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Description
The main goal of the project is a systemic change in the approach to teaching ethics in schools. The project will affect the quality of interfaith dialogue in the school environment and in the local community of the city of Poznań. As part of the project, we will provide support to teachers of ethics, and show how important it is to teach this subject in a city whose inhabitants represent various religious communities and groups. Deliverables and outcomes elaborated within the project will also support teaching religious studies. Ethics in school can help people of different views find common ground. As part of the project we will conduct a series of workshops and meetings introducing the content of religious studies to ethics classes in Poznań schools. We will emphasize the importance of anti-discrimination, multi-religion and freedom of conscience in teaching ethics. We will engage teachers, and other people participating in meetings and workshops, in the creation of educational materials. We will create a space where people engaged in the project will discuss and implement new content and test new tools in educational institutions. Free educational materials for ethics classes will be published on the Internet. There will be created, among others: a project website with materials that will be elaborated as the result of the workshops, a post-workshop set of recommendations and scenarios developed by representatives of educational institutions, people from various religious backgrounds, as well as experts in the field of ethics (the set will be available free-of-charge on the project website and on Facebook), a set of information materials promoting ethics in school and the idea of religious pluralism in Poznań. The outcomes of the project will be beneficial for: school teachers and other educators (they will obtain educational materials), school students (they will expand their knowledge) and religious minorities (they will gain new space for integration).
Summary of project results
The project was a response to comprehensive challenges related to multi-religiousness in the school environment in Poznań and the surrounding area. We were reacting to the quality of interfaith dialogue at that time. We sought to address the difficulties of religious diversity and to promote the positive impact of ethics classes on these issues.
The first problem that the project tried to solve was the limited experience of education workers, students and the local community in contacts with religious minorities in Poznań. By initiating educational activities, the project aimed to increase awareness and understanding of religious and social differences in order to create a more open and tolerant environment.
Another challenge was to develop problems related to religious pluralism, the social role of religion and existing discrimination. The project engaged teachers, future teachers and educational professionals, educating them on how to effectively engage students in initiatives for interfaith understanding. He sought to create an environment that promoted respect and understanding for religious diversity.
Additionally, the project focused on locating problems related to ethics, directing activities to specific aspects of the life of the local community. By identifying specific issues, the project could more effectively address local needs and adapt strategies to the specificity of a given area.
Activating people with different and often opposing views was a key goal of the project. Through various educational and social initiatives, the project tried to integrate the community, enabling the active participation of people with different beliefs in the process of dialogue and building interreligious understanding.
As part of the project, we took a number of actions and created a variety of products that effectively responded to the challenges related to multi-religiousness in the school environment of Poznań and the surrounding area.
We have created a report on qualitative research: Interviews conducted with education representatives in Poznań regarding conducting classes on ethics and relations with the religious environment were used to develop the workshop program.
We organized a series of workshops and meetings: The organized series of workshops and meetings was addressed to ethics teachers, students and the local community, as well as representatives of religious communities and experts. These activities were aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue and improving the quality of classes.
A website www.poznanwielureligii.com was created with materials: A dedicated project website was created, where materials for ethics teachers, resulting from the workshops, were made available.
A post-workshop set of recommendations was also published on the above-mentioned website: A group of education workers, representatives of religious communities and experts developed a set of recommendations, inspirations and lesson plans regarding ethics. These materials were made public on the project website, on the social media profile (FB: fb.com/poznanwielureligii) and made available periodically.
Information and promotional materials were created: A set of materials was prepared, such as leaflets, brochures, photo reports and video materials, promoting the idea of ethics at school and religious pluralism in Poznań. These communication tools were available on the project website and on the official social media profile (FB: fb.com/poznanwielureligii).
We organized the closing event "Apocrypha": The project ended with the closing event, which was a lecture-concert "Apocrypha". This event was a summary of the project''s activities and an inspiration for further activities for interreligious dialogue.
Workshops and meetings with representatives of various environments turned out to be an effective tool for promoting interfaith dialogue. Meetings in temples turned out to be particularly effective, providing participants not only with theoretical knowledge, but also with practical experience.
The initiative contributed to embedding the issue of religious pluralism in the context of the local community. A trip in the footsteps of various denominations has been included in the "PoPoznań" guide program. Teachers, lecturers and representatives of religious minorities who participated in the project actively promoted the initiative in their communities, which increased public awareness of the role of ethics lessons in the local community of Poznań and the surrounding area.
The developed educational tools, available on the project website (https://poznanwielureligii.com/materialy-edukacyjne/), are original and free lesson plans that provide unique support for ethics teachers and educators. Meeting participants confirm that for the first time they had the opportunity to visit places of worship of religious minorities, also taking students with them. This new experience became the topic of ethics lessons, which contributed to enriching the curriculum.
The benefits of the project also included establishing contacts between participants and representatives of religious minorities. The participants became interested in participating in religious services for educational purposes, and also reached for literature related to a given rite, provided by the leaders. The developed tools, such as scenarios and educational materials, are effective in promoting openness to religious diversity and educating in this area. The project was addressed mainly to teachers, and its effects promote tolerance and understanding for different religions in schools and the local community.