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Empowerment practices for students’ CHOICE against..
Empowerment practices for students’ CHOICE against Internet, drugs and gambling addiction
Start date: Oct 1, 2016,
End date: Sep 30, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
The CHOICE project is based on a non formal learning path for students aged 13-18 years old to be included in school curricula and aimed at using drama to prevent technology, drugs and gambling addiction.Addiction is on the rise in Europe. An increasing number of young people are unable to control their use of drugs, technology, gambling. Experts warn against the growing number of addicts. Every tenth European is addicted to legal or illegal intoxicants and almost one fifth of Europe’s current health spending is addiction-related; a growing number of young Europeans are developing an addiction-based lifestyle. The EU now defines addiction as one of the biggest social problems facing Europe, so it's necessary to understand which are the main situations that could lead to addiction and train young people on how to make their own choices, avoiding situations that expose to abuse. They also have to understand how addiction can impact their life and how to support their friends.This is why the project intends to introduce in secondary school education a non formal learning path that aims at using drama against drugs. It is an ethic project: involving experts in different fields of specializations, such as teachers, actors, doctors, psychologists, philosophers, educators, life coaches and social workers who will interact and support students throughout the activity. Learners participate in several theatrical workshops and through stagecraft methodology they first will have the opportunity to increase their self-esteem which is the essential tool to make the right choice. The project focus on the ethical choice as a constructive one; it means to choose positive behaviours in the face of situations, maintaining self-esteem even when external pressures would incline towards it down to risk. At the end of the educational training, students will have acquired more knowledge on the theoretical problem related to the use of drugs, technology and internet, gambling; moreover they will also have gained great self-knowledge and self-esteem. The importance that the project appoint to the theatrical performance is in the response that it gives to the missing link between good information and students’ world: iit is essential to convey knowledge involving emotionally, as well as supporting the individual. The main project activities will be:CHOICE CONTEXT ANALYSIS - preliminary field analysis involving students and aimed at defining which are the main situations and factors that could lead to addiction and abuse in participating countries. The analysis will be carried out through a qualitative questionnaire aimed at studying youth management of emotions in specific situations of the daily life, using the model of incidental case, and evaluating which are the main factors, situations and emotions that could increase the risk of addiction. PRELIMINARY TRAINING FOR PROJECT STAFF - design and development of a training experience addressed to teachers and professionals who will work in implementing the CHOICE educational model, in order to plan an educational path aimed at improving self-awareness and emotional management in youth so to prevent addiction using drama. During the training teachers and professionals will acquire competences to integrate their skills and implement the CHOICE model in each project country. CHOICE DRAMA EDUCATIONAL MODEL - educational path aimed at improving self-awareness and emotional management in secondary school students so to prevent addiction. The model will consist in a set of competences to be acquired by secondary school students, shared contents and methodologies based on theatre pedagogy to be implemented at transnational level. CHOICE EDUCATIONAL PATH - training experience addressed to secondary school students according to the planned educational model based on emotional management through theatre pedagogy. A specific toolkit online will be created and educational resources will be made available to all the organisations interested in implementing the new learning experience. CURRICULUM FOR TEACHERS - on the basis of the CHOICE educational path piloting, elaboration and testing of a specific curriculum addressed to teachers and aimed at making them able to plan and lead educational paths aimed at improving self-awareness and emotional management in youth through theatre pedagogy so to prevent addiction.The project action will be carried out at European level, in different national contexts characterised by different addiction rates and policies, because we need to identify sustainable solutions to prevent addiction, specifically by designing and disseminating didactic models based on theatre pedagogy. It is necessary to develop teaching program centered on drama for increasing students' self awareness and active participation in the community, and this requires more systematic cooperation across a range of actors and policies at EU and Member State level.