Lions KAIRÓS: the origins.

In February 2008, a Marostica's Lions Club member started to think to this project that, after few months, 4 other clubs of the same zone has shared: Bassano del Grappa Host Lions club, Bassano del Grappa Jacopo Da Ponte Lions Club, Thiene Lions Club and Schio Lions Club.

Lions Kairós project has been created by some members who were willing to provide their “internal richness”, and has as its main target to better the scholastic and social integration of disabled people. Those PEOPLE,who are unawares considered “different” from the normally endowed people, and are often deprived of their own human dignity.

Kairós: Kairós, is the deciding time for the individual, the right occasion, the favorable moment that leads to take action and to use it bravely:everything that is good in the person's concrete situation is Kairós.

Integration in reverse order: The Lions Kairós project has its roots in a SPECIAL THOUGHT aimed at spreading a concept of “INTEGRATION IN REVERSE ORDER”, that tries to improve the perception and the knowledge of the handicap in the normally endowed young people. This perception will be reached throughout a CULTURAL process that could bring to a better scholastic and social integration, thanks to the awareness of the ability that this disabled people in reality possess.

LIONS KAIRÓS: the schools.

Lions Kairós project has been thought to be aimed at “normally endowed adolescents” of Secondary Education (from 11 to 14 year old people) and to their teachers, proposing a new cultural approach to the diversity theme, to establish a constructive relation with the disabled person throughout an“INTEGRATION IN REVERSE ORDER”.
We are convinced that the normally endowed pupils need surely a higher awareness of the diversity and we hope that in the future these normal young people will not fear the disabled people and that they will interiorize the others' exigencies considering them as a source of internal richness for everybody.
Each adherent school, moreover, will have its proper space on the site www.lions-kairos.it where it will increase its value and will serve as positive example for all the future realities.

LIONS KAIRÓS: the operative manual.

“Diversity is a value, a real resource to which refer to try to change our relation with the world and the people”.

PURPOSES:
• make a critic consideration about diversity;
• to develop a positive behaviour towards diversity, overcoming prejudices, fears, suspicions, so that we can accept the diversity considering it as a strength point;
• create a behaviour on their side, being available with people who are “different from us”.

• think on the concepts of diversity and equality;
• make the prejudices, stereotipes and fears about handicap to emerge;
• give value to diversity.
• To promote the “Integration in reverse order”.

With the operative manual we prepared, we provide the teachers with some hints and some operative instructions that allow them to continue to teach theirs subjects without needing an external figure who enters the school. To do this it is necessary to introduce the theme of disability for a considerable amount of time.

Financial resources are not required to schools: the educational activities are carried out during the regular timetable and educational material is already available for pupils.

The concept of difference is an important aspect in personal growth, because we cannot grow not considering differences. People normally reveal similarities and differences of their characters when interacting, and differences are often refused.

On one hand such situation may create a general sense of curiosity, on the other hand it may create distrust and arrogance.

This is a difficult problem to deal with, however a solution can be found in making young people and adolescents conscious of positive consequences that may result from differences.
The aim of our project is to give young people this opportunity in order to achieve their maturity at best. If there was no difference we could not say “me” because we cannot be different from a general “you”.

Find the differences can be an incentive to better ourselves.

LIONS KAIRÓS: the website.

www.lions-kairos.it - info@lions-kairos.it

For more information, visit www.lions-kairos.it or contact info@lions-kairos.it
(currently in italian but soon in English too.)

Telemar, Lions Kairós' business partner, enable us to spread information on the internet about currently operating projects,to provide educational material and to allow schools to join these integration activities.
Lions Club local agencies and website are at your disposal for any clarification or registration. Presentation copies and member certificate will be issued at the moment of registration. “Scuole Aderenti” is a section of the website in which names and numbers of schools that has joined the project are reported. The section is constantly updated and enables Lions Kairós to arrange conferences, shows or any other activities according to “Contenitore Kairos”.
In addition, we hope to receive reports on the initiatives realised, with feed-backs on the most successful activities, the pros and cons and suggestions for new projects.
Lions Kairos needs to grow and spread with the help of everyone who wants to be part of this project. Thanks to Telemar we are now online, on schools, Lions, institutions, people..

LIONS KAIRÓS: single purpose or master project?

Lion Kairós was born as a single purpose project, but its potentiality was immediately discovered and it became a master project with other activities. A good team spirit was instantly established with the parents who found the project very up-to-date and a real help for their children. For this reason, they helped Lion Kairós to spread not only by presenting the project on the meetings and to the medias, but also by proposing other activities to add to the project, such as screenings and soirées with famous experts.

LIONS KAIRÓS: strong points

• Lions Kairós is an open-ended project so it will not run out at the end of this year. Lions Kairós will continue to develop thanks to the suggestions of the schools which, from the beginning, agreed to the project and year after year it will involve more and more schools.


• Lions Kairós is, therefore, a long lasting project so it enables Lions Kairos to schedule a sequence of important activities which would go on for many years. In addition, it will be able to improve the numerous efforts necessary for a good planning and accomplishment of any project.


• Lions Kairós knows that its success is connected to an active collaboration among the Lions Clubs sited in the same area. For that reason it facilitates their partnerships and exchange of information.


• Lions Kairós encourages schools to improve their skills on planning and accomplishment by creating a good sense of competition among headmasters, teachers and students of different schools.


• Lions Kairós enables schools to offer, for free, to families a new and exciting project equipped with very interesting social propositions.


• Lions Kairós is for free. No contributions are asked to schools. Good will and professionalism are the only things needed from teachers and headmasters.


• Lions Kairós has a low economic impact, for the Clubs who will take part in the activities also. Goodwill is the only thing asked, but this aspect already distinguish us.


• Lions Kairós has already got a dedicated Internet website, rich in contents and proposals, where eveybody can get information about concrete past experiences.


• Lions Kairós can be considered an excellent opportunity of cultural growing towards the “handicap” theme also for the Lions’ members, as it would inwardly enrich anyone who devoted themselves to it. What is more, it would improve the positive visibility of the Lions Club International Association, thanks to the role played both for School and Society. (For further information please visit: http://www.lions-kairos.it/a_ITA_23_1.html)

LIONS KAIRÓS: an opportunity for the clubs

Dear Lions Members,

through the Lions Kairós project we hope we have managed to provide Schools with some useful hints of activities and deeper approach towards “diversity”, so as to make it an inward richness for the youths that will soon play a leading role in our society.

With our proposal, we wish to share this splendid experience with every member, both providing our background knowledge and integrating it with any consequent cultural enrichment.  

Lions Kairós, besides the extraordinary role played towards schools, can therefore help us all to study important subjects in depth, such as the situation of students with handicaps in today’s school system, the role of remedial and of curricular teachers, the role of “normally intelligent” mates and the one at which youths with handicaps can aim in the society of the future, thanks to the greater awareness that their “normally intelligent” peers can acquire through the Lions Kairós project. Everything is made with the ultimate purpose of guaranteeing anyone the inalienabile Right to Human Dignity.