On the 20th of April 2023, the NL I-TAP-PD team successfully organized a highly informative and collaborative event, which was attended by 52 individuals at the Vrijstaat Boerderij in Utrecht. In order to disseminate knowledge to a wider audience beyond our network, we collaborated with another esteemed organization, ClickF1, which shares our values and is also working on the Erasmus+ project called SocVoc. This project focuses on enhancing social vocational skills among youth and adults in detention centers. ClickF1 is an arts education organization and the theme of the day centered on the importance of creativity for a healthy and steady development of people of all ages.

The collaboration with ClickF1 proved highly beneficial, enabling us to reach a greater number of attendees and invite a keynote speaker to inspire our guests and project partners. Furthermore, the collaboration also enabled us to synergize thematically as we both work in education for different peer groups. The day was ably presented by Manja Eland from Kopa. The keynote speaker, Mark Mieras, a science journalist and writer, specializing in brain development and the positive effects of arts and creativity, was highly informative. His presentation focused on how the arts can improve our metacognitive skillset, and how this helps children and adults to learn and improve their lives. Mieras drew on scientific research to provide ample proof of the benefits of creativity and the arts. After the keynote speech, participants engaged in small group discussions on various statements related to the keynote.

The participation of various fields of work made the discussion highly interesting and inspiring as ideas and experiences were shared freely. The presentation of our project I-TAP-PD was made after a delightful and satisfying lunch. Our project partners, Betty Gianoulli from Greece and Linda Rosink from Kopa, shared their experiences and insights on the work done and training provided. Anastasia Tasic from Serbia also shared her residency experience after undertaking the I-TAP-PD training. The afternoon session comprised of two inspirational workshops provided by ClickF1, namely Social Media Spy by Ed Santman and Make your own poster on Canva by Romy van den Broek. Exercises from our I-TAP-PD training were also utilized, namely, The Museum of Things That Don’t Exist by Jennifer Buggie and Vera McGrath from Ireland, and The Power of Partnership by Nikola Koruga and Anastasia Tasic from Serbia.

The day culminated with drinks and snacks, and the exchange of contact details with new acquaintances. It was a highly successful event that provided a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences among diverse professionals.