3 minutesThe HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group is the great sponsor of the "HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BEGINNERS" programme, which is implemented by the New Wrinkle non-profit Organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Research & Religious Affairs, and the Greek National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings.
"HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BEGINNERS" is based on the Council of Europe’s "Free to Speak, Safe to Learn – Democratic Schools for All” educational project. Perceiving culture as a dynamic phenomenon but also as a series of notions regulating human activity and behavior, the programme is addressed to 120 educators working in both public and private secondary schools in Greece. In the context of spreading democratic culture, the programme aspires to help educators and students to become familiar with concepts, values, skills, practices, and knowledge that will contribute to the formation of social interaction in democratic states.
The program comprises two phases with its starting point being a two-day educational workshop session that took place in Athens on the 25th and 26th of January 2020 at the University of Athens’ Marasleio Didaskaleio and the Moraitis School. The session included presentations held by experts of the Council of Europe and workshops led by experienced facilitators in the field of education. 120 participating educators, divided into groups, attended six thematic workshops aiming at initiating and training them on equal number topics crucial for the school community, as identified by the project "Free to Speak, Safe to Learn – Democratic Schools for All” of the Council of Europe:
- Making children and students’ voices heard
- Addressing controversial issues
- Preventing violence and bullying
- Dealing with propaganda, misinformation and fake news
- Tackling discrimination
- Improving well-being at school
The groups formed, formulated each a proposal for integrating the workshop material into the context of formal or non-formal types of education. The proposals were inspired by the workshops and had their content constructively formulated on the basis of current concerns regarding the Greek educational scheme. Each group was guided by a Mentor in order to compose their proposal which was then presented to a designated evaluation committee and to the audience, in order to claim the title of the best innovative idea.
The results of the two-day seminar were presented on 26/1 at the Moraitis School and the event was attended among others by the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Mrs. Niki Kerameos, the National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Iraklis Moskof, the Council of Europe Expert Mr. Angelos Vallianatos, and the General Director for International and European Affairs, Education for Hellenic Diaspora and Intercultural Education of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. Mr. Panagiotis Passas.
During her brief speech, the Group CSR Director, Mrs. Rania Soulaki stated: “HELPE Group supports this programme, which creates the conditions for young people to succeed through our educational system in building a better, more democratic and progressive society”, emphasizing the role of the business community in shaping a more democratic educational culture, for tomorrow's active citizens.
The second phase of the programme will take place in February-March 2020. It will include educational workshops in school classrooms, based on the six thematic areas of the first phase. The workshops will be held in different schools all over the country by our civil society partners and the winning team of the first phase, giving educators the opportunity to put their ideas into practice together with students within the school setting. In this regard, the purpose of the programme during the first phase, the networking among educators and civil society representatives, is of utmost importance for the successful continuation of the programme and their active involvement during the second phase.
The “Free to Speak Safe to Learn – Democratic Schools for All” project was launched in November 2018 by the Council of Europe. It reflects the great interest of the international organization in improving the democratic institutions and promoting democratic culture within the school communities. The project is developed around the six aforementioned main thematic areas of the “HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BEGINNERS” programme.
The winning group of the competition together with Mr. Panos Papadimitropoulos, President of New Wrinkle, Ms. Rania Soulaki, HELPE Group CSR Director and Mr. Iraklis Moskof, National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking
The Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs Mrs. Niki Kerameos during her speech