This beginning of the year marks our resumption in ZEP schools; our fifteenth year and in order not to change a formula that works, we began our collaboration with teachers through planning sessions.
In addition to the three schools where we intervened, 2023 also marks our entry into 2 new schools. For the latter two, we looked at the classes and the teacher’s approach to see what his needs would be. TIPA facilitators did a presentation activity and we got positive feedback. The rainy days when the schools were closed allowed us to update our programme and finalise our activities for the coming months.
Over the next few days, we will be preparing a workshop with psychologists and social workers from ZEP schools. The head master of one of the schools suggested that TIPA set a date for the workshop and invite teachers, psychologists and the social worker to the meeting. The goal of the workshop is for all stakeholders to work together to improve the monitoring of children in difficulty by providing more tools and support to teachers in their work.
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2022 is drawing to a close and all Mauritian children are now on holiday. This year, we reached 178 children, including 111 new ones, in ZEP schools through our art workshops.
The children had a platform where they could experiment with artistic techniques and we could have conversations about responsibilities and values. Over time, the art workshops have become a place where children can express themselves freely. In addition, during the last workshops last month, we integrated sessions on the Rights of the Child so that they are aware of their Rights.
Our workshops were not only beneficial for the students, but also for their teachers, who were able to experience our art workshops. They expressed the benefits of their participation
For this last report of the year, we would like to thank the generous donors who have helped to ensure that our projects continue in ZEP schools; with your support, many Mauritian children were able to experience our art workshops and we hope to reach even more next year. We wish you happy holidays and look forward to sharing more great stories and our actions.
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TIPA is currently working on the theme of plants with Miss Virginie from Pointes aux Sables' school. The collaboration with TIPA is an obvious choice for Virginie, who explains: “The fact that plants are a living thing, including this theme in the creativity classes makes this scientific chapter more fun and interesting.”
To allow the children to discover and experiment with plants, they took a field trip last month to the nursery, Le Colibri, in Beau Bassin, where Mr. Mario, the nurseryman, had invited them. “The first thing that amazed the children was that they could walk barefoot," explains Virginie. Throughout the day, the pupils were free to move around and do whatever they wanted around the plants. The field trip was exactly what Virginie was hoping for. The children were able to observe and touch the very things they were used to seeing in their books.
The children also had the opportunity to sow seeds in small plant pots that day. Everyone took their plant pots into the classroom and as the days went by, they were amazed to see their plants growing. The children will take their plants home with them for the holidays.
The children loved this pedagogical day. They participated in a treasure hunt, visited an abandoned house... but most of all, they faced their fear of insects by putting their hands and feet for 10 seconds in the soil. They enjoyed it so much that they repeated the same activity with their friends.
The headmaster was very pleased with the TIPA field trip. She wanted the children to display their plant pots in the schoolyard so that the other children could also look at them, but the children love their plants so much that they prefer to keep them in their classroom. Instead, they shared that they wanted to plant something else in their schoolyard. The headteacher comes around every day to see their plants and suggested that the children show their plant pots to their classmates during recess and explain what they learned on the field trip, especially their discovery of manure.
Virginie and Jacques-Henri, TIPA's Art Facilitator want the children's work to be showcased to their parents. They also intend to make a video montage to give to the parents and do a presentation during the school assembly so that the children who are not familiar with TIPA can see what their friends have done during the art workshops. A future joint project would be the creation of an album.
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Collaborating with passionate teachers who want to change their teaching practice.
Schools are now open to all children in Mauritius and our artistic workshops have also resumed for the greater enjoyment of children. This year, we are working in 3 ZEP schools and like every year, each session brings its share of surprises (good surprises) and discovery.
TIPA's art facilitator has programmed a calendar of activities with different themes to tackle with the children. But this work could not have been done alone. Thus, 3 teachers with whom we have been collaborating for more than a year held a brainstorming session and shared ideas on the way they teach and how we could apply art in teaching.
Several positive points emerged from this session. These teachers, Miss Razia, Miss Virginie and Miss Lisiane shared that teaching is really a vocation for them and that they would be ready to do more than they are asked for, because they know that pupils need their teachers to give them value, support them and reach out to them through innovative pedagogical approach so as to prevent school dropout.
For a greater impact on the children, we also plan to resume our interventions with their parents. In order to respect the restrictions of sanitary measures, TIPA will welcome no more than 10 parents per session and per class where our art facilitator intervenes. We look forward to these enriching moments and we will be happy to share news of the outcome in our next report.
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In July, TIPA set up a workshop with educators from "Lakaz Lespwar", a local NGO located in the north of Mauritius, to reflect with them on the importance of a well-structured protocol for the protection of vulnerable children in their neighborhoods. The aim of this protocol is to identify cases where the rights of the children would have been infringed, to note the cases requiring rapid action and establish the steps to follow. A workshop was also conducted with children and teenagers to raise awareness on their right to express themselves and the importance of respecting others which goes along the right of expression.
During this workshop, TIPA shared its approach which is to create trust between the educator and the child so that he/she knows that the role of the educator is to protect him”, and above all, the importance of creating a safe space so that the child can express his/her opinion on what he/she believes is good for him/her.
In September, while schools were closed due to the pandemic, TIPA encouraged a small group of 4 parents (whom we followed for 5 years) to share artistic activities online for vulnerable children.
Activities are sent every two weeks and explained through videos and tutorials made by the parents themselves. The latter are truly invested in their responsibilities and place the child at the center of all their decision-making with regards to the activities proposed.
In this spirit of celebration and sharing, our last artistic workshop theme was on Christmas and the children made banners, which they will use to decorate their homes, during this time of year. Coloring, drawing and gluing, this activity allowed children to develop their patience and their capacity to stay focused.
All this is in line with TIPA's objectives of creating a community around its current projects, including those centered on the protection of children's rights, and of sharing a child-centered approach with as many groups as possible.
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