New Cultural Horizons

The aim of the project is improved availability and accessibility of the additional education services in the field of culture and art for children and youth with special needs.

Programme name: Karelia CBC Programme 2014-2020

Name of the project: New Cultural Horizons

Acronym: New Cultural Horizons

Project ID: KA9011

Full legal name of the Lead partner in English: State Educational Organization of the Republic of Karelia "Educational Development Institute" (SEORK "Educational Development Institute")

Country of the Lead partner: Russia

Region of the Lead partner: Republic of Karelia

Priority: 2. Attractive cultural environment

Thematic objective: Promotion of local culture and preservation of historical heritage

Duration of the project in months: 30

Total costs of the project: 457380 €

Information about the project in the media and on the Internet: 

Project news

16.02.2021

New project plans

Summary of the project

The problem the project is planning to solve

The project “New cultural horizons” aims to solve the problem of the low accessibility and availability of additional education services in the field of culture and art for children and young people with special needs, including people with disabilities and disabled people. The lack of suitable recreational activities places young people with special needs in an unequal position and increases their risk of exclusion from society.

The target group is not able to receive high-quality additional education in the field of culture and art due to such reasons as:

  • ill-preparedness and inability of teachers to work with young people with special education needs;
  • insufficient number of special educational programs for this category in organizations of additional education in the field of culture and art;
  • low level of awareness in the society, as well as lack of awareness of parents about the possibility to receive relevant additional education services in the field of culture and art;
  • out-of-date facilities and equipment in additional education organizations in the field of culture and art;
  • low level of network interaction of organizations providing services of basic education, special education, vocational education and additional education in the field of culture and art.

The problem is common for both of target areas, and it is especially severe in smaller areas, where there are no resources to organize special groups for only children / youth with special needs or disabilities.

The project is directly connected to the priority element Helping young people in danger of dropping out of active society with inclusive cultural activities.

The objective of the project

The objective of the project is improved availability and accessibility of the additional education services in the field of culture and art for children and youth with special needs.

The expected change the project will make to the current situation

The project will allow children and young people with special needs on the both sides of the border to get more opportunities to attend art schools and clubs and receive high-quality additional educational services. This supports not only their individual development but also social integration. In the future they can get the vocational education in the field of art and culture and provide self-employment.

Participation in joint activities in the framework of inclusive cultural practices will allow the representatives of target groups to establish new contacts, develop good neighborhood relationships, and to know more about each other's culture. Especially for children and youth it is important to feel involved in the peer group and through recreational activities on the field of culture also the children with special needs or disabilities can get the feelings of success and belonging. Teachers will improve their skills and get new competencies, which will allow them to work with this category of children and youth. This will improve the quality of education in the project area. Parents will get the necessary information, knowledge, skills and competences, they will be able to become more active participants in educational processes, as they will be involved in designing their children's individual educational routes.

Organizations that offer additional education services in the field of culture and art will be able to expand the range of educational programs, which will attract new clients. Networking will be organized between such organizations both within the region and cross-border for the exchange of experience and best inclusive cultural practices.

As a final result of the project the society will be more informed and open for integration and  inclusion of children and youth with special needs into active social and cultural processes. In general, the project area the Republic of Karelia and Northern Karelia in Finland will become more comfortable and attractive for living for the inhabitants, including young people with special needs.

The target groups and beneficiaries of the project The target groups:

  • children and young people with special needs;
  • parents of children and young people with special needs;
  • professionals of organizations and institutions providing services of additional education in the field of culture and art;
  • public organizations, NGOs, volunteer and youth organizations.

Final beneficiaries are all the people in areas, who will have better opportunities to attend the cultural activities. Final beneficiaries are also local authorities responsible for cultural and educational development, institutions which provide social, educational and cultural services in the region of the project in the Republic of Karelia and in North Karelia in Finland.

The main outputs the project will produce

  1. Information on the accessibility of the additional education services and diversity of inclusive cultural practices in the field of culture and art for children and youth with special needs offered on the project areas produced (research), including recommendations for development.
  2. Professional skills and competences of teachers, instructors and tutors in the field of culture and art, and awareness of parents improved through high-quality in-service training programs and educational events.
  3. New additional educational programs in the field of culture and art are available for children and young people with special needs.
  4. New piloted cultural inclusive practices are available for use.

The approach planned to take (type of activities to be implemented)

In order to achieve the objective of the project the following strategy will be implemented:

Work package 1: Research study

The research study of the existing inclusive cultural practices of additional education in the field of culture and art and the accessibility of the additional education services in this field for children and youth with special needs and disabilities in the areas of the Republic of Karelia and in North Karelia (Finland) will be conducted at the initial stage of the project. On the bases of the study educational activities for the target groups of the project will be designed. Study includes also recommendations of the best practices to be used.

Work package 2: Pedagogical staff and parents training

The improvement of professional skills of the teachers, instructors and tutors is the essential part of the whole project. The series of educational seminars, in-service training courses, master classes, work shadowing technologies will be implemented. The special educational programs for the pedagogical staff will be designed and produced. Parents of the children with special needs can attend informational events on the actual themes.

Work package 3: Designing and experimental testing of new programs

The project includes designing and experimental testing of new additional educational programs and best practices of more inclusive forms of arts and music studies for children and young people with special needs. Pilot educational organizations operating in different conditions in the countryside and in the city will be selected for testing.

Work package 4: Creating and piloting new inclusive cultural practices

The project team, together with representatives of the target groups, will be working on the creating new forms, types and technologies for the inclusion of children and young people with special needs in the cultural life of the region. Within the framework of networking social, educational and cultural services, community organizations and parent representatives will be included in this activity. In Karelian Educational Development Institute the Cultural and Educational Center «Horizons» will be created as a possible model for coordinating the network activities. Produced inclusive cultural  practices will be piloted through the variety of joint cultural events (concerts, exhibitions, camps, festivals, theatre and dance workshops, flash-mobs, cultural and educational expeditions etc.) within the cross-border cooperation.

Lead Partner:

State Educational Organization of the Republic of Karelia "Educational Development Institute" (SEORK "Educational Development Institute"):

Project coordinator: Elena Bogdanova

bogdanovaeg@kiro-karelia.ru, +79217001918, +79814001981

Project content manager: Galina Petrova

petrova-galina@yandex.ru    +79814001860

Project PR manager: Svetlana Gurshtyn

gurshteansv@kiro-karelia.ru +79814001962, +79210179144

Project secretary: Tatyana Gorshkova

tanjagor@kiro-karelia.ru +79814001880

Project experts:

  • Mariya Kuzmenko

att@kiro-karelia.ru +79814002123 

  • Irina Zabrodina

izabrodina@mail.ru +79814001938 

  • Tatyana Gavrilova

logoped_10@mail.ru  +79814002145 

  • Irina Sharlayeva

sharlaevaiv@kiro-karelia.ru +79814001908

 

Partners:

University of Eastern Finland:

Project Leader: Sanna Iskanius

sanna.iskanius@uef.fi, +358 503823801

Project manager: Tiina Ynnilä

tiina.ynnila@uef.fi, +358 504339254

Project Expert, Researcher: Satu Piispa-Hakala (Main research)

satu.piispa-hakala@uef.fi, +358 509112089

Project seсretary: Lasse Reijonen

lasse.reijonen@uef.fi, +358 505650305

 

 

Petrozavodsk college of music named after Karl Erikovich Rautio:

Project content manager: Larissa Holodkova

8-(8142)-78-35-95, e-mail: pmk1@sampo.ru; pmk1@karelia.ru

Project Expert: Lyudmila Pavlova

8-(8142) -780893,  pmk1@karelia.ru

 

Information about the project in the media and on the Internet: