VTC MARGARITA — Inclusion and accessibility in Arts & Culture
VTC Margarita is a specialized centre for vocational training and employment for people with intellectual disabilities in Athens, Greece. It hosts nearly 100 students, who all have the chance to participate in entertaining, cultural and educational activities. It also supports 45 persons, who are working at the free labour market. The services provided by VTC Margarita are: Education and Special Vocational Training — Sheltered Workshops —Employment Opportunities (Margarita provides beneficiaries occupational orientation and support aiming at their integration in the free labour market.) —Parallel Support Services —Supported Living. Their goal is to provide young people with intellectual disabilities chances for personal development and progress, realization of their rights, autonomous living and social and professional integration. Their vision is equality and total inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the society, in order for them to lead the fullest possible lives. For VTC Margarita, Art isn’t just a medium of self-understanding and expression but also supports the communication and the autonomy of people with intellectual disabilities. It is a horizontal element in the operation of VTC Margarita as it provides opportunities to participate in creative activities, socialize, and develop communicational and emotional expression skills. Since 2019, VTC Margarita decided to invest in the development of a well-rounded Atelier of Visual Arts that will develop the artistic knowledge and skills of the service users. It aims to cultivate the expressive skills and the creativity of adults with intellectual disabilities while also training them in professional careers in the field of Art & Culture. The Atelier collaborates closely with 13m2 Gallery, which is owned by VTC Margarita.
Since: 1979
Staff members: 40-50
Expertise: Disabilities & inclusion
Target groups: People with disabilities and special needs
Areas of work: Sociocultural activities & cultural mediation — Artistic activities — Art education & other educational activities — Local / regional / national projects — International projects (EU and beyond) / managing EU funds — Event management — Running other cultural infrastructure — Evaluation — Artistic creation / production — Capacity building activities / Courses / Trainings / Lifelong learning activities — Networking / cooperation — Consultancy — Advocacy / Policy
Fields of work: Theatre — Painting, drawing — Photography — Decorative arts — Poetry
Topics of work: Fighting discrimination/stereotypes, inclusion, social cohesion & community development — Young people (13-30 years old) —Disabilities & inclusion — Human rights & Democracy — Working conditions of cultural professionals, labour rights & human resources — Territorial development at the local and regional level —Internationalisation and mobility
EU/International cooperation: VTC Margarita has rich experience in ERASMUS+ and other European projects, both as a leader and partner, thus it is a reliable partner of high capacity, supported by its RDI, Legal and Finance Department. Some of its projects: EASY COOKING (Erasmus + KA2, 6 partners, topic: development of a cookbook for students with mental disabilities, awarded as best practice) — I DECIDE (Erasmus + KA2, 6 partners, topic: supported decision making using digital literacy & numeracy Skills) — ALIVE & KICKING (Erasmus+ SPORTS, 8 partners, topic: inclusion through Sports) —NO BARRIER WITH SPORT (Erasmus + KA1, 6 partners, topic: inclusion through sports) — EqualVET (Erasmus+ KA3, 6 partners, topic: certification of vocational skills) — CAN BE FAIR (Erasmus + KA1, 6 partners, topic: inclusive education) —INCLUDNET (Erasmus + KA2, 6 partners, topic: entrepreneurship of people with intellectual disabilities) — SMART4ALL (Horizon2020, 24 partners, topic: development of a technological hub for the exchange of good practices) — ValEmpl (Erasmus + KA2, 10 partners, topic: valorising employment for people with disability) — Threads Crossing the Wrap (Erasmus + KA2, 7 partners, topic: inclusion through weaving) — ENTELIS+ (Erasmus + KA3, 10 partners, topic: assistive technology in inclusive education) —BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) (Erasmus + KA2, 5 partners, topic: the use of mobiles and application for independent living and employment for people with intellectual disabilities)
Priorities for the network: Building-up collaborations by finding out about calls, funding, partners, and joining projects — Learning about the emerging trends, challenges and issues about EU-level of cultural management/policy (The Arts & Culture field should be a priority for the EU, which should be reflected at the budget that the EU provides!) — Co-organizing and hosting ENCC events
