Author: cardet-wpadmin

Name/Title: Conference – Keep them Safe: Supporting unaccompanied children with family-based care and enhanced protection

Executive Summary – Overview

SAFE Youth’s ‘Keep them Safe’ Conference capped off the excellent work carried out by the project bringing to the fore present realities and structured responses to effectively support unaccompanied minors and children. The Conference featured influential speakers offering diverse perspectives on this important topic and served as a unique opportunity to illustrate the work and products of the project in its bid to support and empower frontline professionals, foster carers and caretakers. 

Background – General

Recognising the moral imperative to offer holistic support to unaccompanied migrant minors and to ensure that they are protected and aided to navigate the challenges they come across in their host country, SAFE sought to make a tangible contribution in enhancing family-based care. Through a comprehensive and structured action plan, the project developed learning materials and offered training opportunities to support frontline practitioners and professionals as well as carers to attain essential knowledge and skills to provide quality family-based care. Additionally, SAFE worked towards raising awareness and advocating for the introduction of structured national support systems and policies to safeguard the rights and further the provision of holistic sustenance to unaccompanied minors and refugee children.   

Solution – CARDET Focused

Joining forces with Hope for Children – CRC Policy Center, CARDET organised a full-day Conference to present and examine present realities and challenges, as well as proposed policies and steps to effectively support unaccompanied minor migrants. Featuring presentations and panel discussions, the Conference provided experts and practitioners a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves with the work and tools produced by the project, as well as engage with different perspectives on the realities and necessary steps in the field. 

Specifically, through the workings of the Conference, the team of CARDET presented the key findings and showcased the outcomes and achievements of the SAFE project in Cyprus and in all the implementing countries. They also facilitate two panel discussions with the participation of key stakeholders and practitioners from government institutions, international entities and children rights organisations: 

• Panel Discussion 1: ‘Supporting unaccompanied minors: Realities and Needs’ 
• Panel Discussion 2: ‘The realities and challenges of supporting the inclusion of unaccompanied minors in Cyprus’ 

Through the workings of the conference, participants also had the chance to raise questions, voice their views and engage in enriching discussions.   

Results – Impact

SAFE’s final conference hosted key stakeholders, experts and practitioners in the fields of children rights, migrant inclusion, education and social work as well as members of the general public. Specifically, to address this important matter in a well-rounded manner and spread the message further,  the conference concluded the project with:

• Speeches, presentations and discussions with representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, the Republic of Cyprus’ Asylum Service, UNHCR Cyprus, Hope for Children CRC Policy Centre, Social Welfare Services and Cyprus’ Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth. 
• Eighty attendees including front-line workers, carers, practitioners, researchers, educators and stakeholders.  
• A screening of the SAFE Documentary and two panel discussions offering a thorough exploration of the issues at hand
• Significant media coverage both prior and after the conference

Executive Summary – Overview 

The Cyprus Education Summit is an annual high-level conference, organised by CARDET, that provides an in-depth exploration of key themes, trends and prospects in all aspects of education and training. The Conference offers the space for Education practitioners and policy makers, teachers and stakeholders to discuss and exchange views, experiences, as well as suggestions to pave the way for the introduction of structured policies and actions in the field. 

Background – General

The field of education and by extension the Educational system of Cyprus are undergoing profound transitions, spurred by technological advancements, evolving societal needs, and a changing global landscape. A multi-level transformation prompts new realities and bears the need to re-evaluate existing approaches and policies, as well as opportunities to ensure that students and educators alike are provided with the support and guidance needed to navigate and thrive in the new environment. This dictates the need to assess and explore ways to bridge theory with practice, foster collaboration and facilitate the formulation of comprehensive and catered propositions that put forward actionable steps towards a progressive, inclusive and future-ready education system. 

Solution – CARDET Focused

The Cyprus Education Summit brings together key stakeholders and policymakers with renowned academics, experts and practitioners serving as a forum for the examination of key themes, developments and aspects of education.  Each year, the summit focuses on a topic of pivotal importance within the Cyprus educational system, in particular: 

• 2021: Digital Transformation and Digital Skills – Trends and Strategies for Lifelong Learning and Adult Education
• 2022: The professional learning of educators – Challenges and Prospects 
• 2023: The evaluation of students as an essential component of the educational process  

The team of CARDET, in collaboration with its associates, develops a robust program inviting high-level speakers from Cyprus and abroad, with longstanding expertise and experience in the field,  to share their insights and experiences along with case studies in the field.  Through their presentations, they link theoretical concepts with pedagogical applications to bring to the fore empirically supported practices that align with the needs and can be effectively adopted in Cyprus’ educational system. An essential component of the Cyprus Education Summit, is to give the opportunity to the education professionals to voice their views and propositions on the field as well as raise questions to the experts and government officials participating in the processes of the summit. 

Results – Impact

Since its launch in 2021, the Cyprus Education Summit has established itself as the leading conference in the field of education in Cyprus. Each year, the Summit has had the pleasure of hosting, as speakers and attendees, key government officials, esteemed academics, notable education practitioners and representatives of leading educational institutions and organisations. 

Specifically, over the years, the Summit successfully resulted in:

• Hosting 30+ renowned speakers – government officials, policymakers, academics, researchers, educators and practitioners
• Attracting more than 400+ participants from the whole spectrum of the educational system 
• Producing structured reports with propositions for actionable steps and measures that can further improve the Cyprus Educational system.

Name/Title: TACKLE Racism in Grassroots Football

Executive Summary 

TACKLE’s final conference, hosted at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon and streamed online, was the culmination of the work and efforts of the project to generate awareness and put forward tangible interventions to make grassroots football a  welcoming space for all. Featuring speeches from legends of the game and high-level stakeholders from the field of Football and Education, the conference put to the fore the realities and challenges on the ground as well as the findings and results of the project in its bid to root racism out of football. 

Background

Implemented by a consortium of seven leading organisations from six European countries, TACKLE responded to the increasing calls for action to address the rising incidents of discrimination and intolerance in grassroots football. Placing grassroots football coaches and professionals at the epicentre of its response, the project sought to equip them with the knowledge and skills to serve as active agents in the fight against racism in football and society. Through the learning material developed, the training opportunities offered and its awareness activities TACKLE emphasised the universality of the sport that needs to be cherished and protected by tackling any form of intolerance. Work and actions that enabled partners to have multifaceted contributions in the field as well as draw invaluable insights and lessons that were presented in a Conference, held at UEFA’s Headquarters, crowing the completion of the project.  

Solution 

In close cooperation with the UEFA Foundation for Children, CARDET organised a hybrid conference at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon, to mark off the completion of TACKLE and showcase its work and successes. Headlined by the international football legend Clarence Seedorf, the Conference featured high-profile speakers who presented their experiences and views on the necessary actions to pave the way for football to become a catalyst in promoting inclusion, respect and acceptance in society. As part of the  Conference, CARDET’s Executive Director Charalambos Vrasidas, presented the work, key achievements and lessons learned through the work and actions of the TACKLE project. 

Results – Impact

TACKLE’s final Conference brought together football personalities, key experts and grassroots professionals, attracting considerable participation, both at the venue and online, as well as coverage from the media. Specifically, the Conference featured: 

• 50 football professionals, coaches and practitioners as well as representatives of organisations and institutions working in the field of inclusion and human rights attending the event at the venue
• The online broadcast and video of the Conference was streamed by over 15,000 users 
• The promotion and dissemination activities of the Final Conference – media articles, social media posts, online videos –  had an approximate reach of 150,000+ individuals