Partnership for Children

'Teachers see real changes in their children'

With the new school year beginning in many countries, Programme Manager Caroline Egar has been answering questions about the way in which Zippy's Friends is expanding around the world.

Is Zippy's Friends a truly international programme?

'It's getting there. Eighteen months ago, it was in only two European countries - Denmark and Lithuania. Now we're up to six countries, after adding Brazil, England, India and Norway, and we hope that classes will start soon in Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland and Poland. We've moved beyond Europe to include Asia and America, so the growth so far has been strong.'

Are you satisfied with this pace of expansion?

'Yes, we are now. Things are going very well. It took us a long time to move on from Denmark and Lithuania, where Zippy's Friends was first developed and tested, but now we feel that the programme is finally expanding in the way that it deserves. All our partner agencies are positive and enthusiastic about the pilots they have run, and all of them want to run the programme at an increased level this year.'

Why is the programme spreading so quickly?

'Simply, because teachers find that it's not difficult to teach and it's very effective. They see real changes in their children.'

Why is it effective in different countries and cultures?

'Because it was designed from Day 1 to be suitable for as many different cultures as possible, and because it concentrates on human experiences that are common to everybody, regardless of where they come from. Feelings, friendship, communication, change - these are familiar to all of us, no matter where we live.'

Does it work better in some countries than in others?

'Perhaps in some countries the culture is more predisposed to the ideas behind Zippy's Friends. For instance, in Brazil there is more of a tradition of talking about your feelings than there is in some other countries. But we've yet to find any country where the programme doesn't work, and I think success really depends on the dedication of the people who run it.'

Do teachers from different countries share their experiences?

'We do share ideas from around the world during the teacher training courses, but I think we could do more. This was a clear request from the international training workshop (right) that we held in May. In the next couple of months, we hope to launch an online discussion forum for all teachers of Zippy's Friends, and we're also looking at the possibility of setting up twinning arrangements between Zippy schools in different countries.

Of course, not all ideas can be transferred from one country to another, but teachers are intelligent and can pick and choose the ideas that are helpful for them.'

Are there any obstacles that prevent the programme expanding more quickly?

'Well, it takes time to find strong partner agencies to run Zippy's Friends in each country, especially as there are only three and a half of us in our office! We look for agencies that are well-established and have real expertise in child development or education. But I think the time we spend assessing potential partners is time well spent because a strong agency will deliver the programme to so many more children and teachers. Certainly, all of our current partners are a joy to work with.'

What about the next eighteen months?

'Eighteen months from now, the programme should be consolidated in all the countries where it's already running, and it wouldn't surprise me if we were in twice as many countries as we are today.'