PART 3: Involvement of the Community 

The Social inclusion of vulnerable children through art in the Lithuanian-Belarusian border regions (“Pažeidžiamų vaikų socialinė įtrauktis per meną Lietuvos ir Baltarusijos pasienio regionuose”) activity, having Varėna District Municipality Administration as promoter, is organised as creativity – aesthetic ritual. An integral part of activities other than greetings and farewells is reflection and/or self-assessment. Children reflect on two levels: about their emotional state (how they feel) and about how they can manage and complete the tasks (what they learn).

The challenge to inclusion addressed is Social Challenge. The practice provided a safe space for common work between students with various interests and status. It is an excellent example of how the setting should be organized in order for the involved participants to create bonds and to bring out the best out of all participating children – giving them the possibility to pick their tasks, to work alone or in cooperation with someone, establishing rules of acceptance and friendship. Implemented in 3 stages:

Topics of self-knowledge, student-centered tasks

Topics of communication with another, tasks developing interpersonal relationships

Group communication / collaboration topics, Collective creative tasks

The QR code implementation in the education process activity has the goal to include every student in the classroom to participate as an individual or in groups, helps build teamwork; using students’ curiosity in the teaching process; using simple tools available to every student in a new, unusual way.

The use of QR codes for educational activities needs to be planned ahead of time in two separate aspects: first - the information that is going to be coded and second – the environment in which the generated codes are going to be hidden.

By participating in this activity, students will strengthen their creativity and cooperation skills. The activity stimulates all students to “think outside the box” and to find a subject to be transformed into a QR code. This activity can help to overcome problems of exclusion connected with social and behavioral reasons. Indeed, it helps students to be engaged in the subject taught and to mutually respect each other in order to create a final common work.