This presentation is about a new European-funded project titled ‘Visual arts education in new times: Connecting Art with REal life issues’ (CARE). The project aims to support educators in offering qualitative art lessons that address their learners’ needs. In particular, the project aims to develop and deliver teacher-training programmes that will empower school teachers in visual arts teaching within the framework of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and thus strengthen their teaching profile. Emphasis is given to undervalued pillars of ESD, such as culture and society, in order to respond to the increasingly diverse needs in education for active citizenship, acceptance of diversity, multiculturalism, ICT learning, and sustainable development and overall in connecting education with pupils' real life needs.

The project also recognizes that current education policy debate at both national and EU level focuses on issues related to ways of better adapting education and training systems in Europe to the needs of contemporary society and real life issues. The focus has been on promoting competence-based education that will lead to the development of teachers and students’ key competences for specific goals. The rationale for the CARE project is situated within the growing demands of supporting the development of key competences, including the key competence ‘culture awareness and expression’.

Further, the CARE project aims to offer guidance on how art education can address today’s real life issues. It embraces socially engaged art practices and activities as these provide pupils with opportunities for authentic learning and establish connections between school and the real world, better preparing thus, the learners for life. Such practices are effective for meeting affective aims, attitude development, awareness raising and opportunities for action.

Overall, the presentation focuses on key ideas important for the CARE project that set the background for its proposal. It aspires to offer a comprehensive rationale for developing research projects that will attract funding and enable the development of visual arts education in European countries by re-establishing its important role in educating young people.