ليتوانيا

ALF LT network member Institute of Asian and transcultural studies of Vilnius University has shared:

A documentary on the freedom to study religions in Central and Eastern Europe was released on September 30, the first ever documentary on the academic study of religion. 🎥
The film involved 20 three-generation scholars from eight countries examining the question of whether we can freely study religions in Central and Eastern Europe today. Among the participants-interviewers - professor at Institute of Asian and transcultural studies of Vilnius University (ALF LT member) dr. Audrius Beinorius, 🗣
30 years after the era of scientific atheism and underground churches, this collection of portraits of life lessons intertwines personal stories with the history of science.

The video can be found at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6IRpf_pBaY 
Director: Valerio Severino
Prepared according to CROSS project no. 101032467 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions MSCA v EUROPEAN COMMISSION.
Executive producer: Department of Andragogy and Cultural Anthropology, Department of Sociology, Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic).

Do you dare to be creative?

When it comes to creativity, what do you think of? Perhaps artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso or Dalí
come to your mind. Perhaps acclaimed writers like Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen or Oscar
Wilde or film directors like Alfred Hitchcock or Christopher Nolan. Or maybe great classical composers like
Mozart or Beethoven. Even famous singers like Michael Jackson or Beyoncé, among many others.
Creativity has no limits and it is thanks to it that human beings have evolved to the present day. But being
creative does not only mean being the author of great artistic, literary, cinematographic or musical works;
creativity can be found in a simple way in almost any everyday gesture. Of course one can be creative by
drawing and crafting, but also by doing outdoor activities, solving problems or expressing oneself through
writing and acting.
Everyone is creative in their own way, even people with disabilities. In fact, for them, creativity is key in
their lives as it helps them to overcome every obstacle they encounter along the way. Thinking and acting
creatively allows people with disabilities to break down the physical and/or mental barriers that often limit
them, helping them to participate in society and lead a full and satisfying life.
With this in mind, the Power of Creativity project (n° 2021-1-LT01-KA220-ADU-000035122-E10003829),
which involves organisations from Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, seeks to develop
new creativity-based training materials aimed at those who work with disabled people. Following these
materials they will be able to include in their activities and programmes a variety of original activities and
workshops related to different topics that promote creativity among people with disabilities.
The first result of the project, a Manual for adult trainers on Creativity and Art therapy for disabled people, is
currently available on the project website. It contains a wide range of activities related to art-therapy,
handicrafts, creativity training, outdoor activities, creative writing and relaxation, all of them with a
common focus and purpose: creativity. This Manual, available in all languages of the consortium, is also the
starting point for the second result of the project, a Guide for teachers to engagement with disabled people
which will also be available in all languages of the consortium very soon. In this Guide several workshops
focused on different types of disabilities are presented: deafness, physical disability, asperger, intellectual
disability, cerebral palsy and mental illnesses. Each workshop is described step by step, so that those
working with people with disabilities can not only acquire new ideas, but also implement them successfully.
On the other hand, this second Guide also offers indications on how to carry out these workshops online,
because if we have learned anything good from the pandemic situation experienced in recent years it is
that creativity is also key when it comes to new technologies.
And you, do you dare to be creative?
Visit the Power of Creativity website and social media for more information about the Power of Creativity
project:
Website: https://disable.altervista.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerofcreativityproject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerofcreativityproject/ 

Excursion in “VILNIUS OLD TOWN” - to raise awareness on Intercultural Dialogue endeavors of the Lithuanian national network  

On the 7th of November, Vilnius

Dedicated to Mediterranean Day.

During 700 years Vilnius was created, built and nurtured by the peoples, religions and cultures that found a home here. Signs of their activity and life, tensions and agreements, are reflected in the architecture of the sanctuaries, where identity and cult interact.

Although we tend to imagine sanctuaries as a place of peace and prayer, where everything stands and does not move for ages, the old sanctuaries are witnesses of conflicts and tensions, and the signs of history are very clearly visible here.

During the excursion, we learned how the Greek Rite Catholic confession was formed historically. We visited Vilnius Unitarian Basilian Church, which is currently the only Greek rite Catholic church where regular prayers are held in Ukrainian. It is an important spiritual center for people who have fled Ukraine. Orthodox believers who want to hear the native Ukrainian language also pray here. The Church still bears witness to the values of openness, unity and acceptance of all, even though there have been attempts to suppress them.

Visiting St. Teresė Church and the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn pointed to the common historical memory, culture and common struggle of Lithuania-Poland from the oppression of imperial Russia in the 19th century. However, during the creation of two new states after World War I, the conflict developed in the 20th century. left many wounds in our common history that are still difficult to open. There are still many questions about how to share the common heritage. Was the poet Adomas Mickevičius Lithuanian or Polish? It is still an open question.

The tour sparked a lot of thought and discussion:

How communities living in one city were able to unite over the ages through common values. 

What is our inherited genetic code? Our ancestors were able to accept everyone with a different language, prayer, customs, and what are we and what do we want to become?