3. PROJECT MEETING


3. PROJECT MEETING, SÄTILA, SWEDEN

 

 

The weekend 15 – 17 July held the third transnational project meeting of the Montessori Adolescent Programme Inspiration (MAPI) project. It took place at Montessoriskolan Lära för Livet in Sätila, Sweden.

 

The school is the only one in Europe where the Montessori programme for adolescents has been operating for dozens of years. The school also has its alumni, so it is possible to see their integration into further education as well as their involvement in the life of society. This meeting was a key meeting for the project partners because it gave us the opportunity to see the school and farm environment prepared for adolescent activities.  We had a chance to meet students who took care about us, showed us around the school and the farm, and discussed with us their school and out-of-school, formal as well as informal projects and activities.

 

Currently, at both the school and the farm, the AMI/NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies is taking place. Teachers, school administrators and youth workers from all over Europe are preparing themselves for their subsequent work with adolescents. Fourteen project participants are taking part in this course.  It was very interesting to meet them all in the adolescent environment and discuss with them the progress of the course, their experience and feelings, the skills and knowledge they’d gained and their future expectations in the adolescent work.  The three participant from the Czech Republic will not only use their knowledge in their own work with adolescents but also share their experience with Czech Montessori and the larger public through a series of workshops, seminars and online blogs.

 

Last but not least, the project participants had a chance to meet the most valued experts on Montessori adolescent work from all over the world.  The guides and teachers present at the meeting have lifelong experience in teaching children and adolescents, they have established their own schools and are running other educational institutions specializing in work with adolescents. David Kahn, Jenny Höglund, Patricia Pantano and John McNamara are Montessori experts that are not often to be found at one place and we were very lucky and are very grateful that they were willing to hold discussions with us and help us create the project outputs.