Involve, connect, and teaching for inclusion: Educational community facing childhood cancer
- Name of the project: “INVOLVE, CONNECT, AND TEACH FOR INCLUSION: EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY FACING CHILDHOOD CANCER”
Childhood cancer is a disease that can affect any child, exposing them to sometimes very aggressive treatments, with no guaranteed success. Even those who overcome it can present physical, social and emotional sequels. All these sequels clearly influence the future of children, their self-esteem and social relationships.
School plays a very important role in the lives of all children. They spend many hours during the day, sharing, experimenting and learning with girls and boys of the same age. In the case of childhood cancer patients, it is essential that the school provides them with accompaniment in order to achieve their integral development.
Therefore, the LA NINETA DELS ULLS Foundation, the SAPERE AUDE school, and the expert in inclusive methodologies REDTREE created this project precisely to support the full development and inclusion of these children by providing kindergarten and primary schools with high quality tools with: an innovative and effective method that helps teachers to make their classes equal for these children; materials and resources to implement this method; learning outcomes for participants; and a sustainable network that allows these children to live fully.
Our goal is to ensure that the help and support provided to these children is of the highest possible quality, especially from the educational community (teachers, peers, and school staff), providing them with high quality tools and methods to achieve this. After carrying out the project, we not only managed to give kindergarten and primary schools the necessary tools to support the good educational development and inclusion of these students, we have also improved our networking and our ability to work at a transnational and intersectoral level.
Participants:
RedTree (Spain)
Entity with expertise in the creation of methodologies with people with difficulties.
Sapere Aude (Poland)
Primary school with a long history of implementing innovative inclusive methodologies.
Results
- O1 - "A guide for the inclusion of students with cancer in schools - RETINOBLASTOMA", which describes the innovative and effective method that helps teachers to welcome children who have suffered or are suffering from childhood cancer (in our case most of them are retinoblastoma) in their classrooms and educational centers in equality, achieving a full educational, social and personal development. This guide has been developed in the three languages of the project and is available for free download online.
- Materials and resources that allow the implementation of the generated method.
- Significant learning outcomes for participants (teachers, students and members of participating entities).
- A sustainable network that supports children living with cancer to live a full life.
Activities:
Within the project we carry out multiple activities divided into different phases. From the activities to develop results to dissemination activities, including national activities in partner organizations, pilot tests and workshops:
- Virtual meetings:
- Virtual meeting with Poland and Redtree (31/8/202)
- Virtual meeting with Poland (28/6/2022 y 12/10/2022)
- Training:
- Erasmus + Program with Redtree (29/4/2022).
- Creation of the training in the E+ Program and KA210 projects by REDTREE (29/11/2022).
- Training on classroom planning processes, curriculum, and curricular adaptations; carried out by SAPERE AUDE (12/02/2023).
- Online training for partners on inclusion in the classroom and youth with cancer; conducted by SAPERE AUDE (14/02/2023).
- Training on childhood cancer and retinoblastoma in the center.
SAPERE AUDE center, carried out by Fundació Nineta dels Ulls, as well as specific training on inclusive methodologies in the classroom carried out by REDTREE (04/04/2023 and 05/04/2023).
- Virtual meetings of working committees
- Board (monthly)
- Team meetings (periodically)
- Face-to-face meeting of the Foundation team – Strategic plan (28/05/2022)
- Families meeting (21-23 october 2022). Families and experts.
- Emotional education day for patients and families, with La Granja escola Corral de Neri (22/10/2022).
- Expert conferences for families and patients (22/10/2022).
- Invitees: Dra. Agustina Sirgo (psychologist), Dra. María Genoveva Correa (oncologist), Dr. Bernat Gel and Dr. Eduard Serra (Hereditary Cancer Research Group investigators from IGTP), Dr. Xavier Gironès (machine learning expert), Dr. Jaume Català (ophthalmologist).
- Invitees: Dra. Agustina Sirgo (psychologist), Dra. María Genoveva Correa (oncologist), Dr. Bernat Gel and Dr. Eduard Serra (Hereditary Cancer Research Group investigators from IGTP), Dr. Xavier Gironès (machine learning expert), Dr. Jaume Català (ophthalmologist).
- National meeting with european dimensions of teachers (Rajszew, Poland), 04/04/2023.
- Emotional education day for teachers. Rajszew, Poland (12/04/2023). Workshops conducted by Fundacja Rozwoju Świadomości Emocjonalnej – EmocJa on emotional intelligence.
- Life talk: 4 adults who were diagnosed with retinoblastoma at a very young age share their life experience with retinoblastoma with retinoblastoma families and patients and clinical experts (5/16/2023).
- Experts presentation on ocular prostheses for retinoblastoma families and patients and clinical experts (5/17/2023).
- Guests: Dr. Esther Casas (coordinator of the Congenital Alterations of Palpebral and Ocular Development Unit at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital), Helena Escoda (Child Life specialist who works with Dr. Casas’ team offering emotional support in the enucleation process), and Randhal Skrt, mother expert.
- Families meeting (20-22 october 2023). Families and experts.
- Emotional education day for patients and families, with La Granja escola Corral de Neri (21/10/2023).
- Expert conferences for families and patients (21/10/2023).
- Invitees: Dra. Dolors Molies (anesthesiologist), Dra. Teresa Sola (neuroradiologist), Dra. Diana Salinas (genetic consultant), Dra. Ester Casas (ophthalmologist) Dr. Jaume Català (ophthalmologist).
- Emotional education day for teachers, 15 november 2023.
- Essential news shared through social networks:
- European project awarded.
- SEPIE training.
- Virtual meeting with partners.
- Families, patients and experts meeting.
- PAX school training.
- 1st transnational meeting in Tarragona (News 1 and 2).
- Primary school training.
- Transnacional meeting in Rajszew.
- 3rd transnational meeting in Valencia.
- Meetings with other entities:
- Meeting with JCI.
- Health Commission Tarragona City Council.
- Meeting with Intress.
- Meeting with the Associación Contra el Cáncer.
- Szkoła Podstawowa Sapere Aude w Rajszewie social network posts:
- Beginning of cooperation
- Meeting in Tarragona (Post 1, 2, 3)
- MEETING with a MOUNTANEER Piotr Cieszewski
- Superhero Day
- Meeting in Poland
- SCHOOL FAIRS – enhancing childrens sensitivity for the needs of others and charity fundrising for Fundacio La Nineta dels Ulls (Post 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
- The Pijamas Day (13/02/2024). International Childhood Cancer Day.
- Dissemination events:
- 3rd Superheroines and Superheroes Day: project to work on inclusion in primary education classrooms and to raise awareness of retinoblastoma and its symptoms. In 2022, 111 schools from all over Spain and one school from Poland participated. In 2023, 127 schools from all over Spain participated, with more than 24,000 students. All schools have been informed of the presentation in virtual format of the “Guide for the inclusion of children with childhood cancer in the classroom” and of the link where they can download it.
- Superheroines and Superheroes Day held at SAPERE AUDE, Poland.
- Presentation at a face-to-face event for the guide in Poland (11/15/2023).
- Presentation of the guide in Spain with a virtual event (15/02/2024).
- Other:
- Start-up support day for small-scale associations (KA210) CALL FOR QUALIFICATIONS 2021 SEPIE (19/7/2022).
- Childhood cancer, retinoblastoma (18/11/2022).
- Childhood cancer (retinoblastoma) and inclusion in the classroom for early childhood and primary education teachers (25/01/2023).
- Childhood cancer, retinoblastoma (17/01/2024).
Transnational meetings:
M1 Tarragona (ES) – 29 November 2022
The first transnational meeting of the “Involve, connect and teach for inclusion” project, which is part of the Erasmus+ projects promoted by the European Union, took place on November 29. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Foundation, Redtree and the Sapere Aude school in Poland.
During the meeting, the three entities were presented, the whole project was explained in detail in order to solve possible doubts, the actions carried out were explained and future actions were planned. Among other aspects, the next meeting was scheduled to take place in April in Poland.
The three entities shared many experiences and a very favorable atmosphere of collaboration was generated, which will undoubtedly favor the achievement of the project’s objectives and the creation of larger projects in the near future.
M2 Rajszew (PL) – 04 April 2023
The second transnational meeting of the European project “Involve, Connect, and Teach for Inclusion: Educational Community Facing Childhood Cancer”, promoted by the Foundation, was held on April 4, 2023. The meeting served to establish the contents of the guide that we will jointly develop for the inclusion of children with cancer in schools. The Sapere Aude school explained to us all the actions they have carried out within the framework of the project and also the dissemination they have been able to make of the symptoms of retinoblastoma.
The next meeting will be held in February 2024 in Valencia and will serve to analyze in depth the contents of the guide and all the actions carried out to close the project.
We would like to highlight the great welcome that both the management team, teachers and, above all, the students of the Sapere Aude school gave us and the members of Redtree.
M3 Valencia (ES) – 23 February 2024
The third transnational meeting of the European project “Involve, Connect and Teach for Inclusion: Educational Community Facing Childhood Cancer”, supported by the Foundation, took place on February 23rd. At the meeting we presented and evaluated the main results of the project: A guide for the inclusion of students with cancer in schools. The Sapere Aude school presented all the activities they have carried out in the project, along with photos and evaluations. Fundació La Nineta dels Ulls also presented a summary of all the activities carried out during the project.
The three entities were very positive about the creation of this network, which has allowed us to grow, learn and initiate a collaboration that will surely have continuity.
Impact:
After the development of the project we have achieved a very positive impact both on the three partners (creating a sustainable network that will grow with more partners, collaborators, and new Erasmus+ projects), but of course on the beneficiaries:
STUDENTS, not only those who suffer or have suffered from childhood cancer, but also their classmates, have seen their real inclusion in the classrooms enhanced during the difficult stage they live while fighting this terrible disease and later, when they face its aftermath; the TEACHERS and the staff of the educational centers have strengthened their practices to adapt them and make their education more inclusive by being trained on this hard disease and what it implies; and the FAMILIES, who often have difficulties to transmit to the schools the needs of their sons and daughters, but now they can facilitate this stage to their little ones thanks to the results of the project.
For their part, the three partner organizations (NINETA DELS ULLS, SAPERE AUDE, and REDTREE) now have more tools and resources to improve the quality of life of their main beneficiaries, have improved their practices and services, and have been able to develop better methods to include students with cancer in their classrooms, making them more inclusive.
The project "INVOLVE, CONNECT, AND TEACH FOR INCLUSION: EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY FACING CHILDHOOD CANCER" is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. The content of the site is the sole responsibility of Fundació La Nineta dels Ulls and neither the European Commission nor the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE) is responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
