STROVOLOS MUNICIPAL MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FOUNDATION


Strovolos Municipality has played a pioneering role in social services in Cyprus with the establishment of a “Multi-Functional Municipal Foundation” in 1994, a foundation responsible for the development and implementation of social policy on the area of Strovolos; within the framework of which were introduced the following programmes, where most of them promote the development of adult education:

1. A Club for the Elderly was founded in 1994, where specialized staff provides care and recruitment for the elderly on a daily basis.
   For example, the following are organised: gymnastic, pastry-cook and handicraft lessons, excursions, discussions on themes that the elderly have a particular interest, etc.
   
2. Centres for the Protection, Recreation and Education of Primary School Children ( seven) : After children finish school, they are offered lunch and subsequently, a series of activities are organised based on children’s need, such as, group games, drawing, pastry-cook lessons, gymnastic, etc. with the guide of kindergarten teachers.
   During school holidays, Centres open early in the morning, 7:00 a.m. up to 18:00 p.m. where parents finish their work.
   Parents pay fees for this service.
   
3. Since 1995, a Counselling Centre has been also founded aiming at providing free counselling services to the citizens of Stovolos Municipality who face sociological, physiological and economic problems.
   In the Centre, a number of specialists work on a voluntary basis, such as psychologists, social worker, counsellors for drugs and family matters, clinical nutritionist, etc.
   
4. In January 2005, a new training programme called “Parents – Children, Education and Relationships” has been also functioned within the framework of this Centre aiming at:

a) Offering parents as much knowledge as possible regarding the upbringing of their children through a forum of specialists, such as, scientists, psychologists, social workers, teachers, doctors, and other experts.

b) Educating parents in the use of more effective methods of growing up their children, as well as ways of handling them in daily matters, so as to create mature, happy, responsible and independent individuals.

c) Helping them to solve their family problems more effectively.

d) Sensitise parents on the main problems that adolescences face.

 >Regarding the structure of the program

 The programme is separated in two units.
The first one concerns the presentation of 11 subjects related with infantile and school age.
For example: Development and growth of child, The modern family, Violence in the family, Sexual education, Usual medical problems in the infantile and school age

The second one concerns the development of 11 subjects related with preadolescent, adolescent and family in general.
For example: Teenager: Challenge or Crisis?, Dependent substances (drugs, alcohol, etc.), Anxieties in the adolescent age

In the end of each unit, a certificate is given to those parents who attend the 80% of the program.

5. In 2005, Municipality of Strovolos has constituted “Municipal Groups for Prevention and Social Support”, aiming at involving on a voluntary basis the citizens’ of Strovolos in the domain of prevention and social support.

The main aims of the programme are the following:

• The prevention of appearance of any kind of antisocial behaviors in the local society of Strovolos, by giving particular attention to the young persons.
• The localisation and study of the real dimensions of factors that cause phenomena of antisocial behavior in the region of Municipality, and the adoption of metres based on the results that will be exported.
• The sensitization of citizens’ of Strovolos about the social problems presented in the region of Municipality.
• The constitution of network of "Executives of Prevention" in the Community in various sectors, such as use of substances of dependence, violence, antisocial behavior, discriminations, that will be called to organise in collaboration with the Coordinative Committee of Groups programs of prevention contributing with this way in the transport of right messages in the Community.
• The co-ordination with similar initiatives of other social institutions, organisations and services in local and government level.
• The localisation of groups of high risk and the planning of promoting relative action for the minimisation and elimination of these behaviors.
• Contributing in the prevention but not in the repression of crime, strengthening in this way the social cohesion and solidarity, improving the level and quality of life in the neighborhoods and creating prospects for better, safe and more human cities.

It is important to mention at this point that each person interested in being a member of these groups will be educated and trained at first place on issues relevant to the purpose of the programme, and afterwards based on the educational needs of volunteers, relevant seminars and working groups will be organised with the support of experts.

6. Under the protection of the Foundation, the following new programmes are introduced this year:

• Organisation of one day excursion for 1000 elderly people habitants of Strovolos free of charge (visit places and offer lunch).
• Organisation of five-day-holidays for 130 elderly habitants of Strovolos funded by the Municipality based on criteria.
• Organisation of camping for around 60 children aged 10 – 11 habitants of Strovolos in the mountains in a place prepared especially for that purpose.

 7. ADULT EDUCATION CENTRES

In the area of Strovolos, Adult Education Centres are functioning under the authority of Ministry of Education and Culture offering opportunities for further education to thousands of individuals aged from 15 and over.

More specifically, these centres offer training courses for adults on several subjects organised by qualified teachers.

For example: they offer opportunities of learning languages, arts, handicraft, music, doing gymnastic, taking parts in lectures on different subjects, cooking lessons, etc.

During the school year 2003-2004, 18538 adults all over Cyprus attended classes in 230 centres and 453 qualified teachers offered their services.

8. European Project “Health awareness among parents”

In view of developing further this educational programme and expand its activities, the “Multi-Functional Municipal Foundation of Strovolos” is now currying out a research which is funded by Grundtvig 2 called “Health awareness among parents”.

Its main objective is to identify the main issues of parents´/Strovolo´s habitants concerns regarding their children. In this turn, the identification of parents´ needs and anxieties will be a great source of information for policy development at local level on the area of adult education.

This project is expected to contribute to the improvement of youth health through removing gaps and increasing communication between generations and European society, as the dissemination of outcomes will facilitate an awareness of parents of issues young people face today.

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