In the coming months, ICDI will be supporting our long-standing partner and national coordinator of the TOY for Inclusion programme in Slovakia, Škola dokorán in opening 6 new Play Hubs. Three of them will be in primary schools in communities where many Ukrainian children and families are resettling after fleeing the war and three more directly in refugee camps. Slovakia is one of the European countries receiving most refugees from Ukraine, hosting now 80.000 of them (BBC article from 5 July 2022).
The TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs are community-based inclusive non formal educational spaces for children and families. They especially make sure to include and engage young children (0-10 years old) from vulnerable, minority groups and growing up in difficult circumstances.
With the support of UNICEF, the new Play Hubs will offer a safe and welcoming space for refugee children and families to:
- socialise and make new friends,
- learn the local language,
- express emotions, and process traumatic experiences,
- get to know their new community,
- be introduced to education and other services,
- get specialised support in different areas through direct referral: education, health, housing, employment, etc.
ICDI will train new Play Hub staff, develop a Toolkit on inclusive play-based activities that promote social reintegration and healing from trauma for young refugee children, and coordinate monitoring and evaluation activities.
ICDI will train new Play Hub staff, develop a Toolkit on inclusive play-based activities that promote social reintegration and healing from trauma for young refugee children, and coordinate monitoring and evaluation activities.
As we care for the children, we also contribute to the well-being of their adults: Play Hub staff become the cultural guide to help parents and carers to navigate this strange place where they have landed. As skilled guides, Play Hub staff show the way while they honour refugees’ knowledge and culture.
Play Hubs are inclusive spaces where relationships between young children and families from all backgrounds are built through playing together, borrowing toys, connecting services and sharing information about childrearing, health, early learning and development.
From 2017, ICDI’s partners have opened Play Hubs in 8 EU countries, reaching over 15.000 children, 6000 parents and carers and 1000 professionals.
Play Hubs were able to quickly adapt and respond to the challenges of COVID-19 and we believe they can be an effective response to the refugee crisis as well.
For more information, contact Giulia Cortellesi (giulia@icdi.nl) and visit the TOY for Inclusion website.
