The workshops for parents were part of the project “Through parental styles, talents, and tips to a more active parenting role”; for children within the project “3plus computer experts.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had (and still has) a significant impact on families and parents and has placed new demands and roles on them which they need to fulfill. Parents became teachers, educators, coaches, and friends during the pandemic. All these roles made it difficult to upbringing children, reduced the quality of life of children, and slowed down their psychophysical development.
To empower parents with new knowledge and skills, support them in raising children, and deal with the challenges posed by the pandemic more easily and effectively as part of the project Through parental styles, talents, and tips to a more active parenting role through November and December 2021., Croatian Association of families with three or more children conducted six free online workshops for mothers and fathers. Psychologist Sandra Matošina Borbaš led the workshops. Topics of workshops were mental health, child stress, the roles of fathers and mothers in raising children, boundaries in raising children, communication between parents and children, and preparing parents for school.
The project also aims to emphasize the role of fathers in the family, especially in raising children. The role of fathers is often neglected, and fathers are treated in society not as equal parents, but as assistants in raising the children, which makes the position of the mother more difficult, but also underestimates and neglects the role of fathers, which is especially visible in rural areas. Therefore, this project is socially oriented to raise awareness of the important role of fathers in the upbringing and everyday life of children. For this reason, the media campaign Dad matters is being implemented as part of the project. The media campaign includes advocating for and promoting the importance of the role of fathers on social media. Also, during December, billboards and city lights posters with the message Dad matters were placed in various places throughout Croatia.
At the beginning of February, a round table will be held on the importance of the role of fathers in raising children and family life, called Dad matters.
The project is conducted in cooperation with the association Pro vita 4+ and Families with four or more children with the financial support of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth.
3plus computer experts project for children
During November and December 2021, the Croatian Association of families with three or more children conducted workshops for primary school children on 3D modeling within the project 3plus computer experts.
The project was financially supported as part of the Tender for the award of grants in 2021 entitled Light on a common path by the national Electric power organization company HEP.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many challenges to parents and children. One of the key ones was online school. Parents needed to provide adequate IT equipment and internet access in a short period so that their children could follow classes online. Furthermore, many children couldn’t attend classes from home on their own and needed the help of their parents, who, in addition to all the above, also had daily business obligations.
Given the unpredictable situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for reinforcement of the online school model, the project sought to enable children to acquire new IT knowledge and skills that would make it easier for them to overcome the obstacles they face. That is why the Croatian Association of families with three or more children started implementing the 3plus computer experts project. The project was implemented from November 3, 2021, to December 8, 2021.
During the project, ten online workshops were conducted for children on 3D modeling by an expert from the partner company Edukacentar. During the education, the children developed spatial perceptions through various 3D modeling exercises, processed basic commands for 3D modeling, made 3D models and learned to move in virtual space and make animations.
Online workshops improved children’s digital skills and provided them with new computer skills. After completing the education, the children received a digital certificate.
