<< Objectives >>The general situation of adults suffering of disabilities and down syndrome is, too often, a context of marginalization and social stigma.To these people is normally precluded the access to activities typical of the joyful and serene side of life: for example, art performances.This leads to frustration and self isolation even accrued by the recent pandemia.Involving them in activities like art performance will allow them to come out of the shell and will improve theis social inclusion.<< Implementation >>1) Three different art performance training course for 10 people (the Performers), each in the venue of the three project's partners2) Three different mobility activity in which all the Performers from one country visit the venue and Performers of a different Partner country in order to share skill and 3) A finale event, to be held in Rome, in which all the Performers will have the chance to play on a real stage in front of a real audience4) Broadcasting of the final event on social media.<< Results >>1) Development of basic skills and abilities in performing arts2) increased self-confidence.3) increased capacity for initiative through performance activities 4)social inclusion and mutual understanding, disability is not discrimination but mutual enrichment.

<< Objectives >>Digitalisation is a big part of our lives and not handling them properly causes exclusion.We want to incorporate transnational cooperation models in our actions.Our objectives are:O1 Promoting social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilitiesO2 Training people with Intellectual Disabilities in digital skillsO3 Promoting the creation of accessible digital tools<< Implementation >>The activities will take place over 21 months and the three organizations involved will take an active role.A1 Management, coordination, monitoring and evaluationA2 Analysis and Research on the needs and problems of people with intellectual disabilities when using digital tools and Design of an effective training planA3 Training PlanA4 Compilation and submission of proposals to make Digital Tools more accessibleA5 Dissemination<< Results >>This project will allow people with intellectual disabilities to acquire digital skills. We will be able to create an effective methodology for learning digital skills for people with intellectual disabilities.We will promote the creation of more accessible and usable digital tools for people with intellectual disabilities.We will become more capable organizations to work internationally.

Young people with disabilities are often excluded from environmental concerns and sustainable development issues because of a lack of adapted support and a sometimes limited environment because of their disability.However, they have the same needs as the common public regarding information and understanding of their environment, discovery of nature, origin of their food... in order to control better their consumption, to measure the impacts of their way of lives on the environment. They also have the same rights, the same duties and the same responsibilities in a perspective of sustainable development and European eco-citizenship.The INSIDEE project (INclusion through SustaInable Development and European Eco-citizenship) aims to develop the knowledge of young people with disabilities (intellectual/mental disability) in terms of sustainable development and provide them with the necessary skills to become active and responsible European eco-citizen.This project will contribute to the awareness of young people about the effects of human actions on the environment, the risks and consequences of a non-respectful behavior on natural resources.Through non-formal education, the organization of training activities and creation of adapted tools, a group of 15 youth workers will develop skills and abilities in that field in order to support and encourage the young people of their organization to put into practice eco-actions that can have a positive impact and will lead to reflect on their power to change things as citizens at local and European level. The young will be able to be active role-models as Eco-Ambassadors in their social or professional environment.The partnership brings together two very complementary types of partners in this project:1- Those who work daily with young people with disabilities: Verdiblanca, Nyama Nevuzmozhni Neshta and ESAT du Rangen but who currently have no knowledge and practice in the field of the environment, sustainable development, eco-citizenship,2-- Those whose daily life is to accompany partners, youth organizations, schools, to practices of respect for the environment, sustainable food, of citizenship but who do not have the knowledge the approach of public with special educational needs and intellectual disabilities.Thus, the partners leave their comfort zone, experiment, invent, adapt and enrich each other. The production of this common work, of an undisputed added value, will be shared and will therefore benefit the greatest number of organizations, whether they are those dedicated to the support of youth, intellectual disability or environmental education in general.

Context/Background of the project:The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education states that: ‘The ultimate vision for inclusive education systems is to ensure that all learners of any age are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their local community, alongside their friends and peers’ (European Agency, 2015, p. 1). This statement includes learners with any kind of disability. In line with the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020, European mainstream schools and youth organisations and their professionals are facing the challenge to include an increasing number of children and teenagers with disabilities. However, for example: educational systems offer only locally bound support to children and teenagers with sensory disorders. Special education teachers exist but many of their peers working in mainstream schools are not sufficiently trained for supporting pupils with sensory disorders, nor ready to facilitate their integration amongst those without disabilities. Similarly, many youth workers acting in the field of non-formal education (e.g. associations) lack of methods to include this target group in activities where they could engage them if their organisations were ready for that.Main objective:‘Open up: engaging formal and non-formal education professionals in the inclusion of children and teenagers with sensory disorders’ is a social innovation project that aims at developing the professionals’ capacity to ensure quality inclusive education (incl. formal and non-formal education) for children and teenagers with with visual and hearing impairments. First, ‘Open up’ refers to the inclusive education policies that flourish all over Europe that consist of ‘opening up’ mainstream schools and youth organisations to children and teenagers with disabilities; including those with sensory disorders. Second, ‘Open up’ refers to the idiom ‘keep your eyes and ears wide open’ conveying the idea that formal and non-formal education professionals (our target group), as well as policy makers, should have greater awareness on the special needs of young blind and partially sighted, and young deaf or hard of hearing youngsters (our end-beneficiairies).Description of activities: In total, 240 formal and non-formal education professionals and policy makers from 4 EU Member States (incl. educators: special education teachers, ‘regular’ teachers, trainers, professors, tutors, mentors and coaches; youth workers, educational leaders: school heads, rectors, department heads; and support staff: teaching assistants) will directly participate in the co-development, testing and evaluation of:- a Guide for Professionals (Intellectual Output 1 - IO1) detailing the profile of ‘resource person’, who has gained a set of knowledge of attitudes that he/she is able to share with his/her colleagues to ensure quality inclusive education for our end-beneficiairies (Specific Objective 1 - SO1)- a new training device combining face-to-face instructor-led training (IO2) and flexible online learning materials that will be free access on the Open up OER platform (IO3) to Build the capacities of professionals working in mainstream institutions to act as ‘resource persons’ (SO2) and to boost their digital skills (SO3)- a political and strategic paper (IO4) aiming at providing policy makers in the field of education, mainstream schools - their boards of leaders - and youth organisations with tailored information and recommendations for improving the quality of inclusive education in Europe (SO4) and promoting the transferability of the Open up approach (SO5)And more than 3000 stakeholders of inclusive education will be indirectly involved, hear about the Open up project and potentially use the Intellectual Outputs described above. Project methodology: in order to ensure that the Open up Intellectual Outputs (IOs) are accepted by and useful for formal and non-formal professionals, the project partners will consistently apply a bottom-up approach where 10 stakeholders of inclusive education from of our 5 testbeds (recruited by the project partners) will participate in 8 Multidisciplinary Boards where its members will be able to share their experiences to constantly improve and fine-tune our IOs. The feedback and recommendations received from the IOs Multidisciplinary Boards will be transformed into a unique transnational model adapted to our 4 national contexts and transferable in other contexts.Expected result and impact: The Open up project will foster the collaboration between mainstream institutions and medical-social establishments and services that have to adapt themselves to meet the evolution inclusive education policies in Europe. Open up will increase training provision for formal and non-formal education professionals who will engage in blended learning to provide quality education for children and teenagers with sensory disorders in mainstream institutions.

Project’s GENERAL OBJECTIVE is developing adult educators' creative skills, implicating artistic languages, to give an added value to socially dependent people’s memories in educational activities.Collecting and sharing old people's life stories is a practice of high educational value for: - students of all ages who can find there original material about historical periods or events; for reflection on contemporary social phenomena; components of traditions and cultural identities; material for playful activities that are genuine and free from the negative influence of standardisation and commercialisation - adults who will reflect on more or less distant memories, comparing them with current social problems, recovering traditions and cultural/popular forms of expression - socially dependent people themselves, who in the process can improve self-confidence, regain an active role in society, preserve/recover cognitive abilitiesThe educational value of memories can be better understood when we think that remembering is not just re-evoking past: it is also reflection on oneself, care of one’s own life experience, to define through self-knowledge and self-awareness one’s identity. Memory doesn't preserve the memories of our past mechanically, arranging them in coherent narratives: in fact, we constantly rebuild our memories modifying them every time we tell our story, rebuilding and renovating this way our identity too. This doesn't mean that we are free to invent or build ourselves as we like: our narrative construction is subject to constraints, especially because narration is always addressed to others who are calling us to account for what we attribute to ourselves. People's life stories are therefore not only a precious part of the intangible heritage of a community, but also decisive in building the sense of identity and belonging of its members: not only as memory-chronicle of facts and events, but also as an attitude, born out of the act of remembering, that fosters mutual listening, dialogue, engagement in the construction of a collective identity that takes into account reasons and memories of others.Therefore, SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of the project are: - improving the artistic value and appeal of activities presenting and sharing old people's memories, to reach a wider audience and enhance their educational value - fostering interaction and exchange of competencies between social workers and performers, writers, video-makers and visual artists to create different formats of sharing collected memories with the audience - promote intercultural training and multidisciplinary exchange between artists, educators, therapists and experts in autobiographical methodsOverall around 100 people will be directly involved in project's activities: besides the professionals and experts mentioned above, a large number of socially dependent people will take part in the experimental projects, enjoying new ways to relate with people, be active and share their memories.Main result of the project will be a set of educational resources including guidelines on autobiographical methods, reflective practice and quality assurance, and a repository of experimental projects that could be of inspiration for other professionals interested ion working in this field.The project is likely to produce a significant impact on the quality of activities aiming at harvesting and presenting/sharing autobiographical material, on the skills and competencies of artists and social carers/workers and on quality of life of socially dependent people.