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MUNICIPALITIES: 134 PRACTICES


TOPIC:

Initiative

The "COVIDAKI" board game.

The "COVIDAKI" board game.
SUBMITTED FROM:

Municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni

The Municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni is a municipality of the Region of Central Macedonia which was established in 2011 from the merger of the pre-existing municipalities of Ampelokipi and Menemeni. It occupies the north-western edge of the Urban Development Complex of Thessaloniki and its population amounts to 52,127 inhabitants. Its seat is Ampelokipi and its mayor is Lazaros Kyrizoglou.



Objective Action

The goal of creating the educational game is to inform citizens about protection against the coronavirus in order to reduce cases. In this way we approach children and their families and spread the message of prevention and protection of public health.

  The municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, having realized the challenges that arose from the pandemic, but also the need to be next to the citizens, proceeded to design and create the educational game, with the aim of informing young children about protection against the coronavirus. Through its use, it aims to raise children's awareness of prevention and protection of public health.

 

Target Audience

Students, teachers and parents.

 

Duration

January 2022 – today


Description

Educational board game, like the well-known « ΣΝΑΚΕ».

 The game Covidaki, inspired by the well-known board game "Snake", emerged as an idea during the quarantine period of 2020 as a creative, family activity with the aim of educating young children about the rules of personal hygiene, which in the midst of a pandemic have become more imperative . It is an enjoyable game with a low degree of difficulty to keep players interested.

The original idea was presented to the head of the Directorate of Social Protection, Education, Sports & Culture and to the pedagogue of the Community Center with Roma Branch of the municipality of Ampelokipi- Menemeni by a member of AMKE REVMA. The officials of the municipality, recognizing that giving flesh and bones, by extension making use of the original idea, multiple benefits will arise for the educational community, the municipality and the newly established AMKE REVMA, suggested to the administration of the municipality the coverage exclusively from municipal resources of the planning and of game construction. So everyone together led the original idea to its final form.

Instructions

 

The purpose of the game is for one of the players to reach square No. 49 first, starting from square No. 1.

The game is played by 2 - 4 players and each player chooses a pawn of a different color. When all pawns are placed on the 'Start' square, players roll the die. Whoever has the highest number starts first. The other players roll the dice in turn and advance as many places as the number of the dice.

 Along the way each player encounters COMMANDS / PROMPTS or CONTAMINATED AREAS: Any player found in an area infected with Covid-19 must go back two spaces and three spaces back if in an area infected by the -Delta mutation. For example, if a player finds himself in the contaminated box #8, he must retreat to box #6 and stay there until he plays again. However, if he finds himself in box #38 with the virus mutation, he must move back 3 places, to box #35. If a player finds himself in a box with a COMMAND/INVESTMENT he must follow it. If he does not perform it, then he loses his turn for the next two rounds of the game.

THE IMPACT SUSPECT BOX:

 

Caution! If one stops at the box of SUSPECTED CASE No. 36 and No. 44, it means that one has come into contact with a case and should remain in quarantine. It is then taken through the quarantine corridor, straight to box 16 and 32 respectively. There, after the quarantine has passed, he is ordered to disinfect his hands, so that he can re-enter the game.

THE COVID-FREE BOX:

 

Lucky will be the player who finds themselves in the COVID FREE box No 31, which moves the player eight places ahead, to box No39.

 Two or more pawns can stop on the same square.

When one of the players begins to approach the goal, he must roll exactly the number that will lead him to square No. 49 and no more. For example, if a player is at No. 47 he must roll the number 2, otherwise he will reach 49 but then back off. If it carries, that is, 5, it will reach 49 and go back three places.

 Actions carried out:

The municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni supplied all the kindergartens and primary schools in our municipality with two boxes of the game.

A floor-scale representation of the game was constructed. In two primary schools of the communities of Ampelokipi and Menemeni and in two primary schools of the settlement of Agios Nektarios (Dendropotamos) the board game was presented while the children had the opportunity to play the game in the courtyards of the school buildings and in the form of a floor game.

 It was presented as a successful action in television shows (ΕΤ3, TV100, ΕΤ1).

 It was presented at an Action Aid event on the occasion of World Health Day.

Next actions:

To share the rest of the toys in public and private kindergartens and childcare centers located in our municipality.

To paint the game in schoolyards, request of school principals.

 It will be presented at an upcoming event of the Hellenic Cities Health Network.


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Impact on Society

Taking into account that the playful way of teaching is a good practice and a direct way of approaching children, this initiative is a useful pedagogical tool, which can be used either at home or in the classroom with the aim of familiarizing mainly young children as with the unprecedented condition of the pandemic as well as with the ways to protect against the coronavirus and not only that.

In particular, through the game, children can learn in an understandable way and get used to observing simple but necessary hygiene rules, such as the regular disinfection of hands and personal items, with the ultimate goal of ensuring their health. Also, through the orders to disinfect the hands and the other players, the feeling of not only individual but also collective responsibility is indirectly cultivated.

The goal was initially to spread the game in school environments and to strengthen the student community in terms of familiarity with health protocols and self-protection measures against exposure to the coronavirus. Thus, it is observed that the students, through the experience of the game, become aware and become themselves social/multipliers of the message about virus protection by talking to their family members, friends and classmates.

 It should be noted that the game was a way of informing students from marginalized and socially excluded groups, where the need for awareness and prevention actions is greater.

 In addition, it is necessary to note that through this specific action the municipality contributes on the one hand to the support of a group of young women from the marginalized Roma community and on the other hand to the removal of stereotypes about the Roma, which were reinforced in the midst of a pandemic, as this time we see young Roma women collaborating with the local government and taking the lead as active citizens especially in an issue related to the coronavirus and health assurance, despite the general view that presents Roma indifferent to the conditions of the pandemic.

In addition, it is worth underlining that the depiction of the female doctor on the game board, who appears as a heroine with a bertha, was a conscious choice of the team that is in line with contemporary social imperatives. The deliberate choice of a female figure in a role that is usually portrayed by male role models wants to pass the message about gender equality and overcoming an entrenched and outdated social representation of women in traditional roles. This portrayal is yet another indirect way of projecting role models and encouraging girls to dream and set goals beyond the narrow limits of preconceptions about the role and capabilities of women, especially when they come from closed societies where anachronistic notions prevail.

 

 *(to include measurable results if available)



Initiative Location

Kindergartens and primary schools of the municipality,  public and private creative employment centers .


Working with Organization

The original idea for the creation of the game belongs to AMKE REVMA. The Urban Non-Profit Company REVMA (Roma Educational Vocational Maintainable Assistance) based in Thessaloniki was founded in 2021 by five young female graduates of higher education with gypsy origin who have worked and offered their voluntary services in the field of intercultural mediation, but also in general field of education.

The main objective of the organization is the actions to prevent and combat student dropout as a cause and symptom of social exclusion, with an emphasis on Roma communities. The recognition of the central role of education towards social change, but also towards a sustainable democracy, is a key point in REVMA's ideology.


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Workers Participation

 

Directorate of Social Protection, Education, Sports & Culture, Department of Health, Welfare & Social Protection and the Community Center with a Roma Annex.


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Photos

Benefits for Οrganization

- promotion of the public health of the local community where the action was implemented & in particular with regard to limiting the cases of the covid-19 pandemic.

 - cooperation with institutions and students (schools, church, associations, NGOs) to understand the problem, reduce the cases of the pandemic and promote public health.

 - stimulation of extroversion and promotion of the actions of the municipality

 - cultivating the municipality's relations with the student community as well as the local Roma community




Connection with Global Goals







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