The Environmental Education Center of Vamos implements the Erasmus + KA1 program "Climate Change, refugees and migrants" (approval number from the State Scholarship Foundation 2020-1-EL01-KA104-078696).
In our increasingly mobile world – with environmental factors, poverty and political unrest fueling large-scale migration – communities are seeing the arrival of new populations, who face new socio-economic challenges and, at times, growing feelings of intolerance for the 'other'. "
As a result, today's classrooms accommodate students of mixed socio-cultural backgrounds (eg, local students and immigrant students who have recently arrived in the country and do not speak the language). Today's teachers have a responsibility to define and promote shared values among diverse students in the classroom and in the wider community. Therefore, strategic and accessible tools for the integration of newly arrived immigrant students must be found to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.
With this program, the Environmental Education Center acquires ideas and tools for the development of educational programs aimed at the inclusion of all populations and ethnicities, using modern strategies and the universal language of art, as tools of intercultural education.
As part of this program, Adriana Basiou, (English teacher, member of the pedagogical team) participated in a multi-day seminar (Structured Course) on "Art for the Inclusion of Immigrants, Refugees and Disadvantaged Populations" in Florence, Italy, during the period 27 June-July 2, 2022.
The seminar was organized by the Europass Teacher Academy.
Europass is an organization with more than 200 partners and 200 courses available every year.Its seminars are geared towards innovation, well-being, the arts and an improved school environment, with a firm focus on 21st century skills and fostering professional connections between educators of diverse experiences and backgrounds, encouraging meaningful collaboration and fruitful exchanges while keeping educators informed, adaptive and motivated as they constantly face unprecedented challenges
The seminar was attended by teachers and professors from Spain, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Holland and Greece.
During the seminar, teachers were presented with strategies for the inclusion of people living on the margins of society through the universal language of art. Teachers learned how to use art as an accessible tool to integrate newly arrived immigrant students into their classrooms and to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.
The residual effects of trauma and displacement were analyzed, teachers discussed the health benefits of art making, and reviewed international art initiatives currently working to integrate minorities and rebuild communities after a crisis.
In addition, collaborative art forms, which require limited resources, were practiced from visual installation to performance (eg using found objects to tell a story, practicing non-verbal forms of communication). Through artistic expression, the main goal was to overcome language and cultural barriers and work towards a better understanding of each other.
Teachers interacted with each other, experimented with different art forms accessible to people of different cultural backgrounds and abilities – including immigrants, migrants and refugees, and practiced strategies to encourage moral and emotional reflection and creative collaboration among students. In addition, they exchanged project ideas and teaching tools with other education professionals to develop more effective and inclusive creative arts curricula and related this year's World Migration Report to their own teaching environments.
