Within the STEAMDIVE project, we aimed to foster inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities, addressing discrimination, stigma in school environment. This was performed with the use of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) educational framework designed to promote as a means for creative and essential learning. Through the designed workshops –that promote the "learning by doing" method– and the project's objectives, students realize the value of diversity and work on projects that promote it. The project’s objectives linked to the selected priorities are: To make schools students realize through practice how important diversity is and how everyone (including SEN or SEN(D) students, people of different race and/or religion) is unique, beautiful and should be accepted as that. To make students and teachers gain a different perspective of the human body and gender and realize that beauty and art is not about models but about uniqueness To use STEAM for Diversity and to be trained in the STEAM framework. To realize the use of Art (especially cinema and painting) in STEAM education. To use Art as a tool for the empowerment of inclusion.
We applied for the STEAMDIVE project because we would like to address the problem of inclusion and diversity in the school environment. According to the EU youth strategy 2019-2027, gender-based discrimination still affects many young people significantly impacting students’ emotional well-being, self-esteem, and inclusion within school communities. Equal opportunities and access to rights need to be ensured for young people of all genders, races and minorities. STEAMDIVE addresses critical needs in the European educational landscape where diversity acceptance levels remain low. By integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) and our developed educational software, we created educational gamified digital applications to engage students/teachers in discrimination, stigma, diversity issues. Creativity and digital literacy are essential for forming flexible, problem-solving citizens. This project’s digital applications and STEAM-based approach enhances creativity, emotional intelligence, scientific literacy towards creating inclusive, modern schools where all students are accepted, discrimination is minimized, and students are empowered with the skills and mindset to thrive in an evolving, diverse Europe.