Project Description

The Art in the Park project focuses on answering three main challenges raised from the Covid-19 pandemic:
1) Find alternative solutions to virtual classes that can take place in open spaces, promoting interactive learning and motivation regarding STEM subjects. By developing open-space activities in green areas, the activities will be also more inclusive toward pupils who do not have internet access or the technological equipment to take part in the lessons, or do not have the skills to attend the virtual classes (first and second digital divide).
2) Support creative sector organisations in diversifying their services, creating new opportunities to deliver their activities in open spaces, such as parks and green areas.
3) Engage young people in learning about conservation actions and become actors of change in their local environment by acquiring the scientific (STEM) knowledge and attitude, as well as the creative mindset to understand current European environmental challenges and develop creative solutions.

The MAIN OBJECTIVE of Art in the Park is to: "Engage pupils in STEM education through creativity and the arts in forest and urban parks as an innovative methodology for conservation education and safe learning". 
The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES are:
O1: Develop creative and STEM competencies in pupils to become actors of change regarding conservation actions and ecological transition
O2: Develop the competencies of creative organisations to engage pupils and young people in art activities in forest and park spaces
O3: Valorise forests and parks as spaces for STEM learning, in opposition to classroom-based activities, to provide a creative and safe environment for learning. 

The project has three MAIN TARGETS:
1) Pupils of primary and lower secondary schools (age range 10 - 14), with a special focus on young people with less resources (social and economic obstacles).
2) Teaching staff of STEM subjects and school staff
3) Creative professionals 

METHODOLOGY
The project will start with an analysis of the good practices of art and creative activities for pupils, taking into account both European and extra-European countries. This will allow to provide creative sector organisations with new ideas and methodologies, as well as inspire schools to use parks and green spaces to deliver lessons and learning experiences. The good practices analysis will culminate with the creation of the IO1 (World Report on Art in the Park: Park-based Experiences to Enhance Creativity of Pupils). Successively, the partners will take into account STEM learning and develop activities, inspired by the first IO, to use arts and creativity to teach STEM subjects in park settings. The activities will then be piloted at national level, and promoted through the eTwinning platform. This will allow to extend the impact of the project and receive feedbacks from different European countries. The finalised activities will be gathered in the handbook "Art in the Park: STEM Activities for Conservation". Finally the partners will create a methodological framework for the implementation of the activities (IO3). These guidelines will take into account the safeguarding of children in parks, the inclusion measures, a roadmap to support the development of the actions in partnerships with creative sector organisations, and the competencies assessment and validation mechanisms. During the whole project, the partners will also meet 4 times through transnational project meetings, set up in critical phases of the project, and a final multiplier event will be organised to promote the Art in the Park project to the wider European society. The project focuses on finding European answers to local problematics at the levels of schools and communities, as well as reinforce the good practices exchanges to respond to the newly raised challenges of the pandemic across countries. In fact, the governmental responses to the crisis have brought schools and creative organisations to adapt in different ways, and leveraging of this experience will allow to reinforce the resilience of educational and creative sector organisations. The international dimension is also important in the project because it allows to  benefit from their different experiences, profiles and specific expertise of the organisations and produce high quality results to be further disseminate on an European level. Finally, aligned with the first priority of the project, an international dimension is necessary to stimulate European Citizenship of pupils and contribute to the EU strategic priorities and policies.

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