Erasmus+ project: "Fostering Inclusion, Diversity and Women’s Empowerment through Creative Methods Based on Women’s Sociological and Literary Writings" (FINDWE)

ERASMUS+

KA210-ADU - Small-scale partnerships in adult education

Project title: Fostering Inclusion, Diversity and Women’s Empowerment through Creative Methods Based on Women’s Sociological and Literary Writings

Project acronym: FINDWE

National Agency: Nationale Agentur Bildung für Europa beim Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (Germany)

Project code: 2024-2-DE02-KA210-ADU-000279293

Participating organisations: RIZA PERFORMING ARTS GbR (Germany), ECHODRAMA CULTURAL GROUP (Greece), ASSOCIATION-COMPAGNIE NOURA (France)

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

Empowering women and promoting inclusion and diversity requires a comprehensive approach that addresses social, economic, political and cultural dimensions.

Sociological and literary works by women offer a multifaceted perspective on gender equality, diversity and inclusion and provide visions for how societies can evolve to ensure that women are not only included but empowered.

Literature reviews show that there are very few creative learning methods to help adult learners to develop social awareness and critical mode of thinking.

This project aimed to provide adult trainers in art and humanities with art-based training methods which include the development of a dance-theatre methodology, reflecting emotions and feelings inspired by sociological and literary texts written by women, and promoting inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment. By connecting with these texts, adult learners explore social values and live them through their bodies, thereby fostering a deep understanding of inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment.

The main need that this project has addressed is the change of oppressive structures and the offer of visions of a society where inclusion diversity are embraced and all women are empowered to participate equally.

The objectives of the proposed project were:

to enhance the ability of adult trainers in art and humanities to train adults, including adults with fewer opportunities, especially women, through art-based training methods that promote inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment,
to introduce a dance-theatre methodology into adult education that combines physical movement and critical reflection on women’s sociological and literary writings which foster personal growth among women and promote inclusion, diversity and awareness of gender inequality,
to promote inclusion and diversity by creating an inclusive learning environment where participants with fewer opportunities are involved in all the stages of the project,
to enhance the access of open source art-based training tools to adult trainers and learners, including those with fewer opportunities, thus reducing disparities and promoting social inclusion,
to reinforce cooperation with partners from other countries and other fields of education and training,
to develop environmental consciousness by implementing the project activities with alternative greener ways.

The concrete outputs of the project included:

- a digital handbook linked to tutorial videos, presenting a dance-theatre methodology inspired by sociological and literary texts written by women, to train adults, including adults with fewer opportunities, especially women, to conceptualise values promoting inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment,

- a case study based on this methodology.

OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT

The outcomes of the project and their correspondence to the project objectives are:

- Provision of a creative training method that promotes inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment, to adult trainers in art and humanities. It corresponds to Objective 1: to enhance the ability of adult trainers in art and humanities to train adults, including adults with fewer opportunities, especially women, through art-based training methods that promote inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment.

- Development of a dance-theatre methodology that combines physical movement and critical reflection on women’s sociological and literary writings in order to enhance the adult trainers’ ability to foster personal growth among women and promote inclusion, diversity and awareness of gender inequality. It corresponds to Objective 2: to introduce a dance-theatre methodology into adult education that combines physical movement and critical reflection on women’s sociological and literary writings which foster personal growth among women and promote inclusion, diversity and awareness of gender inequality.

- Involvement of participants with fewer opportunities in the implementation of the project in order to enhance diversity awareness and promotion of equal opportunities and access, inclusion and fairness across all the stages of the project. It corresponds to Objective 3: to promote inclusion and diversity by creating an inclusive learning environment where participants with fewer opportunities are involved in all the stages of the project.

- Development of an open-source art-based training tool for adult trainers and learners, including those with fewer opportunities, in order to reduce disparities and promote social inclusion. It corresponds to Objective 4: to enhance the access of open source art-based training tools to adult trainers and learners, including those with fewer opportunities, thus reducing disparities and promoting social inclusion.

- Enhancement of the capacity and professionalism to work at EU level and reinforcement of cooperation with partners from other countries. It corresponds to Objective 5: to reinforce cooperation with partners from other countries and other fields of education and training.

- Integration of sustainable practices in the implementation of the project in order to promote environmentally sustainable and responsible behaviour. It corresponds to Objective 6: to develop environmental consciousness by implementing the project activities with alternative greener ways.

ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT

The training activities which were organised during the implementation of the FINDWE project were the following:

A1. Staff training activity

Châteauroux, France, 23/04/2025 - 26/04/2025

Participants: 2 staff members from each participating organisation

The staff training activity A1 was organised by NOURA in Châteauroux, France. Two staff members from each partner participated for 4 days.

Before this activity, the staff appointed by the three partners did research and selected sociological and literary texts written by women and promoting inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment. RIZA’s research ed on European and Middle-Eastern women writers, ECHODRAMA’s research focused on South European and Latin American women writers, and NOURA’s research focused on African women writers.

These texts formed the conceptual backbone of a dance-theatre methodology, allowing the researchers to engage with the concepts of inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment on an intellectual and embodied level.

In the staff training activity A1, the appointed staff trained each other by demonstrating ways of translating the complex ideas in these texts into a series of structured improvisation and experience-based movements. After the selection of the best choreographic structures that revolve around concepts that foster inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment, a dance-theatre methodology was created.

This activity led to the development of:

- a case study based on this methodology.

This digital handbook and the case study became a training tool for adult trainers in art and humanities on how to use this methodology in order to train adults, including adults with fewer opportunities, especially women, to conceptualise values promoting inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment.

Pictures from this activity:

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A2: Blended training activity

Pefki, Greece, 27/10/2025 – 05/11/2025

Participants: 24 adult trainers in art and humanities (including 12 with fewer opportunities) and 6 staff members (2 from each participating organisation)

This blended training activity (A2) was organised by ECHODRAMA in Pefki (a suburb of Athens, Greece), in a well-equipped venue offered by the Municipality of Pefki, near a big city park. In this activity, 24 adult trainers in art and humanities (including 12 with fewer opportunities) and 6 staff members (2 from each participating organisation) participated for 10 days.

Taking into consideration:

- the expected results responding to the need for environmental consciousness,

- the offer of a well-equipped venue for implementing this activity by the Municipality of Pefki,

the three partners decided that Pefki would be an appropriate place for this activity.

The immediate contact with nature (the nearby big city park) gave the participants a chance to talk about green policies and environmentally sustainable behaviour adopted during the implementation of this activity. During this activity, sustainable food, sustainable means of transportation and eco-friendly materials were used.

Before this activity, the participants were trained virtually for one month by the participating organisations. In this virtual training session, the digital handbook and the case study created in activity A1 were used as a training tool. The participating organisations were in direct contact through emails, Skype/Zoom conference meetings and the collaborative space of the EPALE platform in order to prepare the appropriate material for this activity.

ECHODRAMA was responsible for the practical and logistic matters (e.g. sustainable travel, accommodation, safety and protection of participants, etc.). The participants were advised before travel to issue a European Health Insurance Card. ECHODRAMA also prepared an information package for the participants.

In this blended training activity, the participants developed their professional skills and capacities, using as a tool the digital handbook and the case study created in the staff training activity A1.

Pictures from this activity:

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Click here to see video from the blended training activity A2

A3: Sharing and promotion conference

Düsseldorf, Germany, 26/11/2025

Conference lecturers: staff members from RIZA

Activity A3 was a sharing and promotion conference, organised by RIZA in Düsseldorf for one day. In this activity, 4 staff members from RIZA were conference lecturers. Representatives of ECHODRAMA and NOURA participated in this conference.

During the preparation phase of this conference, promotional material was created and distributed to the target group of this activity.

RIZA rented an appropriately equipped place and was responsible for the promotion of the conference. Sustainable food (catering) and sustainable means of transportation were adopted for the invited non-local participants.

This conference included:

- lectures,

- open discussions,

- presentations of the project results,

- evaluation of the project results and of the impact on the target group participating in the activity through questionnaires.

In this conference, adult trainers in art and humanities (including those with fewer opportunities, especially women), artists, institutions specializing in adult training, and representatives from artistic, cultural and humanistic organisations, local communities advocating women’s rights, research institutes and universities, were invited. Also, representatives of local and regional government and representatives of the press and the media were invited.

Pictures from this activity:

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A4: Sharing and promotion conference

Pefki, Greece, 16/12/2025

Conference lecturers: staff members from ECHODRAMA

Activity A4 was a sharing and promotion conference, organised by ECHODRAMA in Pefki, Athens, for one day. In this activity, 4 staff members from ECHODRAMA were conference lecturers. Representatives of RIZA and NOURA participated in this conference.

During the preparation phase of this conference, promotional material was created and distributed to the target group of this activity.

ECHODRAMA rented an appropriately equipped place and was responsible for the promotion of the conference. Sustainable food (catering) and sustainable means of transportation were adopted for the invited non-local participants.

This conference included:

- lectures,

- open discussions,

- presentations of the project results,

- evaluation of the project results and of the impact on the target group participating in the activity through questionnaires.

Pictures from this activity:

Click here to see more pictures

RESULTS OF THE PROJECT – DIGITAL HANDBOOK AND CASE STUDY

Click here to see the Handbook and the case study

DISCLAIMER

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License