The future of social workers involving people with disabilities in community activities between artists and art therapists

This paper is produced as part of an Erasmus KA2 small-scale partnerships in adult education project realised in Lithuania and in Italy, in the period January 23 – December 24. The project brought together adult educators, social workers, artists and art therapists to develop innovative training for older people +60 using a combination of reminiscence tools and artistic skills. The Care-Arts training (face to face) is a social laboratory based on informal learning thanks to a methodology based on expressive arts (photography, visual art, music, theatre). The creation of this training involved various professional figures (psychologists using expressive therapy methodology, educators, experts in photography and expressive arts, trainers experienced in adult education, artists). The project explored the links between memories, creativity, and well-being with the objectives of reduction of seniors’ isolation and improvement of their social participation; the improvement of personal competence and abilities (cognitive, social, communicative) and the creation of the intergenerational dialogue between seniors and their relatives; the generation of neighbourhood networks, local communities (support between citizens and families living on the territory) and the engagement of seniors in other cultural and social opportunities offered by local entities (i.e. social clubs)