The main aim of the project BRIDGING is to improve the quality of the practices in early childhood education through participation of children, educators and cultural staff in artistic projects in public spaces, helping young children and adults to become active European citizens, fostering creativity, collaboration, and communication. The reason and need for the project comes from the fact that societies are becoming increasingly diverse and educators need new tools to acknowledge such diversity in a way that is aligned with European values, contributing to active citizenship and democratic, inclusive, social cohesive societies. Essential to BRIDGING is the strong collaboration between and within each country, involving not only school settings, but also cultural institutions and universities. The collaboration between children, the educational settings and the multiple spaces of the city, within and across countries, will facilitate new ways of looking, thinking and acting upon the local and global urban environment. Based on an action-research design methodology, several cycles of inquiry, inquiry-search, exploration-registration, and dissemination will be carried out collaboratively, both outside and inside schools, using art and digital tools as a means of exploration and communication. The use of arts and ICT aims to help inspire and expand young children’s horizons contributing to open minded and positive reflection upon differences and diversities. The exploration of their own city and other’s cities will help children to develop knowledge and attitudes related to European citizenship likely to influence lifelong learning skills. Interdisciplinary collaboration between the different international partners intends to support the cross-fertilization of different discourses (education, arts, music, sociology, psychology and architecture) that can allow a rich, effective, and intentional operationalization of the educational process of all those involved, leading to high-quality practices. As a result, BRIDGING intends to give children and adults multiple opportunities to be more engaged as citizens using arts and digital tools as privileged tools for share and communicate, with a positive impact on professionals, families and children’s development, learning, and wellbeing.

Entidades parceiras

Alvar Aalto Museum

Casa da Imagem, Fundação Manuel Leão, Portugal

Cultureghem

Elmer Pedagogie

Erasmushogeschool Brussel

Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto

Fundacja młodej kultury hopsiup project

OSMOPE

Uniwersytetem Warszawskim i Przedszkolem