TRAINING MODULES FOR 5-7 YEAR-OLD CHILDREN ON GENDER EQUALITY
These modules and practical activities were designed to support Greek teachers and experts who work with 5-7 year-old children. Classic children's tales, popular among children of this age, and instrumental to shaping their life views and beliefs, were used to introduce the topic of equal opportunities for men and women in preschool and primary school education.
These training modules aim to equip kindergarten teachers with practical tools to expand young children's understanding about building healthy relationships, based on mutual respect and esteem between girls and boys. This would help them communicate meaningfully, without acting with aggression and violence.
The draft modules were tested among children at the 20th Kindergarten in Karditsa. Further, they were adapted to the specifics of the age group and the pedagogical process at kindergartens. The finalized modules were introduced in the training of children at two kindergartens in Karditsa: 33rd Kindergarten in Karditsa and Kindergarten of Prodromos, also at 8th Primary School of Karditsa.
Number of children: 55
The implementation of the presented training modules for working with children is experimental and aims to approve practical tools to enhance knowledge on building healthy relationships based on appreciation and respect for the other gender, from an early age. This will help children to communicate with each other in fully complete way, without aggression and violence. The Training Modules on the topic of Gender Equality, as a tool to developing critical and creative thinking, can convey a lot of messages to children.
Key messages to Children:
- Women and men, girls and boys are equally capable and their knowledge is equally valuable
- Women and men, girls and boys are different, but this is a reason for cooperation and not a reason for discrimination
- Girls and boys may have different interests. Yet the interests they share are more than the ones they don't.
- Each person is unique, different and valuable!
- Every child is unique, different and valuable!
- The control, submission and coercion of one sex to the other is unacceptable and leads to violence.
- Violence against children is unacceptable. Adults are responsible for protecting children.
- Power should be used to help others, not to offend and hurt them
- It is important for women and men to be equally involved in taking care of their home and family and to have equal time for themselves.
- Women and men should be equally paid for doing the same type of work
- There are good and bad strangers. The good ones can be asked for help, and the bad ones should be kept at a distance.
- When girls and boys participate equally in the decision-making, nobody will be at a disadvantage
- Children, women and men have the right to live without violence and to have equal opportunities to fulfil their personal desires.
- Children and women as a more vulnerable group are often subjected to violence and this requires special protection and support.
