<< Background >>Our project answered the challenge of the decreasing level of creative thinking in a typical Western educational system since 1990 while lacking proper response to this issue, while creativity, through the years, has climbed to the top of the most important soft skills. Creativity has been indicated in the “4Cs” list of 21st-century skills, which is the list of 4 most important skills: critical thinking (also strongly linked with creative thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity) to succeed at school and the workplace. The objectives of our project listed below contributed to supporting the nonformal (but not only) sector in taking this responsibility and bringing change in thinking about creativity. Our project aimed to stimulate, enlarge and preserve the creative potential of young people, youth workers and youth organisations coming from Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, but also other European and non-European countries by giving them a self-managed tangible tool in the form of a creative workbook (Creative Playbook) developed in the process of exchanging practices of 3 participating organisations active in the field of creativity and youth work.<< Objectives >>Our project aimed to stimulate, enlarge and preserve the creative potential of young people, youth workers and youth organisations coming from Poland, Czechia and Latvia, but also other European and non-European countries by giving them a self-managed tangible tool in the form of a creative workbook (Creative Playbook). This aim was achieved by following objectives: - To exchange practices regarding creativity education and youth work of 3 Partner organisations - To work on and create new innovative practices and approaches regarding fostering the creativity of young people and sum them up in Creative Playbook - To train directly 12 youth workers coming from Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia in using creative nonformal methods- To create and issue a new innovative tool (Creative Playbook) which will serve as an inspiration, educative and self-educative tool- To test the Creative Playbook on 24 youngsters from 3 countries during blended mobility - To introduce the creative playbook (result) to 90 people, participants of multiplier events- To promote and encourage usage of the Intelectual Ourput – Creative Playbook.<< Implementation >>During the project, we implemented the following activities: - Kick-off meeting in Warsaw, Poland – 23-24.03.2022 - Training course on creativity in Prerov, the Czech Republic – 28.06 – 03.07.2022 - Working meeting in Latvia – 07-11.09.2022 - Mid-term evaluation meeting in Prerov, the Czech Republic – 13-14.12.2022 - Blended mobility of young people in Jastrzębia Góra, Poland – 05-10.03.2023 - 3 Multiplier Events in Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic – August-October 2023 - Evaluation meeting in Cesis, Latvia – 07-08.10.2023.<< Results >>The project result, the Creative Playbook, was the foundation for other outcomes of our project. It can be found on the following websites:- https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toolbox/tool/creative-playbook.3809/- https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/creative-playbook - https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2021-1-PL01-KA220-YOU-000029256- https://www.artacitko.com/creative-playbook This book contributed to increasing the quality and innovation of youth work. For youth, it resulted in their empowerment, increased motivation for change and for self-development. For organisations (directly and indirectly involved in the project and the ones who came across our playbook), it also brought fresh insight, motivated and inspired change within the organisation. By using it, the staff also gained a new perspective in looking at old problems and struggles, which could bring change to their work and solve problems that seemed unsolvable before. Moreover, we expected wider awareness among youth and within our communities about the Erasmus + Programme and other opportunities which boosted and supported active participation in community life, which resulted in the new projects.
