Inclusive Education Model for Children with Migrant Background in Pre-schools
No. 580452-EPP-1-2016-1-PL-EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN
FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY
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EDUCATION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
FSLD supports education sector in Poland in many ways and on various levels in close cooperation with educational institutions (pre-schools, primary schools, colleges, and universities) as well as local authorities responsible for the provision of education services.
First educational projects are undertaken in the 90s focused mainly on civic education. Then they evolved towards the creation of equal chances and opportunities for disadvantaged learners, development of better quality educational services, promotion of early education open for all children. Since 2012 FSLD branch in Lodz specializes also in supporting migrants (with special regard to asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection).
Education issues are core subject of FSLD’s cooperation with local authorities in Poland. In 2014 the Foundation delivered 181 pieces of training for education sector employees (2603 participants, in 2015 - 115 pieces of training for 2042 participants).
It is worth to mention that FSLD runs excellence clubs for education-related public servants from local government which allow their member to improve their professional knowledge and skills, exchange experience and formulate recommendations for public policies and legal amendments.
Such postulates and petitions are addressed at Parliamentary Commission for Education, Ministry of Education and other respective public bodies and agendas.
FSLD's mission is to promote the idea of civil self-governance as the fundamental form of democracy. To fulfill its mission we support the activity of local authorities and non-governmental organizations, thus contributing to the development and reinforcement of the civil society in the region.
We pride ourselves that over the 25 years we have provided training courses for more than 1.4 million people in Poland and abroad.For a number of years, the Foundation has been active in the field of migrating Polish experiences of the systemic transformation to the countries still on the path of reforms. The wealth of experience allows the Foundation to effectively assist countries undergoing a systemic transformation in a number of fields, through direct technical assistance, as well as through the implementation of activation programmes. The Foundation began its international activities in 1994 and has been expanding both in scope and a number of projects ever since. Migrating Polish experience to countries of Central and Eastern Europe forms a formidable basis of our international activities.
It was established in 1989 and has grown to incorporate a network of local units and education institutions, as well as numerous experts and collaborators. Today, FSLD has 14 Regional Training Centres with local branches. We are one of the oldest and largest organizations of this kind in Central and Eastern Europe, and the largest employer among NGOs in Poland.
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The initiative to establish FSLD, the nature of its operation and its specific program offer was closely related to the idea and the course of the local government reform in Poland. Training for councilors and local government staff remains until this very moment the basic form of FSLD's effort to support local self-governance. The number and the scope of training topics increase each year, and the fact that the training is in high demand has made the Foundation in Support of Local Democracy the largest training organization operating on the local government market today.
FSLD Regional Centres also initiate the establishment and the operation of clubs and forums of gmina and powiat office personnel. Internships and study tours are also organized for local government officials, in order to better present the way local structures operate and the kind of solutions adopted abroad.
The Foundation has also provided technical assistance to an ever-increasing extent. The offer targets all local government entities and covers the full scope of services including strategic, financial consulting, as well as that concerning capital investment, transformation and privatization, and also crisis management.
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CIVIC SOCIETY
The development of citizens' awareness and their increased participation in the public life are among more important objectives behind the establishment of the Foundation. Numerous projects are implemented to support civic initiatives, to encourage civic activities and to establish contacts and cooperation among non-governmental organizations, local authorities, and citizens. Currently, strengthening citizen participation is one of the greatest tasks for organizations and institutions involved in developing the civil society in Poland.
The most important and the longest project supporting the development of pro-active society to be implemented is the DIALOG Program, implemented nationwide since 1992. It has stimulated new initiatives, such as the Young Leaders' Academies, Volunteers' Centers, or programs to improve public security and the level of pro-environmental awareness. Many of these activities are based on close cooperation and agreements with other non-governmental organizations.
The Foundation was also involved in the process to prepare the Poles to changes that resulted from our accession to the European Union. This is why training courses, competitions for the youth to disseminate knowledge about the EU were organized, as well as the establishment of School European Clubs was initiated and their operation supported. Additionally, information units were established, various projects implemented and newsletters and other materials published.
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INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
FSLD has provided support for decentralization processes in Poland for over the 20 years and has taken an active part in democratic transformations in our country. These efforts are taken both at the level of developing a reform strategy, and at the level of education as well as training and advising for individual local governments.
workshops delivered for representatives of local governments and local communities. The programs cover general issues, providing the participants with basic information on systemic transformation in Poland, their origin, progress The Foundation's programs take different forms such as of study tours in Poland, or directly in countries which receive support, training, and effects as well as the specific problems local governments must handle.
INSTITUTO DI SOCIOLOGIA INTERNAZIONALE
DI GORZIA
The Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia (ISIG) is an independent, not for profit research institute recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research. It has the status as a special advisor to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
ISIG was founded in 1968 in Gorizia, a city on the Italian/Slovenian border, by Franco Demarchi, whose vision was to combine a rigorous scientific commitment to research with the engagement in international cooperation for development and peaceful coexistence.
ISIG has become an internationally recognized center of excellence for sociological research and a laboratory responding to the needs of the local, national and international communities, by developing new scientific methods and theories. It is involved in developing numerous research projects, consultations, and sponsoring conferences and training. ISIG is recognized as a center for the study of international relations and of cross-border and ethnic relations and minority rights, peace and conflict resolution, the society and social policy, the economy and local development, democracy, and civil society, land use and environmental risk management. Also, its activity is rooted in the local context by providing training and support to local authorities in European project making and management, as well as network building, access to EU funds and contextualization of actions within EU objectives and frameworks. ISIG is active at the level of support to local development. ISIG also collaborates with local authorities in the development of several projects devoted to the solution of social issues (rights of vulnerable migrants, women victims of violence and their children, support to local associations and training for communication and project making of PAs, etc).
Its mission is related to:
- The realization of studies and research at the national and international level, the organization of meetings/conferences to gather and disseminate scientifically sound information on the relationship between states, Nations, ethnic groups and on cultural, economic, social development of communities.
- The provision of relevant information and guidelines for the promotion of cultural, economic and social development of communities for competent local authorities and National and international agencies
ISIG is currently locally very active at regional authority level (region Friuli Venezia Giulia, both within European projects work plans and in support of local policies development) and within education networks (IAL – Innovation, learning, working, University of Trieste). Currently, ISIG is involved at EU level in several projects on FP7, IPA Adriatic, EACEA, DG ECHO, DG Justice programmes (more info at www.isig.it).
Among its long standing project partners there are many national and international research institutes/universities (such as Kingston University – UK; Trinity College Dublin; Primorska University - Slovenia, Vienna University - Austria; Belgrade University – Serbia; Magyar Tudományos Akadémia -Hungary; Universität der Bundeswehr München - Germany, Eötvös ‘Lóránd University- Hungary, Peace Institute - Slovenia) international and EU institutions and agencies (such as Council of Europe, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; European Network Against Racism), CSOs (Forum for communities of immigrants and refugees in London, Unione Italiana - Koper, Unione Italiana - Rjieka, local associations and organizations in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region) SMEs, local, regional, national authorities (Friuli Venezia Giulia Region; Province of Gorizia; Municipalities of the Province of Gorizia, KEMEA – Ministry of Defense, Greece, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Finland, , Istria Region- Croatia etc.).
ISIG has a long-standing expertise in research at EU level, as well as on project making and management on EU funded programs.
For what concerns the study of migration, in 2015 ISIG carried out the research “The hope-boats of the Balkans”. This work starts from ISIG intention to contribute in a structural and scientific way to the debate on the current phenomenon of arrivals of asylum seekers. Through this research, ISIG conducted an on-field research on the arrivals, investigating the profile, the reasons and also the future perspectives of the asylum seekers in Gorizia. This work aims to establish the basis for a more complex analysis focused on the regional “hospitality system” in relation to the external stress factor (i.e. immigration).
For what concerns organization of events and fostering of networking between local and EU institutions, in 2013 ISIG organized for the Council of Europe the European seminar on ‘TOOLS, METHODS, AND PRACTICES FOR TRANSFRONTIER COOPERATION’. It allowed for the exchange of best practices and the sharing of experience on the basis of the information provided by Council of Europe member States, associations and regional/local authorities.
WINDMILL INTEGRATED PRIMARY SCHOOL
We are a small semi-rural primary school in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone with approximately 235 pupils aged from 3 to 11. We have 9 classes within the school and 10 teachers and a non-teaching principal. Our school is an integrated school which means it was founded by parents who wanted their children from the two main religious communities in Northern Ireland, educated together, as most traditional schools are still segregated by religion here.
We have around 10% of our pupils with additional special needs ranging from autism to deafness to behavioral issues. We have a further 10% who are drawn from the migrant communities in the town – they are from parts of Eastern & Central Europe, Asia & Africa.
We have had experience at ensuring pupils who have English as an additional language have their needs met within the whole school and curriculum. We have experience of organizing translation of key documents for parents and working to ensure these families do not feel isolated within our wider school community.
CENTER FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
The Centre for Intercultural Dialogue (CID) is civil society organization working to promote intercultural acceptance and active citizenship through capacity building processes, education and youth work. The organization is youth-led thus our work focuses on many aspects which are of interest for young people: from the provision of services and information to research and support for policy-making and networking.
CID is a provider of quality Youth Work and as such is well recognized in Macedonia and Europe for its work. It is managing a set of youth centers called the MultiKulti youth centers. As such, CID is offering training and educational consultancy to various public and private institutions and organizations.
CID has 3 working spaces in Kumanovo with 15 people employed on full time and part-time basis. Our pool of trainers has 7 members with various expertise and experience in working with different groups on different topics. CID is an Adult Learning Providing Centre and VET Institutions. CID is especially active in the provision of training courses for leadership, organizational and project development, intercultural dialogue and acceptance, conflict resolution, youth policy, youth participation, European citizenship and social media. Parallel with the office staff, 10 young people – the CID Academy – are being trained on a long-term basis in order to acquire the skills useful in becoming the next leaders of CID and to get involved in the organization’s activities.
EESTI PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
Eesti People to People is a non-profit organization registered in Estonia in 1997 and with activities since 1993 as a chapter of People to People International NGO. The purpose of People to People aims to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. Eesti PTP is committed to enhancing cross-cultural communication within each community, and across communities and nations. Tolerance and mutual understanding are central themes.
Eesti People to People has 22 members and more than 100 volunteers at the moment. There are many people with fewer opportunities among NGO members – national minorities, unemployed, youth from depressive urban and rural areas and from islands, etc. There are students, teachers and decision makers (local authorities, MPs, etc.), general public among target groups.
Eesti People to People has experience in organizing training courses for groups of 5-35 people and big seminars and conferences. In August 2012 Eesti People to People hosted in Tallinn People to People International Worldwide conference with more than 200 guests from around the world.
Eesti People to People is a member of AKÜ (Arengukoostöö Ümarlaud - Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation). AKÜ's main areas of work are development and global education. Eesti People to People coordinates in Estonia annual Global Education Week of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and works with high school students and teachers.
Eesti People to People is active as sending and hosting organization and participated in Youth in Action Programme and Erasmus+ projects in Estonia and abroad. The main activities are educational and cultural, mainly training, seminars, workshops in media, communication, creative reading and writing, global education.
Eesti People to People has experience in cooperation with local municipalities in Tallinn and Narva and we can involve them in the project, the same we have the experience to work with children and parents.
We have the experience to work with children from Ukraine in cooperation with Ukrainian Cultural Center in Tallinn. Estonia offered quotas for 1600 Ukrainians and they moved to Estonia during last months.
As a member of Arengukoostöö Ümarlaund - Round Table for Development Cooperation - we work with refugees from Asia and Africa and our NGO is involved in awareness-raising activities about refugees issues.
CID has 3 working spaces in Kumanovo with 15 people employed on full time and part-time basis. Our pool of trainers has 7 members with various expertise and experience in working with different groups on different topics. CID is an Adult Learning Providing Centre and VET Institutions. CID is especially active in the provision of training courses for leadership, organizational and project development, intercultural dialogue and acceptance, conflict resolution, youth policy, youth participation, European citizenship and social media. Parallel with the office staff, 10 young people – the CID Academy – are being trained on a long-term basis in order to acquire the skills useful in becoming the next leaders of CID and to get involved in the organization’s activities.
EDUCENTRUM O.S.
EDUcentrum is an NGO, whose aim is to support innovative forms of education and foster motivation for not only lifelong learning. The main activities comprise: transfer of innovation, methodology and training support to teachers in the areas of students with specific needs and individual approach in education, use of ICT in education, creation of tools for distance and blended learning, development of materials for trainers and youth learners, creation of didactic tools for application of new methodologies, developing and testing new methods of evaluation in education and training .
The majority of our activities focus on the following areas: training support to teachers, the individual approach in education, support to gifted and talented children and their teachers, non-formal education and cross-sectoral cooperation, encouraging youth employment and entrepreneurship and civil society and political and intercultural dialogue.
EDUcentrum carries out research, field-work and public awareness activities in its major fields of interests. Trainers and experts of EDUcentrum have been involved in a number of projects dealing with the development of skills and competencies of young people, teachers, and youth workers.
EDUcentrum implemented 3 LLP projects and 3 ERASMUS+ projects. We have been involved in an international project called „GATE - Gifted and Talented Children Teacher´s and Parent´s Training” which aimed to create practical tools for teachers and parents including training courses. Now we continue this work within Erasmus+ project „Strategies for Gifted and Talented Pupils´ Teachers”. In the field of civil society and intercultural dialogue, we participate in an international project COREWAX focused on common values of major world religions. Within this project, we carry our research work on social attitudes towards religions.The to be done activities of the project involve also fostering of public dialogue on the relations between the relations.
GRĂDINIȚA CU PROGRAM PRELUNGIT
PERLUȚELE MĂRII
GRǍDINIȚA PROGRAM PRELUNGIT PERLUȚELE MǍRII is one of the best public early childhood institutions in Constanta, Romania (with 8 classrooms and 230 children). It is a 10 hour, 5-day program that provides a creative, supportive, nurturing learning environment for children (three meals and sleep session available). The kindergarten provides extensive opening hours that take account of the needs of working parents. The kindergarten staff is interested in offering a high-quality early childhood education and care to all children from age three to age five. There are 16 qualified teachers and one school psychologist.
The programmes aim to develop the social and emotional competence and promote the cognitive, language, literacy and numeracy skills of pre-primary children to provide them with a fair start in primary school. Our educational programs have been trying to promote science learning and create multiple and varied opportunities to engage pre-schoolers in science exploration and discovery. Children have a natural proclivity to observe, experiment, explore, learn, and discover the world around them. We encourage and support these basic abilities for science learning among children in the early years. The annual educational offer of the kindergarten offers English as a second language (ESL) at early ages (optional activities included in School-based curriculum), which are highly requested by the parents for their children.
The School Council, the Head Teacher, the teaching staff and the school community are involved in the school life and they work together. The families support the staff and collaborate on the projects. The School Parents’ Association supports the carrying on of different projects initiated by school and our local community to develop at our students creative and free personalities.
Constanta is part of Dobrogea (Dobrudja) area which is an ethnic mosaic and a model of understanding multiculturalism. In Dobrogea, together with Romanian people here live other ethnic groups, each with its specific tradition, culture, and religion. In Dobrogea area cohabits members of 34 different ethnic groups. In Constanta, there are important communities of Turks and Tatars, Aromanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Lippovan-Russians, Macedonians, Magyars, Germans, Ukrainians and Roma people.
GRĂDINIȚA NR. 34, ORADEA
Kindergarten no.34 is in the central area of Oradea, the Bihor county municipality, located in the northwest of the country and a few kilometers away from the border with Hungary, is a town of about 190 000 inhabitants.
Our kindergarten children come from the neighborhood, from different neighborhoods of the town and outside it.
Kindergarten no.34 as a legal entity consists in the Kindergarten with Extended Schedule No.34 located in the building on 36 Petofi Park street, called building no.1 (in the Rules of Procedure) and the Structure No. 48 in the building located on 5B Petofi Park street, called Building no.2 (in the Rules of Procedure).
The Kindergarten with Extended Schedule No. 34, the coordination unit works with 6 groups,5 in the Romanian language teaching and 1 in the Hungarian language teaching and it was built in 1958 by “Crisana” Printing Enterprise, initially operating with three groups, then from 1999 with five and seven groups. In 2000 it was allocated to the County School Inspectorate by a protocol signed with it. The Estate Administration of the Oradea City Hall is currently administering it. The Kindergarten works with 4 groups, 3 in the Romanian language teaching and 1 in the Hungarian language teaching.
Both kindergartens have extended schedule. Here are institutionalized children under school age from 3 to 7 years who, in addition to education and appropriate training for school and social life are also protective social: food monitoring, sleep, all in an extended program scheme (10 hours a day).
The kindergartens are open from 6.00-19.00 hours, Monday through Friday.
FOLKUNIVERSITETET KURSVERKSAMHETEN VID
LUNDS UNIVERSITETET
Folkuniversitetet is an adult educational association that offers a wide range of adult education all over Sweden. It is an association of five foundations: the university extensions attached to the Universities of Stockholm, Uppsala, Göteborg, Lund, and Umeå. We have a broad open educational program in a variety of subjects; we also run upper secondary schools, schools in higher vocational education, courses for seniors and training, labor market education and further education and training for working life.
Folkuniversitetet is independent of all political, religious and commercial interests. International cooperation, pedagogic development, democracy and focus on the individual are central values for us. We have given important contributions to the development of Swedish education and training, for example, evening gymnasiums, language centers, Swedish for immigrants, college and ICT-based education. Visions and ideas for better learning methods are developed and tested in project groups, often in international cooperation. Coaching, mentorship, validation, entrepreneurship, learning in working life, empowerment and active guidance based on individual needs are examples of areas we are developing and implementing to our own organization.
Quality system – ISO 9000
Folkuniversitetet have different education programs for migrants on assignment from the labor office and the migrant office - the content is learning the Swedish language, learning about the Swedish society and how to apply for a job. Folkuniversitetet also have cooperation with Ronneby municipality and together we are running a project for migrant women called Group 39 – they learn through handicraft and networking. Folkuniversitetet have good cooperation with many migrant associations and together with them, we arrange different events such as culture day, handicraft day etc..
Through our network and cooperation, we can reach the target group and end users.
The skills/ expertise of the persons working with migrant are wide there is everything from language teacher, coach, migrant experiences to teachers in motivation, counselors.
PRZEDSZKOLE MIEJSKIE NO. 152
Przedszkole Miejskie nr 152 w Łodzi (the Communal Kindergarten no 152 in Lodz) is a public educational institution with over 35 years of experience. in Lodz is a kindergarten for children between 3-6 years old. We take care of 160 children, of whom 15 suffer from various disability problems.
We support overall functionality of all those children and their families. We also carry out different projects in terms of European education and implement these projects using ecological, artistic and healthy approach.
We promote inclusive education (we perceive inclusion as a higher level of integration), health education (healthy nutrition, education for democracy, multilingualism (Polish and English).
We cooperate with many preschools, schools and institutions from Lodz, Poland and EU countries.
Our priorities are:
- inclusive education for integration of children with special needs
- Dalton’s education promoting self-efficiency, creativity and responsibility
- bilingual education based on CLIL- Content and Language Integrated Learning
- education for democracy and citizenship building
- education for the promotion of healthy lifestyle
- education for ecology and natural environment
- ICT technology in early education