<< Background >>According to the European Reference Framework for Key Competences For Lifelong Learning, “Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society” (22 May 2018). To do so, a set of 8 key competences were identified. Amongst those, the concept of literacy or“ the ability to identify, understand, express, create, and interpret concepts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written forms, using visual, sound/audio and digital materials across disciplines and contexts. It implies the ability to communicate and connect effectively with others, in an appropriate and creative way”. Literacy is a core skill, taught from a very young age, as early as 4 years old, most commonly in the form of reading and writing. Developing these skills is elementary in the goal of increasing life-long learning overall. According to the 2018 PISA results, in Europe, around one in five 15 year-olds (21.7%), are underachievers in reading. Underachievement even increased in reading over the past decade and further deteriorated: the EU-average underachievement in reading rate was 19.2% in 2009. Literacy challenges can arise in early education stages as writing skills are most often used as evaluation tools rather than tools to develop and create. Yet, it has been proven that creativity, imagination and overall alternative method to teaching literacy skills can improve student’s overall performance. When pupils learn to imagine, to create solution and find meaning in ideas, they are better suited to master language, writing, mathematics, and other learnings. In this sense, using storytelling as a tool to develop literacy becomes increasingly interesting. Commonly understood as an art to telling, reading or writing stories, rearchers have found that storytelling promotes listening skills, fosters imagination and creation, improves vocabulary usage and writing techniques among pupils and more. Using alternative methods of teaching literacy is also especially relevant for learners with special needs. There is no fully reliable estimation of the number of people with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) in the EU but, together, SLD are believed to affect between 9% and 12% (according to the European Dyslexia Association) of the European people. This means that, in the EU, it represents between 10.9 and 13.08 million youngsters and a total of between 51 and 61,2 million of citizens (Eurostats numbers). Whether the pupils have been diagnosed or not, students with learning difficulties will face increasing challenges in the acquisition of basic literacy skills. In the EU Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on Inclusive Learning, the council states that inclusive learning is: “providing the necessary support to all learners according to their particular needs, including those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, those from a migrant background, those with special needs and the most talented learners”.Therefore, when we take into account the need to increase literacy and its benefit to society in general, the evident strengths of creativity and storytelling, mixed with the goal of inclusiveness to all learners, a new teaching method arise.<< Objectives >>The goal of this project is to develop basic literacy skills in pupils aged 5-10 using writing, storytelling and creativity in an inclusive and innovative way. Specifically, by developing pedagogical resources centered around literacy, storytelling and inclusion, as well a practical tools rooted in creativity. The creativity component will take its place within the different activities organized in the project, ranging from participatory stories to story boxes involving more multisensory storytelling experience, which will allow children to learn through visual, kinesthetic and auditory practices.<< Implementation >>In this project, we aim at developing new pedagogical approaches to teaching literacy but also allow teachers to develop their own. In order to ensure that these activities developed to the best of their abilities, the content of the material produced will be thoroughly tested. Indeed, we are going to involve more than 400 pupils in the local testing phases, with at least 35 local teachers testing the material in their classrooms and an additional 50 with learning difficulties, DYS disorders or special needs. In order to keep high standards on all results produced, we are also going to organize 3 transnational meetings which will reinforce the knowledge of the partners but also the communication amongst experts and schools to ensure the best quality from the project. In additional to the testing that will take place across primary schools in different region of Europe, we will organize 6 multipliers events, where an estimate of 200 attendants will be expected. At these events, the projects results will not only be presented, but various workshops based on storytelling, literacy skills and inclusion will be organized.<< Results >>For the purpose of this project, we have decided to develop 5 results to ensure that the objectives are reached. First, we will create a series of 24 Storyboxes, with ready-to-use kits made to stimulate and engage pupil’s imagination and creativity, available in 6 languages (English, French, Italian, Greek, Polish, Romanian). The second results, in accordance with the first one will be a series of 24 participatory stories, used to increase performance and writing skills in classrooms, also available in the 6 languages of the partnership. Then, we will create 3 different guides and manuals to cover all bases of the project. First, a pedagogical guide on the different pedagogical outcomes of the practices created by the partners, with an additional section on how to approach literacy from an inclusive and adapted perspective, Second, a creation manual to provide teachers and educators a step by step process of the tools necessary to implement and create their own storyboxes or participatory stories, and finally third, an implementation guide will explain the different steps taken by the consortium to reach its goals, as well as practical comments from teachers and other education stakeholders in the partnerships.All these resources will be found on a website dedicated to the project and freely available in 6 languages. Consequently, in terms of intangible results, or general outcomes, we expect to provide teachers and specialists with first, a new outlook on literacy skills and its role in lifelong learning of pupils, but also more information about alternative methods such as storytelling and creativity and also with effective, specific and innovative educational tools to help pupils develop their writing skills. Furthermore, we expect to help teachers improve professional practice and provide them with easy access to pedagogically adapted resources, and ultimately to facilitate individualized support for students.For young pupils and pupils with special needs, we hope to support them with the acquisition of basic literacy skills through innovative pedagogical teaching, to help them fight against school drop-out thanks to more personalized pedagogy that encourages the learners’ progress, and to boost their self-confidence through better inclusion in the school curriculum.