SPARK
Supporting the Penitentiary System Advancement through Reflection and Knowledge about Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Programme: Erasmus+ KA220-HED – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education
Grant Agreement No.: KA220-HED-511E62B6
Erasmus+ Grant Amount: €250,000
The SPARK project aims to enhance the inclusiveness and human-centered approach of the penitentiary system by addressing linguistic and cultural barriers that hinder effective communication between people deprived of liberty and the professionals who work with them. The project seeks to build a sustainable international network for training and knowledge exchange involving universities, NGOs, social services, and correctional institutions, with a special focus on cooperation with Ukrainian partners .
Objectives:
- Establish a sustainable network of public and private institutions dedicated to training and cooperation on linguistic and cultural barriers in deprivation of liberty contexts.
- Develop a comprehensive intersectoral and interprofessional curriculum tailored to different deprivation of liberty settings.
- Foster a collaborative transnational learning environment involving students, educators, and researchers from Ukraine and EU countries.
- Disseminate project results among professionals, policymakers, and the public to reduce stereotypes and misconceptions about life and work in correctional institutions .
Expected Results:
- A 30-hour modular Open Educational Resource (OER) designed for higher education and lifelong learning.
- A multilingual glossary of key terms related to work in deprivation of liberty contexts.
- Teaching guidelines and methodological recommendations for effective communication and education in multicultural environments.
- Enhanced intersectoral competences among students and professionals to support effective communication and social reintegration, including work with veterans and internally displaced persons .
Partners:
- University of Genoa (Italy) – Coordinator
- University of Alcalá (Spain)
- Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (Estonia)
- Associazione San Marcellino Onlus (Italy)
- Fundación Abrazando Ilusiones (Spain)
- Mariupol State University (Ukraine)
- Association of Researchers of European Values in Education (Ukraine) .
Project Coordinator at Mariupol State University:
Andriy Stoyka
+380 50 326 6266
[email protected]
SPARK project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) or the Italian National Agency INDIRE. Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
