"Art therapy - a unique resource for personal development: еxchange of good practices" Erasmus+ strategic partnership is 24 months project designed by partners from Lithuania, Latvia, .............. Partners will support of extending and developing the competences of educators, social workers, youth workers and other personnel who support youth learners. Supporting educators in their learning process and by exchanding and providing new teaching materials this project partners also will support youth as final beneficiaries what is priority for Erasmus+ Programme. This strategic partnership project aim is to share good practice examples in interactive and creative learning of youth with dissabilities by using Art Therapy. Partners will develop "Methodology of expressive art therapy application." E-Book - a sustainable training tool for youth trainers which will be one of tangible results of this project. This project is an attempt to summarize the available experience in the European countries, the experience of practicing teachers in the use of elements of art therapy as a kind of art pedagogy, give an overview of the positive effects on different children, including children with developmental disabilities. The objectives of the project are: *to share good practices among project partners, *to increase professional development of youth workers, *to collect and develop methods for the project E-Book, *to develop and reinforce EU networks for disabled youth teaching and learning, *to enrich the network of disabled youth education providers in partners' countries and Europe. Partners plan to reinforce networks, increase the capacity to operate at transnational level, share ideas, practices and methods based on European cooperation. This project should be carried out transnationally as one of the main aim is the exchange of good practices between European countries. The project brings added value at EU level through results that would not be attained by activities carried out in a single country because it is difficult to learn and compare the good practices of different countries without living and being a part of it. Project activities will include: • organisation of three transnational meetings and regular local activities; • preparation and implementation of two short-term joint staff training events; • collection of teaching materials in " Methodology of expressive art therapy application"; • monitoring and evaluation process; • dissemination of project results. Impact on the participants will be seen on improvement of knowledge of educators about art therapy methods in work with disabled youth. They will have opportunity to learn about new methodology which they can later use with their learners. Partners will increase EU project management competencies. They will tighten their cooperation, exchange of good practices and experiences. The project will contribute to increasing youth workers creativity competencies. After participating in the local trainings, they will have possibility to explore and find their hidden talents. Learning and training activities will give the added value for disabled youth and for achievement of the project objectives. Partners plan that more then 100 participants will be involved in this project. The potential longer term benefits of this project will be in its sustainability. Project materials will be available in digital form for use to wider audience. Partners will continuously organise workshops and trainings after the project life cycle in their own organisations and also in other youth education organisations, in non-formal and informal ways. Examples of good practices will be shared among different target groups. Partners plan to develop a new Erasmus+ and other projects in the future, and continue working on using art therapy in youth education and to support social and educational values of non-formal education.
The objectives of the project were: *to share good practices among project partners, *to increase professional development of youth workers, *to collect and develop methods for the project E-Book, *to develop and reinforce EU networks for disabled youth teaching and learning, *to enrich the network of disabled youth education providers in partners' countries and Europe.
Young people with disabilities must be enabled to participate in society and have equal rights with all. The social inclusion policy of people with disabilities is purposefully shifting from support and support towards the abilities of the disabled themselves, the development of independence, integration into the local communities and the promotion of social life in general. The purpose of paragraph 6 in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in November 2009, is to promote and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. Based on Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, countries seek to ensure that persons with disabilities have the opportunity to develop their personality, talents and creativity as well as their mental and physical abilities. Countries, Parties of this convention, shall take appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to develop and use their creative, artistic and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the benefit of society as a whole. According to statistics, almost 10 percent of the world population has a disability. Project partners organizations works with youth and use different creativity and art methods in work with them. This strategic partnership project aim is to share good practice examples in interactive and creative learning of youth with disabilities by using Art Therapy.