Art-booklet - "Art over Problems"

Aims of the tool

Erasmus+ youth exchange “Art Over Problems” (acronym AoP) took place in Lithuania (Stasiunai & Kaunas cities) on September 19-27, 2016. Project’s mission was to provide youth with new skills/tools for solving social problems by using visual arts. The e-booklet summarises the key workshops made and the results achieved so that youth workers across Europe could use that to support their own initiatives.

Description of the tool

In the context of large inflows of refugees, European societies are currently experiencing a crisis of values, especially in relation to intolerance to other cultures, religious discrimination and inhumane actions towards people simply looking for a safer place to live in. Naturally, when a person feels safe and respected, he/she can then effectively work for the common benefit. Therefore it is necessary to address the integration of ethnic minorities and refugees. We believe that it is best to do so through social art and thus hosted a project “Art over Problems” (AOP) in Lithuania.

By providing youth with new skills/tools for solving social problems by using visual arts, we have contributed to reducing intolerance and discrimination towards refugees and other minorities. The following objectives were tried to be achieved: 1) strengthen youth’s knowledge of the significance of visual arts and the way to use them to influence particular social issues, such as integration of refugees, as well as religious and ethnic discrimination; (2) provide them with means to share this knowledge with others; (3) encourage youth to take on more social art initiatives; and (4) generate fresh ideas for future projects and activities that would use visual arts for reaching social aims within the local communities in the participating countries. The project also aimed to help the participants grow professionally, keep them active, involve them in multi-cultural discussions, develop a number of skills and competences and create new partnerships across Europe.

This e-booklet provides information about the project workshops and the results achieved.