Evaluation of meeting in Alitys, Latvia

Partner - innovation education centre “IDEJA”

Why we are in the project and what has been done in Art therapy by our Centre.

During long-standing period of time, our Centre is implementing advanced education programes for teachers in visual and applied arts. As a result, the programes were of high demand by teachers. In the course of the program implementation, we noticed that we are working not only with teachers of pictorial arts, but from other subjects, as mathematics, chemistry, biology, linguistics and literature. We decided to conducts survey and results were quite eloquent, 35 % among program participants were teachers representing not artistic ambit.

The results after our survey were the following:

-          Our program are of high demand because of innovative approaches in methodology of education;

-          Our classes are conducive to memory improvement, concentration and enhancing of general employability at workplace;

-          Our classes assist to resist stress after working day in class work;

-          Give a smooth shift from working mood into another activities;

-          Disclose absolutely unexpected art potential of educators, which positively influence on their professional activity as well as their private life;

-          Improve slumber and health.

All abovementioned was encompassed into a new Artherapy program. While its development, we used innovative experience of national and international scholars, as well as our own experience, what made the product even more unique.

It is not a secret, that the notion “arttherapy” is related to medicine in Latvia. It is used for correctional influence on patients who suffer from physical and mental disorders. Our Centre commenced using a new resource of arttherapy as a tool for personal development, as well as a tool for working with their students.

The first step of the creation of arttherapy module for pupils’ development was the program to comprise kinder-garden kids into education game free-space process.

We have created and developed a series of tools and approaches, allowed the kids in more beneficial way, with interest master rudiments of maths, reading skills, writing. The results in groups, where participants applied our methodology was quite prominent to pursue artherapy techniques in education and upbringing.

The obstacles which were faced in Artherapy programme implementation

-          Conservatism of teachers and educators, especially in elderly age. They are very enthusiastic in mastering new materials, but reluctant to apply it in practice, due to the fear not to be supported by management of schools;

-          Absence of complex material database and methodologies in arttherapy;

-          Absence of systematic access to materials, albeit in general curricula of secondary schools there is no artherapy.

Our materials are used by enthusiasts who are eager to improve the level of teaching and personally witnessed the benefits of artherapy in practice.