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The third exchange of the VIA-ME project, focused on the „Creative Collaborative Approach”, was held in Porto, Portugal, from the 25^th of June and the 1^st of July.

It was a different week for the Portuguese team, since it represented the opportunity to convey knowledge of our work areas through the contents of the event planned by us. We understand the „Creative Collaborative Approach” as a combination of several mediums and methodologies, used in art and design practice, that allow us to develop the work in these areas from a collaborative point of view. This collaborative platform aims to generate different work dynamics and allows us to develop different creative systems: in group and individually. Both elements play a key role in creative collaborative work, as the work process integrates moments of collective and individual maturing of ideas. In this sense, the week was planned with two main intentions, having as an anchor the participant, who would see himself in the role of producer of artistic work and as a promoter of creative activity.

We believe that the methodologies presented represent a contribution to creative work developed in educational settings. In order to foster civic purposes, promote socialization skills and arouse interest in the creative area, the different themes can be understood as ways of approaching diverse social contexts. The methods we approached, namely the “Creative Process and Design Thinking” and “Learning by Design”, are also aimed to the demystification of the inaccessibility of creative and artistic work.

Contrary to previous formations, the transmission of knowledge focused on learning through practical processes, followed by reflexive moments, approaching diverse tools. In this way, we want participants to be able to analyze autonomously what tools and strategies are appropriate to the various challenges they face in their everyday life realities.

Developing the techniques approached with a group of adults with different professional experiences was a rewarding experience, since we received a very positive response to the proposed exercises. This feedback gave us enough motivation to persist with the development of these techniques, applied beyond the artistic field.

Reflecting now from a more personal point of view, it was extremely gratifying for us to understand that the participants found points of contact and closeness between their realities and the contents we conveyed. We ended the week with a sense of mission accomplished and highly motivated to continue to convey this kind of knowledge in other forums and other audiences.