The implementation of the smART project aimed to bridge the gap between young people and active citizenship through an innovative pedagogical approach that blends art and civic engagement. The main goal was to transform students from passive spectators to conscious citizens, capable of using creative language to express social and environmental demands. Specifically, with the implementation of the project we wanted to: • Promote civic awareness by providing tools to understand democratic institutions and the Constitution and by encouraging a sense of belonging to the European Union. • Develop soft skills (Life Skills) by enhancing critical thinking, creativity and the ability to work in multicultural contexts, improving participants' future employability. • Encourage environmental activism: Raise young people's awareness of current ecological challenges, providing them with the regulatory and creative foundation to promote sustainability. • Digitalization and internationalization: foster the exchange of best practices between partner organizations, modernizing educational offerings through the use of digital and artistic tools.
The application for the smART project was motivated by the desire to impact the education of young people to increase their artistic and transversal skills, exploring central themes such as civic participation through knowledge of the Constitutions. The main needs to which the project has responded are • Lack of civic knowledge. In Italy, various studies indicate that only 13% of students are adequately familiar with the Constitution. The project aimed to improve understanding of the democratic system and citizens' rights through comparison between partner countries. • Low democratic participation. There has been little active participation of young people in public and political life, especially in the Southern European countries involved. • Development of Life Skills. The project was born from the need to enhance skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving through art, understood as an inclusive and innovative learning tool. • Promote exchange and develop dialogue with peers from other countries on the issue of the Constitution, civic participation and environmental protection for reflections of European dimensions.