DIGITAL ARTS COMMUNITIES FOR INFORMAL RESKILLING PATHWAYS

Through ARTIDE, we aimed to empower adults, especially those with limited digital skills, to access and develop skills in digital art, enabling them to explore self-entrepreneurial paths. Our goal...

Through ARTIDE, we aimed to empower adults, especially those with limited digital skills, to access and develop skills in digital art, enabling them to explore self-entrepreneurial paths. Our goal was to provide an engaging, informal learning pathway that combined art and digital skills, fostering confidence and creativity among adults from diverse backgrounds, including those out of the labor market, women, and disadvantaged groups. We sought to help participants learn to interact with online art communities, showcase their creativity to a global audience, and acquire practical tools for monetizing their art, such as creating NFTs and building an online presence. Additionally, we aimed to enhance adult education by blending cultural activities with digital training, establishing a European network for digital arts education, and equipping educators with resources to make digital skills more accessible and appealing. ARTIDE supported digital transformation, promoting self-entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and sustainable growth in post-COVID recovery efforts.

In ARTIDE, we implemented two main activities to build digital skills through arts. First, we developed the ARTIDE Learning Package. This began with a Start-Up Study Circle in Spain, where partners shared goals, management processes, and explored digital arts best practices. Partners participated in both virtual and in-person Study Circles to exchange knowledge and collaboratively produce training materials. We created a syllabus and content, tested materials with peer reviewers, and validated the package, ultimately translating it into Spanish, Romanian, and Italian. Second, we established the ARTIDE EU Digital Art Mentored Community. We engaged learners, identified their learning needs, and launched a pilot in each partner country. Using both offline methods and online tools like Discord, we created a supportive learning environment. After evaluating the pilot, we developed guidelines and translated them, fostering a lasting digital art community where learners could continue collaborating and sharing experiences.

The ARTIDE project produced concrete results that empowered both partners and adult learners in digital arts. We conducted a capacity-building workshop for partners and trainers, enhancing their ability to engage adults in digital learning. We developed a comprehensive Learning Package on Digital Arts and Digital Art Communities, providing adult educators with structured, accessible resources. This package included learning materials within modules that supported creative skill-building and digital competencies. Additionally, we created Guidelines for Piloting the Pathway, offering a recipe approach for replicating the training model in diverse educational contexts. Finally, we established a Mentored Digital Art Community on the Discord platform, where learners and trainers could collaborate, share digital art, and foster a supportive online network. This community served as an ongoing resource, enabling participants to apply their new skills in real-world digital spaces and supporting their journey into self-entrepreneurship in digital arts.