New Head of Mission

"I think the sessions help both the teacher and the students in combating discrimination"

                                                    - Avdi Azemi 

                            (Vëllezërit Frashëri School, Lipjan)

As teachers we constantly strive to follow and apply the best teaching practices to make our students as comfortable and as attractive as possible to learn, to acquire the knowledge provided by the plan to apply them in everyday life and be useful to society. 

Despite these efforts, we have felt the need for formal education to be advanced to meet the needs and requirements of students. With the programs available, professional staff and cooperation, PLAY International has managed to address many important topics and work with actors which it is best to be addressed and pave the way for the new generations towards a healthy, inclusive education and a society with genuine values.

Together with my colleagues, I have been part of the EJO project, a project that makes the connection between formal and non-formal education and which aims to support young people and education through sports. Despite my 20 years of experience in education and many other professional trainings, I can clearly say that this project has advanced me as a teacher while making me complete in the profession I practice, more connected to the students, has raised my morals for work and last but not least I have managed to get to know students better.

I believe that the key to success has been the methodologies chosen to achieve the goals, the materials selected for the activities, the games that have conveyed messages and above all the sport kits that have been offered to all schools. I am convinced that PLAYDAGOGY has many advantages over other methods and its results are extraordinary. Through different stages of developing an activity or topic students focus on achieving individual and group success, it enables students to be themselves and understand how important they are to society, to freely express their problems, ways to respect and be respected, stereotypes, prejudices, school dropouts, etc.

As a teacher, I understood the importance of  EJO project starting from the materials provided, discussions with colleagues from other schools to the topics which were addressed and in particular the way they were approached. But I experienced the value of this project when I went back to school and implemented activities with students.

They felt extremely good and calm so they could achieve from the beginning 50% of the foreseen objectives, such as motivation, inclusion and love for the school and teacher. With the development of activities through games and different themes I’ve noticed how little we know about the world of some students, which are their worries, aggression and passiveness, they even gave me some good examples after I’ve known their families and where they live. 

The demand to continue with such activities has been constant, which we have done through several sessions and we have addressed topics that I think will serve them throughout life. I have noticed many positive changes in the regular classes, how much students relate to each other, their behavior in the school halls, supporting each other through their ideas etc. This activity indirectly affected the parents also, who thanked us as their children conveyed compelling messages to their families, shared with them what they experienced and gave good examples in this regard.