Our present project is a follow up of a previous Leonardo project, CESTE (Curative Education and Social Therapy in Europe), which was completed in 1998-2001. ECCE was also the contractor (promoter) for that project, which led to the collaboration between education centres and other players in the field from more than 20 countries. The project was evaluated by GAB (Gesellschaft für Ausbildungsforschung, München). Among the results from this project was the making of an international training manual in curative education and social therapy, available in English, French, German, Italian and Norwegian.

Conferences were arranged for the dissemination of the training manual in Kassel in 1999, 2000 and 2001. These have now become annual events, continuing on after the completion of the project. Another outcome of these yearly conferences, which gather around 60-70 participants from all over Europe, is the establishment of a significant network of contacts.

Through the research institute GAB we became aware that the use of artistic subjects and exercises in vocational training is a relatively new subject matter in the research of vocational education and training. We agreed that it would be of transnational and European interest to develop this method further, aiming at the design of a European further training programme for teachers, trainers and tutors. The participating countries and associations also expressed that this clearly was a need.