Creative Arts promoting Equality, Diversity and Social Inclusion

Background The P'ship formed due to a common interest in Youth work, non-formal education, creative arts & the plight facing young refugees across Europe. All Partners had experienced growth in the number of refugees in their local communities. However, levels of support and infrastructure to assist their integration was identified as patchy & largely inadequate. Tensions were running high in the UK due to Brexit; societies across Europe were rapidly changing. The number of migrants to the UK alone saw a 10% increase in 2018 & the EU demography and inequality reports confirmed that numbers would continue to grow. In this context, inclusiveness had become a sizable strategic question for us all. Young refugees & migrants face a number of challenges: access to quality learning, isolation & mental health, Xenophobia & discrimination. Their ability to participate in social & cultural life is often limited, often leading to disengagement, resentment and fear. This project was developed in direct response to address identified need through ongoing EU debate, intercultural dialogue, exchange of best practice, practitioner skill & workshop development, and the identification of how diversity, & inclusiveness can be better embedded into practice. Objectives Short & Longer-Term Goals: Promote, engage, connect & empower young people, support democratic European citizenship, the development of moral character, strengthen ethical & spiritual values Enhance opportunities for youth, especially those facing additional challenges to advocate for their rights & their role in society Promote a culture of healing, bringing together of communities through arts as a conduit to strengthen & reinforce a feeling of belonging, progressing values & equality in society Extend the “power” of arts and non-formal education in a number contexts (museums, youth organisations, schools, youth centers, NGO’s etc) Creation of new workshop content in the creative art sector to provide young people with soft, interpersonal and entrepreneurial skills. Encourage creative & critical thinking Support democratic European citizenship, the development of moral character, & strengthening of ethical & spiritual values, support understanding of the value of diversity Facilitate the sharing of best practice and approaches in a number of settings 12 SMART Objectives (6 Strategic & 6 Youth focused) underpin these broad project goals, providing a workable delivery model & theory of change for Creative Arts Implementation In relation to our 12 Project Objectives, (6 Strategic, plus 6 Youth related - covered in more detail in our report ‘Reflections & Results), the Activities implemented included: Best practice exchange sessions; virtual workshops, consultation with experts in the field, review, testing and development of new workshop materials, ; 1-1 & small group practitioner sessions to explore topics of interest; Partner attendance/participation in external training, workshops & conferences with linked agendas; a review of existing literature to improve knowledge and highlight the situational context of refugees within each partner country; Identification & sharing of existing & emerging project management tools & platforms; Delivery of workshops for managers in Monitoring & Evaluation, Impact Measurement, Stakeholder Mapping & Safeguarding; Virtual workshop exploring bite-sized lessons; Workshops for inclusion in: dance, drama, music appreciation, digital photography, storytelling, creative thinking & creative entrepreneurship. Plus 2 Transnational Project Meetings (Romania & London), 2 x week-long learning Teaching & Training Activities (Italy & Greece); -2 x Erasmus club virtual events and, Peer-to-Peer events. Achievements Overall Figures: • 37 staff across 5 Partner organisations involved •Youth engagement - all activities = 215 (42% represented youth with a refugee/migrant background) •Close collaboration with 6 external organisations •Indirect project involvement of Youth/Youth Workers/Teachers & Tutors (via schools, NGO’s etc) in excess of 500 • Reach via social platforms, promotion & information sharing 5,000 + Other outputs -New communication platforms (Trello, Website, F'book, Whats App etc) -5 reports/presentations relating to the situational context of refugees across partnership countries -1x Horizon Scanning Report: Impact of Covid-19 on Young Refugees & Migrant Youth across Europe -2 x TPM's -8 best practice workshops/presentation & resources for project staff teams -2 x week-long LTTA's (Italy & Greece) - workshops for inclusion in: dance, drama, music appreciation, digital photography, storytelling, creative thinking & business ideas development -4 Newsletters -Teacher/Trainer Booklet Resource -Partner reflections presentations -Reflections, Results, Lesson Learnt Final Report -8 x Erasmus Day/Club participant presentations provided over 2 Erasmus events -4 x Peer to Peer Presentations created & delivered by participants