E-magazine Volume 3
After the first Learning, training, and teaching activity (LTTA) held in Croatia in January, the participants piloted within their communities one of the methods they learned during the training. The methods based on music and movement are designed to foster inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities and were piloted in each partner’s country with at least 15 participants on each activity.
ROMANIA
The activity was held in a youth centre in a rural town in Romania. It was about dance improvisation and expressing feelings through movement. After a few energizers and fun group activities, the participants were guided to form pairs and move as if they feel: happy, nervous, irritated, excited, shocked, surprised, in love, friendship. The movements had to be aligned with their pair, with each person leading the other and vice versa.
The debriefing sessions showed that most of the young people had fun, felt joy doing the activities and found it easy and childish but interactive and interesting. Most of them found it easy to interact with others, even if they just met that day.
CROATIA
Two pilotings were done in Rijeka – one with senior high school students that mostly come from rural areas and one at the DiP Association, with young people facing various challenges. Both groups enjoyed the activity which connects music, movement and collective drawing. After diving into the sound of music or finding songs of their choice, the participants were invited to move based on the sounds, melodies and rhythms. Slowly, they were invited to imagine which kind of colour a sound represents and which kind of movement does it encourage.
The movements were then translated onto paper by moving pencils and colours in lines and shapes inspired by the music. The joint creative process fostered group cohesion, creative exploration and the connection of more senses – auditive and visual.
AUSTRIA
In Austria, the same method was piloted and was somehow modified to best fit the target group.
The piloting was conducted with a group of NEET young people between 15-18 years old with different kinds of fewer opportunities and challenges, as well as having a migrant background. Due to the specific needs of this group, the activity had to be adapted and simplified to fit their needs in that moment. They were invited at first to create sound with different parts of their body and create a rhythm together, then the group was split into two – one creating music with different instruments and the other one drawing based on the music or their imagination and then they switched.
The activity was enjoyed by the young participants, it gave them a different perspective, with encouragement and developing self esteem that came with creating art.
DENMARK
The Danish piloting was done at GAIA Museum and used the method that engages the tactile experience and uses unconventional materials. The group is divided in two – one half creates improvised music and sounds using everyday objects, while the other half collectively paints with coloured slime, clay, coal and seeds on a mutual piece of paper. The movements and splashes are inspired by the sounds of the improvised music and tactile painting is explored together. The groups then switch their roles and repeat. The result is a joint expressive creation that celebrates the creative process and group diversity.
SPAIN
The method piloted in Spain connects crafting and learning about texture. Young people are invited to explore different materials, the sound they can produce and their different textures. Then, they engage in crafting DIY instruments from these materials, recycling cardboard, sticks, bottles and so on. At the end, each shows the sound that their “instrument” can make and they all engage in a jam session, creating music together.
LTTA ON VISUAL ARTS
The second Learning, Training, and Teaching Activity (LTTA) was hosted by the project partners Espacio Rojo and took place in Madrid, Spain, from October 6th to 10th, 2025. The LTTA gathered 15 participants from Croatia, Austria, Romania, Denmark and Spain, and was focused on visual art methods for inclusion of young people.
The methods presented make use of unconventional materials, such as potatoes to create animal figurines, leaves and sand to shape mandalas, or light to “paint” and record movement with long-exposure photography. The participants created a “communal garden” – a spatial installation out of trash, and their ideal neighbourhoods out of cardboard, paper, and paint.
These methods encourage immersion in oneself, as well as mutual exchange, joint creation and critical thinking. Creativity was fully unlocked when exploring the options offered by the stop-motion animation technique, while the creation of portraits in the collage technique further deepened the relationships in the group. Shaping clay with eyes closed showed how conventional materials can be used in innovative ways.
In addition to numerous methods from visual arts, the group researched and discussed how to adapt them to our target groups and context. Inclusive art means that art belongs to everyone, regardless of their level of artistic knowledge, so the LTTA focused on methods that use accessible and inexpensive materials and encourage collaboration, introspection, and participation. One of the conclusions was that a lot of attention needs to be paid to the process itself, in addition to the result of artistic creation.
Following the LTTA, the participants piloted some of the many visual art methods that they learned back at home. The feedback from their facilitation experience, as well as from young people, will be integrated into the methods’ description. All the methods will be available in Module 3 of the INCLUSIONARY TOOLBOX.
NATIONAL PILOTINGS
The National Piloting Activities were carried out in all partner countries, with at least 15 young participants involved in each country. The feedback from young participants is positive and insightful, which confirms that the methods are well suited for this target group. The facilitator’s reports will show which changes and adaptations should be made to improve the methods.
Trash garden, Denmark
Shaping feeling with clay, Croatia
Mixed media collage, Croatia
Painting with light, Romania
Stop motion animation, Austria
A neighbourhood for everyone, Spain
We are glad to share that the Modules 1 and 2 of our online Toolbox are fully ready and will be launched by March 2026.
Each module will include a theoretical part and several creative and artistic methods that foster inclusion of young people, carefully designed and tried out in practice. Here’s a glimpse into the Module 1 and Module 2 content:
MODULES 3 AND 4 OF THE TOOLBOX
At the same time, both Module 3 (Visual arts) and Module 4 (Theatre methods) are being developed and prepared to best present artistic methods to youth workers, educators and other experts.
MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE (MOOC)
Along with the online TOOLBOX, a MOOC will be also available for learners that are interested in inclusive artistic methods and activities.
We are currently working on translating Module 1 and 2 into an interactive platform full of engaging learning tools, visuals and tasks that will equip youth workers to implement these methods in their work with youth.
LTTA ON THEATRE METHODS IN ROMANIA
The third and last LTTA of the Inclusionary project is coming up! It will be held from the 2nd to the 6th of March 2026 in Romania and will focus on theatre methods. Again, 15 participants from 5 partner counties will engage in the training. You can find out more about it here.
The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme and will be conducted by the following organisations: A4ACTION (Romania) – coordinator, Udruga Delta (Croatia), InterAktion (Austria), Asociación Espacio Rojo (Spain) and GAIA Museum Outsider Art (Denmark).
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