dialoguing@rts – Advancing Cultural Literacy for Social Inclusion through Dialogical Arts Education (d@rts) is a catalyst for increasing social cohesion and inclusion, using embodied performing arts activities to develop cognitive and affective cultural literacy. We recognise that the performing arts encompass mass-market consumer goods, as well as non-linguistic, embodied and social activities, providing massive opportunities for inclusive participation.
Our target groups comprise actors of all ages and social positions, especially in the school system and in community arts initiatives. We will empower these groups to be artistically active, dialogically related and culturally literate, giving them tools and motivation to improve their own situations and those of others within the overall frame of a cohesive European society, informed by global perspectives.
Using the post-colonial insight that culture is necessarily heterogeneous, d@rts has four related objectives:
- Understand how performing arts activities relate to cultural literacy in official discourse and documents across partner countries
- Use this understanding to build dialogues and co-create physical and digital actions with heterogeneous groups within our target audience
- Develop assessment tools for these actions, enabling measurable growth in cultural literacy
- Use our findings in recommendations for cultural and educational policies that build long-term social cohesion and inclusion
Based on these objectives, the overall outputs comprise:
- Documentary, survey and participatory research findings
- Performative DIALOGART actions for cultural literacy
- Policy and practice recommendations to increase social cohesion via cultural literacy actions inspired by the performing arts
d@rts imagines new futures and creates hope and social cohesion through performing arts education. By creating participatory spaces and facilitating dialogues, we empower voices seldom heard. d@rts thus advances cultural literacy, and enhances social cohesion and resilience, to build an inclusive future for Europe.
The project will be coordinated by NORD UNIVERSITET (Norway) in partnership with 26 organizations and institutions: ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES CONSERVATOIRES, ACAD (Belgium), UNIVERSITAT ZU KOLN (Germany), LEUPHANA UNIVERSITAT LUNEBURG (Germany), STIFTUNG UNIVERSITAT HILDESHEIM (Germany), JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO (Finland), UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA (Italy), PUNTOZERO SOCIETA COOPERATIVA (Italy), ASSOCIATION KULTURANOVA (Serbia), THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND (New Zealand), MAKERERE UNIVERSITY (Uganda).
Associated partners on the project: European Association for Music in Schools vzw (Belgium), Europäische Musikschul-Union (Germany), Associação Internacional de Teatro Educação (Portugal), Nordic Forum for Dance Research (Norway), Norsk kulturskoleråd (Norway), Stiftelsen Fargespill (Norway), DansiT AS (Norway), Bundesverband Musikunterricht e.V. (Germany), Aktion Tanz - Bundesverband Tanz in Bildung und Gesellschaft e.V. (Germany), Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V. (Germany), Bundesakademie für Kulturelle Bildung Wolfenbüttel e.V. (Germany), Pedagosko Drustvo Vojvodine (Serbia), Confcooperative Unione regionale del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), Yhdenvertaisen kulttuurin puolesta ry (Finland), Suomen Tanssioppilaitosten liitto STOPP ry (Finland), FIDEA- Finnish Centre of Drama/Theatre Education Association (Finland).
