Description
The main objective of the project is the establishment and operation of a new service: the Arts Club for children, adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy and without disabilities, an extrovert and innovative for Greek society welfare service. Creativity and artistic expression can constitute an effective, alternative educational/therapeutic tool for those with cerebral palsy. Moreover, when artistic activities involve non-disabled participants, art is transformed into a powerful medium for the combating of social exclusion. With the Arts Club as its core reference point, the project is complemented by a number of other activities open to the community (know how transfer trainings, awareness raising activities, parent support services, dissemination and information, activities to ensure project’s viability). Thus it operates as a bridge that promotes social inclusion of people with movement disability, it triggers important synergies with existing welfare services and significant multiplier effect and establishes the preconditions for the social and economic inclusion of people with movement disability (cerebral palsy).
Summary of project results
The ARTABILITY programme was based on Cerebral Palsy Greece’s conviction that learning, culture and art are defining factors in the life of every human being and that in the right hands they can become an extremely successful alternative method for the education and rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Most importantly, when people without disabilities participate in the process, art is transformed into a strong, natural tool for the fight against every form of social discrimination. ARTABILITY’s aim was the implementation of a highly original artistic programme, addressed to every non-disabled or disabled person who has, at some point in his/her life, wondered why human-beings need art. A programme imbued with imagination and originality, based however on a firm organizational foundation and applicable in practice. In the 19 month duration of the ARTABILITY programme, the following planned activities were completed, involving and benefiting over 3.000 children and adults with and without disabilities, volunteers, parents, teachers, school and university students, unemployed persons, people from other countries, etc: a) Development and operation of an Art Club at the Open Door Centre, with workshops in drama, dance, music, art and creative writing, b) Operation of two two-day and two fifteen-day Training Courses at the Open Door Center, nine Cycles of lessons in art, music and dance in deprived communities of greater Athens, a three day Art Seminar in Cephalonia, c) a three-day Art Festival in drama, dance, music and art in Athens, after an open invitation to art groups throughout Greece and abroad. ARTABILITY blossomed over the years and produced remarkable results. The Art Club reached a membership of 108 non-disabled and disabled members, 295 counselling sessions were offered to parents, 328 persons of all ages participated in the Training Courses and the community Art Cycles, 60 art groups and over 2000 persons participated in the Art Festival. The ARTABILITY activities also produced rich and important artistic and educational material and through 40 videos alone we estimate that our message has reached over 300.000 persons.
Summary of bilateral results