Part of the Educational Program "Focus on the Person” is donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
The disability awareness program "Focus on the person" addresses primary & secondary education mainstream students within the school curriculum (the program is approved by the Ministry of Education). Through an open, informative dialogue headed by motivational speakers with disability, the program aims to awaken students and change their attitude towards diversity while introducing them to the notion of social acceptance and equality.
Moreover, during the school year 2017-2018, SKEP evaluated the impact of the "Focus on the Person" educational program on students, by making a qualitative analysis through:
- Ongoing cooperation and feedback by the teachers participating in the program
- Feedback by the students, always in collaboration with the school
- Collection and processing of data in collaboration with Professor Frosso Motti-Stefanidi, Ph.D, Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The qualitative analysis tried to capture the influence of the program on Primary and Secondary Education students. Through the observation and recording of their emotions in the familiar environment of their classroom, conclusions are drawn that portray the impact of the educational program on the participants.
The conclusions were presented by the Professor of the Department of Psychology, of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mrs. Frosso Motti Stefanidi, at the 1st Interactive Conference "Fostering Respect and Acceptance for Diversity in Schools" - Educational models paving the way to social inclusion of youth with disability, organized by "Marianna V. Vardinoyannis" Foundation and SKEP, on Friday 30 November 2018, in Zappeion.
During the school year 2017-2018, 2 more young people with disability were added to SKEP’s existing team of motivational speakers, in order to maximize the number of schools and students that participate in the disability awareness program "Focus on the person".
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation covers the salaries of those 2 motivational speakers with disability for 2 years. SKEP’s executives trained them to become motivational speakers. In turn, they will go on to create a group of volunteers with disability and introduce them to motivational speaking.