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10 LOCAL ARTS

Or what we learnt

The aim of the project was

• to get to know traditions and crafts in partner countries;

• non-formal communication among craftsmen by demonstrations of crafts;

• to get to know different attitudes towards pensioners in partner countries.

Project partners•

• Lithuania

• Slovakia

Norway

• The priority of the project was to learn simple basics of crafts chosen by our project partners.

• Preserving production procedures and transfering them and other traditions to new generations.

Crafts at present

Involving adults - pensioners

• We came to real project outputs and active involvement of pensioners in social life as follows:

Economic area• they began earning some extra moneySocial impact• they feel they are a part of a local community

and social life

• they preserve regional traditions and transfer them to younger generations

• they represent added social value and make local atmosphere complete

• they communicate between themselves and exchange their experience

• they create an open community • they have always something to talk about

Problems• undervalued handwork of high quality • respect towards older people and their

skills is disappearing • the young generation often undervalue

skills of the older generation - (it results mainly from inappropriate

PC skills because older people are afraid of breaking a computer down)

• underestimated social value of craftwork and handwork in our society caused by globalization and mass production of cheap foreign products

• it doesn´t matter if it is Made in USA, or EU, everything is Made in Taiwan

• an undervalued arttherapy by crafts • in Slovakia also managers took part in the

project; they say they have never relaxed as well as while knitting

Necessary corrections of a present situation

• founding organizations on a Europe-wide basis focused on crafts and promotion of cultures in countries

• development of a regional trademark for traditional local products made not only by professional craftsmen but also by so-called home craftsmen if comply with quality criteria

• EU support

Possibilities of EU support• to support local craft and art organizations

including traditional folk groups, groups of swordsmen, theatres etc.

• to establish artthearpy centres – the biggest problem is their technical and technological equipment

Success of the project• We had a good luck for partners!• Great cooperation with people really interested

in crafts and folklore. • Communication between partners was at a great

level. • Even just basic English knowledge of some

participants was not a problem. • Intensive project meetings and their very good

programmes.

• Family atmosphere among international groups. • Absolutely reliable project coordinators. • Active use of international meetings for new

crafts trainings. • Getting to know traditions and culture in

partner countries.• Project promotion in regional media. • Very good cooperation of partners with national

agencies, especially during statement of costs.

Project outputs