On April 30th, 2025, Fondazione AIDA ets hold a seminar at Sala da Lisca Cavalli in Verona.
During the event, Eliana Crestani, artistic operator for AIDA, presented the SPIRAL Project (Structure for Inclusive Arts Learning), sharing the results of local and international activities developed within the Erasmus+ initiative.
The presentation highlighted SPIRAL’s mission to create accessible curricula and training frameworks for inclusive arts — spanning theatre, dance, music, multimedia, and literature. Crestani illustrated how the Verona laboratories, developed in partnership with ULSS 9, have used artistic expression to support emotional well-being, communication, and social participation among young people.
The audience, comprising educators, cultural professionals, and representatives from the social sector, engaged with enthusiasm, recognizing SPIRAL as a strong example of innovation in inclusive artistic education.
Through this event, the project reaffirmed its European vision: integrating culture, education, and health to make the arts accessible to all.
Theatrical & Music Methods for Inclusive Art Learning
On January 31st, 2025, Fondazione AIDA ets hosted the workshop “Theatrical & Music Methods for Inclusive Art Learning” at the Centro Polifunzionale di Ponte Crencano in Verona.
Organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ SPIRAL Project, the event brought together social workers, educators, and professionals from the socio-educational field for a two-hour creative training session focused on exploring movement, theatre, and music as tools for inclusion.
Led by an international team of facilitators, the workshop focused on non-verbal communication, emotional expression, and collaborative creation. Through physical and vocal exercises, participants explored ways to foster empathy and connection across language barriers.
The lively, interactive session encouraged reflection on how artistic practices can nurture social cohesion and accessibility in education and care settings.
This Verona workshop marked a significant step in SPIRAL’s mission to develop inclusive arts methodologies across Europe, combining artistic innovation with social impact.
SPIRAL Labs Begin in Verona (Italy)
From April 11th, 2024 to April 03rd 2025, for a total of 22 meetings, Fondazione AIDA ets did the SPIRAL local laboratories in Verona — a series of theatre and movement workshops designed to promote well-being, self-expression, and inclusion among young people aged 17–24 experiencing mental health challenges.
Developed in collaboration with ULSS 9 Verona, the initiative employed a community-based and peer-to-peer approach, integrating the performing arts with healthcare support, under the guidance of Fondazione AIDA’s artistic facilitators. Small groups of participants engaged in creative exercises that fostered body awareness, confidence, and interpersonal communication.
Through improvisation, dance, and group interaction, the participants learned to view their bodies not as sources of limitation but as instruments of creativity and connection.
The laboratories quickly became a safe and inspiring space for emotional discovery and social growth — demonstrating the transformative power of culture in supporting mental well-being.
The start of these workshops marked an important milestone in the SPIRAL project, setting the tone for the inclusive and collaborative work that would continue throughout the following months.
Hungarian Team Embarks on Creative Journey with Spiral Project
The Hungarian team is making waves with their dynamic participation in the Spiral Project! Based in Budapest, this creative arts group has a long history of collaboration, but this marks the first time they are coming together under the Spiral Project's banner.
In their drama and visual arts workshops, creativity takes center stage. These sessions focus on nurturing imagination and creativity, enhancing physical space awareness, and developing body consciousness. Participants delve into personal imagery, associative thinking, abstraction, and symbolism, all while engaging in visual creation.
At the core of their workshops is a spirit of wholehearted play. The team, comprised of daring, passionate, and playful individuals, invites you to witness their vibrant energy firsthand during the upcoming mobility event in Eger this September. Join us in celebrating the innovative and inclusive spirit of the Hungarian Spiral Project team.
ERASMUS+ KA2 SPIRAL - Structure for Inclusive Arts Learning Arrives in Athens for its Second International Cooperation Event
From June 3rd to 9th, the ERASMUS+ KA2 SPIRAL project will host its second international cooperation event in Athens, under the auspices of the Aeroplio Theater. During this event, experts from various disciplines and fields of arts education, poets, dancers, musiciands, cultural managers, contemporanean art curators, curated by the partner entities, will convene to develop educational and training resources for adults with disabilities who are prosumers of arts and culture.
Following the footsteps of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia and Santiago´s Ways last january, Athens—often regarded as the cradle of European and Western civilization—proudly hosts this innovative European project. The initiative aims to empower professional artists and cultural managers with disabilities by identifying and promoting best practices for access, participation, and professionalization in the cultural and creative sectors across Europe.
Kick-Off Meeting of Spiral in Santiago de Compostela
On January 30 and 31, we held the Kick-off Meeting for the SPIRAL project at the headquarters of the SGAE North Foundation to comprehensively plan the ERASMUS+ KA2 training project that we will develop until August next year, 2025
The opening of the meeting on Tuesday, January 30, was led by Branca Novoneyra, Artistic Director of the Uxío Novoneyra Foundation, representative of the partner host entity, who welcomed the partners together with Luis Rodrigues, the Project Leader Director.
The first day was dedicated to the presentation of the network partners: Theatro Aeroploio - ENA Theatro Giapaidia (Greece), Magyar Speciális Művészeti Műhely Egyesület - MSMME (Hungary), Fondazione AIDA (Italy), Glocalmusic (Portugal), and the Uxío Novoneyra Foundation (Spain). Luis Rodrigues concluded the morning with a presentation of the project and the activities each partner is responsible for.
In the afternoon, they traveled to the Casa da Cultura in Milladoiro to attend a rehearsal of the piece by the Spanish Theatre Award Chévere Company, "Helen Keller, the Wonder Woman" and afterward, they had a meeting with Xesús Ron. The company's director answered questions about the production that reveals the lesser-known aspects of Helen Keller's personality, the blind and deaf-mute woman who amazed the world with her speeches and writings at the beginning of the 20th century.
Wednesday, January 31, began with the presentation of the Communication Plan by Uxío Novo, followed by Alexandra Santos and Luis Rodrigues, who laid out the common workspace and the evaluation methodology that the partners agreed upon in a consensual manner.
The day concluded with a visit to the Tino Grandío painting exhibition, "Correspondences," at the Abanca Obra Social Center in Praza de Cervantes.