Designing Online Educative Products and ART

WHY DEPART?

Due to the Corona lockdowns and the pandemic, people from vulnerable target groups were often more isolated, suffering from loneliness, and having anxiety. Moreover: they were being deprived of learning opportunities. We wanted to prepare them for alternative ways of learning because the world will never return to 'normal'.

At the same time, our workshop leaders and educators were being deprived of traditional real-life teaching opportunities and had to learn to adjust their ways of teaching. They needed to develop skills to teach online and to become more flexible in adapting their didactic skills to any (disruptive) situation. Our educators had to develop and acquire the skills to create online educative learning materials using art techniques.

MAIN GOAL

Skills development and inclusion through creativity and artistic expression.

When a crisis like a pandemic occurs, the most fragile in our society usually suffer the most. We noticed that our target groups had fear and anxiety, and risked exclusion. Since most people (and definitely the younger generations) in general have access to the Internet, we wanted to offer them some continuous learning by addressing certain challenges they face.

The results of this project to be used by our target groups could be: videos, animations, courses, explanatory pdfs, worksheets, podcasts, interactive tools and methods, etc. We'll also share additional value, like articles, interviews, success stories or best practices.

TARGET GROUPS

Who are the vulnerable people our partners are trying to reach?

• Professionally active people who suffer from loneliness, e.g. because they work from home, live alone or have no family.
• Non-native speakers of Dutch/Italian and their language teachers (who need to become familiar with the techniques of dramatization, performing, and paying attention to non-verbal language).
• People affected by financial problems, including the ones affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• People who work with people with learning difficulties or with any kind of handicap (social workers, assistants, therapists, educators, etc.), and also artists or people within the arts field.
  
• Digitally low-skilled people (including youngsters) who want to develop their digital and social skills and become more (financially) independent.
  

‘Aydın Eğitim ve Gençlik Derneği (AEGD) is a non-profit/non-governmental organization established in the city center of Aydın (Turkey). AEGD promotes different educational programs for seniors, adults, young adults, children/pupils, and young people.

AEGD's objective is to provide training/skills education for seniors/adults, courses for disadvantaged people (with a focus on refugees, migrants, and young adults), and to develop their lifelong skills. To raise awareness and interest in adult education, to preserve the cultural heritage (especially traditional arts, dance, music, and handicrafts), and voluntary work.

Miejska Strefa Kultury (MSK), Łodz, (Poland) is an autonomous cultural center with the legal liability of a self-governmental cultural institution. Our main working area is the city of Łódź. MSK cooperates with many different Polish and international partners and stakeholders. As a local art center, MSK works in many fields: cultural, social, welfare, and care. The work is in line with the policy of the Culture Department of Lódź; and is responsive to the needs of our local community. The mission is to build a cultural community and educate people via artistic activities.

MSK has three branches working in the fields of art and culture:

1. MSK – main branch: education through culture, aesthetic and artistic education for adults and youngsters, international projects, dissemination of art and culture, meetings with artists, concerts, education of educators, drama workshops, festivals (International Wicker Open-Air, International Biennale Theatrical Festival: Therapy and Theatre), courses, workshops.
2. Szwalnia Theatre – theatre and workshop place, linking many different types of art activities. Aimed at youngsters and young adults to activate, integrate and educate them (here we also work with excluded people: refugees, immigrants, people living in poverty, etc.) We are also involved in the contemporary art Manhattan Transfer Gallery: exhibitions of well-known artists and debutants.
3. Karolew - The Center of Active Seniors – a wide range of activities for 60+: dance, theatrical activities, workshops, music therapy, handicraft workshops, computer and English classes.

The National Council for Gender Equality's (NCGE) mission, Skopje (North Macedonia), is to promote women's rights as human rights. To defend and eliminate all forms of discrimination, and to build a society with equal opportunities. Our vision is gender equality, guaranteed women's rights, elimination of discrimination against women in society, and family, development, and peace. For the last 25 years, NCGE has been implementing projects for achieving gender equality and the protection of human rights. NCGE is a national grass-roots multi-ethnic, multi-generational, creative, future-orientated network-membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, development, protection of women's / human rights, and peace. The main programs of NCGE are a program on the economic strengthening of women, women's leadership and participation in decision-making, VAW, Women's peace and security, and Institutional and organizational strengthening. NCGE is an alliance and network composed of 116 local women's organizations, not formal women cores, and an SOS helpline for women and violence victims. NCGE works with many volunteers.