Domino Effect in education

“In the Kingdom of Feelings” is a series of classes for children (age 3-6) which develop their emotional competences by engaging them in creating shared stories. They learn how to recognise, name and express feelings and emotions, in particular: joy, sadness, anger, longing, embarrassment, satisfaction and the sense of agency.

The protagonists of eight scenarios talk about meaning of values, and how to follow them. Materials which support this programme cover topics such as freedom, self-expression, empathy, courage, independence, self-care, psychological resilience and engagement.

A collection of eight scenarios describing different factors affecting our sense of freedom. Its objective is to provoke reflection on what influences our freedom, understanding of its restrictions and liberation. The scenarios help teachers and parents to have meaningful conversations with children and teenagers about the limits of one’s freedom, whether that’s resulting from another person’s right to freedom or about restrictions related to freedom.

This programme was inspired by the Fairplay For All Foundation in the Philippines. Our project invites students (aged 10-12) to develop their awareness of things that are important to them, and empowers them with skills to discern where action is needed and where it is not, as well as what they ought to do about different issues. They are prompted to reflect on how they can use their resources (including time and energy) and how they practice their values.

The lessons taught on this programme focus on communication. The programme is inspired by Empowering Children with Disabilities, a local non-governmental organization (NGO) in Rwanda. In this programme, students (aged 13-15) learn communication skills including conflict management, paraphrasing and the main causes of barriers of effective communication. Students reflect on the importance of communication both in order to be understood, and to express their needs.

This programme teaches skills on defining personal boundaries and is inspired by the activities run by the New Light Foundation in India. Students (aged 10-12) are educated on the importance of respecting physical boundaries and learn to talk to their peers about them. They have the opportunity to define their own boundaries and become aware of the ones that other people have.

The lessons taught on this programme focus on sharing knowledge, and are prepared based on the know-how and activities run by the UERÊ Project in Brazil. Students (aged 13-15) learn about the importance of sharing their knowledge and skills with other people. They then see this way of sharing as a source of knowledge and positive emotions, but also as a way to achieve a common goal and create an added value.

The lessons taught on this programme focus on cooperation. The programme is inspired by the initiatives of the Santana Unipessoal in Timor-Leste. Students (aged 13-15) will learn about the value of cooperation as a chance to establish and deepen relationships with other people. They will be able to recognize that some of our skills or knowledge prove to be more useful when used together with other people rather than on our own. This, in turn, can positively affect our self-esteem.

The lessons taught on this programme focus on respect. The programme is inspired by the activities run by the Juanfe Foundation in Colombia. Students (aged 13-15) will learn about the importance of being respectful towards others, as well as towards oneself. They will focus on respect as a tool to cultivate human dignity and a source of healthy self-esteem. Finally, students will reflect on the meaning of personal boundaries and their role in experiencing our freedom.