Social protection education
Youth engagement

SOUTH AMERICA : CIESS PROMOTES SOCIAL SECURITY CULTURE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

Education and Solidarity Network
July 31, 2014

The Inter-American Center for Social Security Studies (CIESS), an Education and Solidarity Network member based in Mexico, is working on disseminating a social security culture among children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 throughout South America through the regional programme “Social Security for All“.

The Inter-American Center for Social Security Studies (CIESS), an Education and Solidarity Network member based in Mexico, is working on disseminating a social security culture among children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 throughout South America through the regional programme “Social Security for All“.

CIESS believes that social security should be understood in its broadest sense. It is not just about the benefits or medical assistance people can claim, but in a more general sense “it is about collective and inclusive acts towards others, those acts which by their nature contribute to the pursuit of social cohesion and well-being.

In October 2011, CIESS launched a pilot test in Colombia to educate people about social security and therefore also about solidarity. 12 institutions in Bogota and 3 in Medellín took part in the test, with 50 teachers trained online and 1,000 pupils educated. This year, CIESS is officially launching the “Social Security for All” programme in Colombia.

Moreover, CIESS is actively involved in the “PROCEDH – Tête Ensemble” programme in Haiti, devised by SOLIDARITE LAIQUE and French and Haitian education sector stakeholders including MGEN and the Education and Solidarity Network. Its contribution concerns the provision of education on solidarity and expertise on social security advocacy.

In Mid-May, the “Social Security for All” programme team provided direct training to some ten teachers in two secondary schools in Port-au-Prince on the topic of solidarity in the family, among peers and between generations. In early June, teachers organised activities on these topics with around 400 students at the Fritz Pierre Louis and Toussaint Louverture secondary schools.

The first “Tête Ensemble” programme is coming to an end. Preparations for a second programme with the same stakeholders are under way. It will include the themes of health and social protection, providing CIESS, through the Network, with a further opportunity to contribute its expertise and experience!

Paper based on the articles of Luciana Maccarini from CIESS.

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