Pro Xpert Association has always given a special attention to adult education in informal ways, as we are mainly focused on human resources development and one of our objectives is to support the continuous education of all people.
We are involved in more creative activities, both Grundtvig Partnerships in which we are involved now are based on creative works and are aiming to increase the capacity of individuals and groups for local community public action, through a series of structured, self managed and effectively supported creative activities.
The methodology of the proposed workshop was developed during the two Grundtvig learning Partnership projects our organization is involved now, both projects being focused on creative writing and drama as tools for self development and, on the other hand, for promoting the European Active Citizenship Concept. So we already experienced training sessions in personal development using drama and support learners in express their expectations, fears and other feelings in writing short essays that became, then, a screenplay. In these activities we involved professional artists and psychologists – that has already an experience in working in a multicultural environment.
Even the workshop is open to everybody, without regard for the attained education, work position or social handicaps, including persons with special needs. Though, we will pay specific attention to the diversity in terms of age, so that intergenerational dialogue could also enrich the intercultural dimension of the project.
Our organization has a strong experience in working with young persons – that represents about 40% from our target group (we have also about 20 very active young volunteers).
We have also enriched our experience in working with seniors as we were involve in a Grundtvig Partnership (started in 2008) that gathers together young people who left the orphanages and old retired persons, in order to follow a TIC literacy training course and a creative course of “junk-art”. Moreover, we are implementing two Grundtvig Senior Volunteers Exchange Projects (one started in 2009 with an organization from UK – AWAD – more details here, the other started in 2010, with an Italian organization: Libera Università Europea terza età Campania – more details here)
Related to experience with groups who have specific needs, we are usually working with persons at risk of social exclusion from rural areas – unemployed, families with high level of poverty; persons with disabilities or with other special needs and ethnic minorities – Roma people. In many cases our beneficiaries belong to two or more categories, for example: Roma unemployed persons, people with disabilities and with a high level of poverty etc. – and in these cases the low level of self esteem grows inverse proportional with the level of welfare and formal education and, at a certain level, a really “vicious circle” appear – where poverty diminish the level of self confidence and self esteem and the low level of self esteem cancels any step toward improving the welfare level. We have focused on increasing self confidence and self esteem of these persons by training sessions in self development issues aiming to improve their access to jobs market and occupational equal opportunities promotion.
