WTHBF

WTHBF addresses the question of how incorporating (or intensifying) contacts with art within formal education can influence both the academic and extracurricular parts of students’ lives, including aspects such as knowledge, self-esteem, autonomy, aspirations, critical thinking, etc.

Focusing on teenagers aged 10-18, this pilot investigates young people’s access to art in Poland: what needs they have, what barriers they face, and what role art plays in their everyday and educational lives. The chosen communities are diverse, representing different urban and rural areas, cultures, and social contexts, which highlights differences in access, perception, and barriers to art-based education. Through design-thinking workshops with students and methodological and creative sessions with teachers, the pilot seeks to develop new ways of embedding art into teaching practices and the school environment, going beyond traditional classroom methods.

What is expected to be reached by this pilot action?

IDENTIFY NEEDS
By applying Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and co-creation techniques, this pilot will identify the needs of both students and teachers, while strengthening educators’ skills and confidence in applying arts-based methods. The work will lead to a methodological guide featuring innovative teaching approaches and examples of good practice.

TRANSFORMATION
The lessons learned in this pilot will lead to the creation of recommendations for the education system, which is often dominated by lecture-based methods and desk/classroom work, not considering the needs and preferences of students. Elevating general education to be more fair, creative, inclusive, and focused on the assessed needs of the students will provide better opportunities for youths in their professional and academic development.

IMPACT
Participants will gain new competencies and skills related to art engagement, learning through art, digital efficiency and community building aimed on empowering all involved. In larger scale, the pilot activities will contribute to build a better, more successful, cohesive and inclusive school communities and neighbourhoods involved and establishing good practice in group coexistence.

Through surveys, focus-group interviews, and self-reflective essays, the research partners will examine the impact of implemented school innovations on the participants’ (teachers and students) academic and extracurricular lives. The findings will be captured in a methodological handbook, which, rather than providing specific solutions, will guide educators in enriching their own approaches to arts-based teaching.