GIE - The Group for European Integration

Education for Parents - School of Inter-generational Communication

Title: Education for Parents - School of Inter-generational Communication
Acronym: School for Parents
Project type : SOCRATES/Grundtvig 1 - pilot project
Ref. no.:
Promoter/coordinator: The Institute of Creative Proceedings Co. Ltd.. Poland
Duration: 2 years
Actual stage: finalised
Total value of the Contract: 280,000 EUR
Total value for Group for European Integration: 44,000 EUR

Summary:

Rapid economic and social changes that occurred in the last decades of 20th century have destructively influenced the structure of family. It's hard to say whether the family is still a basic social unit. Relations between members of a family have significantly loosened. Children and youth in all European countries are afflicted with social problems such as crime, aggression, addictions (drugs, alcohol, computers). These addictions can be described on one hand as “problems of young generation and as “problems with young generation on the other. Regardless to the point of view, social and individual cost of these problems are very high. The long term aim of the project is to prepare young citizens of future Europe to better, less conflicted life with lower social and individual costs. The project assumes that people who have the greatest influence on the young generation are parents. In their relations with children, children's basis of referring to the world are shaped. Preparing young generation to life does not consist of passing over well known patterns any more. Parents not only do not know what to pass (or they pass not actual content), but they do not know how to talk to their children in order to reach them. The situation is more complicated by the breakdown of traditional family model and necessity of working which causes that the time that is to be spent with children is shorter. We want to create a program of “School for Parents that would be helpful in understanding the role and tasks connected to parenthood and that would provide tools necessary to fulfil this function. Other aims are: (1) Preventing conflicts between generations within the family; (2) Better preparation of young people to living in a family and in the contemporary world; (3) Drawing society's attention to the importance of the problem of aware and responsible parenthood in the modern world. The mentioned troubles with youth can be encountered in all European countries and it can be assumed that some of the reasons are identical. In the future, new transformation phenomena connected to the integration of European countries will appear: e.g. stronger interaction between cultures, spreading of some social phenomena that are characteristic to post-industrial countries (e.g. one-parent families). Because of this, we find necessary to create together with other countries an educational program for parents. We want to use a potential experience of other institutions. The contacts with institutions from other countries will allow us inserting into the program the elements that will help us place the project in European social space.The final product of the project and effect of the cooperation will be a detailed programme of school for parents along with all necessary materials.

Partnership:

1. The Institute of Creative Proceedings Co. Ltd. - PL (coordinator)
2. Annur-Formacion-Cultura - ES
3. Social and pedagogical measures - DE
4. Group for European Integration - RO
5. International Training Centre For Women - NL
6. Parent - Teacher Association Stella Maris College - MT