Arts for Social Development (14-29 Sept. 2015, Epidavros, Greece)
ARTS FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: A Non-Formal Education Perspective
1. Rationale
The arts are a powerful vehicle for social-emotional learning because they have universal appeal and allow for group participation by persons of all abilities, cultures and backgrounds. Shared creative experiences can facilitate insight and empathy, which enable changing perceptions of self and others, social connection, and individual and collective empowerment. Furthermore, group-based arts activities can be implemented in school, local communities and recreational settings where most youth can be found. Arts no longer exist only in concert halls, theatres and exhibition galleries- it has become a powerful agent of social change, inspiring young people, families and communities to realize their potential and create opportunities for growth, poverty relief and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups (migrants, unemployed, NEETs etc).
At the same time governments and people around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of the arts and culture as a dynamic and innovative sector with clear linkages to employment, education and the wider socio-economic arena. Not without debate, still, it has become increasingly clear that the creative industries are not only driving innovation and impacting our lives as consumers and citizens, but becoming essential to the infrastructure of our societies. Yet accessing their full potential remains a challenge and public policies, skills and infrastructure are often struggling to keep up.
2. Project ambition and objectives
The project aims to bring together artists, creative professionals and arts organizations with NGO’s, community leaders and social entrepreneurs to share skills, knowledge, learn from each other and work collaboratively to create pilot activities for city development.
Project objectives:
i). To raise awareness of the value of interactions and cross sector collaboration between artists, creative and social entrepreneurs and civil society organizations.
ii). To create a lab environment where this collaborative spirit can flourish and lead to action.
iii). To build skills, increase cross sector exchange and knowledge transfer and improve cultural sector capacity and opportunities for collaboration/employment.
iv). As an end result, present one pilot activity tackling timely and relevant social or community issues through a collaborative artistic project in the field of theater, music and visual arts.
v). Share results and ideas in a round table discussion for policy makers and key stakeholders at local and international level.
We are looking for motivated and enthusiastic artists, creative professionals, and representatives of arts organizations, NGO’s, community leaders and social entrepreneurs. Your answers to the following questions will help us to have an idea about you, your motivations, your expectations, your needs and your future projects.
Please answer all the following questions in English; answers do not need to be long and extensive and are solely intended to help us understand whether you are a suitable candidate for the project
Feel free to add any other information you may find relevant to be taken into account during our selection process, while reviewing your candidature: