ENG
Create a Puppet - Create Yourself (CC): ERASMUS+ Oct. 2017 - Sept. 2019,
Project N°:2017-1-PL01-KA204-038462
SOCIAL INCLUSION is the main focus of the project.
Through the activities planned we want to create the new educational and
self-development opportunities for those who are socially excluded due to their
health/disability problems, difficult economic situation, conflict with the law
or other factors. We are aware of the fact that integration of socially
vulnerable individuals and groups with society is a long and challenging
process. It must involve an important phase of creating a suitable environment
for making first steps towards changes.
People who have been isolated, often for a very long time, need to be
first of all motivated to make an effort to step out. They need to see positive
results of their actions and to feel rewarded. Such an experience can be a
turning point in their life and lead to discovering own place in the community.
We find puppetry art a surprisingly efficient tool facilitating this initial stage of social inclusion processes. It`s worth quoting here an Icelandic trainer who works with the refugees and who discovered the power of puppetry art thanks to her participation in a puppetry workshop within an ERASMUS+ project:"I must admit I was a bit sceptical towards the puppet method in the beginning of the course. It wasn't obvious to me what one could do with a puppet that couldn't be done with „ordinary“ theatre. My scepticism was quickly replaced with sheer curiosity and playfulness as we were given simple materials and simple tasks that allowed us to be fully present but at the same time in exploration mode. The journey of making the puppet, getting to know it, exploring what it could do, learning to animate it and in the end showing what we had achieved was for me a purifying and a joyful one. Maybe the biggest gift in the puppet method is how it is a bodily experience. The way to the conclusions is not through head battling by a table, but through exploring the puppet on the stage. This is obviously a huge advantage when working with a group without a common language". In that particular case the use of puppets was at the end recognized as a great tool in teaching foreign languages, since it helped to open the participants (migrants) up to speaking, while being "hidden" behind a puppet (http://artescommunity.eu/storytelling/puppet-theater-workshop-and-language-learning/). It shows that a seemingly trifling and unimportant workshop experience turned out to be a perfect MOTIVATION STRATEGY for socially vulnerable adults, lost in reality and with no communication skills necessary to function in society. This is also an example of how the arts-based and participatory adult education we want to promote can contribute to specific European policies, even though puppet theatre is not publicly perceived as something serious and socially useful. We are fully convinced that educational programs for the disadvantaged adult learners have to be attractive and involving creative and playfull methods, according to the theme of the European Year (2017) for Adult Learning proposed by EAEA - “The Power and Joy of Learning”. This is how EAEA explains their choice: "We want to underline the transformative possibilities of adult education and the positive experience of learning. Many people are wary of learning because of their bad school experience, others feel that training might be another pressure they have to suffer from for their success in life. EAEA wants to underline the positive side, also because we know that this is the best way to attract those furthest away from learning". The necessary condition for enhancing social inclusion through adult education is to focus first of all on those who are responsible for supporting disadvantaged learners. This is why all three intellectual outputs address the needs of ADULT EDUCATORS and contribute to the development of their PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES. We will use different tools and approaches in order to reach educators interested in a more academic knowledge (Guidelines) and also those who value an insight into learning processes (Compendium). Both publications will be teacher/trainer-oriented and focused on providing end-users with practical methods, teaching scenarios, explanation of challenges and potential risks, comments on group dynamics, description of case studies and useful hints and tips.