YOU-DANCE “in-class” activities start officially in Italy!

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📣You-Dance activities have officially started in Italy!
During these activities, dance, as a metalanguage, emotional and corporeal, capable of connecting people, will allow them to get to know each other, to express themselves and their emotions, to use their imagination, to stimulate reflection on themes and events, dialogue and confrontation, through the creation of movements and choreographies.
🎯The specific objectives are the improvement of the individual’s sense of self-efficacy, the acquisition of social and relational skills expressed through the recognition of diversity as a value to be shared and the inclusion of youngsters through dance experience. 🤩🧐
In addition, BorderlineDanza’s staff started administering the first questionnaires of the #youdance project during the first Activity 3 “face to face” meetings with two different groups/ classes. A total of 30 youngsters, our national target group in Italy (gathered from the counties of Naples and Salerno), answering surveys, reflected on themselves and their emotions by individually filling out their first questionnaire, which represents the starting point of the dance-based intervention that will continue for next meetings!
BorderlineDanza began the dance-based intervention (for project Activity 3) with weekly meetings of 2 hours each led by two dance-educators. In these first meetings, the intervention allowed the participants to make some move exercises focusing in particular on: the functional anatomy of the body, breathing for the mind/body connection, spinal mobility (head/body connection), mobility on the ground, movement in space and time! 😍👏 Local youngsters started their “in-class” lessons and, with the help of the dance educators, they were also able to experiment the contact through some body games in pairs, based on movement and dance.
“Have fun” was the keyword for these first dance-based interventions meetings, discovering together all the benefits that the dance activities has to offer to all of us! 

October YOU-DANCE Project Update: Key Actions and Upcoming Plans

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👨‍🏫 On Friday, October 11, 2024, another monthly online meeting took place for the YOU-DANCE project partners. Representatives and experts from Borderline Danza (Italy), Ipazia Prod (Romania), and Ecem Bale ve Dans Okulu (Turkey) met online to update the status of the project activities, in line with the project’s Action Plan and GANTT. We reviewed the progress and the good evolution of YOU-DANCE’s national activities in each partner country.
📍📝We started with a review of project management (A1) and administrative issues, discussing timesheets, contracts, expenses and how to organize and implement it. We also focused on the upcoming reporting for both administrative tasks and communication & dissemination. Next, we summarized the actions completed for A2, including the 90 surveys conducted in each partner country and their translation into English. For Activity 3, each partner presented their progress on in-class dance activities, which are already underway. Teachers and dancers are using the “video tutorials” provided by BorderlineDanza, with clear instructions shared.

You-Dance: planning of A3 “in-class” activities in Türkiye

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Under the leadership of ECEM Ballet founder Derya Fındık and their institution director Ceyda Denizci, it was organized a dedicated meeting on Saturday, 12.10.2024, together with ECEM ballet teacher Beril Dost and the assistant teacher Ece Fındık, in order to define all the details for the next “in-class” activities and future training with local youngsters.
The planning of the 2 months activities, useful for the A3 of the project, were meticulously prepared by all the ECEM staff. The A3 #youdance program in Türkiye will start in 1 week and all the ECEM staff is glad and excited to be an active part of this project. 🧐🎯🤩

YOU DANCE Project: online meeting held on the 20th of September 2024

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👨‍🏫 On Friday, September 20, 2024, a monthly online meeting for the YOU-DANCE project partners took place via Google Meets. Representatives and experts from Borderline Danza (Italy), Ipazia Prod (Romania), and Ecem Ballet (Turkey) gathered online in the afternoon to provide updates on project activities and to discuss the new tasks to be carried out, in line with the project’s Action Plan.
We reviewed the progress of YOU-DANCE’s national activities for each partner.
🧑‍💼After a first update on administrative issues and on project management, we focused on a review of the Action plan for A2 and of the status on the surveys completed and its translations.
Discussions took place about the A3 video tutorials, and it was defined an organization for the in class activities for the next two months.
We focused on other A4 actions of information and dissemination, and on the update on the editorial calendar for new posts and articles. Let’s stay tuned and follow us on www.youdanceproject.eu and on all our project’s social media pages!

Romania: updates on the Spreading Campaign for You-Dance Project!

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In Romania, our amazing team has been visiting different places in the city, visiting local libraries to spread the word about You-Dance’s project and connect with local youngsters. During the visits, Ipazia Production’s staff handed out flyers and chatted with community members about the project. It was awesome to see so much interest and enthusiasm!
Our goal is to maximize awareness of the project and reach as many young people as possible. If you’re interested in learning more about what we’re doing, feel free to get in touch! We’d love to hear from you and explain more about “You Dance” project.
Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s keep the momentum going! Cheers!

Other promotional activities and meetings with target group in Türkiye

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During the week 20-28.07.2024, in Türkiye, ECEM Ballet worked on some local promotional activities with youngsters with the age of 16 – 20 years old. In #Eregli, ECEM staff worked for hours, meeting youngsters in their social environments, and conveyed information about the “Activity 2” survey and on the project in general (delivering project’s brochures and leaflets in Turkish)
In addition, ECEM Ballet’s staff continued to work on the A2 survey since 1-2-3 August, when they have continued a series of meetings with young people aged 16-20 years old. ECEM continued with pleasure on their promotional actions with the excitement they get from youngsters. In addition, on September 18.09.2024, ECEM met youngsters in schools and invited them to participate in the A2 survey as target group of the project, encouraging them to have an active role in the project implementation.

The 2nd “You-Dance” TPM has been organized in Turkey!

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On the 26th and 27th August 2024, the 2nd TPM Meeting for the “You-Dance” Erasmus Project took place in Karadeniz Ereğli, in Turkey. This 2 days TPM important meeting was hosted by ECEM Ballet School.

During the meeting, the Romanian, Italian and Turkish partners (Ipazia Production Srl, Borderline Danza and ECEM Ballet School) aligned their actions and plans, and provided updates on their actions implemented and on their respective contributions to the project. The project’s activities discussed were the Project Management (A1), the Research and Development Training tools (A2), the Dance-based intervention, Data collection and Material production (A3) and the Dissemination & Campaign dedicated to youngsters from risk areas, to migrants and to refugees (A4).

About the phase of the Project Management (A1), contracts, timesheets and invoices for expenditures from each national partner budget were analyzed in details, a regular check has been carried out and the quality assurance plan was regularly updated. It was important to check how each partner is properly spending their budget, according to their implemented tasks until now. Regarding the financial and administrative aspects, procedures and documents were verified in their implementation so that everything is in order and in line with the project GANTT.

On the Research and Development Training Tools phase (A2), nationals’ surveys collection and final updates for the final report were reviewed. Methods and deadlines for producing tutorials and collecting testimonials and interviews were established. The further translation of the 90 surveys produced in each partner country from the national into English language was planned (so that Borderline Danza can prepare a dedicated report), and the current composition of the national target groups was analyzed by each partner organization according to their national situation. The appropriate timing for starting “in-person” activities was discussed, along with the potential involvement of other Non-Governmental Organizations, institutions, or migrant Civil Society Organization players active at the local level in each partner country.

For the Dance-based interventions, data collection and material production (A3) phase, the focus was on the structure of the dance-based lessons in each partner country, including timing, length, teacher profile, and the type of locations where the courses can be organized. A new version of the A3 “Vademecum” will be sent to all partners and some video tutorials will be prepared and sent to all for better understanding how to structure each lesson and the exercises to be proposed to youngsters in each class.

For the last phase, the Dissemination & Campaign dedicated to youngsters from risk areas and to Refugees (A4), the actions included the social media promotion, updating the international project’s website with new articles (required to all partners) and branding the project for local community and stakeholders. New posts and articles were planned in project’s editorial calendar, and the status of the social media pages and the international project website was reviewed.

For the general organization of the project and next month’s planning, it should be pointed out that:

  • the project’s general GANTT was updated considering the actual situation of the implementation of the actions in each country. The “shared open excel file”, available on the common Google Drive, was modified;
  • the Project Management plan and Editorial calendar were update for all the partners;
  • all the marketing material produced and disseminated for the YOU DANCE project was verified. This English material has been translated also in Italian, Romanian, Turkish, Arabic and Ukrainian language;
  • the communications actions carried out in each partner country until now were reviewed, with a focus on need of proofs (screenshots, photos) for the next reporting phase.

Project’s information and communication campaign in Romania by Ipazia Production

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Over the last days, Ipazia Production’s team (based in Bucharest, in Romania) kicked off a wide promotion campaign to reach the young public, focusing on Romanian targets group to share at local level the idea, the objectives and next actions of the “You Dance” project and get the word out. For three days, Ipazia’s staff visited various neighbourhoods of the capital Bucharest, bringing official project’s flyers and brochures, engaging with Romanian young people, migrants and young refugees.
Ipazia has opened a “You Dance” Desk in front of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI Bucharest), where local staff had the opportunity to talk to people from numerous origins and nationalities about the main project’s initiatives. Romanian staff also had the chance to meet people in front of local libraries, parks and malls in the capital. As information and promotional campaign, Ipazia had the aim and the target to reach the greatest variety of young people (locals or strangers).
The overall response to the “You-Dance” project was very positive and it got all of us excited about its potentials. As local staff and organizers, as Ipazia we were proud to highlight how, as a tool for social inclusion, this dance project is a unique opportunity to try something new, meet people, be empathic, feel accepted and embraced – and most of all, while dancing and learning new moves!
Ipazia looks forward to reaching more young people and getting “You-Dance” project started also with dance-based interventions in person, in class with youngsters (Activity 3). For this reason, in Romania, Ipazia Production will continue to communicate project results and new initiatives to a large group of people, inviting them to complete the A2 surveys and to join our next class dance sessions (A3), which will start in half September – beginning of October 2024.

Dance, inclusion and diversity: how dance-based interventions can be useful for integration

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Learning how to express feelings and thoughts is traditionally not a subject formally addressed in schools. Free expression can take form in multiple ways, and arts are known to be a great mean for achieving it. To facilitate the inclusion and integration in society of teenagers and young adults in vulnerable situations, it can be important to encourage self-expression and to stimulate the development of social skills by creating safe spaces and fostering a sense of belonging and community. Dance, as an art, can offer tools to recognize, regulate and communicate emotions, and to connect people.

Among all the forms of art, dance also encompasses certain qualities of sports: its significance lies not only in the individual healthy lifestyle that it promotes (regular physical activity, cognitive flexibility and stress management, as examples) but also in the collective experience it provides. In fact, dance and various group sports share elements such as teamwork (through relational skills and cooperation) and values like empathy, cooperation and discipline.

Furthermore, creativity and communication are indispensable during the digital era, given the strong connection between young generations and the digital world – a relationship that, if not carefully managed, could hinder genuine creative and communicative abilities. Moreover, dance creates opportunities for personal interaction, enhances self-confidence and encourage self-expression, which are fundamental to establish interpersonal connections and to facilitate integration between members of the community.

For creation and expression, an environment rich in cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity can offer different stimuli, perspectives and opportunities for inclusion. It can unlock innovation through a variety of expressions and cultural exchanges, while also strengthening community bonds and reinforcing values like respect and equitable access.

The well-being of individuals is directly related to the effectiveness of implementing their capacities for social inclusion and integration. Adapting to new environments can be challenging; it requires mental flexibility, changes in behaviour, listening skills, tolerance, and the ability to deal continually with stress, uncertainty and anxiety. From a continuous learning perspective, finding spaces and ways to practice these capacities is essential.

“You Dance” Presentation event held in Bitonto (Italy)!

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On August 9th 2024, BorderlineDanza hosted a presentation event for the “You-Dance” project in Bitonto, Puglia, specifically at Masseria Lama Balice.

The initiative was enthusiastically embraced by local participants who attentively listened to our project overview, watched the dance live performance, actively completed the provided questionnaires (A2 surveys) and then  joined a common dinner at the “Masseria”,  that was an opportunity to talk with people and local youngsters from Puglia Region about the “You Dance” project.

This occasion also offered to BorderlineDanza ETS the real opportunity to showcase a choreographic intervention through a performance by two Italian dancers. This intervention is born from the activities and choreographic modules of You-Dance project on anatomy, expressiveness, emotionality, the same work that we will do with participants as soon as they will start the project.

We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who joined us and supported the YOU-DANCE project in Bitonto (Puglia)!
We can’t wait to start dance-based activities, which will be carried in a “face to face” modality (in presence) starting from September 2024. Stay tuned and follow us also on “You-Dance” official social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for latest news and for new events and dance inclusive initiatives!