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On December 3rd, 2024, Center for Social Innovation (CSI) Cyprus successfully hosted the CARE Multiplier Event titled “Dine, Network, and Share with CARE!” in Nicosia, bringing together 40 participants in total consisted by a diverse group of visually impaired participants, ceramists, artists, educators, disability experts, and stakeholders. The event was a celebration of the project’s achievements and an opportunity to reflect on its impact on social inclusion and self-expression through ceramics. Held at Stou Manoli tin Taverna, the evening began with a presentation of the CARE project’s journey, followed by an exhibition of ceramic artworks created by visually impaired learners during the project’s local and international workshops/ trainings. The unique pieces, rich in tactile detail and creativity, sparked meaningful conversations among attendees. The event included dinner and fostered a welcoming atmosphere for networking and exchange, encouraging participants to share their impressions, personal growth, and experiences. A dedicated evaluation session allowed for feedback collection, emphasizing the project’s positive influence on both learners and professionals. Throughout the evening, EU visibility requirements were met, with banners and materials prominently displayed. The event was further promoted through social media coverage on CSI’s platforms and the CARE Facebook page. The Cyprus multiplier event successfully celebrated CARE’s outcomes while reinforcing the value of inclusive, accessible artistic education. It concluded with a strong sense of community, inspiring continued support for creative initiatives that empower and include visually impaired individuals.    

In April 2025, the Municipal Theater of Kallithea hosted the CARE project’s multiplier event in Athens, organized by Sigma Business Network. The event celebrated the creative journey of visually impaired young people who, through ceramics, explored new ways of expression, communication, and connection. Visitors had the chance to engage with an exhibition of tactile ceramic artworks created during the workshops. Each piece reflected the participants’ personal growth and the inclusive spirit of the CARE project, which combined artistic practice with innovative educational approaches. The event brought together people from the fields of disability, education, and culture, offering space for dialogue and inspiration. A symbolic ceramic lighthouse, created by the participants, was gifted to the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece, marking a meaningful gesture of community and collaboration. The CARE event in Athens affirmed the project’s core message: creativity belongs to everyone, and when artistic spaces are made accessible, inclusion becomes a lived reality.        

The Erasmus+ project C.A.R.E.-Ceramic Artworks to Raise Esteem and Employability is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to empowering young people with visual impairments (V.I.P.) through creative expression, skills development, and inclusion in cultural and economic life. Running from October 2022 to August 2025, the project harnesses the power of ceramic art to enhance psychomotor skills, boost self-confidence, and foster employability among its participants. Led by a diverse European consortium—I.E.R.F.O.P. ONLUS (Italy), PRISM Impresa Sociale (Italy), SIGMA (Greece), Ardmore Education and Development (Ireland), CSI – Center for Social Innovation (Cyprus), and FRAME (Poland)—CARE engages both educators and learners in an inclusive, transnational journey of learning and creativity. Capacity building for educators: Joint Staff Training in Poland A central component of the project was the Joint Staff training event held in Łódź, Poland, from 22–28 October 2023. Hosted by FRAME, the five-day training equipped art educators with innovative tools and approaches to support visually impaired learners. The CSI team from Cyprus actively contributed to both the design and delivery of non-formal educational activities. Participants explored theoretical and practical modules on clay handling, inclusive communication strategies, and adaptive tools for visually impaired students. The training strengthened collaboration among partners and significantly enhanced the trainers’ capacities to implement inclusive arts education. A later visit of the Cypriot participants to the School for the Blind offered firsthand insight into accessible teaching environments. Fostering creativity and skills: Local ceramic workshops A core activity of the CARE project has been the implementation of 100-hour local ceramic workshops in each partner country, including Cyprus, where CSI facilitated inclusive training sessions between February and November 2024. Held in accessible venues such as Kuns Studio in Nicosia, the workshops combined technical instruction in ceramic art with soft skills development, entrepreneurship, and cultural exploration. Participants—primarily aged 15–27, with some older individuals included for reasons of accessibility and equity—learned essential ceramic techniques such as pinching, coiling, glazing, and engraving. They also participated in museum visits, festivals, and self-exploration sessions around themes like identity and community engagement. Each workshop was co-led by a dedicated team of ceramists, VI experts from the St. Barnabas School for the Blind, and youth trainers. Activities were designed to improve psychomotor coordination, promote self-expression, and introduce participants to marketing, portfolio building, and business planning. Feedback highlighted high levels of engagement, a sense of accomplishment, and improved confidence among learners. Many expressed pride in their creations and the collaborative spirit fostered throughout the sessions. Transnational Learning: Blended mobility in Italy From 6–12 October 2024, selected learners participated in the Blended mobility of learners event in Cagliari, Italy. This opportunity brought together participants from all partner countries for a week of cultural exchange, collaborative learning, and joint creative work. The mobility activity builded upon the skills gained in local workshops and reinforced the project’s European identity and inclusive vision. Celebrating talent: My First Artwork initiative An inspiring highlight of the project is the “My First Artwork” Initiative, developed in close collaboration with the School for the Blind in Cyprus. As part of this initiative, the ceramic artworks created by students have been permanently exhibited at the Tactual Museum of the School, celebrating their creativity and ensuring lasting visibility of their talent. Selected pieces will also be featured in the Diversity Forum hosted by CSI on 22 May 2025, offering participants a platform to share their stories and inspire wider audiences.   Learn more & stay connected: The CARE project not only supports the personal growth of its participants but also offers valuable resources for educators and youth workers. We invite you to explore our learning materials and toolkits available at: 🔗 https://www.care-platform.eu/index.php/learning-material Stay updated on project activities through our social media channels: 📘 Facebook: CARE Project EU 📷 Instagram: @care_project_eu ▶️ YouTube: CARE EU The CARE project exemplifies how inclusive, creative education can unlock new pathways for empowerment, dignity, and employability for visually impaired youth across Europe.

We’re thrilled to share highlights from a truly inspiring event that marked the official conclusion of the C.A.R.E. – Ceramic Artworks to Raise Esteem and Employability project, implemented by the FRAME Foundation. The event program featured: A workshop on inclusive education led by Dr. Adam Gogacz from the Cogito Consortium – Education Centre, and expert of the FRAME Foundation, A hands-on ceramic workshop guided by Ewa Ber – artist and educator from Zbychewka – Ceramic Studio, Presentation of the C.A.R.E. project results An exhibition of unique ceramic artworks created during international training sessions and local workshops held as part of the C.A.R.E. project. One of the most touching moments of the event was the joyful collaboration between younger and older students during the workshops – a wonderful example of intergenerational cooperation , which we are especially proud to promote. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Łódź School for the Visually Impaired for co-organizing the event, for the presence of both students and educators, and for the warm hospitality. We are grateful to be working with you and are already looking forward to the next joint initiatives!

On June 24, 2025, the final conference of the European CARE project was held at the Auditourium of IERFOP, Cagliari. The conference, titled ” Tomorrow’s Europe: Mediterranean of the Future, Frontiers of Health, Regenerative Tourism, and Art Therapies for a New Global Well-being.” took the form of a roundtable discussion and celebrated the achievements of the CARE project, an initiative that has opened new horizons for visually impaired youth across Europe.   Coordinated by I.E.R.P.O.F. and carried out in partnership with other European partners, the CARE project has been running for three years, engaging blind and visually impaired young people from Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Ireland, and Greece in a journey of artistic exploration and social inclusion through ceramic arts.   Throughout the project, participants attended tactile ceramics workshops led by Giovanni Pulli ceramist expert, where they worked with clay as a tool for expression and creativity. The project aimed to enhance manual, relational, and communicative skills by allowing participants to interact with materials through touch, transforming their hands into instruments of perception. Their creations are permanently displayed in the Auditorium of IERFOP, as the exhibition of the artworks is a central part of the CARE project.”   The multiplier event celebrated the results of this inclusive and interdisciplinary initiative, successfully combining art, accessibility, and personal development. The roundtable discussion was attended by key figures in the fields of education, representatives of the authorities, disability advocacy, and cultural heritage, including:   Dr. Roberto Pili, President of IERFOP Dr. Bachisio Zolo, Director of Educational and Training Activities, IERFOP Dr. Rossana Podda, Assessor for Tourism Alessandro Melillo, Director of Development and Research Area. Dr. Bachisio Zolo, Director of Educational and Training Activities, IERFOP Dr. Giuseppe Corrias, Telemedicine Services Dr. Claudia Serra, Project Coordinator for CARE Giovanni Pulli, Expert Ceramist for the CARE Project   All the young participants from the local workshops   The conference highlighted the project’s key stages, emphasizing the benefits for participants in terms of improved tactile perception, motor skills, and social interaction. The CARE project demonstrated a successful model for inclusive education and artistic empowerment, offering a replicable format for promoting equal opportunities and creative expression among young people with visual impairments in Europe.        

On December 12, 2024, PRISM in collaboration with the Regional Centre for Design and Restoration in Palermo hosted the final conference of the European CARE project, an initiative that has opened new horizons for visually impaired youth across Europe. Coordinated by I.E.R.P.O.F. and carried out in partnership with PRISM Impresa Sociale srl and other European partners, the CARE project has been running for three years, engaging blind and visually impaired young people from Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Ireland, and Greece in a journey of artistic exploration and social inclusion through ceramic arts. Throughout the project, participants attended tactile ceramics workshops led by Sicilian ceramist Sonia Geraci, where they worked with clay as a tool for expression and creativity. The project aimed to enhance manual, relational, and communicative skills by allowing the participants to interact with materials through touch, transforming their hands into instruments of perception. Their creations have been displayed for one month at Palazzo Montalbo and currently at the Union of Blind in Palermo, as exhibition of the artworks is a central part of the CARE project. The multiplier event celebrated the results of this inclusive and interdisciplinary initiative, which successfully combined art, accessibility, and personal development. The conference featured contributions from key figures in the fields of education, disability advocacy, and cultural heritage, including: Alessandra De Caro, Director of the Regional Centre for Design and Restoration in Palermo Maria Concetta Cusimano, Head of the Regional Tiflological Education Support Center of the Italian National Federation for the Blind Alessandro Melillo, President of PRISM Impresa Sociale Tommaso Di Gesaro, President of the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted in Palermo and of the Florio-Salamone Institute for the Blind in Palermo Laura La Scala, European project manager for PRISM, presented the project’s key stages, highlighting the benefits for participants in terms of improved tactile perception, motor skills, and social interaction. The CARE project represented a successful model for inclusive education and artistic empowerment, offering a replicable format for promoting equal opportunities and creative expression among young people with visual impairments in Europe.    

We started ceramic workshops with our project Partners and the Łódź School for the Visually Impaired and Blind in Łódź in October 2023. The pace of events was very fast, because the first works of our participants were needed already in December. Together with the participants, we prepared glazed Christmas decorations. Anyone who works with clay knows that it is a material that requires time. Nothing can be rushed. The sculptures have to dry, they have to be polished, they have to be fired for the first time, glazed and finally fired again.  By the decision of our young, future ceramics masters, the decorations we made became the main product offered as part of the Christmas fair. The first decorations that we created as part of the ceramic workshops became a market commodity, and the funds obtained from their sale strengthened the budget of the entire school. Working with clay was therefore intertwined with conversations about the possibility of shaping the commercial offer of the ceramic studio. Together, we wondered how to start, creating an offer for the future company, and delved into the valuation of costs and revenues related to ceramic craftsmanship. The fair turned out to be a success and our products were very popular. This success translated into our further plans. We decided that our next works will also become an offer of a group of young ceramicists taking part in the CARE project, which will be exhibited at a exhibition, summarizing the entire workshop cycle of the project. But the exhibition, fair and exposition of our collective work is just a plan, the event will take place in September 2024. We are sure that it will be a unique event. The exhibition will be an interactive event. Our Young Ceramicists will exhibit all the works made during the ceramic workshops at their school’s stand to to submit them to the buyers’ market evaluation and make a contribution to the school budget. In addition to the fair, participants will conduct mini ceramic workshops for people interested in working with clay, passing on the knowledge they gained during the CARE project. The main highlight of the program will be the unveiling of a collective sculpture that we are still creating. The jointly prepared sculpture entitled “Sea of Possibilities” will become a joint work that will forever remain in the space of a public school, and will remind students of the opportunities for professional development in the ceramics industry.   However, there is still a long way to go before the exhibition Meanwhile, a study visit to the “Zbychewka” ceramic studio, which took place on May 21, is behind us. The participants of the project visited the workshop of our Master of Ceramics – Ewa Ber, to see and feel the charms of the work of a master of ceramics with their own eyes. During the meeting, talks about our own company and joint integration by the fire, we made sculptures that will be part of our joint project. Each of us has made a ceramic fish that will traverse our “sea of possibilities”. There is still a long way to go before the final of our cooperation, but we are proud of our achievements. However, the arcana of the work of a master ceramics is associated with elements that require special safety rules, firing and operating a ceramic kiln are tasks that require experience, caution and a large dose of knowledge. The participants saw the stove, took part in filling in the contribution, but they could not experience everything due to little experience in this area. That is why the master of ceramics conducting the workshops, prepared instructional videos for our students, which were discussed during a special edition of the workshops. The films are intended to introduce the arcana of the work of ceramic masters and indicate those stages of working with clay that require special care. In this way, the safety rules in the ceramics workshop were introduced. The workshops are still ongoing, new works are being created and we are all preparing for our visit to Sardinia, where we’ll meet CARE participants from other countries.  It will be a fantastic trip. See you.

In the context of the project CARE in Cyprus, after a long period of preparations, we started our ceramic workshops with VI young students during February. Since then, the students have been gathering at Kuns Studio in the heart of Nicosia where they create their unique artworks, with the assistance of the ceramist, the trainers, and the VI experts. The students have created individual and collective artworks under the subject “The castle we hide within us”. The final artwork, which will be exhibited permanently in a public space consists of towers, walls, and figurines. The walls symbolize protection and togetherness and also connect with the history of the Old City of Nicosia, which is surrounded by the Venetian Walls, a significant historical monument. The students also participate in other creative activities aimed at cultivating their skills in presentation, communication, culture, and entrepreneurship. So far, they have practiced pitching their artworks and presented them during the Diversity Forum 2024 at Eleftheria Square. This event serves as an inclusive platform for individuals from all walks of life to engage in thought-provoking discussions and collaborative initiatives centered around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in both workplace environments and broader societal contexts. Following the conference, the Diversity Fair provided an interactive space where participants shared their experiences and initiatives in promoting DEI, contributing to the creation of a more inclusive society. While the ceramic workshops concluding in June, in September students will participate in a study visit at the Archaeological Collection of Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, at an entrepreneurship seminar, and Access4All Festival in Limassol. CSI has prepared a rich and holistic program for the students to experience all the relevant aspects of ceramic creation and get the most out of it. It is very pleasant to see happy faces during each activity and also to see the progress the students have made.

Erasmus+ CARE’s ceramic workshops are proving to be a true success for young people with visual impairments in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Poland and Ireland. These workshops not only offer a unique opportunity to explore and develop new artistic skills but are also significantly improving the participants’ intrapersonal and interpersonal abilities, strengthening their social roles within communities. Participating in the ceramic workshops allows young people to discover and develop a sense of autonomy and self-confidence. Creating ceramic objects requires concentration, patience, and creativity, qualities that participants are learning to cultivate and appreciate. This creative process promotes personal reflection and emotional growth, allowing young people to explore their emotions and express them through arts and crafts. Working in a collaborative environment like CARE’s ceramic workshops promotes the development of interpersonal skills. Participants learn to communicate and work together, sharing ideas and techniques. This collaboration not only strengthens social bonds but also creates a sense of belonging and community, which is crucial for emotional and social well-being. One of the most innovative aspects of CARE’s ceramic workshops is the attention given to ergonomics and posture. Working with clay requires proper posture and specific movements, which help improve coordination and body awareness. This holistic approach not only improves the posture and physical health of the participants but also helps them develop advanced manual skills. Ceramics is also an art form that allows for extraordinary expressive freedom. In CARE’s workshops, young people can explore their imagination and bring their ideas to life. Creating unique and personal objects not only stimulates creativity but also provides a sense of accomplishment and pride. Each piece created represents a personal achievement and a work of art that will be displayed to the public very soon. These workshops, therefore, not only offer an opportunity for learning and growth but also a platform to showcase the talent and creativity of visually impaired and blind youth. Lately, public exhibitions of the created objects will not only celebrate individual successes but also raise public awareness about the importance of inclusion and diversity in our countries. Stay tuned for more updates about CARE!

Ierfop’s Care Project, the adventure continues for ten visually impaired young people From clay to ceramics. Under the guidance of master Nanni Pulli, the creations of the ten participants in the Erasmus+ Care course are slowly taking shape. Each object tells a story and becomes an emblem of the project itself, expressing both the uniqueness of the artist and the globality of Care’s message of inclusion and resilience. Thus, among the creations we find clocks depicting Sardinia, cups decorated with messages of accessibility, small nuraghi and flags of the 4 Moors, but also objects such as phoenixes and butterflies, representing rebirth and the will not to give up in the face of difficulties. After colouring and firing, the works will undergo crystallisation to add brilliance to the colour and transform the clay into ceramics. Improving self-esteem, manual dexterity and perception All in all, it was not only a training experience, thanks to the acquisition of clay working techniques, but also a socialising and awareness-raising experience. The group made and painted creations with the help of master Nanni Pulli and Ierfop tutors Claudia Serra, Alessia Cannas and Francesca Vargiolu, resulting in unique and artistically valuable pieces. While manipulating clay and painting, the participants improved their manual and perception skills, while gaining greater self-confidence. Finally, the opportunity to share workshop space allowed the group to get to know each other in depth, creating bonds of mutual esteem and support. The project will continue in June with in-person lessons at the Ierfop headquarters in Cagliari, via Platone 1/3, and will focus on entrepreneurship. To conclude the project, in October, there will be a meeting with participants from international partners and the realisation of a work to be displayed in a permanent exhibition in Cagliari.