Social Inclusion through Integrative Arts
SITIA is a Strategic partnership project for exchange of good practices , financed under the KA2 of “Youth” sector of Erasmus+ program by Human Resource and Development Center. In the project there are four partners: VVIF (coordinator) , International Center for Southern Europe (Italy), Association Intercultura (France) and Diverse and equal Association (Bulgaria). The project objectives are:
- to develop and strengthen the capacity of the partner organizations to provide social inclusion services based on the integrative arts and the group creative processes;
- to increase their ability to work internationally by sharing ideas, creative methods, and good practices in the field;
- to provoke cooperation in implementing and popularizing these effective and innovative practices at the local, regional, national, and international levels;
- to develop important competences of staff members, associates, and served populations such as digital, ICT, social, civic, and creative skils competences as well as abilities and motivation of representatives of vulnerable groups to get into the mainstream of life.
Within the project there are two transnational project meetings – kick-off in Dinan, France –from 15th to 17th March 2019 and last one in Firenze, Italy from 8th to 10th November 2019; one short-term joint staff training in Samokov from 22nd to 25th June and a blended mobility of youth learners from 20th to 24th August in Velingrad, Bulgaria.
At the first transnational project meeting, hosted by the French partner association Intercultura in Dinan between 15th and 17th March 2019 there were two representatives from each partner organization. During the meeting the hosting organization showed their approach on integrative arts. The partners also discussed the dates, structure and content of the future main project events, related information and dissemination activities, filled in all related administrative documents connected with the project, the disbursement of project funds, and the reporting about the TPM. The project partners also attended an integrative evening activity in Dinan- African night.
SITIA short term joint staff training took place between 22nd and 25th June 2019 in “Arena” hotel , Samokov, Bulgaria. In the training participated 12 staff members from the four partner organizations in the project. The program of the training included interactive sessions of collective creative processes (group finger painting, silk painting, caly work, decoupage, T-shirt design, etc. ). The trainer from association Intercultura Fabrice Le Floch facilitated a workshop of Shadow theatre (an integrative practice in which the public and actors are divided by a big white canvas). The facilitator of International Center for Southern Europe Agnese Tomassini showed and integrative practice with musical instruments, sound and body movement.
At the end of the training was organized an exhibition at the lobby of “Arena” hotel. At an official closing ceremony the deputy mayor of Samokov Ms Luyba Klenova greeted the participants in the project and gave them youthpass certificates.
The local guests of the exhibition were treated with food and drinks fom France and Italy, kindly prepared from the project partners.
Blended mobility within SITIA project took place between 20th to 24th August 2019 in Velingrad, Bulgaria. Altogether 24 young people and accompanying persons took place in the exchange. The participants had virtual facilitated dialogue sessions through messenger in groups of 4 to 6 people two weeks before the physical mobility. The program of the physical mobility included interactive games for getting to know each other, intercultural evenings and creative workshops on integrative arts, presented by facilitators from all participating countries. A final artistic event in the center of Velingrad was delivered by project participants for the local community. All participants received a Youthpass certificate.
The second and final transnational project meeting of SITIA Project took place from November 9th to November 10th 2019, in Florence, Italy, in the office of the Italian partner ICSE&Co. At the meeting, the partners reviewed the project's last months (including the information & dissemination events held in Bulgaria, France, and Italy following the main LTT project activities) and planned the tasks and actions for the concluding three months of the project. The Italian partner demonstrated its own integrative art practices that were thoroughly discussed among the project partners' representatives.
VVIF team of facilitators held an shadow theatre workshop on 6th of August 2019 within a training course for 42 youth workers in Bansko in order to spread the learned know-how during the SITIA project.
On 12th Octomber 2019 VVIF within the initiative "ErasmusDays 2019" VVIF team organised an exchibition called "Created under the Erasmus+ program" in Cultural center Lyulin, Sofia. Paintings created at the joint staff training and blended mobility within SITIA project were exhibited.
VVIF will continue spreading the learned during SITIA project know how through our new approved projects in 2020 - "Shdows of Change in the Municipality of Lesichovo" under the National Youth Program and the youth exchange "Shadows in the mountain" under Erasmus+ program.
