Encouraging intercultural collaboration, learning and dialogue through handicraft? Launching MyHandScraft

Working together and sharing knowledge, techniques and skills is fundamental to enhance migrants` and refugees` integration and lead to cultural fusion and innovations in the field of handicrafts.

Handicrafts is an innovative framework for skill-development and a platform for cultural and heritage exchange between migrants and local residents. Handicrafts incorporates traditions, heritage, culture, technical skills, talent and art, hence providing a fertile framework for encouraging intercultural collaboration, learning and dialogue. 

The My HandScraft project, co-funded by Erasmus +: KA2 – Strategic Partnerships for Adult Education, was officially launched during the first partner meeting in Palermo (Italy) on 4th and 5th February 2019.

The project focuses on the untapped potential of migrants, whose skills, talents and qualification remain unacknowledged. Through innovative training and valorizing artistic competencies and cultural heritage the project will upskill and reskill both migrant and local adults in the field of handicrafts.

MyHandScraft key players are adult migrants, local handcrafters and adult educators. Handicrafts will be the medium for migrants and local artisans to collaborate and upskill their artisanal techniques, thus encouraging peer-learning and cultural exchange. Adult educators as well will benefit from innovative learning which will lead to the development of a training programme and methods for their future work with migrant communities.

This will be done through the following steps:

• Field study research and a State-of-the-Art report on needs and skill shortages of migrants and local handcrafters;
• Design of a collaborative e-learning platform as an online management system;
• Development of an e-educational programme to improve the basic skills and key competences of migrants in the handicraft field;
• Development of a handbook to support adult educators working with migrants & of a digital guide for handcrafters;
• Organisation of MyHandScraft Forums & festivals in each country, an International Festival in Lithuania and a joint staff training event in Palermo with trainers from all partner countries.

In the following months, we will conduct a field research to gain an insight about the needs and skills of migrants and local handcrafters.

To receive regular updates on the project please follow the MyHandScraft Facebook page.