Adults with LEARNING DISABILITIES (LD) may comprise as many as 80 percent of the students in adult basic education programs. Dyslexia represents the most common LD (80%), but other common types include Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Nonverbal LD. Reading, writing and mathematical skills are usually essential to perform routine daily activities and thus affected individuals may face limited opportunities for social integration and employment. Furthermore, the frequent co-existence of two or more LD within the same individual makes the picture even more complex. The presence of a LD inevitably affects the psychological development and personality through various bio-psychosocial mechanisms, and rates of psychopathology are reportedly high among people with LD. Nonetheless, policy documents have only very recently begun to recognise the MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS of people with Learning Disabilities. Practitioners recognise the need to widen understanding of emotional and psychological matters in people with LD and there is a common need among professionals working with this group for a core understanding of basic psychotherapeutic principles. ART THERAPY is a form of treatment that uses creative modalities, including art making, drama, and movement to improve and enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being. As a Psychoeducation Methodology supports and reinforces the development of Key Competences, it’s effective and motivating and improves and extends the supply of high-quality learning opportunities for adults, making available flexible and tailored learning offers adapted to them. Art therapy has a great potential as innovative approach to foster the participation of adults with LD in Adult Education. The project partners have recorded a very significant demand for this type of psychotherapeutic support, but there are barriers to access to these services, mostly related with a lack of appropriate training and innovative contents in Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation. ARTIVATE project AIMS to foster the implementation of ART THERAPY BASED PSYCHOEDUCATION to support the participation of adults with Learning Disabilities in Adult Education. To this purpose, a multi-stakeholder partnership of seven European entities from France, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Poland, experts in the fields of Art Therapy, Adult Education and Learning Disabilities, have worked together to analyse common needs in the different countries with regard to adult learners with Learning Disabilities, TARGET BENEFICIARIES of the project, and key areas of intervention to support the implementation of Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation by Adult Education teachers and health care professionals, TARGET USERS of the project products. The ARTIVATE project partners will co-design, develop and test innovative methods and digital solutions with the following set of INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS: - IO1 Matrix of Competencies on Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation to overcome Adults' Learning Disabilities. - IO2 ARTIVATE Online Campus, a new ICT-based educative tool focused on overcoming Learning Disabilities in Adult Education through Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation - IO3 ARTIVATE Practical Activities Set, a series of tools, methods and exercises on Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation. ARTIVATE will involve 88 Adult Education teachers and health care professionals, target users of the project (28 from partners staff /35 experts involved / 25 participants in pilots). The project will benefit 125 adult learners with Learning Disabilities, project beneficiaries, which will participate in the pilots. 535 stakeholders will be directly involved and at local, regional, national and European level. The project will reach a minimum audience of 1000 recipients through the dissemination activities. The project will have a direct and positive impact: (i) the partner organizations will improve their training offer, the skills and competencies of their staff and the quality of their services addressed to adults with LD (ii) Adult Education teachers and health care professionals will count with new opportunities of qualification and professional development in Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation and access to innovative tools to be applied in their daily practice (iii) Adults with LD will receive adequate and specialized support and access to tailored and flexible Adult Education programmes (iiii) associated partners and stakeholders will have the opportunity to participate in a new community of practice at local, regional and European level on Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation, sharing information and improving skills and knowledge of the domain. ARTIVATE project will contribute to recognise and support the mental health needs of adults with Learning Disabilities and facilitate their participation in Adult Education through Art Therapy Based Psychoeducation, improving their skills and competencies and facilitating their social integration.
The objectives of the ARTIVATE project are related to the different target groups: * adult education teachers and health professionals: the aim is to develop skills for a diversification of responses allowing new avenues for taking into account the difficulties of learners. * adult learners with learning difficulties: to allow adequate and specialized support as well as access to adapted and flexible adult education programs * education service providers, social partners, policymakers, stakeholders supporting programs and initiatives for adult education teachers and health professionals: to provide the opportunity to participate in a new community of practice at the local level, at regional and European level on PBAT, sharing information and improving skills and knowledge.
Adult learning disabilities (LD) in basic education affect up to 80% of this population. The presence of ALD affects psychological development and personality through various biological and psychosocial mechanisms. However, policy documents have only very recently begun to recognize the mental health needs of people with LD. Training professionals recognize the need to broaden the understanding of emotional and psychological issues in people with AD and there is a common need for a basic understanding of psychotherapeutic principles. As a psychoeducation methodology, art therapy supports and reinforces the development of key skills; it improves the provision of high-quality learning opportunities for adults, by providing them with flexible and adapted programmes. In this context, the ARTIVATE project promotes the implementation of psychoeducation based on art therapy (PBAT) to overcome blockages and strengthen learners' skills. It equips adult education professionals to integrate this approach into their teaching practice.