About the project

The goal of the project
Through this project, the partners will raise awareness of the creative and art therapies methods application for increasing the inclusion of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disorders.
The project aims is to create digital tools for trainers and support them with attractive creativity & art methods in their work with children and young people with ASD and other developmental disorders to increase their expression and social inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sport.

The target group
■ art instructors (music, dance, dramatic art, painting etc.), youth educators and other professionals (psychologists, counsellors, social workers, health professionals) who will be trained in teaching creativity and art therapy and in the intervention for young people with ASD.
■ children and young people with ASD and other developmental disorders having delays in the areas of social interaction and communication and stereotyped and restrictive behavioral patterns.

Objectives
1. Improve social integration, resilience and well-being, inform and equip over 5000 (1000 per partner) children and young people with ASD and other developmental disorders and their families with knowledge, skills and the ability to use creative and artistic therapies by developing and piloting an innovative and participatory blended course, an interactive story and a virtual art exhibition for 24 months.
2. Inform, increase knowledge, skills competence and intervention capacity of 3500 (700 per partner) youth educators, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, health professionals and instructors in the field of visual arts, music, theatre etc. in creative and art therapies for young people with ASD and other developmental disorders and provide them an interactive training package consisting of a piloted curriculum, training materials and methodology, and an inspirational digital library for improving social inclusion, resilience, wellbeing, self-esteem and self-healing capacity of young people with ASD and other developmental disorders.
3. Awareness raising and dissemination to over 5000 children and young people and their parents, 3500 youth trainers and educators who work with them, and 3000 stakeholders on the benefits of creative and art therapies to improve social skills and effective social inclusion of ASD young people disseminating project results in 5 seminars and other dissemination activities in 24 months.

Activities
■ two partners transnational meetings – in Romania and Italy;
■ creation and testing of an Art based assessment tool for Measuring artistic potential;
■ elaboration, international and local piloting and dissemination of the training package ‘C&A therapy for autism’ for trainers;
■ creation, local piloting and dissemination of the innovative course of Creativity and Art Therapy for young with ASD ‘Art for life’;
■ organization of the interactive story telling virtual art exhibition The Art Room.

Outcomes
■ an Art based assessment tool for Measuring artistic potential;
■ a training package ‘C&A therapy for autism’ for face to face and self-directed learning for trainers, art instructors and support staff of young with ASD;
■ an Art Therapist Virtual Stories Library based on video storytelling;
■ an innovative course of Creativity and Art Therapy for young with ASD ‘Art for life’;
■ an interactive story telling virtual art exhibition ‘The Art Room’;
■ dissemination events.

Partners:
PALATUL COPIILOR IASI – Romania
ASOCIACIJA KURYBINES ATEITIES IDEJOS – Lithuania
ASOCIATIA DEMETRIUS – Romania
IASIS – Greece
Polo Europeo della Conoscenza – IC Bosco Chiesanuova – Italy
TEATRO METAPHORA – ASSOCIACAO DE AMIGOS DAS ARTES – Portugal