OZARA STORITVE

Project title: CHICK & CRAFT – Recycled & re-used clothing design through peer learning and social media

Programme:  Erasmus+, Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Co-financer of the project: National Agency in Spain

 

Content of the project:

CONTEXT

The mental health of citizens is a vital but under-valued resource within the EU. People who experience severe and enduring mental health problems have one of the lowest employment rates in Europe, reaching rates of 90%. Yet the vast majority wants to work and develop their skill levels and with the right support many people can.  Employment is identified as providing people with a social identity, sense of meaning and sense of self-esteem. Hand-craft has been proven as a therapeutic activity and effective outlets for individuals who suffer from mental illness. Through crafts, people can express themselves in a safe, non-threatening manner, which may be easier than sharing their internal feelings verbally. Handcrafting is therapeutic and serves as a positive distraction and means for calming down individuals who feel anxious, depressed and manic.

OBJECTIVES

Chic&Craft project tackles the challenges of providing training tools adapted to the need of people with mental health issues to improve their knowledge and competencies on the fashion design sector (using recycled materials), facilitating access to alternative adult learning opportunities and thus helping them to gain employment. This will be achieved by developing an innovative set of training modules to empower adults with the help of a peer learning based methodology. We firmly believe that things, as people, deserve a second chance and this is what Chic & Craft aims to provide them with, creativity is just the limit.

ACTIONS

  • Development of an interactive curriculum about recycling, designing and customizing clothes and accessories.
  •  Development of a methodological guideline to promote peer-learning techniques amongst people with mental health issues.
  • Creation and maintenance of an online platform, an open educational resource where all the didactic materials will be available for free.
  • fighting against the stigma and stereotypes related to mental illness by promoting events, catwalks and pop-up stores where some of the products developed will be shown.

 

Website of the project: http://chicandcraft.intras.es/

Partners in the project:

Duration of the project: 2014 – 2017

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