INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS

- O1 Multilingual Handbook for teacher and cultural makers – Cultural awareness and expression activities

The CHERISH Multilingual Handbook for teachers and cultural makers is a publication collecting a set of learning and educational activities that they can adopt and adapt to introduce EU cultural heritage in the classrooms. The activities are also specifically related to how Cultural awareness and expression education can be provided about  medieval and Renaissance sports, re-enactments and performances such as flag waving, archery, swordsmanship and crossbow shooting, flag painting, dancing, singing, playing accompanying instruments (drums and trumpets). The Handbook is structured according to the one issued by the Council of Europe 'A Handbook for teachers – Cultural Heritage and cultural diversity lessons' - 2012, which provides hands-on, 'live learning', inspirational activities, tips and easy-to-use guidelines for implementing them in schools.

It will contain useful indications for both teachers and cultural makers on how to propose and approach specifically secondary school pupils, assure their safety and focus on the learning outcomes. 

 The handbook is expected to:

• Promote the acquisition of the key competences 8 'Cultural awareness and expression', particularly in the context of medieval and Renaissance sports, re-enactments and performances, which still need to be enhanced at European level as common cultural identity and heritage 
• to support teachers, educators and all the relevant cultural heritage key stakeholders in designing and implementing structured non-formal and informal learning activities.
• be developed through the active involvement of a variety of key actor, such as cultural makers, teachers, training experts, volunteers (as suggested by the OMC Working Group on Cultural Awareness and expression – 2014-2015, pag. 56 ''Cultural and Expression Awareness Handbook', Chapt. 'Enhancing Cultural Awareness and expression: Lessons for the future based on current practices in Europe');
• target secondary school children and parents, teachers and cultural makers

The INNOVATIVE aspect will stand in the creation for the first time for historical events such as ‘Palio della Balestra’ in Sansepolcro (IT), ‘The Chronicals of King Peter of Castile’, Torrijos (ES), ‘Grand Tir du Roy’ during the Summer Feast, former Corpus Christi procession in Visé (BE) and the ‘Frundsberg Festival’, a transnational set of tools for teachers, to embed the educational dimension of the European cultural heritage in the cultural offer. It will have transnational character and will be jointly developed by cultural organisations, public authority, educational institutions (schools and VET and AL training centre) of 4 EU countries, as well as on specific activities designed to boost a solid cultural education related to European medieval sports and re-enactments.

Although the Handbook is design to approach a specific European cultural heritage, it can also be a guide for approaching other art forms or cultural heritage in schools through NFE methods or be TRANSFERED to other sectors such as youth.

 The activities proposed will be piloted by P5 and P8 and the schools from Visé and Sansepolcro as associated partners in order to validate them in terms of efficacy, efficiency and impact.

The work on the Handbook is going to be published in 2 editions, one after the piloting in the first school year 2019/2020 and after the second 2020/2021. The final publication will be released in M33 in 5 languages, and presented during E3 and E4. 

The Handbook will be delivered under a Creative Commons Attribution, which guarantees that users give appropriate credit to the authors and indicate if changes are made from the original version, but at the same time allows sharing, distributing and further adaptation.

 Expected IMPACT:

• increased awareness of secondary school teachers and pupils of the importance of cultural heritage, especially carrying on old traditions like medieval re-enactments and rituals;
• improved knowledge on the European culture and values such as peace, tolerance and democracy
• improved physical abilities and mental of pupils such as coordination, concentration, dexterity, spatial perception as well as the following Key Competence 8  (Cultural awareness and expression) specific elements, such as socio-cultural identity, creative expression, understanding of cultural forms, appreciation of culture/art, empathy, curiosity, imaging new possibilities, participation.
• increased skills and competences of teachers approaching cultural education and cultural heritage
• improved skills and competences of cultural makers in approaching schools and pupils in relation to the traditions to be passed on.

- O2 Quality Report – Monitoring and evaluation reort on how to implement effective learning activities to develop Cultural Awareness and expression and physical and mental abilities of coordination, concentration, dexterity and spatial perception

The Quality Report and related survey is aimed at assessing:

• the Competence of Cultural Awareness and expression and the physical and mental abilities of coordination, concentration, dexterity and spatial perception of pupils;
• skills and competences of teachers and cultural makers in addressing cultural education and heritage.
• the specific context, as already mentioned, is the one related to medieval sports, re-enactments and performances, but will be potentially TRANSFERABLE either to other types of cultural heritage (visual arts, archaeology, new media arts) or to other sectors and target groups.

The INNOVATIVE aspect stands in the fact that it addresses 4 existing realities with similar characteristics to be approached in view of demonstrating the benefits of developing specific cultural education within schools. The report will provide concrete and specific data on the relation between European cultural heritage and both Key Competence 8 (Cultural Awareness and expression) and physical and mental abilities, like coordination, concentration, dexterity, spatial perception development, mainly on behalf of school pupils, which has not been done before.

 

The Quality report is expected to have 3 sections:

• a general introduction including the findings of the desk-research conducted in IT, DE, BE and ES on similar learning activities carried out with schools in cultural heritage and related activities, focused on Key Competence 8 and the physical and mental abilities above detailed
• section with 4 study cases of Sansepolcro, Torrijos, Visé and Mindelheim drawn from the feedback collected during the 2 piloting phases
• a section with the survey and the analysis of the data reporting the connection between cultural heritage and competences/abilities development as well as the expected impact on the main policy recommendations detailed in the ‘Cultural and Expression Awareness Handbook’, targeting both cultural and educational policy (pag. 62 – 64).

The work on the Quality Report is going to be released in 5 languages, both online and offline in M32. The survey will be spread during E1, the first findings during E2, while the final publication will be disseminated during E3 and E4. 

 

The Quality Report will be delivered under a Creative Commons Attribution, which guarantees that users give appropriate credit to the authors and indicate if changes are made from the original version, but at the same time allows sharing, distributing and further adaptation.

 

Expected IMPACT:

- set-up of appropriate modes of monitoring to ensure high quality of cultural and expression activities designing and implementation;

- systematisation of monitoring and evaluation practices to build up a sustainable cooperation with schools;

- increased awareness of pupils, parents, teachers, cultural organisations and the whole local community on the significance of addressing the European cultural heritage in education and training through NFL methods

- increased awareness of pupils, parents, teachers and cultural organisations on the physical and mental abilities and key competences developed in actively participating in such activities

- raised awareness of policy makers and communities about the positive impact of addressing cultural education related to European cultural heritage in schools and the benefit for strengthening social cohesion in local communities.

·         O3 Cultural Network of Medieval Sports and Re-eactments

It is a network of partners established with a three-years agreement of collaboration and commitment to put into practice what suggested as policy recommendations by the OMC Working Group on Cultural Awareness and expression. The main aims of the network are:

1) Give local authorities support and autonomy to stimulate more cross-sectoral partnerships;

3) Exchange relevant research, policy actions and evidence of good practice between countries and institutions

4) Support and promote innovative projects  that develop links between cultural awareness and expression and social, economic and cultural challenges.

5) Develop and support the work of existing international networks like the Arts and Cultural Education Network (ACEnet) – for policy makers and the European network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Culture Education (ENO) – for researchers to assist in the sharing and monitoring practices

6) Design, implement and evaluate programmes and instruments stimulating projects or institutions to build up sustainable cooperation with schools (see pag. 103 Accompanying Document of Council Recommendations on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning).

7) Contribute to the establishment of a European Cultural Route, including a school ambassador’s programme.

 

The INNOVATIVE aspect will be given by the transnational character of the output to be jointly developed by cultural organisations, public authorities and educational institutions. Aside from the legacy of the Cultural Network, the innovativeness stands also in the School ambassador’s programme to be co-designed by partners with the active involvement of pupils. Some of the learning activities will be focused on developing team working skills through the definition of the overall network structure and organisation. Pupils, teachers and all the actors involved can practice these skills in a real-life case, which is aimed at concretely involve them as members, experts, practitioners.

 

The network will have its own presentation brochure including vision, objectives, members, activities and contacts to be releases in M33 in 5 languages during the STST in Mindelheim, while the agreement will be signed during the Final Conference in M35 in Brussels.

 

Expected IMPACT:

- capacity of the local key actors, public authorities, municipalities to formulate shared goals, agreements and working plans to interconnect relevant policy areas at all policy levels: family, schools, education, culture, media, youth, economic innovation and creative industry

- a solid partnership built around the topic of European cultural heritage including cultural organisations, public authority and educational intuitions, that can ensure further sustainability to the project activities, beyond CHERISH implementation;

- greater capacity of cultural organisations to work at transnational level, involving relevant key stakeholders with a cross-sectoral approach

- increased capacity in project management and engage in long-term commitments

- increased awareness of policy makers and local communities on the opportunities at both economic and social level to be enhanced by the European cultural heritage

 

The methodological approach and steps to be taken in order to establish a solid network can be easily TRANSFERABLE to other contexts, either related to the education, training and youth sector or to broader fields.