The Erasmus+ project LISTEN focused on social inclusion in preschool education, especially inclusion of disa
dvantaged children using intergenerational solidarity approaches, has moved into its final phase.
CLOSURE OF FREE EDUCATIONAL COURSE
In the second quarter of the year, a free educational course on social inclusion in preschool education took place on an online platform created by the project partners. The course was available in English and Czech and was attended by a total of 33 teaching staff and 9 volunteers from the Czech Republic. After the end of the project, the teaching materials of the course will be freely available through our website.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
In July, we also concluded the cycle of community workshops organized as part of the LISTEN project in children’s groups of Family and Job and our project partners. The last community workshop took place on July 12 in our children’s group Jesle Little Heroes in Podolí. Despite the high summer temperatures, parents and children gathered in large numbers to try out one of the activities designed as part of the LISTEN Toolkit, a set of curricula for inclusive activities with community outreach. The theme of the meeting was family, so the children created their pictorial family trees with the help of their parents. While children, tired of the heat, were cooling off in the garden, the parents had the opportunity to get to know each other and discuss. A total of 18 children between the ages of 1 and 6 and more than 15 adults took part in the event.
LISTEN PROJECT FINAL CONFERENCE
On October 5, the final presentation of the LISTEN project to the public took place within the 3rd national conference of Asociace provozovatelů dětských skupin (the Association of Children’s Group Operators), of which we are a proud member. The focus of the project influenced the topics of the conference, which addressed, among other things, the inclusion of vulnerable children and the potential that children’s groups represent in community building. Discussion panels featured, among others, Ms. Monika Náplavová, chairwoman of the association Máte na víc, z.s. which runs the children’s group Školička Břeclav specialised in the care of children with various types of neurodevelopmental impairments, or Kateřina Karbanová from the non-profit organization Letokruh, who shared their experiences with intergenerational activities between children and seniors.
LAST PARTNER NEGOTIATIONS IN TURIN
Just three days after the final conference in Prague, the last international meeting of the partners of the LISTEN project took place in Turin, Italy, where Family and Job was represented by a three-member team: Kateřina Jarolímková, project coordinator for Family and Job, Michaela Nesméráková, methodologist and supervisor of children’s groups, and Jana Faltýnková , director of the Korálky children’s group. It was a beautiful conclusion to this international trip for inclusion, intergenerational cooperation and community building, which included an inspiring visit to the Polo del Dialogo Pre-School Education and Care Center and the Cascina Falchera Educational Farm, run by our project partner Liberitutti Cooperativa Sociale, as well as a visit to the humanitarian organization Sermig.
