Cultural projects in schools of primary and secondary education
The Department of Career Counseling and Educational Activities implements cultural projects in schools of primary and secondary education which are part of the annual planning of school activities. They aim to creatively cultivate aesthetics in students through research and study, as well as to highlight and promote cultural elements The themes of these projects cover a wide range of cultural and artistic fields (dance, theatre, music, visual arts, etc.), a significant number of which contribute to the awareness of students on the diversity of cultural expressions, human rights and interculturalism: "Culture as a source of knowledge and people’s unity", "Culture and the right to diversity", "Islamic Art and the Orthodox spirit", "You are like Me: exploring diversity through theatre and the arts", "The cultural diversity of the European Union", "The music of the margin: rembetiko - flamenco - tango fado", "Human rights - racism - minorities: how the contemporary local community deals with them", "The seventh art: from the power of the image to the respect for human rights", Theatrical performance: "Shakespeare and human rights", "Smells, tastes and sounds of the world - the Mediterranean diet", "Painting in French - introduction to painting through teaching French", "From the Gaza Strip to me: Interactive Monologues", "Unaccompanied children, refugee children, children's rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees”, "Religions and denominations in our country", "Dance has no homeland", "Human rights and photography".
Music Schools operating in Secondary Education (Junior and Senior High Schools) aim to prepare and train young people who wish to follow a career in music, while at the same time also providing general education, in case students finally choose to follow another scientific or vocational field. The first Music School was founded in 1988-1989 in Pallini, near Athens. Currently a total of 42 music schools are in operation across the country. The diversity of cultural expressions in music schools is promoted through the curriculum, in which besides music, other subjects such as theatre, dance and visual arts are taught as well.
Arts Schools were founded in 2003 with the aim to prepare and train young people who wish to follow a career in theatre, cinema, dance or the fine arts. At the same time, general education is also provided, in case students finally choose to follow another scientific or vocational field. Today three Arts Schools are in operation in Greece: in Gerakas near Athens (junior and senior high school), in Heraklion, in the island of Crete (junior and senior high school), and Arts Junior High School in Ampelokipi, Thessaloniki, the second largest city of Greece .One of the main objectives of the curriculum in arts schools is to foster awareness on cultural diversity as expressed through the arts. Intercultural schools have been in operation in Greece since 1996. Their aim is to offer equal educational opportunities to students coming from diverse backgrounds.
Although they use the same curricula as in mainstream public schools, they are tailored to cater to the unique educational, social or cultural needs of the students. Thus, special curricula with additional or alternative courses may be applied. Several public awareness raising activities and events to promote the diversity of cultural expressions are organized in these schools, such as musical and theatrical plays, exhibitions and folk dances. The responsible agency is the Special Secretariat for issues of Educational Planninga and education of Greek students abroad.