There is an urgent need across the UK and Europe to overcome conflict, division and social alienation. Covid-19, the increasing cost of living, political and social polarisation has led to many feeling increasingly isolated and powerless. Community and Participatory Art Projects involve practising artists from any discipline empowering the public to make and participate in the arts. This practice fosters community integration and social cohesion by breaking down boundaries – between countries, social groups, young and older; between faiths and cultures; between artists and audiences. They allow learning through doing, experiencing and engaging, offering an alternative to traditional and more formal education.
Rosetta Arts is one of six partners across five countries (UK, ES, HR, IT, SK) working on Motivate to Create (M2C). The purpose of M2C is to foster the creativity and talent that is generated during Community and Participatory Art Projects or Social Action Projects and make a suite of learning activities, tools, resources, and courses to increase the impact of adult and community education, socially engaged arts projects, and community development.
M2C is a 24 month project that will test and validate the approach with a transnational community of practice, directly engaging 30 community learning practitioners, and 150 adults from disadvantaged communities and underrepresented groups. Participants will be enabled to come together in task teams and determine, design, plan, implement and review their Social Action Project. They will be supported through the M2C methodology to explore how creativity, multiculturalism and stimulating intercultural engagement can equip and empower people to be successful innovators in their environment, to unveil opportunity, and tackle unprecedented societal challenges.
By the end of the project, the project will generate three new Intellectual Outputs:
- IO1 Methodological Concept – an innovative and transferable method and practice for creative, andragogical approaches in non-formal adult education settings;
- IO2 The M2C Online Learning Curriculum –an interactive, e-learning environment for Creative and Cultural Educators, Community Developers, Leaders, and Artists;
- IO3 The M2C Community Leader ‘Pocket Guide’ – with accessible resources practitioners and community members working on Arts-led Social Action Projects, including social cohesion, integration and democratic participation.
These IOs will equip community leaders, educators, and artists with innovative methodologies, resources and techniques to develop their knowledge and capability to structure and support communities through social action project-based learning. Using the M2C resources and training will equip practitioners with the language and tools to elevate and communicate their work and better demonstrate the value of their projects.
So far we have:
- Interviewed East-London based artists and creative leaders in community organisations to find out what current practice is. What do they think about Social Action Projects (SAPs)? Are they already delivering them? Do they use structured learning outcomes in the process? Is it even useful to use terms like these? Find out more here: https://rosettaarts.org/motivate-2-create/
- Created with our partners resources and tools to develop knowledge and capability to support community social action project-based learning, including:
- IO1 Methodological Concept – read it here (link) and tell us what you think.
- Training of trainers learning materials, that we have been testing with project partners and practitioners in Barcelona
- Developing online learning materials in Bratislava
For more information, visit: https://www.motivatetocreate.eu/
The #motivate2createEU project is co-financed by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Union, and is implemented from June 2021 to May 2023. The project content reflects the views of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. (Project code: 2020-1-UK01-KA227-ADU-094604).
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