From 2 to 13 September 2013 at Il Vivaio del Malcantone of Florence took place the first intensive summer academy of the project Steps Ahead – Professionalization of Junior Coaches in Performing Arts and Media, which involves 9 young artists active in the languages of the performing arts (dance, theatre, music) and the media (video, sound experimentation, web), with a vocation to teaching through non-formal practices. The academy, supported by Regione Toscana, was structured in 80 hours of activities, including master classes, seminars, tests and question time, with Italian and foreign trainers.

Steps Ahead is a Leonardo Transfer of Innovation project promoted in Italy by Fabbrica Europa, coordinated by jfc Medienzentrum (Germany) and funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission. Other partners are Stichting Roots&Routes (Netherlands), Mira Media (Netherlands), S.Mou.Th (Greece), Subjective Values Foundation (Hungary).

The project is aimed at young artists who wish to develop skills and gain methods to update and upgrade their work ability, by encouraging self-employment paths in the field of education and artistic and cultural production.
The development of national and international academies will allow trainers and participants to identify the critical issues and problems of certain professional profiles, helping to clarify the expectations and skills of young people.

Furthermore, since the project is developed in the context of the European Roots&Routes network, in addition to the activities carried out during the academies, there will be different stages of verification in the field, both nationally and internationally, to follow up a conception of learning that can not be separated from the direct experience, both through the relationship with the key actors in the sector (cultural organizations, professionals, operators, artists) and by putting into practice the learning on a real operational level that will allow the participants to experience all the variables of the peer education in public and private contexts, in direct contact with young people, students, artists (schools, cooperatives, art schools, etc.) .
The conclusion of the project in 2014 will consist of an international meeting of methodological verification, discussion and dissemination, which will involve partners and stakeholders active in the cultural industry.