Excelsior start another Playing for Success programme
Excelsior4All, the charity of Excelsior Rotterdam, started their Playing for Success project again together with Iris De Longh, the Education Project Leader.
There are a lot of children interested in Excelsior4All’s Playing for Success programme this season. Everyone is looking forward to it, including Iris: “I am looking forward to it. We have now 75 children with whom we will start.” A full list of applicants shows that there is a very positive response from the schools and parents to the programme. “There are even children who come here for the second time. That does not mean that the programme has not worked, but this shows that these children can develop well through the programme. We give the children who participate for the second time extra confidence by allowing them to take the lead and to feel responsible. ”
‘Together with teacher Bo Pernet, we are starting this curriculum with the quality game. We do this to see at what the children think they are good at. The children then choose a learning objective. These learning objectives are mainly focused on self-confidence, motivation and a good self-image. In addition to the quality game, there are also activities such as a magic show, DHL treasure hunt, various lessons and visits from players of Excelsior Rotterdam. The purpose of the activities is to teach the children responsibility and to work towards their learning goals. Playing for Success’s teachers are primarily concerned with the development of the children and not with the math or language skills.”
Bo Pernet has been working as a teacher for the Playing for Success project. Playing for Success also works with a number of new interns. These trainees are enormously important because they help with the development of the children and the achievement of the learning objectives. ”Trainees give the children the feeling that they matter through coaching conversations, giving specific attention, talking about their feelings and learning objectives. On the first day there was a very positive response from both the children and the parents. Thanks to the positive reactions, we also notice that parents trust in us. During the first days, you also notice that the children are nervous. During the first day, there are also children who take small steps in their self-confidence and tried to leave their comfort zone. Every child, of course, has its own learning goal, its own way to go and that is of course just a little scanning in the beginning. That is why we also try to keep parental involvement high. We do this by, for example, ensuring that they pick up their children at the DHL Learning Center or to hear their story. During the first lesson, a presentation is also given to the parents about what they can expect and what we expect as the Excelsior4All foundation.”
Excelsior Schools
