From October 3-5, the third Learning Teaching Training Activity (LTTA) of the EU-funded project "T4T - Tools4Teaching in Digital Education Settings" took place in Athens, Greece. The host organization for mobility was MYARTIST, an organization with background and expertise in various fields and topics related to arts, culture, accessibility and inclusion.
The LTTA aimed to improve the practical skills and competencies of participants on how to adapt their current online training activities following the proposed new approach and to provide space for mutual learning and exchange of ideas and perspectives between adult educators and training professionals participating in the event.
In the framework of the project T4T the participants also had the chance to walk through the city center of Athens, observing the world around them with a different "lens". With the valuable help and guidance of the Emfasis Foundation our participants had the opportunity to learn more about homelessness in Athens, the number of relief programs that the Emfasis Foundation is currently running, and discuss with professional streetworkers about the importance of the daily work in the streets. Through this activity, the group dynamics became stronger, and the communication among them got better by discussing difficult topics with more vulnerability.
On the second day, they had the opportunity to get in touch with more non-formal practices with Stamatis Paraskevas (Psychologist - Drama therapist) as the facilitator and trainer of the day.
They created our own 6-part story introducing our heroes and their mission, including the obstacles they face or the help they receive. They drew their stories on paper so they could scan them later to create our virtual exhibition.
Then they learned about automatic writing and worked as a team to write a fairy tale. In the process, each of them had to say a phrase or sentence so that they could create something spontaneously together as a team. They had to pay attention to each other and all synchronized together. After that, each person had 1 minute to draw a fairy tale scene on a shared paper for the team.
They also visited EMST Athens to admire the different artworks and discuss their themes. They were lucky enough to visit the group exhibition “Statecraft (and beyond)”, which deals with concepts such as nation, state, xenophobia, and racism. They saw different installations and discussed difficult topics as a team, bringing them closer.
On the last training day, the participants had room and time to think back on their experience from the day before. They used their bodies and the automatic writing technique to tell stories with colors and words. The most crucial aspect was that they stepped outside of their comfort zones.
MyArtist demonstrated the potential of a virtual exhibition. They spoke about securing and improving accessibility by taking a few simple but effective actions. They utilized Canva as their primary digital tool. The participants uploaded their artworks with their titles and wrote their descriptions. In the end, they recorded the audio versions of the descriptions.
It's vital to note that this event featured a hybrid format. This provided the opportunity to test the methods of the project in mixed or hybrid learning environments and how group dynamics are formed and influenced by different pedagogical approaches. The team will soon share the virtual exhibition's final result for you to enjoy and get inspired!