ABC//Artistic Beginnings in Co-Creation

The primary objectives of the project were to develop and test training methods for artists/educators with an artistic background to: · Create targeted, inclusive community projects. · ...

The primary objectives of the project were to develop and test training methods for artists/educators with an artistic background to: · Create targeted, inclusive community projects. · Use music as a creative tool for inclusion and social impact. · Foster spaces of resonance that support human connection and well-being. · Engage in lifelong learning through action and reflection. · Bridge values between the arts sector and adult education. Secondary objectives were to ● Test how cooperation with social and health services can: o Recruit participants. o Build relationships between arts organisations and vulnerable families across the three partner countries. ● Strengthen lasting partnerships between the three organisations to: o Build capacity for future, larger European cooperation projects. ● Offer best practice examples in inclusion and diversity for European citizens. ● Provide innovative learning opportunities for: o Professional artists. o Adults (including parents with infants and toddlers) within an informal educational setting. ● Promote early childhood education and care from a holistic perspective ● Demonstrate the psychological and social bonding benefits of music

As planned there were three trainings (one in each of the partner countries, hosted by the partner organizations). The duration of the trainings varied from 3-6 days. Besides this core activity each partner organized pilot workshops for local participants (target group 0-4 years and their carers and families) in order to test the methodologies and tools developed during the trainings. During the project the experiences of these tests were shared and used to develop the trainings further in order to match the needs of the participants.

As a concrete output the partners cooperated in creating a digital booklet as an inspirational tool for fellow artists, educators, networks and organizations. All the involved trainees/artists took part in the process and have contributed to the content with their personal reflections of the training experience and its use. The booklet was the final shared activity of the project, created through a close and creative collaboration between all three partners, bringing together different perspectives, artistic voices, and cultural contexts into a single, inspiring resource. These have been integrated into each organisation’s educational and artistic offer, expanding their capacity to address socio-educational issues and to include young families as active cultural participants. The project also established a small European community of practice, strengthening the network for future exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences between the partners. Added to this, the three partners have used the methodologies that were presented during the training to develop new formats for engaging the target group of early years and their related adults.