projects

Step Up

STEP UP – Establishment of a transnational network of adult education providers for the promotion of social inclusion of vulnerable groups project coordinated by Equal Society (Greece) is approved by European Union – EACEA/34/2019 – Erasmus+ programme (EACEA/34/2019 Social inclusion and common values: the contribution in the field of education and training )

The partners will collect relevant good practices through the organization of focus groups at national level, and exchange and disseminate such good practices through various communications channels and events, in which members of vulnerable groups will also participate. 

Furthermore, the project will pilot selected good practices, and develop a manual on how to design and implement relevant educational activities which facilitate the social inclusion of vulnerable groups. In addition, the project will produce a report which will provide guidelines on how to implement the collected good practices, as well as a report which will provide policy recommendations at national and European level, regarding the design of adult education programmes and projects which target vulnerable groups.The specific objective of the project is to bring together organizations which have extensive experience in the implementation of educational activities targeting vulnerable groups.  

Through the network, the project will highlight the positive relation between the implementation of cultural activities in particular, as a training method in adult education, and the promotion of social inclusion of vulnerable groups. More specifically, the project will identify and disseminate good practices of cultural activities at national level, in the context of adult education provision, which enhanced the participation of members of vulnerable groups in relevant activities and improved their communication and social skills, as an important step for facilitating their social inclusion.

HOW WE WORK

All members of the Network collaborate actively for the development and operation of the Network, the implementation of its Strategy and the promotion of the Network at a national, European and international level.

The Steering Committee is the governing body of the Network and its responsibilities can be summarized as follows:

The Steering Committee meet once per month, while the members of the Network meet once per year at the General Assembly in which all issues related to the operation of the Network and its strategy is discussed.

Partnership:

TOOLBOX

The “Good Practices Toolbox”, which we produced within the scope of the STEP UP project co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, which is a resource for practitioners, institutions, public authorities and policy makers, is online. In this document you will have all the knowledge to design and implement good practices (ie puppet workshop, pottery workshop, radio show) that promote social inclusion of disadvantaged groups run by the project partners.

The Good Practices Toolbox includes the following topics:

1-Description of the design and implementation process of 3 cultural and artistic practices (ie puppet workshops, ceramic workshops, radio program) with the participation of 7 different disadvantaged groups.

2-Multimedia resources to support the presentation and understanding of processes.

3-Participant reviews.

4-Tips on implementing and adapting activities.

MANUAL

In this manual, the Step Up Consortium tried to describe how such activities are effectively organised in the perspective of approaching specific vulnerable groups and also shared essential highlights from pilots in each partnering country which are summarised on the following: 

– Methodology on how to design arts and cultural activities that meet the needs of the target groups.
– Ways of approaching the target groups and maintaining their interest to participate in the cultural activities.
– Developing training programmes for the target groups.
– Ways to evaluate these training programmes.
– How to provide training to members of these vulnerable groups who wish to become trainers themselves.
The manual is being designed for adult educators, social workers, volunteers, and researchers to empower and support them in the development and implementation of relevant arts and cultural activities with high quality and impact. 
Focusing on the role of arts in the inclusion of vulnerable groups, it can be suggested that arts and cultural activities have therapeutic and restorative dimensions for vulnerable groups as they promote social inclusion by supporting social connectedness and well-being, instead of solitude and distres.
news

News

Step Up Pilot Implementation with Seniors

Step Up Pilot Implementation with Seniors

Utopia has implemented a Paper Puppetry Workshop with  Antalya Active Seniors’ Social Center  Utopia has…

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Step Up Pilot Implementation

Step Up Pilot Implementation

Utopia has implemented a Paper Puppetry Workshop with Muratpaşa Volunteer Center The first pilot implementation…

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Step Up News #1

Step Up News #1

Art Changes People’s Lives! 💙 Step Up Project Team at the kick off meeting… A…

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Gallery