This week Creative Spark is delighted to welcome their European partners from the Erasmus+ INVOLVE (Integrating Visual Literacy Training into Entrepreneurship Education) Project. This project began with a clear mission to strengthen visual literacy in entrepreneurs by introducing innovative visual literacy training into adult entrepreneurship education curriculum and courses. Funded by the Erasmus+ Education and Training Programme, this project brought together six organisations; Creative Spark, Le LABA (Laboratory of Arts Based in New Acquitaine), N’A QU’1 OEIL, Momentum, EDRA Social Cooperative Activities for Vulnerable Groups, and the European E-Learning Institute (EUEI).

The project was launched in 2020, and this visit to Creative Spark will mark the first occasion that the partners have met face-to-face since the start of the pandemic. To date, the project partners have undertaken EU-wide research to identify the best practices in teaching visual literacy to adults, Catering to new and future entrepreneurs, adult educators and trainers, organisers and stakeholders. 

The project partner meeting in Creative Spark will consist of a number of workshops designed to test some of the findings as a result of this research, while giving participants to meet and network with each other as well as the European partners.

By the end of this project the partners aim to produce a Visual Literacy for Entrepreneurs online course – the first of its kind, to enable entrepreneurs to develop their visual competencies in a practical manner.

Visual literacy is often defined as the ability to read, write and create visual images. It is a concept that relates to art and design, but it also has much wider applications. With applications in language, communication and interaction, it has become an increasingly crucial skill for today’s entrepreneurs. However, this importance has not yet led to its teaching being widely introduced into the entrepreneurship curriculum.

Today’s business environment is very visually oriented. Organisations can spend large sums of money on logo design, while advertising - an image-rich discipline - has become almost ubiquitous.

If you would like more information on the INVOLVE project, contact sarah@creativespark.ie