25/09/2025
Final International Conference in the framework of the European project PuppetIntegrate
The one-day international conference titled “Art, Education and Puppetry: Integrating the Puppet into the Classroom”, held on September 12, 2025, was a resounding success. This hybrid event took place on the 10th floor of the Tower of the Faculty of Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, allowing participants to join in person or online, with simultaneous English interpretation available for our Polish partners and educators. Researchers, artists, and educators from Greece and Poland came together to share their experiences and insights on utilising puppetry as an educational tool, a medium of expression, and a means of fostering social integration.
This conference marked the culmination of the European-funded project “PuppetINTEGRATE: Integrating Puppetry into Education for the Social Inclusion of Vulnerable and Marginalised Student Groups” (Erasmus+ Programme 2023, Key Action 2 – KA2, School Education sector, Project No. 2023-2-EL01-KA210-SCH-000171311). The project was coordinated by the School of Early Childhood Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with Professor Antonis Lenakakis leading the scientific coordination. Collaborating partners included Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and the Visual Puppet Theatre “Prasin Aloga.”
Spanning two years and set to conclude in September 2025, this initiative aims to bolster European cooperation in education by focusing on puppetry in teaching, developing innovative art-based learning practices, and promoting intercultural understanding, communication, and multisensory expression. Activities undertaken included co-creative puppetry sessions in both Greece and Poland, online professional development for teachers, and the establishment of a freely accessible online resource repository.
For more information, please visit: https://puppetintegrate.eu/
