INTEGR-ARTE (Integration & Arts) was aimed to create a strong network of educational cooperation between the 4 European municipalities of Rome, Badajoz, Évora and Paterna, enabling the exchange of good practices and improve the professional competencies of teachers who work with Gypsy-Roma children and families (but also of immigrant origin) at risk of exclusion. The project applies a methodology of socio-educational intervention through arts. We have carried out a practical and participatory project that facilitates social cohesion, equality, citizenship and coexistence, favours lower absenteeism rates and implements techniques to improve students’ motivation for learning.INTEGR-ARTE has promoted the exchange of training activities, pedagogical experiences, best practices and educational materials. The project invites to do a research on our cities and our personal realities through the implementation of performances of dance, theatre, visual arts and music that gravitate around the intercultural city in which we all live. Final multimedia products have been produced by children at pre-school and primary school level, during school and out-of-school hours. We worked with artists using innovative techniques to portray different eyes to reality. The produced documentary has the participation of around children of the 4 municipalities. It compares the children’ view of their cities with the their families and their teachers views and thoughts. The final product reflects and deepens into the socio-cultural, affective, emotional and psychological problems of our (mainly Gipsy-Roma) children and their environments, and helps us to overcome their situations of conflict. A free access WIKI space has been developed (website) to foster the participation of the educational communities of the 4 municipalities.INTEGR-ARTE aimed to:1. Develop a proven methodology of intervention through art, which help the prevention of absenteeism, based on a serious and rigorous work that includes evaluating both process and results, in order to transform reality. Art-work is currently often used, but art-work requires the addition of reflection and a methodological process. That’s why we have added to the project 3 universities as partners, and the experience of the MUS-E methodology applied since 1999 by FYME, AYM Portugal and MUS-E Rome.2. Exchange experiences among partners and apply them in schools at risk of exclusion that work with ethnic minorities (principally Roma) in 4 municipalities: Paterna (Valencia), Badajoz, Evora and Rome.3. Implement, based on a methodology of intervention through arts, a practical and participatory work in intercultural education that facilitates social cohesion and coexistence, and improves the motivation for learning of students who live in situations of discouragement, thus reducing problems of absenteeism.4 Improve the training of educational professionals with new social work tools and techniques in the field of education, enhancing social cohesion and learning. The 3 participating universities support this activity.5 Develop an inter-sectorial planning, since the project involves different school area responsibles (parents associations, management teams and teachers), universities, municipal authorities, autonomous public entities, educational associations, volunteers and future educational professionals (trainees of universities).Three trans-national meetings took place and included training, coordination and exchange of good practices activities (held in Badajoz-Evora, Paterna and Rome), attended by members of all 12 participating partners. The training team provided a specific and differentiated artistic, educational and social knowledge. Meetings included actions of coordination, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and will count with the presence of all project partners and representatives of the local and regional educational communities. Educational professionals trained and informed in each municipality reversed their learning to the community, and collaborated in the realization of the planned performances and products produced by our mainly Gipsy children and their families at risk of exclusion.

The WE ALL COUNT Project has several key priorities: 1. Reduce school absenteeism. 2. Address the disadvantage of children and families, by developing the Schools’ work for Families. 3. Improve the competence of education professionals in order to solve absenteeism and disadvantage. 4. Consider diversity as an asset and not as an inconvenience. The project envisages an online process and the development of open multimedia educational tools eligible to become an example of good practices. The project involves 13 partners, reflecting its heterogeneity and complementarity. We believe to be capable of managing the complexity arising from such a large number of partners in the light of preceding European projects and of the commitment and enthusiasm expressed by the new partners. Indeed, we believe that, seeing the great effort made by everyone in the preparatory meetings and consultations, the large number of partners involved is actually a point of strength of the project. The project is to be implemented in areas both urban (in Rome and Budapest) and rural (in the province of Toledo), in schools with a high percentage of socially disadvantaged students. It involves more than 120 teachers and over 400 students from 3 Countries. It envisages the cooperation of more than 10 artists, over 30 senior school officials, voluntary workers and university trainees. The key element of the project will be the work conducted with the children and their families (involving more than 500 people) and with the community in general. The direct and indirect beneficiaries are expected to be at least 3,200. The project envisages the development of open educational tools in order to implement the project in more schools and the creation of a e-twinning / WIKI space in which to disseminate materials and results. The leitmotif will be the production of a short film on memory, the present and future of the children and their families (with dance, music and theatre performances, exhibitions, etc.), which implies a space for exchange, starting with a search into one’s personal and cultural reality (diversity as an asset). The final products are to be produced by the children and their families (empowerment). Three transnational meetings will be organised in Rome, Budapest and in the province of Toledo, to be attended by all the partners with a view to exchanging the good practices specific to each group. Coordination meetings will be scheduled with the presence of the local partners and representatives of educational communities. Training classes will be provided. Trainees will feed the training received back to their communities. The project start-up, process and conclusion will be assessed and a final external evaluation report will be drafted. Part of the project will be implemented during school hours, making it possible to involve the entire education community. The project programme is practical and participative. There is no learning of theoretical contents but it involves absorbing them and putting them into practice so as to facilitate social cohesion, reduce absenteeism and improve the students’ motivation to learn. External agents (artists) will be involved to reveal different visions of reality. The project will be disseminated by the European Parliament (in an event with Euro-Parliamentarians), with the attendance of all the project partners. The objectives mostly coincide with the expected results: 1. Create a long-lasting cooperation network aimed at improving the professional skills of the teaching staff through the development of a socio-educational intervention method based on art and developing people’s emotional intelligence. 2. Train more than 120 teachers from 3 Countries, who will know the project and exchange their experiences. 3. Create Schools for Parents. Families are trained to take active part in the work that will be carried out with their children in different areas: definition of rules and limits, using technological devices, overcoming cultural and generational diversity, etc. 4. Disclose the results obtained with more than 400 students who will improve their skills, their motivation to learn and their social cohesion. 5. Develop material to improve national methods: 1- a document to illustrate the method 2- evaluation form 3- DVD with best practices. 6. Reduce absenteeism, learning difficulties and the level of demotivation. 7. Create a WIKI or e-twinning platform through which to disseminate the work carried out. 8. Train 15 artists in the field of education, in addition to voluntary workers and trainees. 9. Work with the community from the perspective of gender and intercultural difference, equality and sense of citizenship. 10. Disseminate the Project among local education administrations and in the European Parliament. 11. Assess the satisfaction of participants with respect to the training received and the exchange of their experience.