ABOUT

OVERVIEW

Are you a teacher or parent or artist educator?

Do you want to engage more creativity in your professional practice and home life?

We are artists educators and researchers who teach a range of creative disciplines, from writing to drama to film making, across five countries in Europe. Over 3 years, we have co-produced open access guides which aim to bring creativity into the classroom and home, ensuring that all children engage in creative arts learning. We have shared this knowledge with teachers, pre-service teachers and carers of young people, producing new research into the wellbeing benefits of creative learning for imaginative expression and collective creativity.

This ERASMUS+ funded "arted" project started in November 2020 and is jointly led by Dr Lisa Stephenson and Dr Tom Dobson from the Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett University. The project draws upon the expertise of the Story Makers Company, for which Lisa is Director, as well partners across Europe.

"arted" employed a participatory co-design model, involving young people, artists, teachers, and parents, to produce a range of inclusive, interactive guides, which focus on how to engage young people with the creative arts. These guides are open access and include an interactive game and audio-visual immersive experiences of artists in practice.

AIMS

The project builds upon research by Story Makers Company which indicates that involvement in the creative arts can impact positively upon young people’s wellbeing. By transferring the knowledge, skills and practices of artists working in education to teachers, trainee teachers, parents and carers, arted will:

improve young people’s wellbeing and engagement in schooling at all ages;
reduce early school leaving;
strengthen the profile of the teaching profession.

COMMON ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF ARTISTS' PRACTICES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN EDUCATION

These principles of practice underpin all of our work.

Brave Spaces

1. Creating brave spaces

Trusting young people
Embracing diversity and difference to hear all voices
Creating community in a non-judgemental space
Acknowledging young people’s individual histories and experiences and how these might affect the space

2. Collective Creation

Process driven, with considered balance between structure and freedom
Active participation and engagement, which draws upon young people’s lived experiences
Physical, emotional, ethical and cognitive meaning-making
Consideration of how the collective can impact on the individual’s experience (Whose voice is privileged and whose is silenced?)

Collective Creation

Change Making

3. Change Making

Enjoyment, self-expression, confidence (positive wellbeing)
Compassion and empathy, promoting multiple and critical perspectives
Active empowerment and agency building
Promoting change within the community.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

"arted" will have an impact across Europe upon teachers, trainee teachers, parents, and carers, who will use the creative arts in the education and development of young people. The sharing of good practice through our inclusive guides will strengthen the profile of the teaching profession, impact positively upon young people’s mental health and engagement and reduce early school leaving.

For further information, please contact us.

PARTNERS