IN-Create: Creating alternative integration paths for third country nationals by cultivating creative expression

Programme: Erasmus+ KA2, Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
Region: Europe
Acronym: IN-Create
The purpose of IN-Create project is to address the basic need and challenge of promoting the successful integration of TCNs within the EU and cultivate creative expression as means to promote their social inclusion and community cohesion. The project will focus on developing and applying pioneer methodologies on various alternative ways of expression, such as Visual Art, literature, theatre, creative writing, film, and photography.

Modular approach:
Four training areas (modules) have been identified drawing on the results of the research phase. These are:
- Photography
Visual communication can be more powerful than words, especially for people that are newcomers to a country and do not speak the native language or when there is no space for them to actively participate in decision making. Enabling their students to express themselves and ‘speak’ through their work, in this context through images, is what this module will teach learners. Among others, this module will help learners understand the importance of focusing the lens of one's camera on issues that truly concern him/her and in parallel, opening themselves into a community that is friendly and shares the same interest.
- Theater
This course will provide learners with the basic acting techniques through which, they will support their students to broaden both their creativity and their communication- social skills. Basic drama therapy techniques will be analysed and they will be the mean that will lead to the expression of students and to feelings of belonging, through the participation of students in an acting group.
- Filmaking
Under this module learners will be familiarized with concepts such as, the connection between filming and creative expression and how to enable their students to document their own experiences or subjects that they feel connected with.
- Creative writing
This modular will help learners understand the basic techniques that will allow them to help students express themselves and put into words feelings and experiences that otherwise would be ignored. Thus, instead of focusing on elements of literary craft, this module will teach learners how to enable their students to express themselves and to develop their personal style. Plus, it will help learners to identify the necessary steps for the creation of a Literary ‘community’. This community, discussion on literary publishing and editing, will give rise to sharing experiences and personal stories.

General Learning Outcomes: 
•  Use of arts, such as Visual Art, theatre, creative writing, film, and photography, for the promotion and facilitation of TCNs social inclusion and integration
•  Building the skills and competences of the professionals, educators, and volunteers that work with TCNs
•  Supporting integration through art therapy and creative expression
•  Use of a pioneer and non-traditional methodology, namely arts and creative expression, as a tool for fostering social inclusion and integration of TCNs

Learning Objectives
The main objective of the IN-Create ONLINE COURSE is to introduce learners the importance of art and the results it can have on the process of migrants’ integration. 
People with fewer opportunities like migrants and refugees very often face discrimination into the local communities they belong, or they experience exclusion from many aspects of the everyday life. Acceptance and 
According to many researches Art and Culture can have a great impact on supporting the integration of migrants and refugees. Through artistic activities like theatre, filming, photography etc. migrants and refugees can both gain new useful skills and feel part of a community and at the same time express themselves creatively.
In order for Integration through Art to be achieved, there must be a fully qualified personnel. 
 

Duration of the training
Approximately 5 weeks for the whole course. To be finalized later on and based on feedback from partners. Ideally, equal Weekly Effort Hours (WEH) need to be estimated per module so that the learning experience follows a smooth pace and does not introduce imbalanced workload. WEH refer to the estimated workload of a participant as a whole (reading, watching videos, engaged in quizzes, participating in open discussion activities, etc). A three – five WEHs per module have been initially defined to ensure coverage of the program outcomes and effectively address the needs of the participants.