The Imagine School Program in Togo
DREAM BIG…
A look back at the 10th-grade class (classe de seconde) from the Cours LumiĆØre International School in LomĆ© (Togo), who experienced our Imagine School Program this year.
Guided by a passionate teacher, Mr. Kokou SoĆØkewo ATIDEKA (known as SokĆ©), the students chose to dedicate themselves to a solidarity project they poetically named “CÅur en ScĆØne” (Heart on Stage), which they built entirely from scratch: organizing a whole day of activities for the residents of an orphanage located 100 kilometers from LomĆ©. A responsible journey, full of ups and downs, whose key stages SokĆ© shared with us:
āIn the beginning, keeping them motivated wasnāt easy; it was a bit complicatedā¦ I told them: ‘Okay, we can stop the project if you want. It’s your project.’
The children thought about it and came back to see me. I told them: ‘If you want to move forward with your project, you need to take things seriously again.’ā
From this conversation, a sense of responsibility was born. During the following session, a small group of students took the floor to “reset the foundations.” They completely took back control of the various leadership roles, reassigned responsibilities to each student, and set up a timeline. They then had to organize the activities, identify and find the necessary materials, and meticulously plan the schedule for a day they hoped would be exceptional for these orphaned children.
And they succeeded! The young residents of the orphanage enjoyed five fun workshops focusing on themes as deep and varied as mutual aid, dreaming, and ecology.
“Once on-site, they felt a bit like adults.”
SokĆ© shared with us how this meeting between his students and the young orphans awakened a deep sense of empathy and compassion in the classroom. That day, many students realized that there are living conditions “much harder than in LomĆ©.”
As a reminder, the theme of this solidarity project was: “DREAM BIG. Even if you are an orphan, you can still dream big. […] And above all, stand by each other… It is together, and even more so in difficult situations, that you will find the strength to move forward.”
Needless to say, we were hanging on SokĆ©‘s every word. What a joy it is for us to share these beautiful adventures with youāthe fruit of wonderful collective work led by the students, supported by their teacher, and accompanied by our pedagogical team. This is the kind of feedback that brightens our days. We hope it does the same for you! š
Ana-Nour, our partner in Togo
The strength of The Imagine Project lies in its ability to conceptualize innovative tools. Once their effectiveness is proven, we pass them on to grassroots actors worldwide. Our actions are therefore deployed by relying on a whole network of partners that grows over time, and with whom we forge ever closer ties.
As such, we are happy to warmly thank the Ana-Nour association, thanks to which this first pilot project in Togo was able to see the light of day. This international solidarity association has set itself the mission of developing an educational ecosystem based on “Neuroeducation.” In collaboration with local partnersāeducational professionals, teachers, families, etc.āit shares advances in human development sciences, particularly regarding children’s fundamental learning skills.
Defending values of interculturality, respect for individual and cultural integrity tailored to each context, their actions rely on the field experience of educators and teachers, as well as studies by cognitive science researchers. They place a high value on co-construction with teachers, families, and local communities.
The association’s Co-founding President, StĆ©phanie Delgado, came to meet us last October, accompanied by SokĆ©, to train in some of our methods.
Joining forces to support a cutting-edge education that cares about psychosocial skills development and children’s global well-beingāthis is a challenge we are thrilled to take on… together!
Find out more: https://www.ana-nour.org/
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Founded in 2010 by journalist FrĆ©dĆ©rique Bedos, the NGO of information Ā« Le Projet Imagine Ā» aims to create a movement of citizen commitment with a view to a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Convinced that everyone can activate their power to make the world a better place, it raises public awareness through inspiring films and involves the public in action-oriented programs that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations.These programs are deployed in schools and increasingly in companies, cities and prisons.
Since 2017 Ā« Le Projet Imagine Ā» is officially recognized by the United Nations.