EmpowerED is a project that aims to help students strengthen their "active citizenship" role and remain active on issues that concern them inside and outside the school. This will be achieved through the application of specific methodologies that will allow them to be informed, empowered, and take action initially in the school context, but also in the wider community in which they live.
Beyond the student community, the project is aimed at teachers who will play an important role in its implementation as directly connected with children in the classrooms.
The project is being carried out in primary and secondary schools in areas of Central and Western Macedonia, Greece.
Students with an amplified voice and action
More specifically, students are invited to participate in activities that will help them to:
- understand in depth their right to active participation in anything that concerns them
- reflect on the issues that their community may be facing
- take action to answer their concerns through group experiential work
The role of teachers
Teachers will support the whole process having previously been trained in intervention methodologies. With the right educational tools in hand, they will be able to contribute to the creation of a familiar and safe framework for children's expression and activation. Often despite their efforts to maintain a cohesive, functional, and energetic classroom, they face challenges due to a lack of time, good practices, and support. Through this project, they will develop skills and learn about methodologies that will help them in the classroom on issues of inclusion, human rights, democratic participation and enhancing children's skills.
Key actions
In order to achieve all of the above, various actions are planned and will be implemented, such as:
- Workshops on human rights and active citizenship
- Experiential meetings to enhance children's participation and enhance community contribution
- Actions that will arise through the interaction of the children, as well as with the teachers.
The EmpowerED project is Erasmus+ and is implemented by the organizations A Drop in the Ocean, Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Hope for Children, Terre des hommes Hellas and the University of Bergen.
For more information, please contact George Kanaris, Child Protection Programs Coordinator at [email protected]
