Greek and Brazilian Youth Unite for Inclusive Education

In a dynamic online meeting held in early April, 35 young people from Greece and Brazil exchanged experiences and good practices to promote a friendly and inclusive educational environment. The meeting was a follow-up to the contact established last February, during the 2nd Full Day Conference of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre. On that occasion, YES Project Director, George Moschos, and its Coordinator, Savvas Metaxas, met with Eduardo Vasconcelos, Director of Youth Engagement of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center at the Child Mind Institute and co-founder of the Young Peacebuilders program in Brazil.
During the meeting, the Brazilian participants presented the Young Peacebuilders program, which aims to prevent and address school violence through dialogue, arts and mediation. The Greek teenagers shared their experiences as members of the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES), highlighting the importance of expression and cooperation for mental well-being in schools.
This meeting underscored the power of international collaboration and youth initiative in driving positive change in the education system, centering on the needs and voices of students.

The YES Youth Engagement Scheme has been approved by the Hellenic Ministry of Education, both for 2022-23 and for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25 (No.Prot.F.2.1/MG/96512/105996/D7, 17/9/2024), including for the organization of discussions and dialogue activities in schools. You can access the relevant document (in Greek) here.
The project is implemented as part of the Global Health Initiative(GHI) of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation ( SNF ) in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute.
More about the YES Programme, here.