The butterfly of inclusion

School administration and teachers, after familiarizing themselves with the content of the Competences for
Democratic Culture model, and having tested it on issues of concern to their school, use it with parents and
refugee students.

Steps

  1. In groups of 4-6, members sit around tables. The trainer briefly reiterates the Competences for democratic culture (see attachment or page 9 of the Handbook’s Introduction) and explains that just as the host society (management, parents, teachers and local students) need particular skills in order to develop a democratic behavioral culture, so do refugee parents and students need certain skills in order to be included and integrate smoothly in the European school reality.
  2. The facilitator hands out a copy of the butterfly to each group, and explains that half of the groups will work with refugee parents and the other half with refugee students. She asks what they consider important Competences for Democratic Culture from each axis in order for the refugee parents/students to integrate smoothly into the school and as a consequence into the local community. What knowledge should they acquire that will help them understand and adapt to the new cultural environment? What skills should they cultivate, and where should they possibly adapt? What attitudes and values does the European way of life represent?
  3. In plenary the groups present the conclusions to the other working groups and discuss possible differences in the choice of competences.
  4. Participants return to the working groups and record practical ways of cultivating the specific competences, both in the context of the classroom and the wider school. In what ways can local students and parents get involved in this activity?
  5. In plenary the groups present their conclusions and reflect on the next steps.

Εvaluation

Reflective circle.

Duration: 60 minutes

Materials:

Copies of the butterfly for each group.

THE-BUTTERFLY-OF-INCLUSIONDownload
COMPETENCES-FOR-A-DEMOCRATIC-CULTUREDownload

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More activities of the “Before” category

Exploring students’ perceptions of the school atmosphere in relation to inclusion

At the initiative of a group of teachers, the perceptions of the school’s students about the climate of their school in
relation to inclusion are investigated. The aim is to identify the students’ experience when the school will receive
refugee students.

To what extent are we a democratic and inclusive school community?

The school community (teachers, administration, students, parents) assess to what extent they are ready to welcome and include refugee students.

The butterfly

School administration and teachers are getting acquainted with the content of the ‘‘Competences for Democratic Culture’’ model (Council of Europe, 2018) and are testing it on issues that concern their school.

Creating the right atmosphere

Preparation, awareness-raising, and information activities for the reception of refugees. The activities are organized
by the school and aimed at teachers, parents (local and refugee) and relevant stakeholders and members of the local
community.

The democratic school

Members of the school community (administration, teachers, parents) connect personal school experiences with democratic values and build a model of a democratic school based on their suggestions.

I participate-Do you?

The teachers identify the different levels of their own and their students’ participation based on the UNICEF scale “Children’s participation, from tokenism to citizenship” linking them experientially to the educational practice in order to reflect on their personal participation in the inclusion of refugee children in their school.