Youth is a critical age in which young people face uncertainties, challenges and needs and the situation generated by Covid-19 has dramatically changed our lives. In all our countries, we have witnessed processes of digitalization and job destruction that lead to psychological and social imbalances in young people and, therefore, new needs for training, employment and skills development. The crisis has hit the cultural and creative sectors particularly hard, but, fortunately, in all times, in conflict situations, intellectuals and artists have seen it as a creative opportunity to promote social transformation. Therefore, professionals and organisations from four countries, we have decided to present this project, which aims to promote creativity and sense of initiative of young people through an art-based methodology jointly created by professionals in the field of youth and artists within the framework of non-formal education. This "CreARTivity" project is an 18-month strategic partnership that support innovation in the field of youth which, starting on 1st May 2021 and ending on 31st October 2022, is coordinated by Iniciativa Internacional Joven (Spain) and has partners from Portugal, Cyprus and Italy. The main objectives of the project are: -To improve the key competences of young people in order to find creative and innovative solutions and put them into practice in a context of crisis; -To strengthen the competences of youth workers, urban artists and other professionals in the youth field to develop higher quality activities and/or projects with young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, using art as a socio-educational tool; -To create a new training programme and educational tools to strengthen creativity, sense of initiative and emotional intelligence of young people through the experience of artists and youth workers; -To exchange experiences, good practices and methodologies on the development of creative thinking, conflict management skills and emotional intelligence through art, between different institutions, organisations and professionals; -To create an international network of organisations active in the fields of youth and culture that use art as a tool for skills development, inclusion and social transformation, in order to promote cooperation and innovation between Programme Countries. The main activities are: -Transnational coordination meeting in Alba (Italy) to specify strategies, working methodologies and details of the following activities; -Local activities: analysis of adapted needs, of an artist’s creative process, meetings to present the project, identification and meetings with stakeholders; -Creation and development of an online training course with the following modules: (1) Emotional Intelligence: a tool for managing crises and conflicts; (2) Development of creative thinking through art; (3) Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship -Multiplier events in the four project countries; -Creative Video Competition in each country; -Activities for the presentation and dissemination of the products and results: manual and videos; -Final event in Malaga (Spain) for the presentation of the project products and a final evaluation among partner organisations. The general methodology of the project is based on the pedagogical principles of non-formal education, liberating pedagogy and emotional intelligence. During the project, young people will be provided with new innovative tools to strengthen their creativity, emotional intelligence and sense of initiative through a training course and activities at local and international level. In this way, we want them to emerge strengthened and empowered from this situation, finding creative and innovative solutions to ensure their recovery. This project will have an impact both on the participants (new skills acquired and/or improved, personal and professional development, etc.), and on the organisations (use of new skills and tools, exchange of good practices, creation of a new innovative product, better quality and efficiency of work, etc.), and on society in general (educational tools in line with the demands and needs of the realities of each country, greater interest in emotional intelligence, development of creativity and art, new tools to meet the challenges of today's society, etc.).
‑To improve key competences of young people to come up with creative and innovative solutions and put it into practice in a context of crisis; ‑To reinforce the competences of youth workers, urban artists and other professionals in the field of youth for developing higher quality activities and/or projects with young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, using art as a socio-educational tool; ‑To create a new training programme and educational tools for strengthening creativity, sense of initiative and resilience in young people through the experience of artists; ‑To exchange experiences, good practices and methodologies on Emotional Intelligence in urban art between different institutions, organizations and professionals in the field of youth; ‑To create an international network of organizations active in the fields of youth and culture that use art as a tool for skills development, inclusion and social transformation, in order to promote the cooperation between Programme Countries.
Youth is a critical age when young people face uncertainties, challenges and needs that must be met. The situation generated by Covid-19 worsened it and has had a strong impact on young people, calling into question their values and freedoms, and drastically changing the way they live, relate, study, work, etc. At such a critical time, education and training opportunities, especially those focused on creativity and sense of initiative, are, more than ever, essential to ensure a rapid recovery. The crisis has hit the cultural and creative sectors particularly hard, but fortunately, at all times, in the face of conflict, intellectuals and artists have seen in it a creative opportunity to promote social transformation. Indeed, art and culture are seen as transformative forces for community regeneration. Therefore, we present this project with the aim of promoting creativity and sense of initiative in young people through a methodology based on art and created jointly by professionals in the field of youth and artists in the framework of non-formal education.