Post pandemic COVID-19 research shows that one of the most vulnerable target groups of the global pandemic were young people. As the polls rise and the (NEETs) are peaking at a historical high of 16% the entire population aged 15–29 in the EU, we ask ourselves what does this mean for the well being in their lives. Statistics show us great dissatisfaction amongst European youth rating their life satisfaction with 6.2 on a scale from 1-10, a slightly lower overage than in 2016 which measured 7.4. (source: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/blog/is-history-repeating-itself-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-crisis-on-youth?fbclid=IwAR2sS8Vwt-qsMkhkOQ0yv5OQUWqVKBKqpSccxy70x3p-cy-FunZdmzdThfQAt the moment youth are facing a high risk of social exclusion and are steps away from being pushed into one of the categories of youth with fewer opportunities, with the obvious ones such as economica obstacles, social and health obsticles, that are evident from statistics above. We ask ourselves what is happening with the other youth that are highly marginalized such as disable and young migrants. Are they facing even more hard situations as ever before? Though we can not resolve economic and health obstacles all at once we can provide a faster recovery, strength and hope for the youth that need it the most, by giving them opportunity for resilience, a voice and visibility in the community. Our answer is resilience in art, like the project title states “ Youth+art=Resilience”, or as Friedrich Nietzsche boldly puts it “art exists so that reality does not destroy us” and current youth reality is at stake. ART and culture have more ingenuity than any other sector in people's lives for their resilience. The arts can give people a voice and power to face and resolve problems. Art has the power to bring communities closer, reveal stress and help those in crucial positions such as youth with fewer opportunities to recover faster through the tough times. (source:https://www.salzburgglobal.org/news/latest-news/article/why-is-art-important-for-resilience ). Art can be a refuge for many young people with fewer opportunities and help them cope with stress levels, anxiety, improve their mental well being Source: https://theconversation.com/visual-arts-help-marginalized-youth-learn-mindfulness-and-self-compassion-126149). Although art is used as a “tool” in youth work often for reflection purposes, self expression or measuring learning outcomes in an expressive way. With the project we wish to build a bridge between the currently most vulnerable target group- youth (indirectly youth sector) and the sector that provides most inspiration for resilience(art and culture sector), Our needs for carrying out this projects are: to learn more about how to use art in youth work to highest extent ( especially marginalized youth to give them a voice) , to learn in practical ways how to set up workspaces, materials and exhibition of results well working with young people with fewer opportunities to leave a greater impact on the community by fostering artistic results of young people by exhibiting them with the help of cultural institutions. The aim of the project is to help find young people with fewer opportunities refuge and resilience in arts Our strategic goals are : Built a strong long lasting cooperation between the art sector and youth sector who actively work with marginalized groups through their work. Specific goals: SG1: Sharing good practices of work with marginalized groups/ youth with fewer opportunities amongst partners ( Study visit) SG2:Creation of a new frameweok for a new project SG3: Preparation of exhibitions / presentation of project results and ensure dissemination of the exhibition in both sectors. Providing the necessary knowledge on how to establish a successful art program that will benefit young people with fewer opportunities and consequently the entire community. Providing necessary knowledge on how to establish a successful arts program that benefits young people with fewer opportunities and the whole community Specific goals: PC4: To train youth workers to use different artistic branches in their work with young people with fewer opportunities (training). PC5: Establishment of local “artistic” youth working groups with fewer opportunities. PC6: Implementing long-term mixed mobility for young people Project activities are: C1-Mixed mobility for young people (online and live) C2- Training of youth workers in the field of application of various arts in working with young people C3- Study Visit to a cultural institution that also works with vulnerable groups Project results: 1. Handbook of good practices in the field of youth empowerment in the field of art. 2. Local exhibitions / events for young people with fewer opportunities 3. Framework for a new project
Our strategic objectives were: 1. To build a strong long-term collaboration between the arts/cultural sector and the youth sector, actively working with and involving marginalised groups of young people in society. Specific objectives: PC1: Sharing good practice in working with marginalised groups/young people with fewer opportunities between partners. PC3: Produce exhibitions/present the project results and ensure dissemination of the exhibition in both sectors. 2. Provide the necessary knowledge on how to set up a successful arts programme that will benefit young people with fewer opportunities and consequently the whole community. Specific objectives: PC4: To train youth workers in the use of different artistic strands in their work with young people with fewer opportunities. PC5: Establish local "artistic" working groups of young people with fewer opportunities. PC6: Implementation of long-term mixed mobility for young people with fewer opportunities (online and face-to-face).
The project was conceived on the basis of three research-based premises: 1) Young people (especially young people with fewer opportunities) were one of the most vulnerable groups during the C19 pandemic; 2) Teenagers and adolescents with a low socio-economic status who are engaged in artistic activities have better academic results, higher career goals and better job prospects; and 3) The pandemic and the measures related to it have had a strong, negative impact on the functioning of the cultural sector. The identified needs for project development at international level were concretely: -to know how to make the most of the arts in YW, -to learn how to implement the arts in work with YP with fewer opportunities, -how to leave a greater impact on the community by combining two sectors -to acquire new competences in the field of arts in YW -gain a broader insight into the use of different branches of the arts (visual, music, film, theatre/dance) in working with young people with fewer opportunities. The project aimed to build a bridge between the most vulnerable target groups and 2 sectors.