Why did you create this innovation?

To create a culture of peace at schools. Bullying is indeed the top of the iceberg of a much larger problem that affects many school centers and families. Therefore, with “In their shoes” we went at the root of the problem involving all actors: teachers, families and students. The programme uses theater as a main resource since it allows easily to be more empathetic with others and teambuilding.

How does your innovation work in practice?

The learning method of is based on a peer-to-peer cascade methodology:
1. Teachers are trained as facilitators of the method “In their shoes” in an annual course.
2. The accredited facilitators train other teachers, families and non-teaching staff of their own schools, or those schools interested in implementing the programme.
3. The teachers trained by the facilitators implement the method in their classrooms. They use a socio-emotional skills manual specially developed for that purpose by the programme.
4. Finally, the students, as a final outcome of the implementation of the method, develop and perform a theater play based on their own coexistence challenges and proposed solutions. This theater play is performed in front of other students from lower grades in which they teach them about the socio-emotional skills and resources they have learned through the programme.
The programme reaches the entire school community and its formative experience has been proven as impactful.

How has it been spreading?

From its inception in 2017 to the present has reached more than 7,000 people (teachers, students, families, and non-teaching staff) in 57 schools. It has been in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Spain and the Regional Government of Madrid.
The results of last school year, including the first generation of facilitators and 23 schools, have been externally evaluated by experts from the Carlos III University of Madrid, the Utrecht University of The Netherlands, and the Tomillo Foundation (Spain), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Spain. Currently, we have systematized the annual training so that it can be offered and the programme scaled up in other Autonomous Regions of Spain from September 2021 to June 2022. Also in colaboration with Minister of education

If I want to try it, what should I do?

You have two options depending on your situation
1. If you are a teacher or an educator you can become a facilitator of the programme in your own and other schools, if you enroll in the annual training course.
2. If you are a school or an education center and you want your teachers, students, families and non-teaching staff to benefit from ''In their Shoes'' you can write to us.