FRAGILE POWER: How to Support Highly Sensitive Children and Teenagers

Thematic area of the project: Well-being and inclusion/School education

Project leader: EDUcentrum, z.ú. – Czech Republic

Project partners: Observatoire de la Sensibilité – France, Institut pro vysokou citlivost – Czech Republic

Timeframe: 1. 1. 2024 – 31. 12. 2025

Project webpage: under reconstruction

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fragile.power.project

Instagram: fragile.power

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9832077/

Focus of the project:

The focus of the project is to enhance awareness, support and understanding of high sensitivity, particularly among highly sensitive children (HSC) in school settings. The project aims to provide resources and strategies for educators, parents and the wider community to create a more inclusive and empathetic educational environment.

Key objectives include:

Raising Awareness: Increasing knowledge about highly sensitive people (HSPs) among students, pedagogical staff, parents and the community through relatable materials.
Supporting HSC: Offering resources to help HSC manage their sensitivity in school, reducing stressors and promoting well-being.
Promoting Self-Awareness and Self-Care: Helping HSC understand and manage their sensitivity, identifying strengths and challenges.
Reducing Stigma and Bullying: Combatting negative perceptions of sensitivity, emphasizing its value as a unique trait.
Creating Equal Opportunities: Ensuring HSC can fully develop their potential.
Supporting Pedagogical Staff: Providing guides and workshops to enhance educators’ ability to support HSC.

Target group:

Highly Sensitive Children and Teenagers: The primary focus is on children and teenagers who are highly sensitive, particularly those aged 12-15, to help them understand their sensitivity, cope with challenges and promote self-awareness and self-care.
Schoolmates and Parents of HSC: The project aims to create an inclusive environment and raise awareness among the peers and parents of HSC to better support these children.
Teachers and School Staff: This group includes primary school teachers, school psychologists, prevention methodology experts, remedial teachers and guidance counselors. The project provides guides and workshops to enhance their understanding and ability to support HSC.
Wider Educational Community: This includes other schools, educational institutions, libraries and organizations working with children and teenagers, ensuring broad dissemination of the project results.

Main project assumptions:

Prevalence and Need: Approximately 20-30% of the population comprises highly sensitive people (HSPs). Despite this significant prevalence, there is a lack of specific programs to support highly sensitive children in schools in the Czech Republic and France.
Challenges Faced by HSC: HSC often struggle with overstimulation, anxiety and heightened emotional reactions in school environments. They may find it challenging to cope with noisy or crowded settings, have difficulty concentrating due to distractions and feel isolated or misunderstood. This can lead to misdiagnosis and trauma if their needs are not recognized and properly addressed.
Insufficient Support: While global awareness of high sensitivity is increasing, specific resources and tailored support for HSC in schools are still lacking. This project aims to bridge that gap by providing the necessary resources and strategies to support HSC effectively.
Parental and Professional Demand: There is a strong demand from parents of HSC and educational professionals for resources that help explain and support high sensitivity in children and teenagers. Current materials are mostly aimed at adults and professionals, highlighting the need for child-friendly resources.
Educational Benefits: The project aims to create a nurturing and inclusive school environment for HSC by providing tailored resources that enhance their well-being and academic success.
Combating Stigma and Bullying: By raising awareness and promoting understanding of high sensitivity, the project seeks to reduce stigma and bullying against HSC in schools. It emphasizes that sensitivity is not a weakness but a unique trait that should be respected and valued.
Creating Equal Opportunities: The project strives to ensure that HSC have equal opportunities to develop their potential, benefiting both themselves and society at large. This includes providing educators with the knowledge and tools to support HSC effectively.

The project is driven by the need to address the unique challenges faced by highly sensitive children in school environments, promote understanding and acceptance of high sensitivity and provide the necessary resources to support HSC, their peers, educators and parents.

Main project activities:

Methodology for Teachers

Guide Development: Creating a comprehensive guide for teachers on how to support HSC.
Workshops: Organizing workshops for pedagogical staff to train them on the developed methodologies.

Comic Book for Children and Teenagers

Narrative Development: Identifying and creating engaging stories for the comic book based on research findings.
Content and Graphic Design: Collaborating with professional writers and designers to produce the comic book.
Translations and Printing: Translating the comic book into Czech and French and printing copies for distribution.
Piloting at Schools: Testing the comic book at associated schools and gathering feedback for improvement.

Dissemination and Sustainability

Dissemination and Networking: Presenting the project at various educational and pedagogical events.
Final Multiplier Events: Organizing events in France and the Czech Republic to promote the project’s objectives and results.
Promotion of the Guide and Comic Book: Distributing the materials in libraries, schools and other public places, and promoting them online.

Project results:

Comic Book for Students: Creating a comic book for primary school students to help highly sensitive children identify their unique strengths and challenges. The comic book will feature engaging narratives and characters that resonate with HSC, providing strategies to manage their sensory and emotional experiences. The comic book will be available in English, Czech and French, both digitally and in print. It will be distributed to schools, libraries and other relevant organizations in the Czech Republic and France.
Guide for Teachers: Producing a guide for teachers and pedagogical staff, summarizing key topics and recommendations for supporting HSC. The guide will cover topics such as identification of HSC, creating an inclusive classroom environment and strategies to support HSC´s emotional and sensory needs. The guide will be available in English, Czech and French, both digitally and in print, ensuring accessibility for educators in the target countries.
Workshops for Pedagogical Staff: Creating and conducting workshops tailored to the needs of HSC, providing practical strategies for teachers and school psychologists. The workshops will focus on creating inclusive classrooms, identifying HSC and minimizing stressors for these students.

Contracting authority: Dum zahranicni spoluprace – National Agency of the Erasmus+ Program in the Czech Republic.