The project aimed to: 1. Train teachers to monitor their emotions, needs, and behaviour, ensuring their well-being while fostering students' self-esteem, emotional health, and classroom connection. This supports the priorities of teacher development and inclusion. 2. Equip teachers with effective communication tools like active listening, first-person speech, constructive humour, and empowering feedback to improve interactions and support students. 3. Enhance teaching quality by guiding teachers to improve student focus and presence through mindfulness techniques. 4. Reduce bullying and discrimination by promoting diversity, valuing individual differences, and fostering an inclusive environment for all students, regardless of background.
The project addresses the urgent need for teacher training in schools heavily impacted by the Ukrainian or other refugee crises. Partner schools have welcomed many refugee students over the recent years who face language barriers, unfamiliar environments, and past traumas which make education challenging. Teachers require new skills to create a safe and inclusive learning space. Most are not trained in trauma-sensitive teaching, emotional self-care, or conscious communication. Cultural differences can also lead to misunderstandings or conflicts, further isolating refugee students and students with different cultural and/or linguistic background. This project equips teachers with essential tools such as mindfulness, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, conscious communication, non-verbal creative techniques (such as art and movement) to create more inclusion in the classroom. These skills help foster a supportive and multicultural classroom environment. Additionally, trained teachers will pass on their knowledge to colleagues, ensuring long-term impact.