#DEAFinition

The project #DEAFinition aims to promote the community of the Deaf and raise awareness about Sign Language, Deaf culture and the rights of the Deaf, among a group of 30 young people from 7 countries. The implementation of the project will be supported by the use of Arts, such as theatre, drama and film. The participants will have the opportunity to learn International Signs and take part in drama and theatre workshops and, most importantly, they will experience the active creation of either a short film, documentary or a theatre play.
As a result, they will develop their ICT skills and they will gain experience in planning and organising a dissemination event, where they will present the outcomes of the exchange.

The participants, through working and interacting with others in a multicultural and multilingual environment, will develop interpersonal and organisational skills and a sense of respect for diversity and inclusion.

Objectives and activities
1. To promote cultural diversity and inclusion.
2. To raise awareness about the Deaf community, culture and language.
3. To create connections between Deaf and hearing participants aiming to achieve equality and intimacy between the two cultures.
4. To inform the hearing community with regards to Deaf culture and Sign Language.
5. For Deaf to feel more comfortable among the hearing community where their language and culture is respected.
6. To build collective consciousness towards the fight against discrimination.
7. To empower a group of 30 young people by educating them with the knowledge and skills to use, in order to raise awareness and promote human rights.
8. To use the aforementioned skills to run their future campaigns and projects
9. Tο enhance the digital, professional and personal skills of both Deaf and hearing young people, preparing them for their future careers with an enriched personal portfolio.
10. To build a strong network of organisations for joint action that concerns the Deaf community.
11. To open the way for future programmes in order to reinforce the connection of the two cultures.

During this project the participants will:
 Take part in theatre activities and workshops
 Follow their initiative to create short films, documentaries or theatre plays in order to raise awareness
 Dance in Silent Disco and in Deaf Hip Hop rhythms
 Meet Deafhood
 Learn International Signs and develop their Sign Language skills
 Dispel myths and stereotypes around deafness

The role of the partners
 To find 4 participants over 18 years old, at least two of them Deaf.
 To find a group leader with previous experience in Sign Language and interaction with the community of the Deaf. The leader could be either Deaf or hearing.
 To support the preparation of participants giving them information about the logistic, the accommodation and the transport;
 To find a sign language interpreter that can use both the Sign Language of their country, but also International Signs.
 To collect information about the specific needs of participants and send them to the hosting organization;
 To support participants in the follow-up activities after the mobility;
 To promote the project and the campaign through their channels, websites and social media.