KA210 – CULTUR-(ART)

Erasmus + KA210 - “CULTUR-(ART): Art & Culture for Youth Inclusion”

The project under the title ‘’CULTUR-(ART)’’ is a small-scale KA2 Erasmus+ project (Partnership in Youth) which consists of 2 main mobilities apart from the other local and online activities during its 8 months of total duration..

It aims at promoting access to artistic and cultural practices by young people, fostering their development and promoting their social inclusion.

1st of October,2022 to 1st of June, 2023

Summary

According to Eurostat, in 2020, 25.4% of young people aged 15-29 were at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion. In a Europe that promotes inclusion, equality and social cohesion, it is not justifiable that there are still young people who do not have access to effective development opportunities, namely beyond the formal context. Artistic and cultural practices have the power to: provide development; foster a sense of belonging; raise awareness and transform mentalities; affirm identities; enhance critical expressiveness and autonomy; encourage participation and citizenship; break social, cultural and economic barriers. However, accessibility to artistic and cultural practices is often limited and not all citizens can easily access these opportunities.

Coordinator

CiraC (Portugal)

Partners

Entrepreneurship And Social Economy Group (Greece)

APS Young Effect (Italy)

The Project

Context

The first mobility, which was a training course, took place in a graphic scenery in Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal, on 23/01/2023 - 29/01/2023 hosted by the Portuguese Association ‘’CiRAC - Círculo de Recreio, Arte e Cultura de Paços de Brandão’’.

10 youth workers from Portugal, Italy and Greece united in this beautiful place in Portugal in order to experience and learn more through non-formal activities about how to be more inclusive through art and culture and they also focused on brainstorming.

The purpose of the project is for the participants to promote access to artistic and cultural practices by young people, fostering their development and promoting their social inclusion. In addition, the aim was to propose new methods of experiential learning through art and culture to achieve an all inclusive society.

Objectives of the project

1. Promote the exchange of working practices and tools among youth workers, enabling them to be able to intervene with young people through non-formal and informal education and artistic and cultural methods.
2. Promote practical experimentation with non-formal, informal, artistic and cultural methods by young people, so that they can explore their potential, tastes and talents and be motivated to active participation.
3. To raise awareness in the youth sector and society in general of the importance of artistic and cultural practices for the personal, social and cultural development of young people, particularly those in situations of social vulnerability.

Mobility 1

Training Course, 23 -29 January 2023, Aveiro - Portugal

Day 1: Arrival on the 23rd of January with touring around Sanda Maria de Feira, lunch meeting and ice-breaking activities among the group of participants. At the first night we had the presentations of each group and a cultural night to get to know eachother better.

Day 2: On the second day of the activities, we had a stroll in the morning in the castle’s gardens (since the castle was not open due to restoration). In the afternoon we had an amazing theater workshop followed by live music in Cirac.

Day 3: We started the third day with a discussion about art and then we visited the national gallery that everyone loved. After lunch it was the time for us to shine as we wrote a song (using creative writing) and composed the music too -as you can imagine it was a simple song but we enjoyed the process-.

Day 4: On the fourth day we visited the Youth Cabinet of Santa Maria de Feira where the Youth workers presented several projects for the young people of the municipality which was like nothing we have ever seen before (neither in Greece nor in Italy).In the afternoon we visited the Paper Museum and actually made our own paper from recycled materials. Just before dinner we visited Europark, an enormous park made for all sorts of activities in which the had the opportunity to climb up to the roof of the main theater. After a delicious dinner we had a Quiz night at Cirac.

Day 5: On the fifth day all the team went to Porto. Firstly, we visited the Modern Art Museum Serralves and it’s gardens. It was a very intimate personal experience for everyone. After lunch, the organization had arranged a guided tour (a lot of walking uphill and downhill in Porto but it was totally worth it especially with the funny Irish guide to explain everything) and a night of Fado music.

Day 6: On the sixth day we had more free time and decided on the spot to talk about the outcomes and future activities in a cafe in Espinho (10 minutes away from Cirac) in front of the ocean. We talked about the chances of Erasmus plus and this program and everyone said their opinions about it. Arranging the final touches and commenting on the activities was pleasant since the people from Cirac are very open to changes and very easy going people. After lunch we had a once in a lifetime experience with the drumming team of the organization in which we all participated with our drums. In the afternoon we enjoyed the Saltimbangos show and tried some acrobatics ourselves. The night was dedicated to boardgames.

Day 7: Departure day for the Italian team. For us it was a relaxing day touring and exploring Portugal as we had decided to stay one more day in the country.

Day 8: We started our journey back home very early in the morning as we had a 6am flight from Porto. We had 3 people from Cirac to drive us to the airport by the Van of Cirac just to say goodbye to us in a proper way! It was a lifetime experience and we are looking forward to participating in the next mobility in April.

Testimonies from the Greek Team!

Zoi: <<Thank you guys for everything. It was one of the best projects I have ever participated in terms of activities but mostly because of the people involved. As we said it is not goodbye we shall meet again soon!>>

Marios: <<Guys, honestly thank you for everything. Your hospitality, your good vibes and the bonding we had was just amazing. One of the best experiences for sure. Cirac is going to be the first reason to come back to Portugal. It was our pleasure, cheers! !>>

Sotiris: <<The Greek team is back in Athens. First of all, we want to thank the Portuguese - Cirac for the hospitality, energy and love they showed us, as they made us feel at home. It would be our great pleasure to meet again. We also want to thank the Italians for the knowledge they gave us about wine and everything else.>>

As EKO, we are very grateful and we thank Daniel Padrao and Paulo Alves from CIRAC for making this project happen and offering all participants an amazing interpersonal experience and lots of wonderful memories! Special thanks to all youth workers for making this project so special and for giving all their amazing energy and knowledge into every session.

Last but not least, a big thank you to the EKO team – Zoi, Marios and Sotirios – for being so open-minded, motivated, passionate and active and for giving the project’s backbone a heart!

Mobility 2

Youth Exchange, 17 -23 April 2023, Aveiro - Portugal

The second mobility, which was a youth exchange, took place in the graphic scenery of Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal, on 17/04/2023 - 23/04/2023 hosted by the Portuguese Association ‘’CiRAC - Círculo de Recreio, Arte e Cultura de Paços de Brandão’’ and united 18 young participants + 3 youth leaders from Portugal, Italy and Greece.

Workshops & Activities

Day 1: Arrival on the 17th of April late at night. Accommodation arrangements for all the teams, welcoming dinner and some first discussions and get to know each other activities.

Day 2: On Tuesday, the 18th of April we had the Ice- breaker games, discussed the expectations and contributions of the project. In the afternoon we had the presentations of each group. Each country had prepared a presentation for another country. e.g. Greece had to present Portugal which was an interesting way to learn each other's history and culture. During the cultural night each country presented local products from home and we got to have dinner together.

Day 3: We started the third day 19th of April with a theater workshop in which everyone got to be on stage and overcome some stage fright. We all agreed that it was a great process to discover oneself. In the afternoon we had the “Percussion Workshop” which involved us in cooperative drum playing (having a lot of fun and a lifetime experience). At night the organization surprised us with tickets to a concert at Santa Maria de Freira. We spent the rest of the night at S. M. de Freira.

Day 4: On the fourth day 20th of April we had a free day (it was a request from people from the last mobility in January). Most of us used the free day to visit Porto. CIRAC was very helpful, giving us the information we needed such as train timetables and places to visit, where to eat and what to avoid.

Day 5: On the fifth day 21st of April in the program we had to go to Esmoriz for a picnic and activities. Sadly, it was a rainy day. Thankfully the organization had a plan B and we visited the live museum of fogacas and had a stroll at the castle of Santa Maria de Freira. In the afternoon workshop we wrote the lyrics of a song with the methods of creative writing and also composed the music to go with it. At night, we enjoyed a film (Pulp Fiction) as it was an open event (Cinema nights in CIRAC) hosted by CIRAC for the community.

Day 6: On the sixth day, Saturday the 22d of April, we had a painting workshop in the morning which everyone enjoyed. After lunch we had a once in a lifetime experience with the Saltimbangos and tried some acrobatics ourselves. In the afternoon, balance was about evaluating the outcomes and the activities. It was an easy process since we had placed the fears and expectations of the program on a board on the wall and we could refer to it to conclude about what had already been done and what had not. late at night we enjoyed a Jam session on the stage of CIRAC with local musicians.

Day 7: Departure day for the Italian team. For us it was a relaxing day touring and exploring Portugal as we were lucky and had to stay one more day in the country.

Day 8: We started our journey back home late in the afternoon of Monday the 24th of April, as we had a 9pm flight from Porto. We had 4 people from CIRAC driving us to the airport by the Van of CIRAC just to say goodbye to us in a proper way! Tears aside, we felt like we had fun and made real friendships with the wonderful people of CIRAC. Thank you EKO for this amazing opportunity, thank you Paulo, Fausto, Filipa, Pedro, Daniel, Je, Roupen, Joao, and all the rest CIRAC team for your hospitality!

Testimonies from the Greek Team!

Zoi: <<Portugal is surely my favourite destination after this program and the people of Cirac have a special place in my heart. Everything was well organized and even when it rained they had a plan B to follow. Thank you EKO and CIRAC for the amazing opportunity!>>

Victoria: <<It has been an amazing experience, full of new learning opportunities, which we'll never forget for sure...such a great program ran by the most talented, warm and welcoming people. Loved every minute!>>

Magia: <<An amazing experience, unforgettable memories, warmth and hospitality from all CIRAC members.>>

Nikolaos: <<I want to thank EKO from the deep of my heart for giving us the opportunity to participate in such an amazing and unforgettable project. But most importantly, for giving us the chance to meet such amazing and kind people in CIRAC. I wish all the best to these incredible people.>>

Georgios: <<The hospitality of people of CIRAC was amazing, I felt like we were all participants who were having fun. I knew I could rely on them for any problem I may have or even if I just wanted to ask something. Portugal was breathtaking, I had an unforgettable experience, the memories will be forever in my heart.>>

Anastasios: <<This was my 3rd Erasmus+ program (1st time with EKO GREECE) and I can safely say that it was the best so far! The organizers seemed like they had years of experience, they took special care of all of us and they taught us a lot! I felt like a part of a family and this is a feeling I will never forget. I would definitely choose EKO and CIRAC again in the future if I’m given the opportunity!>>

Christos: <<As my first experience in Erasmus, i just loved it. The places that were selected for the program (Espinho, Santa Maria da Feira) were amazing and made us feel the Portugal culture. People of cirac treated us like a part of their family, their hospitality was excellent. Also i want especially to thank Eko Greece that organized with CIRAC this memorable trip and gave me the opportunity to meet new people and live this unique experience.>>

An amazing opportunity and great experience for EKO’s team

As EKO, we are very grateful and we thank Daniel Padrao and Paulo Alves from CIRAC for making this project happen and offering all participants such amazing interpersonal experiences and great moments and lots of wonderful memories to remember forever! Special thanks to all youth workers of CIRAC team for making this project so special and for giving all their amazing energy and knowledge into every session.

Last but not least, a big thank you to the EKO team – Zoi, Nikos, Victoria, Georgios, Magia, Christos and Tasos – for being so open-minded, motivated, enthusiastic and active and for creating a great experience out of it!