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Date: 28-10-2020
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New Guidebook and a Toolkit to Support Teachers Working with Refugee and Migrant Children

Tags: Greece, children, refugee children

Building Bridges - Bridging the Gap

Supporting wellbeing, learning, development and integration of young refugee and migrant children is a guidebook which aims to assist and inform the work of kindergarten teachers engaged in kindergartens in refugee camps on the Aegean islands, but can also be of help in various kindergarten settings.

The Guidebook hints on how to support kindergarten teachers, addresses topics such as creating safe, well-structured, child-friendly, and stimulating environments in camps; providing psychosocial support to children and families and dealing with trauma; supporting children who do not speak language of instruction. In the Guidebook,  each of the topics includes a set of suggested hands-on activities alongside with theoretical explanations of the rationale behind them.

The Guidebook was authored by ISSA, the University of Patras, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, and Refugee Trauma Initiative (RTI) in partnership  with Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs under the  project Children on the Margins: Building Bridges – Bridging the Gap: Supporting wellbeing, learning, development and integration of young refugee and migrant children in Greece, generously supported by Early Childhood Program at Open Society Foundations.

The Guidebook can be independently used by teachers as well as their mentors and supervisors and other providers of in-service training.

Activities and approaches suggested in the guidebook can be implemented as described, but should also serve as an inspiration for the kindergarten teachers and those supporting their work and as an invitation for reflection on existing practices and as opportunities for improvements.

You can find the guidebook in Greek and English here.

Young Refugee Children in Greek Early Childhood Day Care Centers

The Toolkit for daycare centers “Young Refugee Children in Greek Early Childhood Day Care Centers” in Greek and English is developed under the same project by ISSA,  its member EADAP, and Municipality of Elefsina. The Toolkit deepens the capacities of nurseries to attract refugee and migrant parents and families to enroll their children in responsive and quality nursery services and to strengthen social cohesion in the neighborhoods/communities where they are located.

The Toolkit contains methodological and theoretical guidelines to support nursery teachers in their work. You will also have access to a hands-on set of 24 activity cards with examples of activities for children under 4 years of age organized in three clusters: 

  • Welcoming the child = Welcoming the family, with the dictionary with key words and phrases in Greek, French, Arabic and Farsi.
  • Belonging.
  • We are all different, we are all equal.

Additionally,  you will be able to download children’s songs from Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, and Iran played by one of the famous Greek musician Georgos Xaronitis.

All the materials in Greek and English can be downloaded here.