Marienfelde
• EESTI MEREMUUSEUM
• Fundación Siglo para el Turismo y las Artes en Castilla y León
• Museene i Sør-Trøndelag AS
• FUNDACAO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
• ISTITUTO PER I BENI ARTISTICI CULTURALI E NATURALI DELLA REGIONE EMILIA ROMAGNA