Educathe+ Expander! – inclusive educational theatre programme (2019-2022)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. 
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
CROATIAN // ENGLISH // SLOVENIAN // PORTUGUESE // POLISH // MACEDONIAN

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

Educathe + Expander (E + EX) builds on the successful Grundtvig Educathe workshop (2013) and Educathe + KA2 Strategic Partnership (2015-2017) – and expands on them geographically and in practice. Similar to its predecessors, E + EX brings together new organizations that use educational theater (ET) practices in working with/for people with disabilities (PWD). This time we are expanding to organizations working with women or immigrants, teaching them to use ET and learning from them as “control groups” (to measure the success of our practices). Thus, “Educate Expander” develops a network and database of good practices and increases the popularity of ET in non-formal education and social work with disabilities.

In E + EX partners come together to share and document existing ET practice practices and develop new ones; improve the visibility of people with disabilities and their skills in society and on the labor market; strengthen and develop the key competencies of everyone involved (persons with disabilities, assistants, theater teachers). We will achieve these goals through the Drama-Action Model (DAM), a basic methodological framework developed by sociologist Ph.D. Chromatic and used in all “Educate Expander” activities. DAM is a comprehensive public sociological framework that introduces and combines the practices and educational benefits of the performing arts (specifically ET) with empirical interdisciplinary research and non-formal education – in order to achieve inclusive, holistic, sustainable and empirically based social change. It has been scientifically tested and proven in local (2009, 2011-2012, 2016-2017) and international frameworks (2013, 2015-2017, 2018-2020) as a particularly suitable tool in educational work with socially stigmatized groups of all kinds, including PWDs. In short, the DAM framework proved to be open, proactive, inclusive and sustainable as it was built as a holistic interdisciplinary framework of sociology of knowledge and social construction of reality theory of Berger & Luckmann, dramaturgical perspective of Goffman, theater / modern version of rite of passage of Turner and action research of Lewin.

A DAM educational journey always involves all sides of a social issue (in this case PWD / those who work with them / society in general) and then combines ET with action research and non-formal education to end with a joint public performance and discussion between the performer and the audience (society ). In addition to empowering performers, DAM helps to develop a new group identity, increase the visibility of E + EX activities, disseminate its results and encourage discussions and positive social changes (with regard to the employability and employment of people with disabilities). By using DAM, partners will have a basic framework to fill with their own knowledge, which in turn will help improve the drama-action model and develop its set of methods and practices. A total of 25 days of 5 international ET workshops, the partners will carry out 60 mobilities (in equal numbers: 20 by people with disabilities, 20 by their assistants and 20 by educators). Participants will work together and share / innovate practices and develop 5 public performances that they will perform together to present inclusion, distribute the results of E + EX and raise public awareness about discrimination of people with disabilities in the labor market – as long as they are participants in the development of the EU Key Competencies (“soft-skills”, that is, “soft skills”).

The performances will end with 5 public forums between performers, organizers, media and audience. As such, the E + EX performances will become a meeting place where people with disabilities and the rest of society will interact in a public debate focused on solving problems and promoting the positive role of the EU in preventing discrimination of people with disabilities on the labor market. To maximize our impact and reach, our performances will be live streamed, recorded and distributed online through partner websites, social media, Educathe and existing teacher networks. In addition to the audio-visual coverage, the partners will also take care of the production of educational material from each of the partner events.

Therefore, E + EX activities will create (or further develop) tangible educational results: free web platform (E + Toolbox repository with examples of good practice), E + handbook (5); and E + educational videos (5). The outcomes of our partnership will be developed equally by all partners and will include the practices, experiences and methodologies that the partners have brought to the project as their contribution. In this way, the partners will contribute to the education of ET’s database on free education for the employability of the disabled. Finally, E + EX is a long-term commitment that has been established for the needs of PWD, those who work with them and EU policy. Namely, this partnership corresponds to the EU’s disability policy strategy outlined in the “European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: Renewed commitment to a Europe without barriers” and helps to remove the social and labor market.

HOW TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT?

There are several ways at your disposal:

  • on this page we will regularly publish news about our activities and results.
  • sign up for our newsletter for timely and direct information
  • Follow us on social networks:

Hashtag: #eplusexpander, #cekate, #cekateeu

For all questions about the project and registration for the newsletter, please contact the project manager at ihromatko@cekate.hr.

For more information on the successful partnerships that preceded this and on which the E+EX partnership is based, please click here.

This partnership is co-financed from the European Union program for education, training, youth and sport “Erasmus+”.

For more information about Erasmus+, please click here.

IDENTITY CARD OF THE PARTNERSHIP

FULL NAME: Educational theater as a place to increase the inclusion and employability of people with disabilities – Expander

ANCRONYM: EDUCATHE+ EXPANDER (E+EX)

OFFICIAL ERASMUS+ PROJECT WEBSITE: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/eplus-project-details/#project/2019-1-HR01-KA204-060833

PARTNERSHIP CODE (CONTRACT NUMBER): 2019-1-HR01-KA204-060833

DURATION: December 1, 2019 – July 31, 2021 (20 months) *** extended until July 31, 2022. year due to COVID-19

COORDINATOR: Trešnjevka Cultural Center (CeKaTE) from Zagreb, Croatia (http://www.cekate.hr)

PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR: Ph.D. Ivan Hromatko

NATIONAL AGENCY: Agency for Mobility and EU Programs (http://www.mobilnost.hr)

PARTNERS:

PRIORITIES

According to the Erasmus+ program, this partnership refers to three main priorities in non-formal education:

  • ADULT EDUCATION: Expanding and developing the competencies of educators and other staff who support adult learners
  • HORIZONTAL: Social inclusion
  • HORIZONTAL: Support for educators

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

  • 5 international learning, teaching, training activities (LTT workshops) for educators, people with disabilities and assistants
  • 3 Transnational project meetings (TPM) for project managers
  • 5 public performances in front of a live audience, in all cities of the partnership
  • 5 live broadcasts published online (live broadcast 5 public performances)
  • 5 public discussions on the position of persons with disabilities, and persons who work with them, on the labor market
  • 60 mobility, with the equality formula “20-20-20” (persons with disabilities – assistants – educators) – with a focus on raising key competencies and “soft skills”, and empowering and motivating participants in the labor market
  • free web platform (E + Toolbox repository with examples of good practice),
  • 5 E + manuals (publications for educators)
  • 5 E + educational videos

ARCHIVE & CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF PROJECT’S RESULTS

January 28 – 29, 2020 First Transnational Meeting of Project Managers (TPM1: Zagreb, Croatia)

The Trešnjevka Culture Center hosted the first meeting of partner organizations. The meeting was held in the premises of CeKaTe, and the project manager from all partner organizations attended.

During those two days, the partners agreed on the decision-making details, agreed on rights and responsibilities, and planned most of the future activities. They agreed that the project will start with an educational workshop in Croatia, continue in Slovenia, Portugal and Poland in 2020, and end in Skopje in 2021.

Each workshop will end with a public performance of a mixed group of people with disabilities, assistants and educators – with which the partners will send a positive message to the public about their employability.

The partners also agreed on an extremely important aspect of the project – promotion and dissemination – for which they will use the hashtag #eplusexpander.

February 17 – 21, 2020 // First educational workshop “Invisible Ability – Expander” (LTTC1: Zagreb, Croatia)

The first educational workshop of this partnership was held by the partnership coordinator, in the Trešnjevka Cultural Center. A mixed group of people with disabilities, assistants and educators from Lisbon, Škofja Loka, Krakow, and Skopje created together during a five-day workshop. Guided through the process of the drama-action research model, the participants actively investigated which negative actions embody the social state of stigmatization and prejudice that we want to overcome, and which positive actions embody or lead to mutual inclusion. The workshop ended with a public performance on February 21, 2020. at 6 p.m., in the Great Hall of the Trešnjevka Cultural Center, through which the participants became performers who pointed out to the public the potential and importance of the inclusion of people with disabilities in society and the labor market. The public performance was recorded and broadcast live via our YouTube channel, and enabled the dissemination of our positive message beyond the confines of the large hall. The performance was watched by about 15 people in the audience, and about 70 via video transmission.

In addition to educational effects, this workshop resulted in tangible results – and the same are planned for all future workshops:

October 11-15, 2021 // Second workshop “Dance Inclusively for Conflict Resolution” (LTTC5: Lisbon, Portugal)

After a long delay and numerous schedule changes, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (which “formally began” in Europe in March 2020, a month after the first project workshop was held in Zagreb, the second partnership workshop was held. The host was the organization Vo ‘Arte who organized the workshop in Lisbon at a time extremely interesting for the partner organizations, time As the hosts from Vo’Arte like to emphasize, their work cannot be characterized as an automated “method” but as a combination of the experience they have gained in direct work with people with disabilities, willingness to improvise and try new things, and the formal and informal education of their leaders – especially in the field of dance. In other words, they approach each group separately and use what proves to be successful, which may be something from their prior knowledge/experience or created on the spot – from direct interaction with the group and its energy.

The workshop was held in the hall inside the stadium of the Lisbon football club Sporting, and people with disabilities and those “without” disabilities from Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, and Poland participated in the workshop. The hosts involved the guests in their work process and introduced them directly to their group of dancers (more than 20 people with disabilities) with whom the foreign participants researched and co-created the final performance that week. In accordance with the idea of ​​drama-action research, the workshop ended with a public performance – this time held under the very restrictive conditions of COVID-19. The performance was held in front of an audience from the polio association in Lisbon, and the performers and the audience had to be negative on the anti-gene test for COVID-19 before the start.

January 17 – 21, 2022 // Third workshop “Forum theater as a tool for education” (LTTC3: Krakow, Poland)

The third workshop of the project was held in Krakow and was dedicated to the exceptional method of forum theater. The workshop was held in extremely difficult conditions of COVID-19, which included not only health problems, but also organizational and logistical problems. Unfortunately, due to the conditions of COVID-19, our partners from North Macedonia had to give up their participation at the last minute. The participants prepared several scenarios using the forum theater method, which focused on the topic of disability.

The scenarios were co-created by the participants with the workshop leaders, experienced forum theater practitioners from the association abbreviated “Kurdybanek”.

May 3, 2022 // Second Transnational Project Meeting (TPM2: Lisbon, Portugal)

The project managers met live for the second time in Lisbon, in the still significant conditions of COVID-19. They did so only when it became relatively safe to organize such an international meeting under the health and logistical constraints of COVID-19. During the meeting, which was held in the Biblioteca de Alcântara library, the project managers and other staff in charge of the project took a detailed look at what had been done so far during the project, and defined what still needed to be realized by the end of the project. The partners have agreed on additional efforts in the promotion of the project and the dissemination of its results, with primary care for the well-being and health of the project participants. Namely, even though the measures against COVID-19 began to be eased throughout Europe, the health threat for participants remained an important factor in planning activities – especially in the context of international travel by people with disabilities and/or reduced immune abilities to resist the virus.

16. – 21. svibanj 2022. // Četvrta radionica “Breaking Walls with Yarn Balls” (LTTC4: Škofja Loka, Slovenija)

May 16 – 21, 2022 // Fourth workshop “Breaking Walls with Yarn Balls” (LTTC4: Škofja Loka, Slovenia)

The fourth workshop was held in Škofja Loka, Slovenia, under the leadership of the Zavod Tri association. The workshop was attended by representatives of all partner organizations who traveled from Lisbon, Skopje, Krakow, and Zagreb. The participants learned how to symbolically (but also realistically, by example or intervention) break down walls and prejudices towards people with disabilities and/or migrants. During the workshop, the participants acquired numerous knowledge and skills, which they then applied in the space and performed an intervention in the public space and set up the so-called “soft-graffiti” (soft graffiti). This graffiti is made of wool, by embroidering and crocheting messages and displays with which the participants (among them 7 people with disabilities) presented positive messages about inclusion to the public in Škofoj Loka.

July 4 – 10, 2022 // Fifth workshop “What we have learned: Bringing the Methods to Light – Forum Theater” (LTTC2: Skopje, North Macedonia)

The last workshop of the partnership was held in Skopje, in the premises of MladiHub, which were previously used as the premises of the President of North Macedonia, and which are now in the function of providing space for young and creative individuals and organizations in Skopje. The workshop was attended by representatives of all partner organizations from Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, and host North Macedonia. The workshop was held using the forum theater method, which representatives from North Macedonia unfortunately failed to try in Krakow (due to COVID-19). Nevertheless, the hosts held an excellent workshop under the guidance of a certified forum theater manager. During the workshop, the participants defined several topics that they processed, in the context of the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and which they presented to the public at the end. Due to the conditions of COVID-19, the performance was held in the premises of MladiHub, without an audience, but it was recorded and published on the YouTube channel of the partnership in order to remain a permanent pledge of this partnership towards inclusion and learning in non-formal education.

July 7, 2022 Third Transnational Project Meeting of Project Managers (TPM3: Skopje, North Macedonia)

In addition to the last workshop, the last meeting of the project leaders was also held in the premises of the host of the National Host for Gender Equality. Unfortunately, representatives of the partner organization from Portugal could not participate due to complications related to COVID-19. Other representatives of partner organizations participated and reviewed all the activities that were done during the project, and harmonized the budgets. Not least, the partners have agreed on further promotional activities (and dissemination, once the materials are ready), and some have expressed their willingness to continue collaborating on international projects. In the end, it is certainly necessary to congratulate all partners for the implementation in the extremely difficult, never-before-seen conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of all the problems, the partners persisted in the implementation, provided quality participants and fulfilled almost everything that was planned before the start of the pandemic.

EDUCATIONAL TOOL BOX, RESULTS AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS OF THE PARTNERSHIP

partnership logo

author: Ivan Hromatko

E-VIDEO (SHORT VIDEO DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKSHOP PROCESS)

LTTC1 Zagreb, Croatia

LTTC2 Skopje, North Macedonia

LTTC3 Krakow, Poland

LTTC4 Škofja Loka, Slovenia

LTTC5 Lisbon, Portugal

 

 

RECORDINGS OF PERFORMANCES

LTTC1 Zagreb, Croatia

 

LTTC2 Skopje, North Macedonia

 

LTTC3 Krakow, Poland

LTTC4 Škofja Loka, Slovenia

LTTC5 Lisbon, Portugal

 

 

E-MANUALS WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF METHOD IMPLEMENTED AT THE WORKSHOPS, AND EVALUATION

LTTC1 Zagreb, Croatia

LTTC2 Skopje, North Macedonia

LTTC3 Krakow, Poland

LTTC4 Škofja Loka, Slovenia

LTTC5 Lisbon, Portugal

LOCATIONS OF PARTNER ORGANIATIONS & PARNTERSHIP ACTIVITIES

Posljednje iz kategorije: Erasmus+, EU projekti, Inkluzivni programi, Inkluzivni programi

Skip to content