THE PROJECT

SHARED IDENTITIES is an international Erasmus+ funded project that uses art as a powerful tool to support inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities in primary education. The project brings together schools, teachers, artists, students, and families from Hungary, Germany, Spain, and Portugal to create safe and inspiring learning spaces for children facing social, economic, learning, or emotional challenges. Through music, drama, dance, visual and media arts, children are encouraged to express who they are, explore their identities, and connect with others across cultural and social boundaries.

Over two years, the project offers arts-based workshops for children, professional trainings for teachers, and creative sessions involving families, complemented by international exchanges and shared learning experiences. The work with children is structured around four thematic semesters that reflect the core idea of Shared Identities: My roots and traditions, My surroundings, My community connections, and My dreams and aspirations. Through these themes, children are guided to better understand themselves and others, strengthen their self-confidence, develop empathy and cultural awareness, and build key competences such as communication, creativity, and active citizenship.

PROJECT COORDINATOR

MUS-E MAGYARORSZÁG KÖZHASZNÚ EGYESÜLET (HUNGARY) https://www.mus-e.hu/

For over 30 years, we have been bringing professional artists into primary schools across Hungary, working with socially disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs. Today, our program reaches around 350 children in 15 classes across 5 cities, offering art classes in music, drama, dance, visual arts, media arts, and social circus, in close cooperation with teachers. Our mission is to develop children’s learning and social skills, promoting equal opportunities for the future, while also supporting teachers and artists through specialized trainings and conferences. By working closely with schools and local communities, we aim to address educational and social challenges, helping every child feel empowered and included. We have been partners in international programs for many years, but SHARED IDENTITIES is the first international collaboration that we coordinate ourselves — fortunately, we are in good hands, and the project partners actively support each other’s work.

NATIONAL COORDINATION

PORTUGAL – ASSOCIAÇÃO YEHUDI MENUHIN PORTUGAL https://www.aymp.pt

AYMP – MUS-E Portugal has been promoting the arts as a tool for social inclusion, integration, and citizenship since its foundation, with the MUS-E Program at the heart of its work. In public schools, especially those with multicultural children from migrant or disadvantaged backgrounds, professional artists collaborate with teachers to bring music, dance, theater, and visual arts into the classroom. Through these activities, children develop creativity, empathy, resilience, and access diverse forms of expression, while learning to work together in dialogue and unity. MUS-E Portugal integrates artistic sessions into the school curriculum and organizes community events, family sessions, and trainings for teachers, artists, and educators. AYMP has extensive experience working with children at risk of exclusion, children with special needs, their families, and educational professionals, promoting equal opportunities and inclusion.

SPAIN – FUNDACIÓN YEHUDI MENUHIN ESPAÑA https://www.fundacionyehudimenuhin.org/

FYME is a non-profit and non-heritage organisation that develops education programs through art for the social and cultural integration of disadvantaged children and young people and it is an affiliated entity of the IYMF, operating the MUS-E Programme in Spain territories. Annually the FYME reaches over 30.000 children in primary and secondary schools, more than 3.000 teachers and +150 artists of different artistic disciplines (theatre, dance, visual arts, circus, yoga, martial arts, music…). The FYME carries out workshops implemented by highly trained artists with pedagogical experience who work, throughout the school year, within school hours, and continue after school hours, with specific work with families and local communities. These workshops are part of the School’s Annual General Programming. All their programs are evaluated by external entities. The FYME works in close collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Education in the promotion of reading at the primary school level and has an important number of artists specialized in active reading through theatre and visual arts tools.

GERMANY – MUS-E Deutschland e.V. https://www.mus-e.de/

MUS-E Deutschland – Germany – (is an affiliated entity to IYMF, in charge of implementing the MUS-E programme in Germany). MUS-E Germany is a non-profit association promoting holistic education and artistic expression for children and youth. Partnering with professional artists and educators, the non-profit association conducts workshops and projects in schools and kindergartens, emphasizing students’ creativity and personal growth. It fosters intercultural understanding by uniting youngsters from diverse backgrounds. MUS-E Germany works with professional artists and educators to offer workshops in schools and other educational institutions. The association organises workshops that include artistic expressions such as music, dance, theatre, and visual arts, long-term projects addressing themes like environmentalism and creative writing; advanced training sessions for teachers and educators to help them integrate artistic methods into their educational work; and public events presenting students’ artistic production including concerts, exhibitions, and theatre performances. As part of the international MUS-E network coordinated by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, MUS-E Germany collaborates with other countries to facilitate intercultural exchange and cooperation.

OTHER PARTNERS

HUNGARY – Lázár Ervin Általános Iskola https://www.lazaraltisk.hu/

Lázár Ervin Primary School is a public primary school located in Budapest’s 4th district. The school provides full-day education, meals, daycare, and after-school activities for around 500 students aged 6–14. A strong emphasis is placed on inclusive education, particularly for children with learning difficulties and special educational needs, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism, and other learning or behavioral challenges.

Each grade includes three classes with different areas of focus — English language, mathematics and IT, or the arts — allowing students to develop their strengths while receiving a balanced education. Beyond the core curriculum, students can participate in a wide range of activities such as sports clubs, music and dance sessions, IT clubs, animal-assisted learning, school celebrations, and the MUS-E Program, which plays a key role in fostering cultural expression and inclusion through the arts. Serving a socially diverse community, including an increasing number of disadvantaged and migrant students, Lázár Ervin Primary School is dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive, and forward-looking learning environment that respects local traditions while responding to the challenges of the 21st century through innovative and empathetic pedagogy. 

SPAIN – CEIP VICÁLVARO https://www.educa2.madrid.org/web/centro.cp.vicalvaro.madrid

CEIP Vicálvaro is a public early childhood and primary school located in the southeast of Madrid, in the district of Vicálvaro. As a bilingual school with a continuous school day, it serves 406 students aged 6–12 from diverse national, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. Many families face social and economic challenges, including unemployment, single-parent households, and recent migration, particularly from South America, Morocco, and Eastern Europe, which often results in curricular gaps and the need for additional educational support. With a dedicated team of 29 teachers, language assistants, artists, and support staff, the school places students’ real-life needs at the center of its educational approach. CEIP Vicálvaro has a long-standing commitment to respect, diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination, actively involving families through workshops, talks, and daily school life. Art is a core part of the school’s identity, especially through the MUS-E Program, which has been present since 1996 and plays a key role in improving coexistence, combating discrimination, and fostering democratic citizenship and social inclusion through artistic expression. 

GERMANY – Bildungs- und Pflegeheim St. Martin –Förderschule St. Martin Düngenheim https://www.stmartin-dku.de/de/

St. Martin Förderschule is a special education school focusing on holistic and motor development, offering an integrated developmental program for children and young people with mental and physical disabilities. The school currently educates 117 students aged between 6 and 20 across 17 classes, located in Düngenheim and at an external site in Kaisersesch. Many pupils live in the St. Martin educational and care home due to their family circumstances, making emotional support and community belonging an essential part of the school’s work.

The school places strong emphasis on empowering students to achieve the highest possible level of independence, integrating academic learning with practical life skills such as cooking, shopping, handicrafts, art, and religious education. Supported by a committed professional team and external specialists in autism therapy and social-emotional development, St. Martin Förderschule creates a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where diversity is valued. Through artistic approaches and international cooperation, the school encourages students to express themselves creatively and experience the richness and potential of their lives, fostering self-confidence, participation, and meaningful inclusion within the wider community.

PORTUGAL – Agrupamento de Escolas Manuel Ferreira Patricio – Escuela Cruz de Picada https://aemfp.pt/

The Manuel Ferreira Patrício School Group, located in the Municipality of Évora, is a large public educational institution serving more than 1,000 children aged 3 to 15. The group includes kindergartens, first-cycle schools, and a main school offering education from pre-school through the 9th grade. As part of the Priority Intervention Educational Territory (TEIP), the school group works closely with communities facing significant social and economic challenges, aiming to combat school absenteeism and early school leaving while improving the overall quality of education.

The student population is highly diverse, with many children coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds and migrant families from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and East Timor, as well as from Germany, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Nepal, and Syria. To support students’ academic success, self-esteem, and inclusion, the school group offers a wide range of curricular and extracurricular activities and benefits from a strong multidisciplinary team, including teachers, psychologists, social educators, therapists, and support staff. With a strong commitment to democratic citizenship, human rights, and social inclusion, the Manuel Ferreira Patrício School Group strives to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for every child, addressing educational challenges through cooperation with families and the wider community.