#ACTLAB - Creative Activism Laboratory is a long-term educational project for young people from Armenia, Finland, Georgia, Norway and Poland, which consists of three youth exchanges -

1. in Tsakhadzor, Armenia about photography;

2. in Rustavi, Georgia about graffiti, stencils and street art;

3. in Trysil, Norway about podcast-making and digital storytelling.

This project is supported by European Commission programme Erasmus+ and the main aim is to raise awareness about human rights issues using various creative and performative arts to stimulate transformative action for the positive social change.

To reach this aim we came we have set the following objectives:

• To create a comfortable atmosphere without barriers to express oneself;
• To create a space to talk about the human rights issues existing in our societies and how it affect us;
• To empower each other to address these issues creatively;
• To promote activism and campaigning skills through creativity and non-violent action;
• To gain specific artistic skills (in photography, video-making, graffiti and street art and digital storytelling) and competences to express ourselves creatively;
• To develop exchanging atmosphere to reflect on cultures, learn more about other cultures, foster intercultural dialogue, learning, and awareness;
• To create artistic pieces together to address the human rights issues locally and globally;
• To develop a readiness to act, sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mindset through taking part in organizing local activities and public events
• To create a multiplying effect by setting up an internet platform to share our work and inspire others;
• To affirm equality, human rights and democracy as a value of modern society and become equality ambassador.

We are looking for the participants which have various experiential background on the topic:

- part of them are professional or semi-professionals in an art which are themes of each phase;

- part of them have been involved in art projects once or twice but are motivated to learn more;

- part of them have been part of educational activities concerning human rights education and human rights activism and are keen to learn more methods;

- none of the other three, but interested in all of them.

Interested? Contact the group leader or the sending organisation.

This is an educational project consisting of three activities aiming for participants' personal growth. Since the project is based on non-formal education and informal learning, don't expect lectures, exams and tests, we learn-by-doing and experiencing. We cannot really say that whatever we have planned for the participants to acquire will happen at the end of the youth exchange since it is part of the life-long learning and there won't be teachers or trainers, participants will be learning from each other and from themselves. However we think the project creates a good ground to develop the following learning outcomes:

• knowledge and critical understanding of the SELF;
• critical understanding of the WORLD;
• civic-mindedness;
• analytical and critical thinking skills;
• reaffirming the values of human dignity, human rights and democracy;
• Knowledge on human rights, democracy and institutions;
• Learning about the CULTURES, intercultural dialogue;
• Cooperation, teamwork and leadership skills;
• Skills of autonomous learning, listening and observing;
• Self-efficacy, sense of responsibility and self-confidence;
• Communication in foreign language;
• Evidence-based thinking;
• Time and stress-management;
• Practical competences in art.

Website made by Nika Bakhsoliani & Łukasz Rogowski