The I AM: "Inclusive education using Animation and Multimedia" project, which has been implemented in Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, and Poland, aimed to support the inclusive education of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through an innovative, person-centered, inter-disciplinary, and art-based approach. Through a blended learning capacity building program, the Erasmus+ project, which was launched in 2020, made use of multimedia resources with a focus on animation to create a welcome atmosphere for students with SEND in mainstream schools.

The project’s main activities were:

• Mapping the current situation regarding the inclusive education of children with SEND and the needs of both educational staff & individuals with SEND.
• Development of effective and tailored tools, based on the research findings and an inter- professional learning framework, that supports educational staff to adopt inclusive educational approaches and implement best practice techniques in the classroom.
• Capacity building of educational staff, through a blended learning programme, that supports them to promote the notion of inclusiveness among students in mainstream schools. Educational staff obtains skills on emotional intelligence, inclusive education techniques, leadership & classroom management skills, as well as basic animation development skills.
• Video animation school contest to engage children, young people, and their communities in the promotion of inclusive education. Winning entries will be shown at the Animasyros International Animation Festival.

Results that we are proud of:

• Enhanced the use of effective state-of-the art methodological approaches and tools that support inclusive education.
• Increased the awareness, knowledge, and competence of educational staff to address diversity in the classroom.
• Raised awareness of inclusive educational approaches among the members of educational communities and supported increased engagement.
• Effectively and efficiently promoted the inclusive education of children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools among policy & decision makers and relevant stakeholders at local, national, and European level.

The project's deadline of December 2022 rolls around, we have been successful in tying together diverse educational strategies, emotional intelligence development, and the use of multimedia in traditional classrooms.

One of the goals at APS, in line with our mission of supporting groups and individuals in need, is that our research and education strives to contribute to sustainable development. This project allowed us to continue pursuing this goal, especially to ensure inclusive and quality education (SDG 4). Some targets were achieved, such as to eliminate disparities in education for persons with disabilities and children in vulnerable situations, to build and upgrades education facilities providing safe, inclusive, and effective learning environments for all.

For more information, please see the file here.