ART4US Curriculum & Art Workshop Models

The aim of this is to empower youth workers with knowledge, specific skills, competences and art methods in order to promote mental wellbeing and inclusion of young people. More specifically, the partnership will develop a curriculum addressed to youth workers/artists and to interdisciplinary organizations active in the art, social, mental health and education field. The curriculum will be based on EQF (European Qualification Framework) and ECVET (European Credit system for Vocational education & Training) guidelines and will reflect the learning objectives, knowledge, skills, competencies and learning outcomes of each module. In addition, art-workshop models will be developed supporting the Curriculum. Organizations will collaborate for developing both the curriculum and art-workshop models according to their expertise; using participatory art methods. The modules will include theoretical information about mental health, factors/barriers related to professional help-seeking, the role of youth workers as semi-formal gatekeepers identifying issues of violence-related behaviors, disparities, stigma, exclusion, how to deal with such, links with creativity and the role of art approaches when working torards mental wellbeing and inclusion. Qualified psychologists will be involved in the development of the curriculum (particularly, INTRAS). In addition, the art-workshop models will be developed based on the partner’s expertise with minimum 4 weeks duration each. Dance, theater, animation/filmaking, street/visual art, handcrafts with separate emphasis will be given to story-telling technique shall be used as creative media. The curriculum and art-workshop models will be tested during the Learning/Teaching/Training activity for youth workers and during the national pilotings that will be conducted in all partner countries for young people (15-30 years old, mixed-ability groups, NEETS, people with fewer opportunities). Workshops will be supported with practice-based digital tutorials which will be filmed in order to be included in the Curriculum for further guidance. Art-workshop models will also serve as Open Educational Resources for youth workers, professionals working with young people and artists therefore they should have clear goals, clear description and instructions, demonstration of the method and materials used. Finally, some of the art-works shall be used as graphic material for the dissemination of the project (newsletters, flyers etc). The curriculum and art workshop models l will be translated in all partner languages. The outcome will have the form of both printed book as well as digital Open Educational Resource in order to achieve a wider national and international impact and reinforce the EU exchange of practices and knowledge among youth workers/professionals working with youth/artists.

The main results will be the provision of innovative training tools for the promotion of mental wellbeing and inclusion among young people through measured effectiveness of ART4US practice, empowered capacity of youth workers through innovative curricula and art-media approaches and the influence on policy makers related to mental health informed youth practices using art media approaches.