The project focuses on child literacy and inclusion, underpinned by continuing concerns about low literacy levels across Europe, particularly among refugee, migrant and disadvantaged communities, and concern about the growth of intolerance and prejudice threatening social cohesion and inclusion as well as harming the life-chances of individual young people subject to discrimination. There is increasing research consensus: low literacy skills are linked to wider underachievement and disengagement, with extensive impacts. “Literacy problems are not isolated unto themselves. Their effects spread like a disease to poor self-esteem, anger and resentment, disruptive and anti-social behaviour.” (https://acea.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tom_Nicholson.pdf) It is also now widely recognised that participation in creative activity has a significant impact not only on educational attainment but also on intermediate outcomes such as self-concept and social capital, bringing significant civic impacts and increasing social cohesion. In an increasingly heterogeneous Europe, and in the context of these concerns and the research consensus, the project aims to bring partners’ experience in non-formal arts learning activities to bear on literacy and inclusion, boosting achievement through the power of the imagination and supporting whole school inclusion and equality. Targeting Years 5 to 8 across 20 schools in partner countries, the project will pilot a menu of tailored creative activities, planned and managed in close consultation with schools and school staff working with our tutors. It will extend partners’ existing practice on creativity to address social outcomes as well. A strategy publication will help schools develop policies and processes to create cultures of reading for pleasure and inclusion, school staff will be supported to continue the programme with further cohorts, and young participants themselves will create resources which will then be used in further activities and made widely available in an open access training and guidance pack. The project is expected not only to improve young people’s literacy skills but also develop a broader understanding of inclusion and equality, coupled with creativity, self-confidence and motivation to learn and to become lifelong readers. The 20-week course, spread over two school terms, will involve enabling beneficiaries to gain skills in storytelling and creating stories (narrative, graphic or multimedia) as well as short performances. Their creations will be then designed as books or posters that can be used as learning resources by the schools. This project will not only improve young people’s literacy skills and motivation but will also give them a boost of pride and self-confidence. Schools will have gained both an understanding of strategic approaches to improving literacy and fostering positive attitudes to inclusion and equality, and the expertise to sustain activities and positive outcomes following the conclusion of the project, and project resources will be available for wider use in school settings. Overall the project will both address concerns about low literacy levels directly, and offer ways to tackle wider impacts, on general under-achievement and, crucially, on social cohesion. Only a determined effort, backed by strategies at transnational, national and local levels, supported by adequate resources and training, will address these concerns. This project is designed to make a significant contribution.
To develop an appropriate learning environment, which allows our children to fulfil their potential and be successful in the direction they can perform best; to develop children’s self-awareness and help them to learn to appreciate those who are different from them; to develop children’s positive, self-confident and open-minded attitude so that they are able to communicate naturally in various situations and linguistic codes and in different cultural contexts. To support schools in promoting equality and helping all pupils to fulfil their potential – boosting their literacy skills and understanding of difference and stereotypes so that they can become strong positive advocates for inclusion. To support the continuous development of the teachers to respond at a high level to the needs of the students by implementing a feasible literacy strategy. To improve the literacy level of involved children by unlocking their imagination and creativity; establishing a culture of lifelong reading for pleasure; promoting positive values and celebrating difference and inclusivity, ultimately improving the self-confidence and motivation as well as the appetite for reading. Boost the idea (and feeling) of inclusion, diversity, and equality.
As PISA statistics show, schools in partner countries are struggling to achieve good levels of literacy among pupils. For example, reading skills in Bulgaria are at the bottom of the EU, and the reading gap between poorer and more advantaged children in England is second only to Romania, while 25% of 11-year-olds were having difficulties reading before the pandemic. Enthusing our youth to opening books, their mind and allowing them to dream, is of primary importance to our target age group. The project promotes the European dimension of education which is part of the ethos and culture of all the schools involved in the project. The project meets these needs and assumes a significant role in developing literacy by creating a culture of reading for pleasure in schools, in the fight against early school leaving, discrimination and stereotypes at the school and decision-maker levels. Artscape joined project as there is a lack of local expertise of multi-perspective attitudes in schools on co-living in same community across Lithuania, where political processes and prejudices cause division. And in the UK’s increasingly heterogeneous schools, witness a rise in racist bullying and stereotyping, damaging social cohesion.