Organization of a focus group to explore the social inclusion status of young people within the local community in Cyprus
Within the framework of the Soci@ll project (Whole School Social Labs), CARDET and the Municipality of Agios Athanasios organized a focus group on June 2018.
The purpose of the focus group was:
- to gain insights on participants’ perspective into issues relevant with social inclusion;
- to define the current inclusive and participatory practices in projects/programs/initiatives at different levels (local, regional and national levels);
- to collect suggestions/views/expectations on how to make positive future changes for inclusive systems inside and around schools.
The focus group was attended by 18 representatives of various organizations working in the field of social inclusion. The focus group was split into 3 main sessions as follows:
Session 1: Exploring social inclusion (challenges, stereotypes, bullying)
Session 2: Social inclusion in practice (best practices, inclusion programs, multiculturalism, human rights, vulnerable groups)
Session 3: The use of technology in schools and community as a means of integration and social inclusion.
Participants reflected many challenges towards the social integration of young people along with many obstacles facing due to lack of information in schools, lack of capacity building and experience in handling such a sensitive matter. In addition, many good practices and efforts relevant to the integration were noted. One of the key findings of this focus group was that there is the need for equal opportunities to all young people as well as to introduce new practices and opportunities both for schools and the community.
Should you are a stakeholder currently working in the field of youth and you are interested to learn more and participate in the program’s activities please contact us at kyriaki.yiakoupi@cardet.org.
