MAP (Montessori Adolescent Program) Inspirations Erasmus Project

Project Title

MAP (Montessori Adolescent Program) Inspirations

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project Montessori Adolescent Programme Inspirations MAPI was carried out by the Coordinator organization Montessori školy Andílek – mateřská škola a základní škola o.p.s. from the Czech Republic. The partners were from four other countries – The Montessori Place and The Maria Montessori Training Organization from Great Britain, Montessori-Initiative Wien from Austria, Montessoristiftelsen Lära for Livet from Sweden. These five partner organizations are all members of another project partner Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), umbrella organization for Montessori education in European Union, based in the Netherlands.

We all share the vision that to advance education of children in EU, we need to offer the children in all stages of their life the best possible care and education. Education of adolescents is a very specific area of pedagogy and it is a very difficult task because it addresses young people in a complicated phase of their development.

Main purpose of this project is to allow teachers, lecturers and educators of adolescents from partnering organizations to share knowledge, know how and experience in the area of the project – specifics and methodology in Montessori education of young people (age 13 – 18) and methods of informal education and its interconnection with formal education. Through sharing and publication of the project results we want to help to design, develop and start Montessori adolescent programmes in EU.

Together we created comprehensive international methodology and complex set of activities and texts that can be used within the Montessori educational system for work with youth aged 13 – 18. This methodology can also serve as an inspiration not only for Montessori community but all interested teachers and youth workers. The facts and ideas included in the methodology are based on the needs of young people in this difficult phase of their lives and also on the experience of the partners from each country.
We also created an inventory of existing and developing Montessori adolescent programmes in Europe. No such database existed so far and schools and youth organizations often did not know about each other
Another project output was to create an internet platform through which the sharing of knowledge, knowhow, experience and contacts. At the website www.montessoriadolescent.net is not only information about the project but also maps with existing and raising Montessori adolescent communities and a possibility to fill in survey, that will show the basic information about the organizations. One can also find the methodology texts, blogs from the learning activity participants, pictures form partners organizations and videos about adolescent education. Thanks to the umbrella organization AMI will this internet platform function and continue after the project is over and will have possibility to change according to the current development and news in the Montessori adolescent community.
We believe that the non-formal out of school activities established on the Montessori education system principles as well as the prepared environment can have an important impact on the target group of young people aged 13 – 18 that is usually difficult to address and capture. All participants of our project have long time experience with leading various kinds of informal activities for various target groups included adolescents. The Montessori community feels the urgent need to address this target group and want to improve its methods and tools to work with young people and that is why was the project most welcomed and appreciated not only among the project participants but also among other teachers and youth workers and also experts in the field of adolescent education. Based on the experience from out project other similar international initiatives were already started and lot of organizations and schools are interested in either local or international cooperation. During our dissemination events when we were presenting our work we had a huge amount of questions on how to join our project or some kind of similar initiative. We believe that thanks to this project we gave the European and worldwide Montessori community not only the results of our two-years work but also motivation and inspiration to starts similar networks and continuation of already established partnerships.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 281017,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Montessori skoly Andilek – materska skola a zakladni skola, o.p.s & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• The Montessori Place Ltd
• Association Montessori Internationale
• Montessori-Initiative Wieden
• Montessoristiftelsen Lära för livet
• The Maria Montessori Training Organization