Reports on Empower 450 Vulnerable Children & Families

Project Report | Mar 1, 2024
An open day to showcase what we achieved in 2023.

By Michael Rabot | Project Leader

Artistic works of children

Our Open Day, last December, served as a vibrant platform for the public to witness the artistic journey undertaken by the children throughout the year. This event provided a captivating glimpse into the various artistic activities that unfolded over the preceding months.

The highlight of the day was the unveiling and demonstration of our innovative conversational cards—a powerful tool designed to facilitate meaningful discussions between teachers, parents, and children. This engaging resource promises to bridge the communication gap, fostering insightful conversations at home while concluding with an enjoyable artistic activity.

At the heart of the event were the diverse artistic works created by the children, spanning the months of February and the end of October. These captivating pieces not only showcased the artistic prowess of our children but also served as a testament to their growth and development in life skills, a narrative skillfully shared by their dedicated teachers.

Beyond the individual accomplishments, our Open Day served a larger purpose – to underscore the significance of art and culture in the Mauritian education system. As advocates for the integration of the arts, we believe in the transformative power of creative expression to enrich the educational experience and cultivate well-rounded individuals.

The event succeeded in fostering a sense of community engagement, providing a space for dialogue, appreciation, and understanding.

A teacher and our Community Outreach Coordinator.

Our artistic facilitator with some of her students

Links:

TIPA's website

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Nov 13, 2023
Review of our activities in schools.

By Michael Rabot | Project Leader

Artistic event in school.

Throughout 2023, children who participated in the artistic workshops have truly embraced learning and flourishing. The children who participated for the first time demonstrated important interest in responsibility. They showed an understanding of the significance of following rules and respecting responsibilities in a creative space. During discussions on various topics, they displayed considerable development in their ability to articulate themselves positively, encouraging their peers to wait their turn before speaking.

For those who already experimented our activities last year; they delved into the concept of values within the artistic workshop and successfully connected the dots between responsibility and values. This allowed them to discover that responsibility extends beyond their home lives and into their creative activities. They demonstrated significant development in their reflection and the ability to link lessons about responsibility to broader values.

The children exhibited remarkable engagement in the creative space, easily immersing themselves in enjoyable and profound thematic sessions. This directed them to conduct research and share their ideas on what they observed around them. Concepts such as listening, visualizing, touching, and smelling became integral components that enriched their senses. Sharing their observations with peers led to enriching discussions that were both inspiring and reflective.

During this creative space, the children readily shared their ideas, and their artistic works reflected a deep creativity. They demonstrated the ability to delve into profound reasoning and bring their ideas to life through innovative colors and forms.

Overall, in 2023, the children were highly motivated to participate in the artistic workshop, showcasing an inspiring level of involvement. They easily conveyed their ideas and shared their accomplishments with their peers. For their pedagogical outing at 'Le Jardin Colibri', they developed ideas on how they wanted to explore and discover new concepts. They provided input on how they intended to organize a Mini Expo, showcasing their artistic works and the emerging ideas from their choices.

In summary, it can be affirmed that the children greatly benefited from their participation in the artistic workshop. They discovered responsibility, values, and showcased creativity and involvement that will continue to inspire us in the coming years.

Class photo for our last intervention

Children preparing a gift for their friends.

Art workshops with grade 3 children

Links:

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Jul 21, 2023
Workshop with education stakeholders.

By Michael Rabot | Project Leader

Colloboration among students in art workshops.

During the first half of 2023, art workshops have been actively focused on our third precondition, which emphasizes the importance of creating a creative learning space. We have approached this objective by engaging in various activities such as research, reflection, discussions, role play, artistic techniques, and sensory exploration, all centered around different thematic subjects.

Furthermore, we have also introduced support classes with the aim of providing a safe and confidential environment for children to express themselves. During these support classes, the children themselves have the opportunity to choose and plan the themes they wish to discuss. We have conducted workshops involving various stakeholders, including educational psychologists, social workers, inspectors, clusters, headmasters, and deputy headmasters, who are directly or indirectly involved with the schools TIPA collaborates with.

Finally, some weeks ago, we invited several and different stakeholders. Our action focuses on bringing together education stakeholders to improve support for children facing difficulties in their school environment. During a meeting, we defined the meaning of supporting these children and created an ideal sentence based on participants' input. Stakeholders were divided into groups to reflect on key aspects such as the timing, frequency, and location of interventions, as well as the responsibilities and collaboration with various parties including children, parents, and psychologists. The aim was to establish an organized structure for supporting these children, emphasizing the pivotal role of teachers and the need for collective support. We explored ways to effectively gather and share information among the relevant groups to enhance understanding and enhance support mechanisms. Through this collaborative effort, we strive to drive positive change and improve the support system for children facing difficulties.