TIPA - Terrain for Interactive Pedagogy through Arts

To achieve TIPA’s vision of success for its programme 2021-2024, we developed three projects which target our central actors : 

1. Engaging children in their learning process
2. Involving parents in children’s education
3. Encouraging educators towards a participative approach

 Key activities have been developed to respond to this vision of success. Our programme 2021-2024 is segmented in seven activities.

Activity 1 - Art workshops and events with children

Art workshops and events are creative learning spaces both at schools and within the communities where artistic activities and pedagogical tools are developed and implemented to address the special needs of vulnerable children. Art workshops aim at helping children to become active learners by favouring interactivity, participation and motivation in class. TIPA also aims at building children’s self-confidence by developing their knowledge and appropriation of rights, responsibilities, values, and by valorising their progress throughout the years spent with them.
 

Activity 2 - Follow-up of children with difficulties

A child in difficulty is a child who does not show signs of fulfillment of personal development resulting from violence or caused by biological, socio-economic, physiological, and educational factors, influencing the wellbeing of the family. These factors have a direct impact on physical, mental and behavioral health of the child. The objective is to implement a child protection protocol, tools, follow-up meetings and actions to help children experiencing difficulties and ensure respect of children’s rights and child protection by all stakeholders. TIPA, school staff and parents work together to help create a more proactive and supportive environment for the learning of the child.

 
Activity 3 - Parents Club & Online support to parents

The Parent’s Club is a platform where parents meet physically and online (Facebook and Whatsapp), to engage in their child’s education. Through art workshops, sharing and discussion on educational issues and on positive discipline, parenting skills, rights and duties. Parents learn to trust themselves and build trust in school and school staff. Through the online platforms the parents are able to access pedagogical tools and artistic activities that they can implement with their family and discuss about the efficiency of the tools with other parents in order to readapt them to their reality. The aim of the Parents Club & Online support is to help parents identify their capacities and guide them so that their weaknesses transform into strengths. The parents need to be part of a community where they feel at ease, valued and motivated to participate actively in their child’s education.


Activity 4 - Training and follow-up of parents

This activity consists in empowering parents who participated actively in the Parents Club the past five years, and who expressed their interest in engaging with TIPA team on field activities. The small group of parents is composed of 8 mothers who are trained to acquire skills as Community Coordinators to facilitate art workshops with children in their community and in schools, and with other parents in Parents Club.
During training sessions, the Community Coordinators are invited to reflect on TIPA’s pedagogical tools and artistic activities, as well as develop new ones for art workshops with children and for other parents. They participate in regular coaching sessions and individual meetings to develop self-leadership skills and efficiency to fulfill their tasks with TIPA and also as parents with their own children. They are now reflecting on how they can evaluate the impact of the art workshops on children.


Activity 5 - Facilit’Art Training

In the Facilit'Art training programme, educators develop skills to facilitate art workshops and foster pupils' citizenship values. During the training, participants explore Interactive Pedagogy methods that help children become active learners. The training encourages sharing of good practices and collaboration between educators. Facilitators enroll in tandem and plan activities that involve their colleagues and/or pupils' parents. This training programme contributes to professionalizing the educational, artistic and social sector.

Activity 6 - Trainings for educators/teachers

Our trainings focus on teachers’ and educators’ professional development in creative teaching skills and reflexive practices on their pedagogical approach and positioning. The trainings cover a wide variety of subjects, namely interactive pedagogy methods and tools to encourage children’s participation, child self-assessment, exercise of rights and responsibilities to enhance class management and group regulation, life-skills development and valuing children's potential through Arts.


Activity 7 - Networking for advocacy & awareness

Advocacy activities and awareness campaigns are conducted by TIPA and other NGOs via Kolektif Drwa Zanfan Morisien* (KDZM) to create a synergy that will bring forward educational and protection matters on the rights of the children. The awareness activities aim to raise awareness among parents, teachers and the public on Children’s rights so as to better protect the children and make sure that each child feels secure in his environment. Awareness activities are also done with the children in order for them to be aware of their rights.

TIPA was co-founded by Emilie Carosin, PhD (Researcher in psychology and education) and Angelique de La Hogue (Educationalist). It began as a pilot project in 2007 for children experiencing learning or social difficulties at Black River Government School. The project was set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, ZEP (Zones d’Education Prioritaire) Unit, and it was based on previous research supporting the view that teaching arts using interactive pedagogy fosters the development of moral values. It was also in line with the mission of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources to promote essential life skills, critical and innovation thinking, and citizen values. Between 2016 and 2020, TIPA implemented a Programme aiming at initiating strategies built as a strong support system for children living in poverty. TIPA positively impacted the children (ZEP Pupils and other pupils in the school neighbourhood), teachers (and other professionals in education) and parents (as well as the educational community).

With socio-economic inequalities, children from vulnerable backgrounds do not have the same learning dispositions as others when they start their schooling. Also, despite the reforms, our education system still emphasizes academic subjects and uses a pedagogical approach not suitable for all children and which does not encourage the child to express himself, develop his creativity and critical thinking... Yet society needs (and will have even more) need for creative, confident, proactive citizens with social skills to work in teams and participate in the development of the country. TIPA's actions with these children, their teachers and their parents, therefore respond to a need for more social justice in our Mauritian society and to enable children to become engaged citizens.

Since the beginning of its action, TIPA impacted on the following beneficiaries:

• More than 2,000 children from 10 ZEP schools have benefited from artistic activities with TIPA
• More than 1800 teachers and educators from NGOs participated in trainings by TIPA
• More than 100 parents have benefited from the support of TIPA

We couldn’t exist without our dedicated corporate partners. We collaborate with businesses from a diverse range of industries that align with our values and vision. We take pride in our partnerships which are personal and tailored to each company we work with. TIPA is eligible to receive CSR funds: it is registered by the Registrar of Association since 2008 and accredited by the CSR Committee (N/1182) since 2009.
A great deal of time is spent towards reaching sponsors. TIPA provides its corporate supporters with detailed project updates throughout its regular reports, photos and testimonies that bear witness to the positive impact of our partner’s support.
No contribution is too small. The opportunities to make a positive impact in your community are boundless.