About

6 European partners:

• CREA 360, Spain

• Dublin City Arts Office, Ireland

• Muserum, Denmark

• The Finnish Museum of Photography, Finland

• The Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Society, Slovenia

• VTS Nederland, Netherlands

During 3 years (2017-2020), the 6 European partners had 4 educators from each country (primary and secondary school teachers, freelance and institution-based arts educators) going through the three phases of VTS training (Beginners, Advanced and Coaching Practicum) with the American VTS organisation as the training body. The educators got the opportunity to test their VTS facilitation practice in their own community.

Throughout the three years of practice, a research evaluation was conducted by the Dutch partner, VTS Nederland, on the impact of the VTS training pathway for the educators in schools and museums.

The research findings of this project will be communicated at the Erasmus + ‘Permission to Wonder’ Symposium taking place in Dublin on 21st April 2020. A publication containing the research findings will follow the symposium.

Another result of the project is an Image Bank which is currently being collected by the Finnish partner, The Finnish Museum of Photography, and which will be delivered on our website by the end of April 2020.

IMPACT!

Why are we doing this project?

Partner Statements

•        Support children and young people to access to opportunity for critical thinking & thoughtful citizenship

•        Support children and young people to trust their own perceptions & be open to the thoughts of others

•        Support children and young people to feel their observations are valued and valuable when dealing with visual expression

•        Widen pedagogical knowledge in arts in education

•        Assist educators to access new teaching and learning approaches

•       Build museum and school connectivity and co-operation in developing programming

•       Develop co-operation and exchange of VTS practice in Europe

•       Build capacity for VTS practice in schools and art galleries/museums

The title of the project is taken from the writings of Philip Yenawine, Co-Founder of VTS, who describes the intention of offering time, space and permission to wonder:

“Maybe posing the question is the point. A child looks around her, and when she notices something she can’t fathom, she asks about it. Our explanations don’t suffice because, I believe, what she really wants from us is to know if it’s okay to be puzzled and curious. She wants permission to wonder.”

Leargas is the organisation in Ireland that manages EU Commission funding.