A row of school bags at Children's Village Imst, Austria…
I like this photograph of a neat, colourful school. To go with it I have part of a report that is about the quality of child care we, as a charity, give. The report describes a meeting where three large international organisations meet to form and define "Quality4Children".
- Lisa
-
A row of school bags at Children's Village Imst, Austria
I like this photograph of a neat, colourful school. To go with it I have part of a report that is about the quality of child care we, as a charity, give. The report describes a meeting where three large international organisations meet to form and define "Quality4Children".
The first European Congress "Quality4Children" took place from 1 to 2 June 2005 in Gmunden, Austria. Children and young adults from all the projects took part in the meeting, as their opinions are very valuable.
The goal of "Quality4Children" is to put into effect, throughout Europe, a child care method which focuses on the needs of each individual child, and to have the necessary guidelines implemented on the political level. The project's initiators are IFCO (International Foster Care Organisation), FICE (Fédération Internationale des Communautés Educatives), and SOS Children's Villages. Currently 32 European countries are taking part in the project.
At the congress in Gmunden, in which participants from 54 European countries were present, the idea "in the child's best interests" was once more clearly defined: children and young adults who cannot grow up with their biological parents (there are approximately two million in Europe and Central Asia alone), are the true experts on their own situation. They play a key role in improving their opportunities for development.
However, quality is not easy to work towards: educational experts have to be creative and free in their work, since what is good for one child can be exactly wrong for another. Indeed, as educational scientist Eva Dreher from Vienna stated in her report, development should not be considered something pertinent only to children and young adults, rather it is understood today as a process which extends though one's whole life.
Many topics were raised during the congress and many experts, organisations and initiatives met to exchange views and to work together towards a common goal.
- Mary
-
A girl painting a picture at nursery school in Wienerwald, Austria
I love the way this picture shows how much fun this little girl is having, playing with mixing colours together. I enjoyed reading about the beginings of the "Quality4Children" project. I have been checking out their website at http://www.quality4children.info and they have come a long way in 4 years.
Share: