The European Council invites to act in order to provide learning opportunities to the Union's 61 million low-skilled and/or low-qualified adults. (Council conclusions…Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults 2019). Increased levels of migration create diverse and complex societies with stronger needs for intercultural understanding and democratic values, as well as the provision of individual learning (languages, basic knowledge and values of the host societies) and societal learning (strengthening intercultural understanding and mutual respect)” (European Agenda…). It is a call to improve literacy in the EU, as “the ability to identify, understand, express, create, and interpret concepts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written forms, using visual, sound/audio and digital materials across disciplines and contexts. It implies the ability to communicate and connect effectively with others, in an appropriate and creative way.” (Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages, Brussels on 22 May 2019). The council also states that “Non-formal and informal learning play an important role in supporting the development of essential interpersonal, communicative and cognitive skills such as: critical thinking, analytical skills, creativity, problem solving and resilience” Our project’s main objective is to develop language literacy, cultural exchange and the building of cross-community communities, through cultural participation, using theatre experiences as a highly motivating learning methodology. OBJECTIVES The LiteracyAct project is addressed to education professionals, trainers, artists, voluntary workers in the field of migration and adult education at national and European level, as well as to Policy makers responsible for adult education. Its main objectives are: Developing and disseminating language/cultural learning strategies based on theatre activities Facilitating the exchange of good practices among European organisations involved in social/educational projects related to migrant population Creating a set of tools to guide professionals, associations and institutions from the adult education/migrants’ issues sector in sharing/delivering such learning approaches NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PRTICIPANTS The project will involve 4 staff members from each of the 4 participating organizations experienced in adult education, theatre-based learning methodologies, European projects planning and delivering. Around 200 adult migrants from target groups involved in the piloting activities are expected to participate to the laboratories (see below 01). Around 600 participants are expected to attend the 4 multiplier events planned. ACTIVITIES and METHODOLOGY Planning, development and delivery of the project’s goals will include: • 4 Transnational Meetings: 20 people from partner organizations involved as educators, trainers, experts. • 1 Joint Staff Training: 20 people involved from partner organizations staff • 4 Multiplier Events: 600 participants expected from associations, institutions from the adult education/migrants’ issues field The working style will be cooperative and based on decision sharing, project planning and implementation will rely on S.M.A.R.T. criteria. Project’s activities are aimed at the production of 5 intellectual outputs: O1 – LiteracyAct Desk Research: collection of good practices based on educational theatre activities aimed at developing basic skills in disadvantaged situations, to be published on relevant European platforms O2 - LiteracyAct Labs: creation of a Toolkit based on 3 piloting workshops involving different approaches to learning through theatre. Workshops are based on active spectatorship, creative acting/authorship, critical appraisal of the language learning outcomes from the previous activities. O3- LiteracyAct Tutorials: Production of 3 video tutorials based on the above described workshops and resulting performances (O2) O4 – LiteracyAct Handbook: Training people to form communities, a handbook for social workers/teachers/artists willing to improve social/cultural literacy through theatre practices. 05- LiteracyAct Impact Evaluation Guide Lines: Evaluation tool for assessing the impact of theatre practices in language/social literacy improvement. RESULTS AND IMPACT Expected results: - developing new methodologies for literacy skill development through theatre - increasing at local/national/European level the awareness on need of motivating, and effective basic skills teaching strategies -wide visibility and exploitation of the educational/training tools elaborated through the project’s products LONG-TERM BENEFITS -creating a Europewide network of educational/cultural associations actively involved in theatre-based literacy improvement -promoting and sharing cooperative, creative innovation among professionals, associations and institutions from the adult education/migrants’ issues sector -availab
LiteracyAct project proposed paths for language literacy, intercultural exchange between natives and migrants, building community, all through theater. Starting from the idea that the enjoyment and acting in theater constitutes a factor in building universal citizenship. The central objective was to share the experiences and results of these pathways with as many European social workers, educators, artists as possible. The project placed theater at the center in two different perspectives: - sharing the experience of theater as spectators. The shared vision, production and publication of analysis and commentary promotes language practice and active participation in an intercultural cultural community. - the practice of theater as actors/authors: the study of foreign dramaturgies, in mixed groups of migrants and natives, to lead to a collective dramaturgical construction that re-actualizes texts in terms of each person's experience, to brings new narratives and forms of self-representation of new citizens on the stage. A transversal objective to all this is the strengthening of language skills, reworking for glottodidactic purposes the workshop experiences
LiteracyAct project addressed: - needs of teachers and operators working with adult migrants, to acquire or enrich tools more responsive to the needs of the target groups they address, and capable in general of enhancing migrant people's experiences, knowledge and skills - language learning needs, social inclusion of adult migrants, by way of a methodological proposal that is attentive to the issue of language acquisition but also to the development of expressive and self-representational skills of the person. A modality that enhances cultural, multilingual and cognitive skills of the learner, proposes a personally meaningful language and experience, and encourages community building and the development of a sense of belonging. - partner organizations' needs, to create or strengthen networks of transnational exchange and collaboration. The project aimed to bring into dialogue experiences, proposals, and good practices tested locally in the field of migrant adult education, to make them grow mutually in comparison, to bring them out of their circumscribed spheres, to multiply and spread their effectiveness on a larger scale