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Culture and peer-learning for integration |
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Institute equalita has started a new project on socio-cultural educational approaches addressed to disadvantaged youth and young adults who are facing the risk of social disintegration and exclusion. It is running in the frame of a Grundtvig Learning Partnership in the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union.
Cultural approaches and peer-learning are more and more accepted pedagogical methods especially in informal education. An excellent and successful example is the project KinderKulturKarawane - Children's Culture Caravan. Socio-economically disadvantaged young people at of the age 16-25 from Africa, Asia and Latin America present cultural performances - music, dance, theatre, and circus - for European youth, young adults and other audience to deliver insight into their everyday life and their visions for a better future, but also to show chances for social integration by these activities.
Young adults in Europe discover by these presentations, workshops and direct meetings with the young artists - peer-learning - parallels to their own, often precarious social and economic situation. And they get to know innovative and creative perspectives and strategies to foster social integration.
The cultural, rather than purely cognitive approach in combination with peer-learning transfers very direct political and social integration problems and possible solutions, and gives concrete experiences regarding the importance of socio-cultural exchanges. Also in the new EU member states there are first initiatives and concepts fostering such approaches, focussing on integration and socio-economic deprivation in their own country as well as on the global dimensions of social disintegration.
The intention of this learning partnership is to exchange experience of the cultural and peer-learning approaches by the participating organisations and their staff. An evaluation and development of methods should lead to a comprehensive approach for further activities and a European network working with this educational approach for social integration. Especially the partners in the new EC member countries will be supported to adapt and implement the approaches and to integrate in the European networking.
Target groups are educational institutions and their staff members and teachers, especially working with disadvantaged young people and young adults with migrant backgrounds, using these methodological approaches in their educational activities. Further target groups are young people at the age from 16 to 24 who are not in school or vocational education, especially socio-economically disadvantaged youth and young people with migration background. Directly involved are also young cultural groups from projects participating in Children’s Culture Caravan to give a vivid impression of what their creativity can contribute to methodological innovation and to share their experiences with cultural peer-learning.
Project coordinator is “Institut equalita” (DE), partners are “Büro für Kultur- und Medienprojekte” (DE), “Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation” VIDC (AT), “SPOR Media” (DK), “Ekvilib Institute” (SL), “Foundation for Development of the Cultural and Business Potential of Civil Society” (BG) and “People against Racism” (SK).
Current information you can find at the Project Blog
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Culture and peer-learning 
