>> REPORT <<
Introduction
The organisation ‘Social Cooperative Activities for Vulnerable Groups - EDRA’ (Abbreviation: K.S.D.E.O. “EDRA”) is a Non-Profit Organisation- Social Cooperative, operating in the fields of mental health and mental retardation since 2001, aiming at the promotion of mental health, defending the rights of vulnerable groups and raising awareness in matters concerning mental health. syndrome and moderate or severe intellectual disabilities co-occurring with signs of autism. “EDRA” operates in the following sectors: i) Mental Health, ii) Mental Retardation, iii) Child and Family, iv) Vulnerable Social groups. “EDRA” is also very active in EU projects, having coordinated multiple large- scale projects under Erasmus+ (KA2, Sport) and Creative Europe (Culture) Programmes and also having participated in numerous projects as partner. The organization has also experience when it comes to training as it operates a Lifelong Education Centre also aiming, among others, to the continuing education of the employees of the organization. Over the years, it has offered its services to many hundreds of trainees, running courses for professionals of Mental health field, social workers, artists and many others.
Visual Literacy
EDRA as a mental health organization runs many programs of art therapy for the people it serves. Expression through art is an alternative therapy for people with mental health problems and not only as visualization helps people to express what they may not talk about.
Workshop and Feedback
We organized a second workshop among EDRA’s colleagues on April. Their specialties were mainly social scientists, administrative officers, and accountant. Most of them don’t have any professional connection with visual literacy except for those who used to draw when they were younger and they enjoy it.
We chose to implement the Dundalk workshops as they were more easily applicable regarding the material and the time we had available. Our colleagues really enjoy the workshop and they admitted that was like therapy for them. They took ideas of implementing similar activities during trainings that they organize in the future.
EDRA
>> adaptation of the Dundalk workshops <<
JESSICA
The "telling yourself differently" workshop was a great success. It gives the opportunity to look at one's professional career differently, to visually highlight elements which with CV lines would be less interesting. The workshop allowed me to make connections between the different professional stages of my life, to understand the underlying path but also to make the professional path resonate with the personal path. An interactive, fun and very useful workshop to have a much more creative and personalized vision of career paths.
MANON
Listening to the instructions and at the beginning of the practice, I wondered if it was really relevant. Then, gradually, looking for words, images, we find lots of things that evoke what we were able to do before, or what we want to do. It can be very practical, even pragmatic, on the tasks we have carried out in our different jobs; but it can also be completely about the memories it evokes, the sensations, the experience. Finally, we begin to tell ourselves through the jobs we have done.
LOU
The workshop was very pleasant, it’s fun to try to (re)present yourself in a “non-formal” way.
Although I approached the workshop with a little apprehension because I am not "creative", I let myself be carried away by the images, the cutting, the collage, and finally appreciated this moment which finally ended transformed into a time bordering on introspection via images.
The fact of leaving the purely professional framework with his colleagues and presenting himself differently also makes it possible to discover each other. These are always precious moments for cohesion between colleagues. This workshop can be reused as the launch of a workshop around the creation of professional CVs, or as an icebreaker workshop to introduce yourself to the group and promote group cohesion.
ZHIRU
Zhiru is passionate about various arts: contemporary art, theater, music, architecture, public engagement. I want to continue working for cultural exchange projects.
It's very cute! It's a nice experience. We always have the impression that artistic creation is complicated, so it scares us a little. It will be good if we start with tips and examples. After that, it's the rules. And also if we have more time it is better! thank you Catherine it's cool
>> REPORT <<
>> THE PARTICIPANTS <<
PARTNERS
WORKSHOP
To build the good practice book, each partner was invited to practice one of the workshops presented previously with their own audiences.
In order to share their own working methods, we asked them a series of questions:
- Can you explain how you received the workshops (Zoom & Dundalk)?
- Have you tried to reproduce all or part of them in your professional context?
- Can you explain how the workshops could have an interest in your structure and your professional field?
- Are they reproducible identically or how do you think it is possible to adapt them to your audiences?
- Explain what you consider to be good practice in using visual literacy pedagogical approaches for teaching entrepreneurial skills
LABA
>> TELL A DIFFERENT STORY <<
