EDU-Gestalt: Expressive, Experiential & Embodied Teaching.

<< Background >>Our 4 partner organizations applied for this European project with a shared understanding of the growing challenges surrounding mental health and education, particularly concerning seconday schools and adolescents. We recognized the urgent need to address the escalating rates of mental disorders, as well as the crucial role that non formal education can play on promoting emotional, social, and cognitive development. The project, spanning two years and involving partners from different countries, aimed to bridge the gap between mental health and education systems.Our project aimed to provide educators with knowledge, tools and resources, including experiential, embodied, and expressive methods grounded in Gestalt therapeutic approaches. These methods are tailored to the educational context, promoting a holistic approach to mental wellbeing and healthy development. By addressing these needs collaboratively across partner countries, we have created a supportive and inclusive environment that benefit both students and educators in navigating the challenges of today's educational landscape.<< Objectives >>Throughout the project, our specific objectives were to:- Analyze the current use of experiential, embodied, and expressive methods in education teams across participating countries.- Develop a theoretical framework to provide a solid base for EDU-Gestalt work based on neuroscientific evidence.- Adapt this Theoretical framework to the educational context.- To develop innovative results with practical methodology and educational paths for trainings, to be disseminated in the educational sector. - To create training opportunities on this EduGestalt approach within the education sector. - To design an innovative results to equips teachers and educators with specific competencies and methods in experiential, embodiment, and expressive approaches, so that they can enhance students' emotional intelligence and self-understanding, particularly after prolonged periods of online isolation.- To promote an educational-Gestalt-based approach to foster mental health, emphasizing empathy, self-discovery, expression, creativity, and innovation among students. This approach also aimed to facilitate better self-understanding and interpersonal connections.- To create and promote a EduGestalt community to sustain teachers and students<< Implementation >>During the project, we implemented the following activities to achieve our objectives: 1. 4 translational partner meetings; - monthly online meeting to develop the 3 IO’s of the project. 2. Staff Training (C1) in Saubaudia, Italy: - Joined staff training for 11 staff members conducted over 5 days. - Focus was on embodied teaching from a Gestalt approach in education.3. Training Course (C2) in Spain: - Conducted a 5-day training course in Spain for teachers on embodied teaching from a Gestalt approach. - Involved 16 teachers and 3 staff members to enhance their skills and understanding.4. Local Workshops during Testing Phase (IO2): - Organized a series of local workshops aimed at teachers during the testing phase. - Engaged a total of 160 teachers with approximately 100 hours of training collectively.5. Multiplier Events: - Conducted 4 Multiplier Events, one or more in each partner country. - These events aimed to disseminate project outcomes and engage stakeholders. - Involved around 250 stakeholders across the four events, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing.These activities were designed to provide targeted training and development opportunities for educators, foster collaboration among stakeholders, and disseminate project outcomes effectively within our collaborative network of partner countries.<< Results >>The project aimed at achieving several concrete results, which were instrumental in realizing our objectives and promoting the Gestalt approach in education within formal educational contexts. These results included:1. Theoretical framework and article on neuroscientific evidence of embodied teaching: - Conducted a comprehensive research study on the importance of embodied teaching and the contribution of Gestalt Approach in formal educational contexts.2. Educational Manual: - Developed an Educational Manual containing exercises and activities based on Gestalt principles in education. - The manual was tested during the pilot phase with 160 teachers/educators and made widely available in three partner languages in addition to English.3. Innovative Educational Curriculum: - Created a new and innovative Educational Curriculum focusing on the Gestalt embodied teaching approach and methodologies for teachers. 4. Training: - Trained 18 teachers and 4 staff members in using the Educational Manual on Gestalt for education within formal education settings. - Engaged a minimum of 360 teachers across the partnership in the project activities.5. Pilot Testing: - Conducted a minimum of 25 hours per country of pilot testing (totaling 100 hours) for teachers to implement the Gestalt approach in education.6. Strong Partnership: - Fostered a strong partnership among four European organizations from Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic.7. Networking: - Established an enlarged network of formal education professionals promoting Gestalt methodology in education.8. Multiplier Events: - Organized four Multiplier Events, one in each partner country, reaching a minimum of 180 stakeholders in the field of formal education across the partnership.9. International Partnership Meetings: - Conducted four international partnership meetings, one each in Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic.10. Communication and Promotion: - Updated and promoted the project on all four partners' websites and social media channels. - Launched dedicated social media channels (Facebook Page and Instagram account) exclusively for the EDU-GESTALT project to showcase activities and achievements, enhancing project visibility and outreach.These results collectively demonstrate the project's impact and success in promoting Gestalt methodology and fostering collaboration and innovation within formal education settings across partner countries.