FORTH

Greece |  forth.gr

The Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), established in 1983, is the second largest research centre in Greece with well-organized facilities, highly qualified personnel and a reputation as a top-level research foundation worldwide. The Foundation, with headquarters in Heraklion, includes eight Research Institutes in different parts of the country. The research and technological directions of FORTH focus on areas of major scientific, social, and economic interest. Particular attention is paid on the impact of RTD on and for society. 

The Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics (IACM) is one of the founding institutes of FORTH. Besides research on Mathematics, the Institute hosts research activity related to the field of education and organizational change. The Socio-Educational Research & Innovation Group (SERI) operates within IACM. The Group’s research concerns is in area of educational and social innovation with particular focus on the dimensions of science, education, gender in research, vulnerable groups, social integration and inclusion, ICT, adult education, governance of education and organizational change.

IPA

Netherlands | parentsinternational.org | fb.com/parentsinternational | @Intl_Parents

Stichting IPA (Parents International) is established with the mission of supporting parents around the world to become game-changers by helping their children to grow up happy and healthy 21st century citizens. By becoming the best parents of our children we can ensure the future of not only our children, but also the well-being of mankind. The UN Convention the Rights of the Child, the piece of legislation that establishes the rights and duties of parents for the best interest of their children, has been ratified globally, in all countries except the USA. European parents have 30 years of experience working for protecting the rights of their children by joining forces in a European organisation.

Global challenges, as well as local ones that may be faced knowing answers from other localities call for a wider cooperation among parents from all over the world. This is the reason why this foundation is calling working with experienced parents’ representatives (active and formal) and professionals, including teachers, social workers, researchers, psychologists, teacher trainers, economists, students, policy makers, youth workers, etc. who are interested in supporting parents, in a global parents’ alliance that works for the best interest and well-being of children all over the world especially by

• supporting parents to become the best educators of their children;
• increasing parental involvement in all forms of education, with special focus on formal education, for thinking and acting together for education suitable for 21st century children in the post-PISA period;
• fighting illiteracy, promoting reading;
• working towards equal opportunities for girls and women, education of girls and mothers;
• supporting parents in becoming the main advocates of the rights of the child;
• demanding that the right to mother tongue and mother culture, even for migrants is granted;
• supporting to raise digital literacy levels and thus and living in the digital age;
• providing for empowerment for active citizenship and participation;
• fighting xenophobia, hate speech, exclusion, supporting inclusion for a peaceful future

KINCS-Ő

Hungary | kincsoalapitvany.hu

We believe in the importance of early childhood education and care, and the power of free play to improve children’s learning outcomes and social emotional skills.

Young children play and learn together regardless of their individual abilities and social background. Kindergartens, schools, parents, and municipalities build strong communities or nests around vulnerable children to improve their learning outcomes and social inclusion. Our social enterprise is an incubator for innovative educational approaches that help tap into the potentials of the new generation of diverse learners.

PAIS-EM-REDE

Portugal | paisemrede.pl

Pais-em-Rede (PeR), founded in November 2008, is a non-governmental organization representing people with disabilities. PeR’s mission is to bring together, in a nationwide movement, families of people of all ages with all kinds of disabilities, helping them to defend the rights of people with disabilities, and mobilizing the whole society for the common cause of their inclusion. It has local delegations in most of the Portuguese continental territory districts whose coordinators play a crucial role in supporting and empowering families with people with disabilities and helping them to identify and find solutions for their specific regional needs. 

PeR has implemented innovative programs that have the overall objective of helping and supporting families caring for the inclusion of young people with disabilities. Oficinas de Pais involved more than 600 parents in 14 districts of Portugal. Other ongoing programs, such as Sintra Inclui + and Voluntariado para Todos, promote community activities for young adults with disabilities that are finishing school or that have already left school, in order to prepare them to an independent life. We are currently involved in HiLives, an Erasmus+ Project developed in partnership with Aveiro University, and one project funded by the European Union – Center for independent living (CAVI) in Braga.

PUZZLE

Greece |  puzzle-se.eu

Puzzle is a social enterprise founded by six professionals with experience in the fields of education, mental health, disability and social integration. Puzzle members have participated and acquired a long and valuable expertise working in organizations that support people with disabilities. More specifically, Puzzle members hold key positions in relevant services in Greece, such as day centres, supportive accommodation services and have extensive experience in the field of social inclusion. We also have good working relationships with Greek higher education institutions. 

Puzzle is a social enterprise that aims through its actions to empower vulnerable social groups and improve their quality of life. Based on our constitution, among other things, we undertake and participate in projects aimed at child protection, the empowerment of people with disabilities, the increase in employability and the strengthening of social inclusion. With years of experience in these areas, we believe that the aforementioned objectives can be achieved through education (both formal and non-formal), provision of social care, family counseling, cooperation between organizations, etc. In addition, we do not focus only on interventions aimed at the user level of the service, also the service providers themselves, with the aim of changing attitudes, better services and increasing co-production (for example, through the education of staff and parents and administrative consultation). 

Mοreover, Puzzle has a great interest and experience in conducting research studies and its use to inform clinical practice and focus of activities. For example, we have recently participated in a needs assessment study to determine whether there is a lack of accessible information on human rights for people with intellectual disabilities. Based on these results, we move to close this gap by producing and making available accessible (easy-to-understand) information for people with identification.