Small villages in Crete are often characterized by strong community cohesion but limited openness to otherness in terms of disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The project is based on the implementation of an inclusive methodology for approaching diversity within 50 classrooms in primary schools. Through activities and games and the co-production of short videos/audios, the awareness of children and teachers on possible cases of exclusion and the benefits of inclusion will be raised

Our project will take place in villages of Crete, in the regional units of Chania and Heraklion

The social challenge is the difficulty of approaching, understanding and accepting diversity in small towns and villages as well as the limited flexibility of learning methods to include “different” children.
Research shows that young children tend to easily accept difference and make friends from various backgrounds. As they grow older, however, they learn to evaluate difference according to their parents' perceptions. Discrimination and prejudices are based on deep-rooted beliefs, ignorance and the lack of daily contacts with different “role models”. Fear of disability remained palpable in our past workshops. Homosexuality is still frowned upon in rural areas and among older generations

Μain beneficiaries will be the children & the teachers faced with managing the increasing heterogeneity/ diversity of students. The project aims to promote the acceptance of children with special needs and abilities, children with appearances judged “incompatible” with the social norms, children with different sexual orientation, marginalized children, children of remote nomadic populations, children from minorities as well as children from under-privileged groups. The idea is also to promote the implementation of inclusive teaching methods to create a climate of acceptance among the teachers whose role must also be a guiding and pedagogical one. The 3-step activities will be an opportunity for ALL children to open-up and collaborate among them and with their teachers

Steps:
1. 1st workshop: Through games we create a climate of trust and fun in the class
2. 2nd: more games with photos and storytelling to know each child individually
3. 3rd: Recording of videos and podcasts with the children's answers to the questionnaires and their stories
4. Presentation of videos to parents and communities (2) & promotion in social medias
5. Creation of a toolkit for teachers including classroom material to support primary school pupils in valuing and embracing diversity and inclusion to approach diversity.
6. Impact assessment of the action
7. updated toolkit sent electronically to primary schools through Crete, including videos /audio (in Crete 775 schools/ 53.376 students) + presentation in the department of Educational Policy of Chania and Heraklion

Within one year, it is expected that the videos, audio-recording and toolkit will have been widely promoted and shared through Crete and even Greece and that the toolkit will have reached out to 775 of Crete. The impact of the pilot implementation of the project in the schools of small and remote villages of Crete will be monitored and documented to review wherever necessary the methodology and share it with additional schools. Our goal is for the methodology to be used by as many schools as possible to minimize all forms of discrimination within the schools in the whole of Greece.

The idea is to “root” the acceptance of diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination in children, and ensure that being differently-abled, of a different skin colour/ religion or LGBTQI does not lead to social exclusion and deprivation of equal opportunities from a young age. Our goal is that all children shall be treated equally and social exclusion excluded. With this project we want to create tools for teachers and pupils for early recognition of cases of exclusion and a methodology for presenting diversity to children and therefore contribute to the formation of respectful citizens with a better understanding of their fellow citizens.

Our actions are based on the acceptance of diversity and in particular blindness. We are developing approach methodologies and informing students about visual impairment through experiential workshops and it is a challenge for us to create corresponding programs for each type of diversity and enrich our current toolkit on disability. We also implement actions for people experiencing social exclusion such as the elderly in care units, illiterate people in prisons, children in care centres. Due to the activities of the organization in the Cretan area and our personal attachment to Crete, we are well aware of the social problems of the area and we can evaluate and create a proper approach method.

-Staff Rate:34.700 €
Supervisor Project Manager: 9700€
Lawyer: 1000 €
Graphic designer: 1000€
2 Facilitators Crete: 18.000€
Sound Engineer:5000€
-Travel Costs: 6676€
3 travels Athens-Crete (2 for Spm and 1 for evaluator)
Fuel costs 4000€
Tech Equipment:3854€
3 Laptops -2 for the facilitators recording in class-1 sound engineer
-Other costs)promotion fb posts,materials:1850€
-Evaluation / impact assessment (sub-contracting)total: 7000€

DgtA would appreciate any feedback on the methodology of the project, good practices or on the difficulties they faced NGO’s which have probably already implemented a similar idea. In addition to this, we would like to connect with NGO’s with similar scopes and vision