We are living in UNCERTAIN TIMES. Our world is becoming a more and more insecure place. In order TO COPE with this in a positive way, NEW FOOTPATHS OF LEARNING are needed. Our project responds to this and puts ARTISTS in the centre. The project activities nurture talents in community art and foster entrepreneurship in cultural and creative domains. It OFFERS ARTISTS GUIDANCE and QUALIFICATION so that they can set up artistic interventions (workshops, community theatre, etc.), especially to strengthen YOUNG ADULTS (ca. 200 are directly involved as end beneficiaries) who find themselves in PRECARIOUS CRISIS (UNEMPLOYMENT, LACK OF EDUCATION). The qualification of the artists comprises a theoretical and a practical part. It starts with COLLABORATIVE LEARNING GROUPS in which ARTISTS (ca. 50) and ADULT EDUCATORS (Ca. 30) meet to learn from each other at eye level about artistic strategies and knowledge of the context in adult education. A STRUCTURE and MATERIAL for the self-directed learning process will be provided. (The model can be transferred to other fields, e.g. artists with social workers, community workers, etc.) In addition TRAINING MODULES to gain comprehensive knowledge in the field of Art Strategies, Social Psychology and Adult Education are developed (by artists and teachers working in the higher education and continuing education) and provided. They also show how to connect these fields to develop designs of artistic intervention to raise resilience. In the PRACTICAL PART of the qualification the artistic interventions are tested and researched in its effects. The methodology used is a combination of ACTION RESEARCH and AESTHETIC RESEARCH. The experiences in the work and the connected processes are described by the participating artists in the form of an AESTHETIC DIARY. This accompanying research leads to recommendations that describe what is needed to be successful with artistic interventions which have various goals: To strengthen resilience, to raise the belief in one's own self-efficacy, to find creative solutions in times of crisis. So there are FOUR OUTPUTS: A. The model of collaborative learning B. Training modules C. Recommendations for and articles about artistic interventions based on the aesthetic diaries D. An E-Learning Platform for interactive and collaborative learning. All the material is prepared on an E-LEARNING PLATFORM, which is publicly accessible via a common project website. The participating ARTISTS have the chance through the project to get NEW WORKING OPPORTUNITIES. The YOUNG ADULTS participating in artistic processes will IMPROVE their RESILIENCE and it will help them to remain active. The experience of artistic intervention will make them BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES and enable them to find creative solutions for their future. In the LONG TERM organisations will involve ARTISTS in their normal everyday business and so artists will get through their competences a more SECURE ECONOMIC BASE. Organisations in the field of adult learning, youth work, community work will have NEW WAYS to initiate PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. And there are QUALIFICATIONS offered to PREPARE ARTISTS to do the work.
The consortium wanted to promote and strengthen the involvement of artists in adult education. Qualification and counseling offers for the artists were to be developed, which particularly refer to the work with young adults in difficult life situations, but also convey competencies for other target groups of adult education. For this purpose, the consortium wanted to develop a curriculum for the artists, on the basis of which training modules would be developed and tested. Furthermore, it was planned to practically test, evaluate and reflect on newly acquired knowledge in the work with young adults. With the aesthetic diary we wanted to give the artists a special possibility to accompany and reflect on these projects according to their abilities and interests. In order to strengthen the collaboration between artists and adult educators, we wanted to develop a model of collaboration based on our own experiences and researched good practice examples. This model is aimed at organizations in the arts and adult education, at artists and adult educators.
The consortium is aware of the growing importance of creativity and participation in adult education. From the experience of past projects, they also know how valuable the contribution of artists is in adult education. For artists, who are often in precarious life situations, there is a wide field in which they can contribute their competences. This is a chance to improve their own financial situation. To take advantage of this opportunity, artists need methodological and entrepreneurial skills. Only in this way will they have a sustainable chance to become involved in the field of adult education. Unfortunately, there is little support and education for this so far. Not only the learners, but also the adult educators and their organizations can learn a lot from the cooperation with the artists and strengthen the quality of their offers, and take innovative and creative paths in the future. For this, it is necessary to plan and design this cooperation - a systematic and sustainable strategy of collaboration is needed, which goes beyond small selective projects. To this end, it is helpful to compile and bundle existing experience.