“International We C.A.R.E. Program” – Connecting schools in Greece with Greek schools in the USA

Seven (four parochial evening/Saturday Greek schools and three charter schools) from the US states of Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, participate in the initial pilot phase of the “International We C.A.R.E. Program”. The “International We C.A.R.E. Program” is part of the “Connecting for Caring (C4C)” project (www.connecting4caring.gr), which is a multi-level prevention, awareness-building, education and intervention project. It is implemented by the Center for Research and Practice in School Psychology of the University of Athens, Greece, in cooperation with the Society for School and Family Consultation and Research, with the generous donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Scientific project director is Chryse Hatzichristou, Professor of School Psychology in the University of Athens, Greece. The inclusion of schools from US in the program has been supervised by Dr. Antonis Marmarinos, counselor for education in the Greek Embassy, Washington, D.C.

The program fosters resilience and encourages positive school climate by promoting communication and interconnection of children of Greek descent with their peers in Greece. The optimal goal of this interaction initiative is to create cultural bridges that support children, teachers and schools, during the current challenging economic times.

The international program has the following key innovative features: a) specialized teachers’ training (distance-learning), b) classroom activities that promote multicultural values and social and life skills -  i.e. participation in a journey with the “School boat We C.A.R.E.” in a series of islands-stations inspired by Ancient Greek Literature and Mythology (e.g. “The journey of Odysseus”), c) participation in an online interactive educational game (“Sailing for Caring”) where classrooms in Greece are paired with classrooms of Greek schools abroad as travel companions and have the opportunity to transfer their traveling experiences in virtual space and to interact and communicate with each other, and d) development of an international database of best practices for promoting well-being in school communities.

In the following school year, the “International WeC.A.R.E. Program” will expand to reach a larger number of teachers and students from Greece (especially from remote and rural areas), Cyprus and other countries of the Greek diaspora.

While promoting the Greek cultural heritage, values, language, and history, this program aims to foster the bonds and to enhance the intercultural exchange among students and teachers of Greek descent around the world.