The motivation to and background of Beyond Verbal has been a need to raise the quality of and invent new methodologies for the work with gender equality and norm criticism in early education and care, in relation to the context socioeconomically challenged and intercultural areas. To develop this work, we use the mobilities and contemporary socially engaged art processes as tools. The partners in Beyond Verbal are preschools that work together with universities and contemporary art organisations from Sweden, Denmark and Turkey, who works with socially engaged, participating and contemporary art processes. Along the project we are developing a researched based method that can easily be implemented in preschools, the educational system and other organisations. The art organisations will be used as a platform for Beyond Verbal to exhibit and spread the project. The method of combining contemporary, socially engaged, participatory art processes/pedagogy, researched based methods and pedagogy together is innovative in the area of early childhood education and care. The aim is not, in the first hand, to develop artistic skills or experiment with material but to develop a researched based methodology of the work with gender equality and norm criticism in relation to the context, based on the curriculum and national pedagogical goals, and to use the method as a practical and theoretical communication- and development tool, beyond verbal. Beyond Verbal is an exchange and cooperation between the preschools Förskolan Torget (SE) and Mutlu Yuvam Anaokulu (TR), the independent art organisations Konstföreningen Torget (SE), PASAJ (TR) and Sigrid Stue (DK) and Gothenburg University (SE) and Istanbul Kultur University (TR), with in total 24 participants from the participating partners. Beyond Verbal is structured around four LTT mobilities, three Multiplier Events and around the production of four Intellectual Outputs. The Intellectual Outputs will end up as a tool kit, a publication, a video documentation and a transnational website.
BV wanted to organize lectures by high level professionals in the field of art, gender and pedagogy to give a solid theoretical background to our work and organizations. Those interdisciplinary and cross-cultural interventions resonated with the experience of the participants from Sweden, Turkey and Denmark. We visited each others’ neighborhoods, discussed similarities and differences about working and living in gentrified areas. We wanted to raise the knowledge of the partners context visiting local preschools where the participants in the project could inspire each other in the work with children and parents. We wanted to develop new methodologies and insights that could contribute to discussions about equality, inclusion, and intercultural communication within the preschool and artistic environment, both at national and international level. We wanted to work with participatory and socially engaged art methods, in order to impact the experience of educators and pedagogues who could use BV outputs in their practice. BV wanted to raise the quality of education by broadening the knowledge of the participants with innovative tools, focused on involvement and democracy since the early stages of children’s lives.
FT feel an urgent need to develop and deepen the ongoing work in strengthen the preschool teachers and preschool nurses teaching methods and knowledge in the work on equality, diversity, standard criticism and inclusion. The majority of FT employees (and all of the children) has an immigrant or international background, two or more cultural standards and mother tongues other than Swedish. The language competence is exceptional and complex. As FT (and the partners), are situated in socio economic exposed and highly intercultural areas the ongoing work; reading groups, lectures, art workshops, discussions was not enough. Our objectives was to find new perspectives and new working methods on the subject for risen the work with equality, diversity and inclusion challenges in the learning environment, for children, so that each child have the same ability to enjoy inclusion; in the preschools, in the art organizations, in the local context, in the bigger context of each country and Europe regardless of background and personality. We wanted to develop an innovative working method/a tool-box, based in pedagogical and art pedagogical strategies, that works in the pedagogues every day life that is both functional and relevant.
The motivation to and background of Beyond Verbal has been a need to raise the quality of and invent new methodologies for the work with gender equality and norm criticism in early education and care, in relation to the context socioeconomically challenged and intercultural areas. To develop this work, we use the mobilities and contemporary socially engaged art processes as tools. The partners in Beyond Verbal are preschools that work together with universities and contemporary art organisations from Sweden, Denmark and Turkey, who works with socially engaged, participating and contemporary art processes. Along the project we are developing a researched based method that can easily be implemented in preschools, the educational system and other organisations. The art organisations will be used as a platform for Beyond Verbal to exhibit and spread the project. The method of combining contemporary, socially engaged, participatory art processes/pedagogy, researched based methods and pedagogy together is innovative in the area of early childhood education and care. The aim is not, in the first hand, to develop artistic skills or experiment with material but to develop a researched based methodology of the work with gender equality and norm criticism in relation to the context, based on the curriculum and national pedagogical goals, and to use the method as a practical and theoretical communication- and development tool, beyond verbal. Beyond Verbal is an exchange and cooperation between the preschools Förskolan Torget (SE) and Mutlu Yuvam Anaokulu (TR), the independent art organisations Konstföreningen Torget (SE), PASAJ (TR) and Sigrid Stue (DK) and Gothenburg University (SE) and Istanbul Kultur University (TR), with in total 24 participants from the participating partners. Beyond Verbal is structured around four LTT mobilities, three Multiplier Events and around the production of four Intellectual Outputs. The Intellectual Outputs will end up as a tool kit, a publication, a video documentation and a transnational website.