Children inspiring children to become agents of change for a child-friendly multicultural Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Children inspiring children to become agents of change for a child-friendly multicultural Europe

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

CONTEXT
Over the last year, the EU has paid increased attention in launching dialogue with children. It is noteworthy that last November, the European Parliament marked World Children’s Day by fostering a debate with children and young people about the ‘Europe we want’. At the same time, Europe faces a severe refugee and migration crisis that has created a multiculturalism that is qualitatively different than the multiculturalism resulting from the presence of minorities or past-generation migrants across Europe. In successfully dealing with this crisis, ultimate victory is the proof that Europe can successfully include migrants, and particularly migrant children who make up a third of EU asylum seekers. What the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage suggests is that to promote inclusion we may celebrate and cherish the diversity of our cultural heritage.

PPROJECT OBJECTIVES
The first objective of this project is to empower children to act as agents of change for building a child-friendly Europe in the sense that is socially-inclusive by celebrating and cherishing the diversity of our cultural heritage. To do so, it encompasses the children-inspiring-children approach, while using new technologies, and innovative and creative methodologies, such as collaborative art-making, intercultural online pedagogy, and collaborative story-telling and poetry. Another important objective of this project is to promote children’s and teachers’ training to enhance their competences in becoming the facilitators of the children-inspiring-children approach so as to meet the first objective of the project.

PARTICIPANTS
Four schools, 2 pedagogical departments of 2 Universities, a confederation of education and training centers, and an NGO with a network to improve the reading competence of children and young people across 4 participating countries: Cyprus, Spain, Greece and Austria.

METHODOLOGY
An iterative methodology under which two versions of the Resources and Activities will be produced. After the completion of the first version, resources and activities will be validated in workshops with children and teachers and based on the conclusions the next version will be planned. All other results will be planned according to the validation process.

ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS
The EUROCHANGE project will produce a methodological tool for the Children-inspiring-children approach according to a comparative analysis that will result from both teachers’ and children’s needs analyses in the participating countries, but also on the basis of the state-of-the art analysis in each participating country. According to this methodological tool, the consortium will produce a Toolkit of Resources and Activities that will promote the objective of the project; that is children to become agents of change in creating a child-friendly socially-inclusive Europe by cherishing the diversity of our cultural heritage. This Toolkit will be tested through workshops carried out with teachers and children 9-12 and then finalised, localised and translated in the national languages. As the project also envisages the development of teachers’ and children’s competences to work accordingly, a Teacher’s Handbook and a Children’s Handbook will be also produced in the English language, and then localised and translated in the consortium languages. It is notable that a Group of Experts that will be created for the purposes of this project will contribute to the whole of both developing the methodological tool and the Toolkit of Resources and Activities, but also the Teachers’ and the Children’s Handbooks process by sharing their ideas and expertise, but also their evaluative feedback. A short transnational joint-staff training event will be carried out in Greece in order to provide the opportunity to teachers to be trained to use the project outcomes. All the project’s products will be promoted through international and national multiplier events that will have the form of conferences organised by the consortium. The project’s results will also be disseminated through other venues such as websites, social media, EU platforms, newsletter, publications, etc.

TARGET GROUPS
The target groups in the life of the project comprise of children aged 9-12 and teachers) working with children of that age. Apart from these direct target groups, the beneficiaries include also indirect target groups such as schools, children’s associations and organisations, policy makers and educational stakeholders making decisions about school curricula, parents, children’s curriculum developers, teachers training institutions, universities with pedagogical departments etc.

BENEFIT
Promote social inclusion in a multicultural Europe by taking advantage of the potential that cultural heritage gives us celebrate and cherish our diversity. Raise children’s voices and active involvement in education through an innovative methodology drawing upon the children-inspiring-children approach.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 259824 Eur

Project Coordinator

EDEX – EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE CORPORATION LIMITED & Country: CY

Project Partners

• Platon m.e.p.e.
• PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS
• DIMOTIKO SCHOLIO AGIU DOMETIU III
• EUROPÄISCHES LESENETZWERK – WIEN EU-LE-NET
• GTKMS/GTNMS Anton-Sattler-Gasse
• Colegio Santa Elena
• CONFEDERACION ESPANOLA DE CENTROS DE ENSENANZA ASOCIACION C.E.C.E.