Project philosophy

Transadmin/ November 5, 2017/ About / A Propos, The project

How to stimulate the Europeans greater involvement in the construction of their society? How to develop catalysing tools for these women and men whose creativity only needs to be mobilized? Given our economies of knowledge and innovation, how to privilege the development of this creativity, a real strategic priority?

These are some of the questions Polart Circle wants to answer.

Since 2010, La Transplanisphere has developed several European cooperation projects combining art and politics. The partners of these actions exchanged on their practices and co-built programs of activity. They also passed on their knowledge in the form of workshops. Together, they became aware of their role in the field of non-formal education in relation to formal education. Some common values ​​have been identified: autonomy and socialization for the public, participation in social life, search for personal emancipation, fight against exclusion.

Together, we have also become aware of the variety of methodologies used in Europe on the link Art and Politics. We were able to measure how few tools we have to transmit them.

By conducting our first European projects, we also took note of these surveys (EACEA, Erasmus, Eurodesk, Salto youth, Youth in the Move, INJEP …) which consider the Europeans certainly as learners, publics, citizens, but also as practitioners and creators. These are the dimensions we want to help stimulate.

Is it necessary to recall that artistic practice plays a major role as a support and space for the identity construction of citizens and their social integration?
Beyond access to culture, practice allows you to acquire knowledge, skills, express yourself and develop yourself. Above all, it allows the individual to take his place as a contributor in society, as an actor in his transformation. And more prosaically, artistic practice will also impact his career.

The moment seems to come to create Polart Circle. The project will formalize a series of existing pedagogical approaches towards a common tool transferable to pedagogues and learners. This work will combine formal education structures on the one hand to promote bridges between formal education and so-called popular education, on the other hand to promote the establishment of a usable and recognized tool. The project will also involve an NGO representing a large European network looking for innovative pedagogical proposals.

To reach a wide audience of citizens and also of animators and teachers, we will take ownership of an innovative vector of knowledge sharing: the Mooc. It seems to us the most contemporary way of addressing the general public and offering it a sufficiently attractive range of tools to have an impact on the European scale and beyond.

Polart Circle will not be satisfied with a goal of dissemination of principle, but will create a community of users (beta testers) able to exchange with each other to create a first base of experience and then reach the greatest number, thanks existing European platforms.

The European dimension of the project is that it implements a broad partnership in 9 countries. It is also developed on the basis of experiences acquired for many of them in the framework of European projects. It will enable the Union’s learners to question together political, social and citizen issues: a major challenge for the construction of Europe. In addition, it will generate a co-constructed multilingual tool that will be usable by everyone in Europe.

The first target groups are among volunteers who want to question social and political issues through creation. The project is aimed at active citizens, students, young adults in training, emerging artists, youth leaders, educationalists … who are looking for tools to create and propose to society.
Any group of citizens will be able to use the Moocs. Groups of adults and young people with fewer opportunities will be particularly concerned because of the specific audiences of certain partners. The innovative and playful nature of the tools will have to help these audiences to seize them.

We hope that Polart Circle will be able to contribute to this empowerment of European citizens if necessary today. Beyond intercultural dialogue, we believe that the project will create common through teaching, transmission and sharing. We see it as a fertile ground for re-enchanting Europeans in their relationship to politics. And maybe find inspiration and creativity in the Union project?

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