Our project will blend fashion and recycling, showing how waste can be re-purposed, which will provide a vehicle for students to use their imagination and creativity and inspire them to reduce waste. This will include recycling cans/plastic/old fabric into useable materials to create accessories and upcycle clothes. We aim to develop students' creativity, helping them to be more productive, active and resilient to the natural anxiety and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Studies show that creativity helps people manage their negative emotions in a productive way and reduces depression and isolation. It has also been proven that creativity improves skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication, which are underlying skills for entrepreneurship. We have five partners from the UK, Italy, Turkey and Portugal: four schools and a creative partner from the fashion industry. We will directly involve at least 100 students. They are aged 16-18 and include general and vocational students from a range of backgrounds including refugees, asylum seekers and those who need educational support, contributing to a more inclusive school climate. We will organise one transnational project meeting and four LTTAs. The TNM will be a kick off meeting, allowing us to get to know each other face to face, exchange ideas in a free and friendly environment and build strong working relationships which will ensure the success of the project. In LTTAs, students will take part in hands on training session and workshops. They will collaborate with peers from different backgrounds and cultures. This cultural interaction between students will promote creative unity in diversity, with each group learning from each other. This will help to reduce bias towards different nations, which is particularly important with the current political divergence between Europe and two of the partner countries. Results will include a training programme of at least six tutorial videos, an eTwinning project, a webinar, a project website, logo and 4 posters, an evaluation report, two e-magazines, Erasmus corners and creativity clubs. Training will be provided by experts in fashion/local crafts from partner countries. Students will learn about clothing, handicrafts etc form different cultures and blend them with their own. Training sessions will be recorded and freely shared via the project dissemination tools, to reach a wider audience, beyond the end of the project. An eTwinning project will be carried out as a sub project. Students who only take part in local activities can take an active role through international student groups and live events in eTwinning. We will hold a webinar in eTwinning at the end of the project to share our results and inspire other schools. We will set up Creativity Clubs to enable continued use of project resources after the project with new students. Students who take part in the project will gain sustainable skills which they will use throughout their lives and careers. As dissemination tools, we will create a Facebook page, YouTube channel, Instagram account and website. All project news, results and activities will be shared via these. Press and media, external organisations and other schools will be invited to join meetings and exhibitions. The website will have a four language options: English, Turkish, Italian and Portuguese, so more people will benefit from the project results. We will create two e-magazines, one for each year. They will cover project news, student products, local activities and LTTAs. Students will create an Erasmus corner at their schools, a project logo, and 4 project posters, one for in each LTTA. An evaluation report will be written at the end of the project with the contribution of all partners. Our methodology will be activity based and solution oriented as students will develop their skills and learn to look at situations from different angles, open up the possibilities, shape their lives better, and become more healthy, motivated and productive.
Creating art has the power to decrease stress and anxiety, which in turn supports overall better health. The worldwide challenge of lockdown due to Covid had a significant impact on people’s mental well-being, particularly in vulnerable groups like those in difficult economic conditions, migrant workers, and refugees. During this period, many students experienced isolation as classes moved primarily online. However, after receiving training, a lot of project-related activities could be carried out from home without requiring special tools or materials, promoting inclusivity. This meant that whether students were alone or in company, they could find a creative outlet. It also offered them a meaningful way to connect with other project participants online, regardless of shared interests. For instance, a student passionate about art in London could easily connect with a student interested in science in Samsun. The project would provide them with a common ground to share their creations and ideas online, moving beyond superficial interactions like receiving ‘likes’ for a selfie. Given the unprecedented changes in the global and technological landscape, today’s youth are facing an uncertain future characterized by complex global, social, and environmental challenges. Creativity emerges as a vital ingredient for future success. It’s also one of the most essential skills for breaking down barriers and enhancing the abilities of young individuals, encompassing problem-solving, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and teamwork, all of which are also key components of entrepreneurship. According to the Future of Jobs Survey by the World Economic Forum, as much as half of today's work activities could potentially become automated by 2055, leading to entirely new job roles, responsibilities, and challenges for the future workforce. This underscores the importance of students being equipped to think like entrepreneurs if they wish to flourish in an ever-changing world, regardless of their eventual career paths. In order to stay relevant, they will need to continuously innovate and adapt their roles. This essentially means they must be agile and flexible in their approach. To address this, our project was strategically designed to foster students’ creative skills through the mutual exchange of ideas with our partners. In alignment with existing research, it's understood that everyone has creative potential, and this creative thinking process can be refined and bolstered through learning. Learning a new art form stands out as an effective method to train the mind in developing creative problem-solving skills, as it requires thinking in diverse directions. Therefore, through our fashion-centric project, we aimed to provide students with the chance to learn core skills related to reusing and recycling materials, and then guide them to create original and imaginative pieces using their creative imaginations.
This project was initiated with the aim of cultivating students’ creative proficiencies, enabling them to perceive matters from novel perspectives and effectively manage uncertainties that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The endeavour facilitated collaboration between educational institutions and a creative industry partner. Within this framework, students were instructed in the art of upcycling garments and crafting fresh accessories. Beyond equipping students with valuable skills and a creative avenue, the project placed a significant emphasis on environmental considerations, as the activities cantered on the repurposing of materials like plastic bottles and the rejuvenation of clothing items, rather than their outright disposal. Research indicated that individuals with a propensity for creativity were more adept at confronting uncertainty, as their cognitive adaptability allowed them to accommodate the unpredictable. Furthermore, a creative education instilled in students the capacity to leverage their imagination and critical thinking, resulting in the generation of novel and meaningful ideas that embraced risk-taking, independence, and flexibility. Instead of mere rote learning, students were encouraged to nurture their ability to devise diverse solutions for various challenges. Citing reputable sources, it was found that creativity substantially contributed to overall well-being. Engaging in artistic endeavours had a tangible impact on mitigating stress and anxiety, thus bolstering holistic health. Given the global repercussions of COVID-related lockdowns, particularly on vulnerable populations like those in impoverished socio-economic conditions, migrant laborers, and refugees, mental health issues had proliferated. Many students grappled with isolation due to hybrid online-offline classes. Notably, several project activities were designed to seamlessly transition to a home setting post-training, requiring no specialized equipment or materials. This facet enhanced social inclusivity, offering students a creative outlet regardless of their solitary or communal circumstances. Additionally, it fostered a positive online platform for students to connect, transcending their diverse interests. Moreover, creating art has been shown to lessen stress and anxiety, contributing to better overall well-being. The global challenge posed by Covid-related lockdowns significantly impacted people’s mental health, especially vulnerable groups like those in low socio-economic conditions, migrant workers, and refugees. Many students still faced isolation as their courses were mostly online. Following training, numerous project activities could be pursued from home without the need for specialised tools or materials, promoting social inclusivity. This offered students a creative channel whether they were alone or in the company of others. Furthermore, it facilitated a positive online platform for connecting with fellow project participants, irrespective of shared interests. We exist in an era characterised by extraordinary global and technological transformations. The future is poised for those who can create and innovate. The present youth confront an uncertain future replete with intricate global, societal, and environmental challenges. Creativity stands as a cornerstone for future success, functioning as a pivotal tool to surmount constraints and augment the skill set of young individuals. This encompasses problem-solving, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and teamwork, all of which also play essential roles in entrepreneurship. Notably, the Future of Jobs survey by the World Economic Forum highlights that nearly half of today’s work activities could potentially be automated by 2055, giving rise to novel roles, responsibilities, and trials for the future workforce. Whether students eventually embark on entrepreneurial ventures or not, cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset is essential to flourish in a dynamic world. This entails the ability to invent and reinvent jobs to remain relevant, signifying the need for agility and adaptability. In alignment with this rationale, we meticulously designed our project activities to nurture the creative aptitude of students through a reciprocal exchange of ideas with our partners. According to research findings, creativity is a skill that can be learned. Every individual possesses creative potential, and the process of creative thought can be honed and fortified. Discovering new hobbies and acquiring fresh skills proves effective in forming new neural connections. However, delving into a new art form emerges as one of the most effective ways to train the mind in cultivating creative problem-solving abilities. The arts thrive on divergent thinking. Therefore, via fashion-centric project activities, we aimed to provide our students with this opportunity. We employed the realm of creative fashion as a vehicle, imparting fundamental skills for reusing and recycling materials. Subsequently, students were empowered to craft original and imaginative pieces through the utilisation of their creative imagination. This project has developed students’ creative skills to enable them to see things differently and better deal with uncertainty which almost all people experienced due to covid-19 pandemic. It brought together schools and a partner from the creative sector. Students learned how to upcycle clothes and create new accessories. In addition to giving students skills and a creative outlet, there was a strong focus on the environment as activities reused materials such as plastic bottles and gave garments a new lease of life instead of discarding them.