The project Rights promotes active citizenship in the elderly by creating a bridge between generations based on raising awareness of social and human rights as the foundation of the rules, their respect, their defence and promotion in educational contexts, with innovative pedagogical methods, those of fairy tales in a suitcase. Rights then enter into dramatized fairy tales and become an instrument of mediation of the value of rights through the direct experience of the elderly. Therefore, the way in which the elderly relate to society is renewed, giving them the role of promoters, narrators and witnesses in first person of the fundamental rights of society and their history penetrating into the world of children at school through fairy tales in their suitcases. The Rights project starts from a fundamental need: to make older people active again through doing, saying and imagining. The tool through which the project aims to achieve this are the suitcases of rights stories that will be built and brought to schools for children from 8 to 12 years. To do this, the elderly will have to know and analyze fairy tales, extrapolating and creating a discourse on human rights that will be reported as a narrative to the students. The elderly will benefit from specific training in the three areas: analysis of fairy tales and inviolable rights, the creation of suitcases for fairy tales of rights, class management methodologies in non-formal educational activities. This last part will see the direct collaboration of the teachers, who will also increase their skills by coming into contact with a new practical and concrete educational tool (as opposed to digital virtuality). The suitcases created will remain at the disposal of the local schools or cultural centres, which will act as a collection and exchange point for the suitcases of the fairy tales of rights and the training modules of the project. Through the commitment of the elderly, through the school and with activities aimed at the territory, Rights project also wants to involve society in a reflection on the inviolability and defence of human rights. The objectives of Rights are multiple: a) Creating a bridge between generations on the central theme of fundamental rights b) To stimulate the elderly to resume an active role in society as promoters and defenders of fundamental rights c) To train the elderly in the areas of defence of human rights, crafts and education d) Raising awareness among the younger generations on the importance of defending their own and all society's rights e) To spread the importance of active citizenship through concrete actions f) train the elderly to concretely realize and elaborate fairy tales in real suitcases to be exchanged and passed on to children in schools. The project will produce training modules and video lessons that will be available to all interested parties on the appropriate online platform. Furthermore, suitcases of fairy tales of rights will be made available to the local community through libraries and cultural centres and exchanged and distributed through the barter of suitcases. The impact of the project will therefore not be limited to the schools involved but will expand to the local and national community, acquire a transnational dimension thanks to the use of the internet.
The main achievement of Rights project have been: - involve seniors in the training courses to get new competences and in being promoters and facilitators of educational moments (2 European training courses with 62 participants, 2067 seniors involved in local courses and workshops and implementing 76 performances of puppet theater about the history of the rights) - involve children in workshops and theatrical performances to improve their knowledge about rights (6458 participants) - involve teachers in developing an educational synergy with seniors aimed at the growth of pupils. (4418 participants in workshops and training courses) - seniors have built suitcases of tales of rights that have been donated to libraries, schools, cultural centres, museums for future performances (35 suitcases were built) - stimulate in the society the awareness of the history of the rights. The partners have involved almost 540 parents/families, about 236 decision and policy makers, 673 practitioners and researchers, more than 11400 persons during information meetings, performances, courses and workshops
The project’s partnership has developed and applied for “Rights – Active citizenship and seniors’ role in the society” because in these modern times rights are often taken for granted and especially the younger generations are not aware of their history, their importance and the struggles fought to obtain them. The project aimed to create an intergenerational learning, between seniors and children aged 8 to 10, through the fairy tales reviewed in the light of the history of the rights. Seniors are the keepers of historical memories and they can have an active role in the society by transmitting these values and this social heritage to the younger generations. Thus, Rights project has aimed to address the needs of senior people to improve their practical and technological skills and to gain new knowledge in the educational and artistic fields. They have learned to build puppets’ theaters in suitcases, to identify rights in the fairy tales, to perform with the puppets and to lead a discussion in class. Rights project has addressed also the schools: teachers have supported the seniors in implementing the educational activities and the discussions after the performances and got to know new educational non formal approaches.