The project I-TALES finds its rationale in a context, easy to identify in a lot of contemporary societies, affected by a number of emergencies among which: massing migrations for different causes to the richest countries; fear of diversity and increasing racist behaviors; misinformation and hate speech spread by social networks. So the needs on which we want to intervene are: -urgency of construction of a cohesive community based on mutual respect, collaboration, dialogue, appreciation of cultural diversity -urgency of history education, critical thinking Each partner will work with 25/30 learners. This group is first of all made up of migrants coming from outside Europe or internal to European countries. It will be integrated by students from Art Schools, from Adult Education Centres and other adults, identified in collaboration with Municipalities social services and local associations, who need improve critical thinking, communication, responsibility, positive attitude, interpersonal soft skills, because influenced by misinformation and hate speech against migrants that some political parties, opinion makers, clubs use and social networks spread more and more. A number of musicians, either from partner organizations or external, will be part of the group too Our objectives are: 1. To promote long-lasting interaction between the local communities and people/groups of different origins whose aspects are equal dignity of cultures, mutual acceptance, equal exchange, open dialogue 2. To develop learners’ critical thinking, creative thinking and new patterns of behavior combating intolerance, discrimination 3. To spread the use of creative methods in adult education and develop educators' awareness of their importance in building intercultural dialogue The project I-TALES -Integration Through Arts Learning to Enhance Society- has at its core “The Arrival” a graphic novel with the TALE of a family journey to the “gold land”. In the six long lasting laboratories planned for the 2 years project, learners will go into deep the family story step by step, from the departure to the arrival in the new country. Through it other TALES will be narrated, first of all the migrants’, and also old migrations stories. Alongside the analysis of the panels of the novel, learners will be involved in a number of different arts and/or crafts-based- activities that will be the medium to express feelings, communicate and interact each other. Reciprocal knowledge and knowledge of the facts will permit to refuse fakes and prejudices in favour of respect and appreciation. Other activities will support their process of integration (language support, intercultural mediation support, sociality support) also with the collaboration of the community through a net each partner will build with some stakeholders active in the social field. Each of the six long lasting laboratories is closely connected, both in the theme and in the organization of the activities, with the corresponding blended mobility that will follow it. In particular music and performing art activities will be started during the virtual mobility through web applications for making music cooperatively and live streaming to learn about the performing art and to be completed during the physical mobility. The project will produce tangible and intangible results. Among the tangible ones there are original music pieces, artworks, artistic performances, exhibitions, workshops, concerts, the project website, a booklet of good practices, digital products, deliverables, a conference. The staff's intangible results include the skills gained by the staff in using the art-based approach in the adult education and in participating in Erasmus+, increased knowledge of the issues affecting refugees and migrants, promotion of processes of social inclusion and intercultural exchange among the other target groups they work with, input to use the arts-based approach in other contents and for different objectives. Concerning learners, they will learn/improve communication skills, ICT skills, collaborative skills, creative and critical thinking skills. They will improve confidence and self-esteem and get better knowledge about the cultural aspects related to the project topic. These results are strategically important because they will impact learners in the exercise of individual and collective rights, in being stimulated to working towards new goals for a better integration in society. Impact on stakeholders and public will be increased awareness of migrants issues that can take to longer benefits at societal/political level such as developing behaviors conductive to dialogue, non violence, appreciation of diversity, breaking down barriers, implementing local and non-local policies based on a shared model of citizenship. We hope to succeed in keeping the partnership with stakeholders alive beyond the end of the project to continue some of the project’s processes, implement new services
We wanted to achieve the following results: 1. development of critical thinking, creative thinking and new patterns of behavior combating intolerance, discrimination, racism By achieving it we wanted to produce a change, or an input to change at least, in the way of forming opinions, of evaluating information, of discriminating between facts and fakes, a change in looking at “the others”, to understand their history, motivations, needs, expectations; to consider them regardless of their ethnic origins, religion, way of living 2. use of creative methods in the adult education for building intercultural dialogue We wanted to use the Arts languages everyone can “speak” and understand in groups of mixed adults, local and migrants, for developing cognitive and social skills, promoting innovative thinking and creativity, encouraging behaviors and values which underline social inclusion, appreciation of diversity and solidarity 3. interaction based on equal dignity of cultures, mutual acceptance, equal exchange and open dialogue between the local communities and people/ groups of different origins Interaction between the local communities - schools, other associations, local administrators- , people and groups of different origins aimed at producing a change in facing migrations not as a problem, but as a human right to look for a land where to live a dignified life and also to consider them a resource, an opportunity for the hosting community to grow.
As an Italian association working in Puglia, land of immigrants and migrants, dealing with Arts and their functions in the promotion of sociality, inter-culturality, appreciation of creativity and diversity, the main reason of applying for this project was the will to work for enhancing the values of equal dignity of cultures, mutual acceptance, equal exchange and open dialogue through Arts. Furthermore this will is not new since our first European project on the topic of migration is dated 2012. In particular in this project the needs to be faced in order to intervene through targeted actions are: • reawakening nationalism often linked to xenophobia • hate speech, especially on the socials, against a person or a group on the basis of religion, ethnic origin • lack of respect, dialogue, relationships • insufficient history education, critical thinking, understanding of the value of cultural diversity • lack or insufficient legislation concerning the rights of migrants in matters of individual status, work, home, health, family