On an International Day for Street Children, April 12th, ASB’s implementing partner on a project funded by German Federal Foreign Office – ARSIS – has started the new activity with the refugee children in Thessaloniki – a Mobile School.
The Mobile School is a cart on wheels, with extendable blackboards, close to 350 educational learning games and software that can be installed everywhere. The mobile school can easily be set up and torn down and that way it can be used on sidewalks, squares, parks and slums of the big city. The idea and the concept are creation of the Belgian organization – Mobile School, for the needs of children living and working on the road and having no access to the school environment. The concept covers diverse themes, which makes it possible to offer a wide-ranging basic education to street children: literacy, creative therapy, health education and through that – drug usage and AIDS prevention. Fully extended, the mobile school cart is no less than 6m long.
The educational curriculum does not aim to replace the traditional school curriculum. All the materials and games target an increase in self-respect and identity, the discovery of talents and empowerment of each child. In this way, on the streets, teachers and social workers try to build a strong foundation of faith in one’s abilities, self-confidence and the motivation necessary to support further growth processes.
Yesterday’s intervention in the area of White Tower in Thessaloniki gathered more that 30 children who were introduced to the Mobile School in the framework of the International Day for Street Children. The Street Work Team of ARSIS was present approaching the children and introducing them to the Mobile School concept.
Project was made possible by the donation of the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by ASB Greece and its implementing partner, ARSIS.