Context and background of project MovingSounds is a small social enterprise that develops and delivers a range of arts and nature based practice workshops and trainings and which is committed to contributing to the regeneration of its own local communities and to helping create a more life affirming, equitable and sustainable world. Objectives of project "MovingSounds across Europe" aims to support MovingSounds to significantly increase the impact, effectiveness and outreach of its work by supporting the organisation with the capacity it needs to be able to meet its wider aims. It will do this by: - Learning from and collaborating with European partners to share good practice and benefit a diversity of European learners. - Significantly increase the quality and attractiveness of its trainings to be better placed to inspire and empower its learners and meet its wider aims. - Coherently support its team of trainers to enhance their effectiveness as educators and enable them to better secure paid employment. Number and profile of participants This one year project will involve fifteen MovingSounds trainers travelling to Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu in Spain to either participate in or co-facilitate a residential training at their land based education centre high up in a wild and remote part of the Catalan Pyrenees. Participants are all arts and nature based trainers delivering trainings that inspire and empower their diversity of learners to become more active citizens passionate about regenerating their communities and creating a more life affirming, equitable and sustainable world by connecting more deeply with their own creativity and the natural world. Participants are all skilled and experienced in a range of arts and nature based practices and are passionate about continually developing themselves to be better placed to deliver on their mission and values. Half the participants face economic obstacles and are currently delivering workshops on a voluntary basis as a means to increasing their skills and experience to be able to secure paid employment. They are all passionate about their trainings reaching and benefiting disadvantaged learners and have first hand experience as to how deepening our connection with the natural world can transform our lives. Description of activities Between July 2014 and May 2015 participants will travel to Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu in Spain to participate in one of the following trainings: - Permaculture Design Course - Permaculture, Nature Connection and Deep Ecology - Effective Collaboration - Wild Camp Methodology An Action-Learning methodology will be used throughout to ensure that preparation, delivery, monitoring and evaluation and dissemination are fully embedded within the context of a coherent reflective learning process. We will also be using a collaborative and participatory methodology that involves both partner organisations, participants and learners/target groups all playing an active role within this Action-Learning process. We are committed to a learner-led methodology that ensures that all of our educational work is inspired and informed by the genuine needs of our target groups. We will also embed an 'art of mentoring' based methodology to ensure participant learning and the impact of this project are maximised. Description of envisaged results and impact We envisage this project to provide MovingSounds with the necessary capacity to bring about a significant step change in its development and outreach work. In the short and medium term this will include increased capacity, ability and experience to collaborate, share good practice and deliver at a European level; increased social capital both locally and at a European level; enhanced quality, attractiveness, effectiveness and outreach of MovingSounds trainings, especially to disadvantaged learners across Europe; and increased employability of MovingSounds trainers and its learners. Longer term benefits We envisage this step change in MovingSounds' educational work to manifest in a significant increase in the amount and quality of arts and nature based educational practice work both in the UK and across Europe. We envisage those already delivering arts and nature based education will become better networked and will be working collaboratively across Europe to develop and deliver a joined up, long term strategy aiming to inspire and motivate arts and nature inspired active citizenship. We also envisage arts and nature based educational activities to become inherent within a much wider range of trainings and workshops that currently do not include this nature based medium and methodology. Moreover, we envisage this project resulting in significantly more people across Europe becoming active citizens inspired and empowered through their growing connection with creativity and the natural world. We truly believe this project will help create a more life affirming, equitable and sustainable world.