Employees of the Catholic House Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd. got to know the social program of the Sozial Akademie of Dortmund operating in Germany two years ago. In addition, in 2014 they had the occasion to study the activity of the Klausenhof Akademie. Discussing the experience gathered in the two institutions, they developed a one-week long, intensive education week entitled Let’s connect!. The program intends to enhance the social consciousness of high school students. The first project week was organized in 2014 and this year we also organized a similar one. The outcomes and experience collected are fascinating: the German partner and we are also dedicated to the further development of the program. According to the experience of the two social weeks, the majority of the students are either involved themselves in some socially difficult situation or is really open-minded to get to know them and are also motivated to help the others. This is the first factor why we have started the planning and the development of a complex education program that can reach a wide range of the high school students and can have a real effect on the participants thanks to the use of an appropriate methodology. This program is a former education program for teachers and its development process is implemented in collaboration with foreign partners. We retain that besides the projects that are targeted directly to the students and aim to enhance their social consciousness, it is also important to involve the high school teachers into similar projects as well. They are the people who educate the former generations and the change of way of thinking, the transmission of a socially sensible attitude is not just possible with the help of the education institutions, but such education is even the responsibility and obligation of schools. In conclusion, these are the motivations why we intend to develop a former education program for teachers concerning social issues. As the basis of the planned former education program for the teachers, we already have collected data on the situation of the Hungarian society and the attitude of young towards social problems (National Statistics Authority and Catholic Youth Foundation). The data and personal experience also show that the young are really open-minded, realize social problems easily and are also motivated to help the others who are facing difficulties. The former education program will be tested in the catholic schools of the Szeged-Csanádi Diocese. The results of the test will be well-based and relevant for eventual further modifications and development of the program as the target group that can be reached is composed by 600 students; while the support of the Saint Gerard High Authority of the Catholic Schools that sustains the institutions means a stable institutional background to the test. The idea of the former education program is accepted well in the catholic schools of the Diocese and the intention of its state-accreditation as an official teacher former education training can also increase the value of the program
The TeacHear project is a 3-year long strategic partnership between six education organizations. The Lead Beneficiary is Kathaz Ltd, a Hungarian nonprofit organization, active in education (trainings, social consciousness raising, volunteers, community leaders etc). Partners are Akademie Klausenhof, a German training center with 200 trainers, experts in social awareness, tolerance trainings, training of trainers etc. Social Geography department of the University pf Angers contributed to the project with its professional knowledge n sociology, social geography, sending a group of 3 researchers to the project. Socialna Akademija is a nonprofit organization, dealing with active citizenship education and expert in media tools usage for education purposes. Bartok Bela Theoretic High school is a high school with relevant experience in using nonformal methods in the school education (community building, teamwork, social awareness raising, alternative methodology) and Bátorkeszi Private High School is a vocational school, with important experience with students with fewer opportunities. Each partner could give sg special and unique to the project thanks to its particular experience. The project is based on the need of enhancing social consciousness of high school teachers, because of two main factors. First, Kathaz Ltd has previous social programs for high s chol, students with nice impacts (enhanced motivation, activity and social sensibility of students). However, it also experienced, that students participating in these programs then returned to the original surroundings (schools) and there the motivation was not continued, because of the lack of support from teachers. Second, if we can involve teachers in social consciousness education, the impact can be multiplied, as a teacher reach many students. Based on this, partners decided to develop a social consciousness education training for high school teachers, in the form of a national former education course for high school teachers, and getting accreditation permit for it. For reaching the main goal, the project was divided into 3 phases: situation analysis, preparation, education and course development, evaluation, share of knowledge. The project developed 10 IO-s. First, a situation analysis was prepared, led by the UoA , where 850 students fulfilled a questionnaire, asking about social consciousness patterns. The sample was analyzed by the university, answers come from Szeged, Timisoara and Komarno. Second, 6 cartoons for social sensibility raising were realized to help social consciousness education. A Problem Catalogue was made from the results of the preparatory-analysis phase of the project, with a concrete, practical view, to be input for the material development. The material development was realized via 2 Training of Trainers events and regular working group meetings, led by Kathaz Ltd. The material was ready for accreditation for 2017 spring, however, we intended to try it (demo course) with teachers form different high schools. This was a multiplier event at the same time, and we had cc.15 participants form the education sector (teachers form the South Region, Timisoara and Komarno, education experts and trainers). The course material was then corrected and the accreditation process was finished successfully in 2018 May. The course material is completed by a Methodology Toolkit, which is a practical collection of methods, tasks, program ideas in the field of social consciousness education, for high school teachers, The guide can be used in everyday work. The results and experience of the project is present in a documentary video, made up of interviews with training participants, trainers and project partners. The Solution catalogue summarizes the result of the project, and contains the good practice collected during the project by partners and also used in their home surroundings. The O9 is a description of the material development process, made for institutions who also intend to develop material or accredited course. The material developed will also be used internationally, at the surroundings of the partners, as they translated it to their national languages (IO10). All IO had a target group from the education sector, trainers, teachers and education organizations were targeted. The project results are disseminated to professional platforms as well: in the education network of Kathaz Ltd and partners, in professional teacher reviews (Módszertani Közlemények and Licurici), we also could make a presentation at the Tempus event “Social inclusion” held 2018. November 29. Main results are the accredited course and the enhanced social consciousness in the South Region of Hungary and at partners’ area, proved by new social initiatives of the training participants, and new cooperation of the project partners (Erasmus+ project in 2017, new project proposals).