DEAP - Nurturing Personal Development and Empowerment of Young People with Visual Impairment through Arts Education

DEAP – Nurturing Personal Development and Empowerment of Young People with Visual Impairment through Arts Education
EU Programme: Erasmus + European Youth Together
Reference: 101185651
Start date: 01/11/2024
End date: 31/10/2026

The project DEAP addresses the needs of young people with visual impairment from different local communities in Europe (Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Cyprus, Sweden), and it aims:

to strengthen personal development, creative expression and active empowerment of young people with visual impairment through arts education;
to enhance the professional development of youth workers and educators working with/for young visually impaired people in their learning environments and community projects through arts education (ceramic, theatre, contact dance).

The project’s strategy is based on the following core phases:

Engage: Analysis and mapping of community based educational and socio-economic vulnerabilities affecting young people with visual impairment in the target local communities and regions.
Connect: Co-development, testing and implementation of a transnational capacity building programme, including n.3 transnational training courses and non-formal training opportunities arts education will be held in Italy, Czech Republic & Poland, targeting youth workers working with young people with visual impairment.
Empower: Following the transnational training courses, the equipped youth workers will conduct n.15 local workshops in each target local community targeting young people with visual impairment. A final transnational seminar will be held in Italy engaging both youth workers and young people with visual impairment to share learning experiences and co-develop joint recommendations on arts education and empowerment of young people with visual impairment.
Spread: Finally, freely and digitally accessible open educational resources targeting youth workers working with/for young people with visual impairment (an e-learning platform and e-learning modules) will be produced to promote replication and transferability of the project outcomes and outputs to a wider audience of youth workers, educators and interested users in Europe.

Objectives

The DEAP Project aims to unlock the potential and active participation of young people with visual impairment through arts education.

Specifically, the project addresses the needs of young people with visual impairment from different local communities in Europe (Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Cyprus, Sweden), and it aims:

to strengthen personal development, creative expression and active empowerment of young people with visual impairment through arts education;
to enhance the professional development of youth workers and educators working with/for young visually impaired people in their learning environments and community projects through arts education (ceramic, theatre, contact music).

Activities

Analysis and mapping of community-based educational and socio-economic vulnerabilities affecting young people with visual impairment in the target local communities and regions.
Developed, tested and implemented a transnational capacity building programme on arts education, including:
◦ N.3 transnational training course targeting youth workers and educators to equip them with key competencies, learning approaches and tools to facilitate arts education programs (ceramic, contact dance, theater) for young people with visual impairment.
◦ N.15 local workshops (3 per partner country) on ceramic, contact dance and theatre, targeting young people with visual impairment.
◦ N.1 final transnational seminar on “Arts education and empowerment of young people with visual impairment” targeting both youth workers and young people with visual impairment, providing an opportunity to share lessons learned, exchange community experiences and foster joint reflections on how to follow up, mainstream and multiply the project outcomes and outputs at EU level.
Creation of open educational resources digitally accessible to people with visual impairment. Specifically, an e-learning platform and n.5 e-learning modules targeting youth workers and educators that are engaged in community-based work, education and rehabilitation of young people with visual impairment.
Development of an evaluation framework system to assess and monitor the social impact and learning achievements of the target young people, youth workers and local communities throughout the project.

Resources

N.1 consolidated report collection in community-based educational and socio-economic vulnerabilities affecting young people with visual impairment in the target local communities and regions.
1 e-learning platform including 5 e-learning modules on arts education and young people with visual impairment.
N.1 Report: Evaluation of the social impact of the project.

Results

Arts education is better experimented and adopted in the target local communities, with a view on how arts education is an impactful educational tool to foster personal development, creative expression and empowerment of young people with visual impairment.
Increased socio-professional development of n.125 youth workers, educators and artists that are equipped with key competencies, learning approaches and tools to strengthen personal development, creative expression and empowerment of young people with visual impairment in their learning environments and community projects.
Increased personal development, creative expression and active participation of n.100 young people with visual impairment from the local communities involved.
Fostered transnational peer learning, capacity building, exchange of good practices and cooperation between youth-based organizations, NGOs, public bodies, youth workers and young people with visual impairment at EU level.

Partnership