Situation

Outstanding scientists as Carl Rogers (Freedom to learn, 1969) and Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the oppressed, 1970) wrote decades ago voluminous books on innovative insights of education, but still education is incongruent with the child's perception of its environment. Still the chance is great that a child will see a videotape about the forest in the classroom, in stead of going into the forest with a forester. In the Dutch newspaper NRC not so long ago (June 2003) the secondary state exam was criticised: it is all about banging knowledge and not about gaining insight in modern society.

The network for the youth covers a number of initiatives on youth matters FEMI is contributing to.

Allies

Bruisbende

The Bruisbende (Dazzling Gang) is an informal group of professionals on education who regularly come together eagerly sharing the youngest insights and developments. The members of the Bubble Gang are - each on their own way - involved in educational modernisation but they inspire each other to go further. The Bubble Gang initiated the conference "Heart and soul of learning".

Janusz Korczak Foundation

Janusz Korczak (1878-1924) was a Polish Jewish paediatrician, educationalist, and writer of children's books. He introduced remarkable ideas of education that are still very important these days. Basic idea is the respect for the child as a human being and the equity of the relation between adult and child. Founded in 1982, the Janusz Korczak Foundation's mission is to spread the ideas of Korczak en make these concrete through publications, conferences, lectures and days of study.

Stidyso

Stidyso means Foundation for the education of children with a dysphatic development. A dysphatic development is a rather unknown syndrome. Symptoms are:

• Dyspraxis. The child is clumsy, the balance and the muscle co-ordination cause problems
• A great inconguency between active and passive mastery of the language. The child understands more than it can speak. This results in great inner struggle and behavioural problems.
  

Often the child is diagnosed as mental and physical incomplete. Practice reveals that an intensive supervision starting in the second year of one's life will enhance the chances on a regular education considerably.

Main goal of Stidyso is to reveal the concept of dysphatic development and to function as a report and referral centre .

www.ecologyofthechild.org

The mission of this website is to work towards a childfriendly society. Michiel Matthes, instigator of this website, wants a radical new approach to education and training of the youth, He suggests a paradigm shift, a revolution of the way of thinking, just like it happened in the seventies with the concept "environment". Before that time the environment was a rather neutral term, but afterwards it became a concept of sustainability we should care for. The website propagates an equal revolution for concept of "youth".

Contributions

• FEMI gives logistic and administrative support to the conferences of "Heart and soul of learning".
• FEMI donates to the Janusz Korczak Foundation and to the Nash Dom summer camps in Russia. This yearly camp is meant for handicapped and non handicapped children, orphans and children from regular families. Since 1995 children and coaches from the Netherlands join these camps.
• FEMI donated to the international youth project "Perspectives" of Wings of Hope. This project includes a summer camp for hundreds of adolescents coming from the former Yugoslavia, Germany and the Netherlands.
• Ruud Bakhuizen is president of the board of Stidyso. Stidyso is now incorporated in FEMI. Stidyso has revealed that special education starting in the second year of one's life with adapted training methods lessens the educational retardation considerably.
  
• FEMI supports the development of www.ecologyofthechild.org.
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To span a bridge

Kees Blase, member of the Bubble Gang and co-organiser with Charlotte Korbee of the conference "Heart and soul of learning": What we want is to span a bridge between this 'new' knowledge and reality. At this conference the people are down to earth, having their own effective practice. It is the result that counts. Children with ADHD can do things within a month - after a massage - not having been able to do that for years. For me it is the effect of the massage that counts, not the theoretical background. A few old educational traditions have certain knowledge we like to incorporate in our educational systems. I do not know what New Age is, really, but I do want all knowledge from all cultures, East, West, native American and so on, put in our Western education."

We are guilty of many crimes

We are guilty of many crimes
But the worst sin is abandoning the child
Neglecting the foundation of life
Many of the things we need can wait
the child cannot
We cannot answer Tomorrow
Her name is Today

Gabriele Mistral