PRESS RELEASE #1

On April 8, 2022, the kickoff meeting of the partners of the European project Critical Arts Education for Sustainable Societies, which is funded by the Erasmus+ KA2, took place at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. The coordinator of the project is Dr Victoria Pavlou, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, Chair of the Department of Education, Frederick University, Cyprus.

Project CARE/SS is about widening the access to the arts through online and blended learning and enhancing arts education with education for sustainable development elements that will promote creative thinking, critical and systemic thinking, reflection and development of skills, attitudes and values.

The project aims to enable Higher Education Institutions' digital transformation, to support the development and delivery of teacher training programs that will empower school teachers in arts teaching and thus strengthen their teaching profile. At the same time teachers/future teachers will develop their digital and soft skills and acquire quality experience of learning-teaching situations in a digital environment that could be transfer in primary/secondary levels of schooling. Thus, through the content of the trainings, CARE/SS responds to the need to support educational programs that enhance social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and creativity. Education through the arts, especially with the integration of education for sustainable development (particularly the social and cultural aspects), reflects the transition into the 21st century education where emphasis is placed on an integration of competences, knowledge, values and attitudes.

The project has a duration of 28 months and apart from Frederick University, its partners are the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, the University of Malta, Malta, the University of Barcelona, Spain and the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland.

• The press release was disseminated in the media and the European Office Cyprus' Newsletter (ISSUE 130, 16 - 23 May 2022)

Frederick University

1. September 2022. The progress of the CARE/SS project, including information about the 2nd Transnational Project Meeting and the Train-the-trainer event in Cyprus, was disseminated through the Newsletter of the European Office of Cyprus
2. December 2022. FU team disseminated information about the CARE/SS project and invited teachers to participate in the training: emails & communication via phone or personal meetings with members of CySEA and the Art group of POED. Both distributed information to their members.
3. January 2023: The FU team announced (press releases) opportunities for in-service professional development to local educational sites & newspapers:
   1. Announcement 1
   2. Announcement 2
   3. Announcement 3
   4. Announcement 4
4. January 2023: The FU team disseminated information about training opportunities through social media:
5. January 2023. The FU team announced opportunities for training to teachers through its website
6. February 2023. The FU team provided further information about the CARE/SS project to its academic community through the internal newsletter, issue 21
7. August 2023. Information about the progress of the project and recent activities were included in the Newsletter of the European Office of Cyprus.
8. September 2023. The FU team announced to educational local media information about the training outcomes of the CARE/SS project.

University of Malta

1. April 2022. The UM team announced to its academic community the Erasmus awarded project.
2. March 2023. The UM team disseminated information and invited teachers to participate in courses through social media.
3. June 2023. Professor Raphael Vella referenced the CARE/SS project during an online panel discussion about International Issues for Inclusivity, organised by Goldsmiths, London, including the participation of Miranda Matthews, Kevin Tavin and Andrea Karpati.
4. July 2023: Faculty of Education newsletter about the CARE/SS project.

University of Barcelona

1. April 2022. The UB team posted information about the project on the website of the research group Esbrina:
2. May 2023. The UB team disseminated information and invited teachers to participate in the in-service training through the Institut de Ciències de l’Educació (ICE). Email messages and communication were contacted via the ICE web.
3. July 2023. Information about the project and the in-service training in social media: https://twitter.com/EsbrinaRecerca/status/1681994519342923776

Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki

1. October 2022. The AUTH team provided information about the program on the official website of the University’s Quality Assurance Unit
2. October 2022. Members of the AUTH team met with art councillors and informed them about the CARE/SS projects.
3. January 2023. The AUTH team sent messages and invitations for a live information meeting for school counsellors & cultural stakeholders through the CAREfull platform
4. September 2023. The AUTH team created official information pages for the CARE/SS project and the activities of the team on Facebook & Instagram. There announcements and updates will be posted.                  
5. October 2023. Announcement of the project’s progression and Training Courses on the CAREfull platform. The platform will have updated news every 1-2 months.
6. October 2023. AUTH’s Official Research Projects website – The AUTH team reports on the project progress and includes aTraining announcement. Volume #40

Uniwersytet im Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

1. January 2022. Information about the project posted on the official website of the Faculty of Educational Studies of AMU.
2. June 2022. The AMU presented the CARE/SS project during face-to-face meetings with representatives of local associations promoting art and/or working with gifted youth and local schools (Child Art Center in Poznań, the Foundation of the Design of Educational Space in Poznan, Dezydery Chlapowski Educational Association in Koscian, the School & Theatre "Lejery" in Poznan, International School of Poznan).
3. October 2022. The AMU team disseminated to the whole AMU community the project activities through internal meetings and seminars with units cooperating with the Faculty of Educational Studies (e.g., the University Center for Teachers Education, the Laboratory of Creative Activities in Social Space).
4. February 2023. The AMU team provided information about the project and the activities planned within it to candidates for 2023/2024 Erasmus+ exchange (pre-service teachers) through the website of AMU-PIE courses offer.
5. June 2023. AMU team presented the idea and activities of CARE/SS project in the discussion during a debate dedicated to teachers, researchers and local stakeholders "The debate about educational assessment" [in Polish].
6. September 2023. The AMU team provided information about the progress of the project. Press release about the 4th Transnational Project Meeting in Poznań.