MorePAL - More Parents Associated for Learning

The MorePAL project was implemented in partnership with the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff UK, Bulgarian Reading Association Sofia Bulgaria, Estonian Reading Association Tallin Estonia.

Donor: EU Commission - EACEA

Duration: 2006-8 (24 months)

Target groups: 100 parents and 25 teachers/adult tutors, together with their schools and communities.

Goals and objectives: MorePAL aimed to empower European parents to be more actively and effectively involved in their children’s education school and community.

1. Identification of the needs of the main target group and the modalities of working with it.

 2. Exchange of methodologies for successful learning and family learning already practiced by partner countries and dissemination to staff.

3. Creation of Parent Associations and networking of the associations across partner countries.

4. Train Parents Associations representatives to advocate for quality education, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social or economic status and to work in partnership  with schools in transforming them into inclusive schools.

5. Training of parents using methods for successful learning through practical interactive workshops and activities.

6. Engagement of families in learning opportunities to produce materials portraying life in each partner country (e.g. short-films, newsletters, parental self-help guides)

7. Development of associated skills within families (creating stories, scripting and producing films, web pages as well as literacy skills, confidence etc) and the creation of a greater sense of cohesion within families.

8. Exchange of materials to create better understanding of family life in the community of Europe.

9. Closer links between school, family and community.

Types of activities: Meetings with parents, students, siblings, teachers, adult tutors and community organizations together in enjoyable creative and challenging activities, designed to develop understanding of the important contribution that family involvement in learning makes to a child’s development and educational success.

Deliverables: sets of learning tools for parents, Parent Associations, website, published collection of Self-help Guides, films, stories written by parents and children, forum discussions (on the project website), final conference (combined with a press conference).  Parents and other family members will be encouraged to seek further lifelong learning opportunities. Partner organisations will share pedagogical methodologies, train teachers and adult tutors in these methodologies, which will underpin the project’s work with parents and families. They will provide support in the development of Parent Associations.

The Practical Guides for Families

• Playing Brain Games - A Practical Guide for Families
• Eating Healthily - A Practical Guide for Families
• Learning Together - Help you child at school - A Practical Guide for Families
• Learning Together - Playing Physical Games - A Practical Guide for Families

Parents learnt how to maximize educational success in their whole family through participation in creative family activities, parenting education and the development of support organisations (Parents Associations) in their schools and communities.

For more information, please visit the project's website: http://www.morepal.org/ (available until 31st of December 2017).