"Focus on the Person" MYTILINEOS implemented the Disability Awareness Educational Program in schools

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Initiatives

Athens, Greece – 19 August 2022 MYTILINEOS, always standing by the local community of Viotia Prefecture and in cooperation with SKEP - Association of Social Responsibility for Children and Youth, implemented the innovative educational program " Focus on the Person " in 10 schools in the region.

In particular, 11 educational programs were carried out in 10 primary and secondary education schools of the Prefecture, namely in the Municipality of Distomo, Arachova & Antikyra, informing and familiarizing 524 students with the concepts of disability and diversity.

Speakers of SKEP, executives and associates with disability, through an open informative dialogue promoting awareness with students and teachers. The dialogue promotes the notions of coexistence, empathy, solidarity, acceptance and fosters personality development, as well as, the respect for each individual’s uniqueness. The program focused on the following thematic units:

• Understanding & acceptance of diversity.
• Understanding and familiarization with concepts such as: Disability, Impairments, Accessibility, Access, Inclusive Communication, Concept of the importance of inclusive attitude & culture and practical guidelines for the daily contact with people with disabilities.

Following a survey carried out by means of a specific questionnaire handed out to teachers and students in participating schools, teachers stated that students destigmatized the word disability and realized that a disabled person can be fully functional with the appropriate accessible environment. Furthermore, students stressed that they better perceive concepts such as equality and diversity, through the values of empathy.

Statements by students:

• "It helped us understand everyday life from the perspective of a disabled person with all the difficulties that this entails.”

• “The program contributes directly to raising students’ awareness regarding disabled people's needs. It is necessary to form a substantiated view of our fellow citizens, free from social prejudices, as citizens of the future to make their lives more sustainable!"

• "I thought that people with disabilities were capable of a few things, but after I attended the program, I realized they were capable of many more things than I had imagined!”

In a society that is constantly evolving and changing, the interaction of students with diversity contributes to creating an inclusive school for all children. With a view to strengthening and educating the local community, MYTILINEOS created the right perspectives for sensitization and awareness-raising among the general population, with a view to ensuring and granting the basic rights of people with disabilities.

This initiative becomes particularly important for MYTILINEOS and is implemented in the framework of strategic partnerships developed with key social actors to achieve the Global Sustainable Development Goals (Goals 10 and 17).

Visit the Sustainability Actions Map (https://sdactionsmap.mytilineos.gr/en/ ) to learn more.