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KASTELHOLM TALKS
RESEARCH
THE ÅLAND EXAMPLE
JASS
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Everything starts with oneself – closing seminar of the project KID

On October 18, a closing seminar of the project “KID – Equal Opportunities for pre-school girls and boys” was held on Åland. Ida Eriksson, supervisor of the project at the Waldorf kindergarten Regnbågen, presented the project results. The staff of Regnbågen and children’s parents shared lessons learned and experiences of the project. Finally, the audience was involved in a general discussion on gender equality in the bringing-up of children.

The project KID was implemented by the Åland Islands Peace Institute since 2015 in cooperation with the Waldorf Åland association, the non-governmental kindergarten Nendre in Vilnius, Lithuania and the Star of Hope organisation in the Kaliningrad region, Russia. The purpose of the project has been to promote a gender-sensitive attitude among the staff of the kindergartens and among the children’s parents, and to reduce gender stereotyping in the communication and interaction with children. The project also strived to create equal opportunities for girls and boys to develop their skills and interests without being limited by gender-stereotypical expectations.

The supervisor Ida Eriksson has supported the staff at Regnbågen on Åland in their work with drawing up a gender equality plan, has made observations using a video camera, interviewed pedagogues and parents, participated in parent meetings and evaluated the results of the project. The evaluation has shown that the pedagogues have developed a much higher degree of constructive self-criticism. They have also introduced methods that help to encourage children to play in varying groups so that they learn to know each other better and find more friends of different genders and ages. The project has also resulted in an improved communication and a greater openness in contacts between parents and staff.

Read the report here.

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