Arts Practices for Inclusion

Empowering arts practitioners to create inclusive environments for special needs, vulnerable groups.

API utilizes Visual Arts, Music, Play, Drama, & Movement to foster learning outcomes. API promotes social inclusion and enhances socio-emotional well-being for special needs and vulnerable groups. By creating inclusive learning environments, API harnesses creative learning. Our whole-school approach ensures comprehensive interventions, engaging students, teachers, and the community at large.

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Overview

HundrED shortlisted this innovation

HundrED has shortlisted this innovation to one of its innovation collections. The information on this page has been checked by HundrED.

Web presence

2018

Established

20K

Children

3

Countries

Target group

Community

Updated

July 2024

Our long-term goal is to create an inclusive, empowering education ecosystem for vulnerable groups. Through API, we foster holistic development and bridge education gaps. Integrating API with SDGs, we promote equity and inclusion. Our whole-school approach involves interventions for students, teachers, policy changes, and community involvement, transforming schools into dynamic ecosystems.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

We promote scalable solutions for innovative educational practices in student well-being. The Indian education system ranks 33rd globally, with 1 in 7 children being neurodiverse. Public schools lack resources for diverse needs. API uses arts to create inclusive environments and promote holistic development Aligned with SDG 4, SDG 10, and NEP 2020, API ensures interventions for all learners.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

API uses diverse art forms to engage children in and out of the classroom. Grounded in cognitive neuroscience, human development theories, and Indian psychology, our one-year certificate course equips educators with evidence-based, experiential, and theoretical methodologies. Through 486 hours of learning, including direct beneficiary work, field immersions, and supervision, API fosters community and empowerment. API outcomes show statistically significant improvements in socio-emotional well-being among beneficiaries and increased opportunities for inclusion in educational and community settings.API promotes community engagement, advocacy for inclusive policies, and broader societal impact, fostering empathy and understanding for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, our proprietary curriculum ensures innovative and interactive learning experiences.

How has it been spreading?

Since 2012, Snehadhara Foundation (SF) in Bangalore has led Arts Practices for Inclusion, helping 10,500 individuals and training 3,000 professionals in eight countries. The API course, since 2020, has trained 171 practitioners across India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, benefiting 20,000 people. Awarded the Millennium Alliance Global Award, SF's reach spans multiple cities and countries. Main achievements include expanding the API course to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and impacting vulnerable groups. Over the next 2-3 years, SF aims to train over 100 practitioners across India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, extend to another South Asian region, and introduce the methodology in Bangladesh. They also plan to design a course for volunteers in relief camps in Manipur.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

If you want to be a part of this innovation, nominate employees from your organization for our one-year API training. Each nominated educator will receive guidance from a dedicated Supervisor to ensure high-quality delivery of API sessions. We will consistently monitor and evaluate both the educator and the beneficiaries at your organization. Reach out to us at https://prajnadhara.snehadhara.org/

Media

Snehadhara Foundation Newsletter April-September 2024 here: https://snehadharafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Snehadhara-Foundation-Newsletter-April-September-2024.pdf

API Practitioners Over the Years from India, Nepal Sri Lanka. Over 130+ practitioners have been trained to take this methodology to learning and education spaces in these countries, with a focus on grassroots organizations and spaces.

API Trainings in Progress. These trainings combine neuropsychology, Eastern Mind traditions, cognitive psychology and more to give a practical and theoretical understanding and experience of music, visual arts, drama, movement, play to the practitioners in training.

API Shift in Beneficiary Scores in the Social, Emotional, Inclusion Domain Pre and Post-Intervention. Over the years of research, we have found a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of children in learning and education systems before and after API sessions were conducted with them.

Implementation steps

Content and Planning

1. Curriculum Design: Focus on comprehensive training for supervisors and faculty involved in the course.
2. Partner Onboarding: Collaborate with grassroots partner organizations and nominate representatives for specialized API training.
3. Framework Development: Foster skill development and alignment with inclusive educational practices, empowering local partners to support the initiative effectively.

Conducting Training

1. Training Sessions: Involve nominated individuals in hands-on API methodology training.
2. Resource Distribution: Provide API kits containing arts materials for beneficiary activities to ensure effective implementation and support creative engagement and learning.

Beneficiary Work and Supervision

1. Integration: Trainees incorporate API into their organizations' existing practices and protocols.
2. Supervision: Ensure ongoing supervision to maintain the quality of interventions.
3. Comprehensive Curriculum: Complete 486 hours of teaching, including theoretical instruction, practical arts experience, field immersions, supervision, and evaluation.

Feedback and Evaluation

1. Assessment: Conduct research to evaluate the efficacy of API on the social, emotional, and inclusive well-being of beneficiaries.
2. Feedback Collection: Gather feedback from partner organizations to inform improvements and ensure program effectiveness.
3. Continuous Improvement: Use the evaluation process to refine practices and enhance the overall impact of the initiative.

Conclusion and Continuation

1. Certification: Award certification to API practitioners upon completion.
2. Method Updates: Evaluate and update course methods based on feedback and research reports.
3. Sustained Growth: Continue onboarding and training new educators, fostering sustained growth and the expansion of inclusive practices within the community.