SYMANSIS Resilience Project Lab
Music, education, and inclusion for a resilient future
About
The SYMANSIS Resilience Lab was a pioneering initiative uniting MESO, the University of the Highlands & Islands (Scotland), EURICCA, and Eleusis-based partners to explore how music and cultural education can build resilience in youth facing adversity.
Programme Overview
Organised in Eleusis during European Music Day 2018, the lab brought together artists, educators, and non-formal facilitators to co-create safe spaces for expression, empowerment, and learning. Youth participants -many from migrant or vulnerable backgrounds -engaged in body movement, rhythm, storytelling, and cross-cultural workshops.
MESO’s Role
- Lead organiser in Greece and local implementation partner
- Workshop and lab co-design
- Partner curation and production of SYMANSIS Live
- Cultural mediation between academic, grassroots, and civic actors
Partners
- University of the Highlands & Islands
- Djagora University (Senegal)
- EURICCA
- Children Support Centre of Eleusis
- Eleusis2021 – ECoC
- MESO Events
Supported By
- Global Challenge Research Fund (UK)
- Creative Scotland
- Local civic and education stakeholders
Key Activities
- SYMANSIS Lab for ages 16–24 at Children Support Centre of Eleusis
- Workshops combining percussion, movement, voice, and visual storytelling
- International facilitators from Scotland, Italy, France, and Greece
- Co-designed performance presented during European Music Day Eleusis
- Inclusive learning environment with youth from diverse communities
Achievements
- Engaged 20+ vulnerable youth in immersive cultural learning
- Piloted resilience-building methods through music and movement
- Created a transferable educational toolkit for creative inclusion
- Presented live results during public European Music Day events
Legacy and Impact
SYMANSIS helped set the foundation for long-term cooperation across cultural resilience, youth education, and civic empowerment. It remains a reference point for MESO’s inclusive programming and European cooperation in the field of cultural wellbeing.
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