Together for Children, supported by Piraeus Bank, created an innovative Exploratory Learning Centre at the 14th Primary School of Xanthi

Together for Children, with the support of Piraeus Bank, created and delivered to the students and teachers of the 14th Primary School of Xanthi, a state-of-the-art Exploratory Learning Centre, through the programme “Equal Opportunities for Children: Actions for Health and Education in border regions of Greece”. 

The 14th Primary School of Xanthi has 309 students and is one of the largest schools in the city. It is the second in a series of Exploratory Learning Centres created by Together for Children with the kind support of Piraeus Bank which are offered to be used by the educational community of Thrace. The first Exploratory Learning Centre was inaugurated at the 10th Primary School of Komotini and has been operating successfully since January 2023. 

This action is part of Piraeus Bank's Corporate Responsibility programme EQUALL - For a Society of Equal People and aims to contribute to the equal access of students to exploratory learning, as well as to the upgrading and expansion of the educational process for teachers and schools located in remote areas. 

The new Exploratory Learning Centre is equipped with appropriate teaching aids, books, and robotics kits. The centre’s classroom has been designed with specially designed furniture to provide children with a modern and friendly environment for learning and creating. It focuses on modern sciences such as maths, physics, chemistry, geography, biology, renewable energy sources, astronomy, information technology, and robotics, encouraging exploration, creative learning, and the development of life skills. 

Furthermore, the school unit is empowered acquiring an enhanced extrovert character that supports opportunities for participation in competitions and collaborations with other schools. The Exploratory Learning Centre was created in close collaboration with the school’s teachers. Donations of teaching materials and equipment were made following a needs assessment in order to meet the needs, objectives and subject matters set by the teachers. 

Moreover, the Bank, in cooperation with the 100mentors team, designed and created the additional programme “Train the Trainer”, which aims to train the teachers of the 14th Primary School of Xanthi so that they can use the Exploratory Learning Centre most effectively. The individual objectives of the training programme focus on the utilisation of the equipment and the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in a way that is consistent with contemporary educational approaches. 

At the event held for the inauguration of the Exploratory Learning Centre in Xanthi, the Centre was blessed by Protopresbyter Mr. George Spartalis. 

On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony, paediatrician Mr. Ioannis Papadatos, member of the Board of Together for Children said: “It is a great joy and pride for us to have this intervention at the 14th Primary School of Xanthi with the support of Piraeus Bank. Guided by their teachers, we are confident that the students will enjoy the potential of this new educational environment and develop their skills in a fun and interesting way. The delivery of a state-of-the-art Exploratory Learning Centre reflects our vision to promote education and creative growth and development of children in the border regions of our country.” 

Representing Piraeus Bank, Mrs. Angeliki Bouki, Head of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural and Social Initiatives Unit, said, among other things: “Equal access of our young people to quality education is a major social need and one of the top goals of the actions addressed to the young generation and implemented by Piraeus Bank as part of the EQUALL - For a Society of Equal People programme. Through the new Exploratory Learning Centre that we have created in support of the work done by Together for Children, the students of one of the most populous primary schools in the outlying Xanthi region, assisted by their teachers, will travel to the world of knowledge and contemporary sciences, develop new skills, enhance their creativity and potential in respect with their personal and learning development.” 

Mr. Efthimios Efthymiou, the Principal of the 14th Primary School of Xanthi, underlined the importance of the initiative: “The creation of the Exploratory Learning Centre in our school offers the most up-to-date learning environment for the promotion of pedagogical and academic goals. We sincerely thank Together for Children as well as Piraeus Bank for making equal learning opportunities a reality for all children across Greece.” 

 

A few words about Together for Children: 

Together for Children has been working since 1996 to protect thousands of children in our country. It offers a wide range of services to ensure that every child in every corner of Greece has access to sustainable living conditions and equal opportunities. The work of Together for Children focuses on poverty alleviation, health and mental health, education, support for the member associations that make up Together for Children, and support for populations affected by natural disasters. 

It is noted that through the programme “Equal Opportunities for Children: Actions for Health and Education in border regions of Greece" run by Together for Children, which is being implemented from 2019, 11,726 students have been supported, empowering the efforts of 1,553 teachers in 106 schools in the prefectures of Evros, Rodopi and Xanthi and encouraging them to create positive changes and foundations for sustainable communities that will offer equal opportunities to their children and young people. 

Together for Children is a Non-Profit Civil Partnership (AMKE), which operates according to the principles of financial transparency. It relies on resources from corporate sponsorships, private donations, income from corporate social responsibility programmes and from organising cultural, sports and other events in Greece and abroad. 
 

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 Athens, 5 March 2024