While national educational frameworks often outline a solid base for an active citizenship education, specific methodologies and practical guidelines are missing. This project offers a complex, proven methodology supporting children age 6-16 in building their own value systems, strengthening social competences and encouraging active citizenship in their schools and communities. It helps children to build healthy relationships and schools to become inclusive resource centres for their community.

North Czech Republic, East Czech Republic

In the CR there is about 600 ghettos spread across with about 200 000 socially excluded people. They often live without work, education and hope. Many are in financial execution. Alcohol, drugs, prostitution, gambling is part of their life. There is lack of regular services - schools or medical care. When local children attend regular schools, they are often excluded again, called problematic, stupid, an outcast. Racism and xenophobia is present in these areas. With no educational support from parents these children often don't succeed in schools and the circle repeats. Systematic work with values and relationships is missing in most schools while it could aid including these children. Social service centres (NZDMs) which work with them outside of the schools are often not invited to help.

We will assist schools in clarifying their educational vision. Teachers will receive training, support and supervision (the method can be used in any subject). The children will be supplied with textbooks. In and out of class they will explore the ways they relate to self and others, values, attitudes, important life questions. They will be supported by teachers and social workers to develop their own ideas and community projects and gain practical skills in problem solving, project planning, discussion, teamwork, implementation and interaction within their community. The social workers from NZDMs will receive training, curricula and materials. Together we will develop the method's adaptation for their specific conditions. They will become resource centres for other NZDMs in the region.

We work with 8 NZDMs who received 2 days training and are interested to take part in the project. 4 of them will select 4 schools to collaborate with. Each pair will have a budget with us for training, materials, project days, supervisions. Together we will set our goals, communication rules, milestones and individual steps. First we will train and support teachers and social workers who will take leadership in the project and start classwork with children. Then we will organise storytelling project days with the help of NZDM clients (the school's pupils) to involve them actively to start with. Classes and project days will be scheduled where themes will be opened through games and discussions. Community project and child to child program created by the children will be supported.

Within a year schools will have a solid knowledge of the method and a working collaboration with local NZDM. Social workers will be better able to assist children who are on the margins as they will be present in the school as part of their streetwork and will be able to collaborate with teachers. Children coming from poor conditions will get more attention, friends to consult their day to day problems with, study help etc.. Teachers will understand these students in context and will learn more about their needs. Prevention will be more effective. Children will feel safer to share their feelings and ideas, they will know each other better which will reflect in the school atmosphere. They will have tools to cope with emotions. Parents will be more involved.

CMVE methodology enables active citizenship and inclusion through systematic work with values and relationships. It supports child to child education and empowers children to go out, realise what needs to change, make a plan and do it. CMVE is a training program for teachers and school leadership and a curriculum for children providing a key for work with values on day to day level. The method is proven by 35 years of experience. Our goal is to make it available to any school. Currently we work with 50 schools and 8 NZDMs. We see a great potential to aid children on the margins and help remove prejudices against them in the society. We want to support 4 schools and pair them with 4 NZDMs to pilot the collaboration and help other schools in the CR and Europe to adopt the method.

Cyril Mooney‘s educational model is groundbreaking. It was created as a response to the felt need she has experienced as a principal in her school. Although her school was in India the system works anywhere. For many of us education was disconnected from the real life, from context, from humanity, ethics and community we live in. Cyril Mooney gave her students trust, freedom and responsibility to function in the real world. Her work lays in practice. She created real life situation for students to learn from. I believe that today, we have an opportunity to change our education for children who are on the margins of our society, but also for those who will once govern our states. We can find answers to many of our problems.

9 650 EUR per school / by 4
1 650 EUR – We are The world books
2 200 EUR – Training for teachers
730 EUR – Training for NZDM
370 EUR – Travel expenses
1 800 EUR - Project days
1 400 EUR - Mentoring, supervision
1 500 EUR- Production, PR, photo/video, data collection, impact meassurment

We will appreciate your comments and feedback on the clarity of the project. Please ask us for any details if you are interested. More info in the Czech language is on the Czech version of the site at www.skolacyril.org.