Why ARTCOM?

ARTCOM project born under the collaboration of six organizations representing different countries from Europe and Africa open to collaborate and create new methodologies and approaches on art therapy.

We believe in the power of sharing best practices between different and far realities. A way to enrich communities and support youth workers in two different continents with innovative methodologies and approaches, adaptable and useful to allow young people with disadvantage background to improve their self-confidence and self-awareness.

What is “art therapy”?

Art therapy is a creative methodology that focus its attention on expressing the deepest part of a person using creative art-making process. Through these external manifestations, experts can analyse feelings and expressions emerged by the art-work and enhance a self-reflection. In the world, there are different conceptions of art therapy.

Some of them are pragmatic and connected to psychoanalytic approaches, other connected to free expressions of art guided by experts that are not necessary doctors. These different approaches change in Africa, where art therapy became a concrete instrument of social inclusion, helping homeless young people or disadvantage youngsters in their learning process to escape criminality, violence and critical situations.

ARTCOM

Youth workers around the world are always looking for new tools and approaches to improve their work in their local communities.

Different context and environment share a common aim: support young people with disadvantage background in their social inclusion.

To achieve this goal, it’s important to promote new approaches and tools that can have a major impact among youngsters as art therapy.

“Art can permeate the very deepest part of us, where no words exist.”

– Eileen Miller, The Girl Who Spoke with Pictures: Autism Through Art

Who involves ARTCOM?

We work to enrich the job of youth workers providing them an OER (Open Educational Resource) and mobilities opportunities to be trained in these new methodologies, using art therapy to enhance this process. Meanwhile, 18 young people from Africa and Europe will be part of our volunteering period experiencing in the local communities the impact of the tools created, taking part of these realities and learning more on social inclusion, non-formal methodologies and innovative tools on art therapy.

What we are going to achieve?

We work in synergy to achieve learning goals through mobilities experiences of youth workers and young people involved in this art-creative project. In particular, at the end of 2019 in the Final Conference of the project presents the following results:

ARTCOM Open Educational Resource on Art therapy

Learning experiences from the International Training course and the European Voluntary Service in Europe and Africa

Some of the artwork made during the volunteering experiences by disadvantaged young people and the EVS volunteers

ARTCOM Open Educational Resource on Art therapy

Learning experiences from the International Training course and the European Voluntary Service in Europe and Africa

Some of the artwork made during the volunteering experiences by disadvantaged young people and the EVS volunteers

Contact us

CESIE (coordinator) – Italy

Contact person: Silvia Fazio