Activities of Alexis GEORGOULIS related to 2022/2004(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU
Amendments (64)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and especially Article 121a _________________ 1a Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides: “1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.”
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
— having regard to the OECD project “Student Agency for 2030”2a, _________________ 2a https://www.oecd.org/education/2030- project/teaching-and- learning/learning/student- agency/in_brief_Student_Agency.pdf and https://www.oecd.org/education/2030- project/teaching-and- learning/learning/student- agency/Student_Agency_for_2030_conce pt_note.pdf
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2021 on the situation of artists and the cultural recovery in the EU (2020/2261(INI));
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 17 September 2020 on the cultural recovery of Europe (2020/2708(RSP));
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas children and young people are among the most vulnerable groups of our society and have been impacted by COVID-19 closures during a crucial and critical period of their lives;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas mental health of all individual citizens is the precondition for and foundation of a healthy society and democracy;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the closure of schools, universities, employment opportunities, spaces for culture and extracurricular activities and sports facilities has denied children and young people the opportunity to participate in activities which are essential for their overall development, their intellectual, physical and mental well- being, and for their social and professional inclusion;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the closure of schools, spaces for culture and extracurricular activities and sports facilities has denied children and young people the opportunity to participate in activities which are essential for their overall development, their learning progress and their intellectual, physical and mental well- being, and for their social and professional inclusion;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the closure of schools, spaces for culture and extracurricular activities and sports facilities has denied children and young people the opportunity to participate in activities which are essential for their overall development, their intellectual, physical and mental health and well- being, and for their social and professional inclusion;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas COVID-19 closures of cultural venues - which were the first to be closed and the last to be allowed to reopen - have denied young cultural creators and especially young performers the opportunity to commence and develop their careers at the crucial early stage;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the excessive pressure put on students by the large numbers of exams in the current educational curricula even from a young age, as well as the fierce competition to obtain access to higher educational institutions exacerbated by the disruptions in education due to theCovid-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of students and young people;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas there are vast discrepancies between Member States’ specific situations, owing to the differing nature and duration of the measures put in place, as well as to differences in access to technology and digital tools, which accentuate rural-urban inequalitiesmost notably within the educational systems, which accentuate rural-urban as well as socioeconomic and gender inequalities; whereas there were Member States which did not allocate sufficient resources to ensure equal access of all students to distance education;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it has been observed that 64 % of young people in the 18-34 age group were at risk of depression in spring 202126 and that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people27 as a result of loneliness, isolation and the lack of educational, employment and financial prospects; whereas children and young people with fewer opportunities or from marginalised groups and socially disadvantaged backgrounds have been hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly owing to structural inequalities, including the lack of technological equipment, connectivity and suitable home space permitting concentration during distance lessons; _________________ 26 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1287356 /risk-of-depression-in-europe-2021-by-age 27 UNICEF article ‘The Mental Health Burden Affecting Europe’s Children’ (4 October 2021).
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the pandemic not only reinforced existing inequalities but in addition created new ones, increasing the risk of low learning outcomes and consequently of drop-out among the students with fewer opportunities;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas distance education has inherent limitations in the teaching of laboratory and art courses, as well as vocational and physical education;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas the closures significantly impacted the way how children and young people interact with each other, communicate, consume cultural works and events, leading to an even stronger shift towards virtual experiences and exchanges while stimulating the use of new technologies and overall boosting the digital transition;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas any EU mental health strategy aimed at children and young people must involve their parents and families, friends, schools, teachers, youth organisations, youth workers, cultural institutions and sports clubs, in order to facilitate a holistic approach and ensure outreach to marginalised groups;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas scientific data suggests that levels of institutional trust among members of the younger generations have fallen as a result of the way the pandemic has been handled; whereas special attention needs to be devoted to regaining that trust, including by offering them opportunities to take initiatives and to participate in decision making regarding their school life and by promoting student agency;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. wWhereas scientific data suggests that levels of institutional trust among members of the younger generations have fallen as a result of the way the pandemic has been handled; whereas special attention needs to be devoted to regaining that trust; education ranked1a among the most emotionally draining sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic; _________________ 1a https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publicat ions/report/2020/living-working-and- covid-19
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas lack of media literacy in combination with increased disinformation in the context of the pandemic have further undermined trust in public institutions;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the pandemic should be regarded as an opportunity to address long- standing mental health-related issues that have previously been ignored; and an opportunity to help society identify, recognise and talk about these issues in a more open and understanding way while research1a shows a clear link between the mental health of teachers and that of students; _________________ 1a https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eac/educatio n-and-training-monitor- 2021/en/chapters/chapter1.html#ch1-1
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the war in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainties are expected to have a further negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people regardless of their ethnic origin, inside and outside Ukraine, who are now added to the refugee students from other parts of the world already attending schools in the EU;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas 2022 is the European Year of Youth;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)
Recital L b (new)
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L c (new)
Recital L c (new)
L c. whereas distance education is pedagogically unsuitable and cannot bring substantial learning outcomes for younger students, who have a greater need for interpersonal contact with the teacher and do not have the necessary self-discipline;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L d (new)
Recital L d (new)
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L e (new)
Recital L e (new)
L e. whereas some Member States did not provide adequate training for teachers regarding distance lessons in order for them to be able to use technology tools in an efficient and interesting way and to cope with the special pedagogical and didactic requirements for the use of these tools;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L f (new)
Recital L f (new)
L f. whereas the Covid-19 pandemic created a catalytic opportunity for the global education industry of private and commercial organisations to promote their products in public school systems; whereas special attention should be devoted to the risk of long-term dependencies on private technology infrastructures regarding the delivery and governance of public education institutions;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L g (new)
Recital L g (new)
L g. whereas certain Member States did not take the necessary measures to protect the personal data of students and teachers while using the private educational platforms that were provided for distance education;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Underlines the fundamental importance of culture for the development of the individual identity of children and young people as well as for their education, including their understanding of our society, and for their overall wellbeing;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Draws attention to the role played by schools and early childhood education and care institutions in providing the necessary material and psychological support for children and their families, and calls on the Member States to generously invest in public education and provide sufficient financial support to mainstream education institutions and to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and education personnel in order to ensure that both the cognitive, physical, pedagogical and the psychological development of learners is increasingly promoted;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Member States to adjust the content of the curricula and take all the necessary measures in order to tackle cognitive gaps produced during the distance learning periods and to prevent intime the possible increase of school failure and school dropout, especially among the most vulnerable groups of students, as those having disabilities,special learning needs, immigrant or refugee background and high risk of poverty;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls, in this regard, on the Member States to improve and further develop the framework for health and safety in learning environments in order to provide learners and teachers with the support of specialist psychologists andthe necessary number of specialist psychologists, who can play a vital role for the individuals but also for the overall school climate; moreover, calls on the Member States to provide special educational needs support staff who can contribute to making the classroom a welcoming and attractive place in which to grow, learn, discuss and overcome differences constructively;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines the vital importance of interpersonal relationships among children and young people; and the social role of education;calls, therefore, on the Member States to put in place appropriate health and safety measures to ensure that, in the event of future pandemics or other unprecedented situations, to keep all learning environments, whether formal, informal or non-formal in nature, openremain open safely; calls on the Member States, in cases where special measures are absolutely necessary, to take into account the needs of different age groupsconsult with schools, teachers, parents and relevantly specialized experts and scientists to adequately take into account the needs of different age groups, people with disability and all vulnerable groups leaving no one behind and not to apply a one-size-fits-all approach;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Highlights in this context the importance of the digital transformation and calls on the Commission and the Member States to enhance their measures to make educational institutions fit for the digital era;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Stresses the importance of personal interaction of young people in a cultural context for their overall well- being; therefore calls upon the Commission and the Member States to increase their measures to provide for such opportunities;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Underlines that online-teaching should only be used as a last resort; calls on the Member states using the experience from theCovid-19 pandemic, to set up action plans regarding the functioning of all learning environments so as to minimise disruptions and lack of interpersonal relationships among children and young people;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists on the need to significantly increase the funding for adequately fund and promote the opportunities offered by programmes such as Erasmus+, Creative Europe and the European Solidarity Corps, to enhance mobility experiences and increase their accessibility for all, and to develop adequate opportunities within the new EU Strategic Framework on occupational health and safety at work1a,regardless of income, gender, health status and region of origin; calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the systematic sharing of projects’ outcomes in order to increase their visibility, upscaling and long-term impact; calls on the Commission to already set the ground for proposing a tripling of the said Union programmes in the next Multiannual Financial Framework; _________________ 1a https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021 DC0323&qid=1626089672913#PP1Conte nts
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make better use of the Recovery and Resilience Facility and other dedicated funds to increase their efforts to tackle the late effects of COVID- 10 closures of cultural venues on cultural creators and especially young performers which were denied the opportunity to commence and develop their careers at the crucial early stage;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Urges the Member States to put the recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors at the core of their investments into culture, with a particular focus on improving the overall situation and working conditions of young authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators, workers and professionals who are the ones to create the cultural works that our democracy, society and economy benefit from;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Stresses that being creative is an important way for many children and young people to express themselves in difficult times, and that many of them aspire to a professional career in art and culture; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their overall efforts and to increase their funding to improve the support for young people to commence such a professional career;
Amendment 134 #
6. CUnderlines the importance of countering the phenomenon of underreporting and social stigma regarding mental health and wellbeing and calls for a holistic understanding of health and safety that includes overall physical, mental and social well-being, and requires comprehensive prevention and healing strategies, including the development of risk assessment tools, and reporting systems, in consultation with teachers, students, parents and relevantly specialized experts and scientists, and the integration of cultural and sporting activities, and promoting the development of creative and social skills;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for aon the Commission and the Member States to develop a common holistic understanding of health that includes overall physical, mental and social well-being, and requires comprehensive prevention and healing strategies, including cultural and sporting activities, and promoting the development of creative and social skills;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure fair contractual situations and working conditions for all young cultural creators and other young professionals working in the cultural and creative sectors, including with regards to their mental and physical health and their overall wellbeing, and to stipulate this goal in a dedicated section on young artists in a European status of the artist;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Calls on the Member States to replace exam-intensive educational curricula that contribute to excessive anxiety and declining mental health and wellbeing of students and young people with more modern assessment methods that are anthropocentric, holistic and less mentally intense; calls on education authorities to take into account the impact theCovid-19 pandemic had on the mental health and wellbeing of students and children when assessing their educational performance;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the Member States, in this context, to ensure the inclusion of art, music and culture in school curricula, as well as the promotion of sports activities in schools, in order to create an inclusive, creative, dynamic and healthy learning environment from an early age and to reduce the risk of psychophysical disorders Highlights the urgent need to create an inclusive, creative, dynamic and healthy learning environment from an early age in order to reduce the risk of psychophysical disorders in adulthood; urges the Member States, in this context, to ensure the inclusion of all forms of art, i.e. music, theatre, cinema, documentary, animation, visual arts, dance and new experimental art forms in school curricula notably providing for active creation processes and performances by students in ways that offer the opportunity to students to participate actively and enhance their creativity, to express themselves freely and to explore their talents; underlines that art can be an ideal component for interdisciplinary projects and can promote critical skills, thus should not be limited in art classes; in addition, urges the Member States to promote sports activities in schools, including activities addressed to children and youth with disabilities; underlines that sport like art can help the inclusion of children who are excluded for all possible reasons; recalls that arts and sports in school curricula may strongly help combatting global challenges on youth and education including learning difficulties and learning disorders, as well as bullying adulthood; nd hate-speech;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support and adequately fund small local cultural initiatives, sports clubs and leisure facilities to carry out the leisure and informal learning activities that play an essential role in the development and well-being of young people and their families, by providing material and psychological support resources, including for those with fewer economic opportunities; calls on the commission and the member states to fund and also help in other ways young artists who were adversely affected as a result of the pandemic;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to use the national Recovery and Resilience Facility plans and other dedicated funds and also redirect other funds possibly at disposal to support local cultural initiatives bringing children and young people together in the cultural recovery of local communities;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for more coordination at European level between Member States, regional authorities and local representatives of sports andteams and clubs, cultural associations, youth (museums, cinephile clubs, music and dance schools etc.), youth and student organisations, educational and university bodies education social partners, and the private sector in order to strengthen dialogue and cooperation and create a dynamic, multi- level social network that can respond and adapt to future challenges;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to take action to ensure that the EU as a whole becomes stronger and more self-reliant, leaving no one behind; points out that it must address the wider structural gaps caused by the lack of digital infrastructure and digital tools in rural and peripheral areascalls on the Commission to create an independent EU educational platform, so that EU public schools are not depending on private platforms; points out that it must address the wider structural gaps caused by the lack of digital infrastructure and digital tools across different countries as well as reaching rural, insular, peripheral and all remoted areas as well as families at risk of poverty;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Urges the Member States to invest in specific policies that respond to local needs in order to close regional gaps and ensure financial support, in particular in the framework of Recovery and Resilience Facility that respond to local needs in order to close regional all gaps, including gender, economic and social inequalities, and ensure financial support to the Civil Society of education, schools and relevant public facilities, so that the technologies, innovations, learning and support facilities and tools required to continueensure continuous and quality education and training are available and accessible to all, leaving no one behind;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Urges the Member States to invest in specific policies that respond to local needs in order to close regionalall existing gaps and ensure financial support so that the technologies, innovations, learning and support facilities and tools required to continue education and training are available and accessible to all, regardless of their gender, religion, ethnic or regional origin and socioeconomic background;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates the importance of investing in innovation and research in education, enabling the state education system to have access to a ‘ culture of innovation’ across the EU and to ensure that high-quality learning materials, pedagogical approaches and tools are accessible and available to all, for free, leaving no one behind;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights the need to monitor developments in, and the pedagogical and health and safety consequences of, technological and digital advances through cooperation and dialogue with experts, educators, education social partners, and representatives of civil society; highlights that the primary goal of those technological advances should be to serve people’s needs and that technological skills should follow the pedagogic and education knowledge which should always remain of primary value in any education and cultural context;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the exchange of good practices and mutual learning between Member States in their respective policies;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. calls on Member States to provide teachers with suitable training and equipment so that, whenever necessary, distance learning tools produce the best possible learning outcomes and are used in ways that offer an added value to the learning procedure, by giving an active role to the learner and cultivating their creativity and critical thought;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Is deeply concerned on the health and safety impact stemming from the use of digital technologies in education including screen fatigue, cyber violence and harassment, hate speech, social exclusion, data privacy, internet addiction, warrying psychological effects such as the rise of youth suicide due to internet and social media, fake news, misinformation,disinformation and right to disconnect; therefore, calls on the EU Commission to conduct further research and take specific and timely action to address these issues;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to raise awareness among young people of the benefits and risks associated with digital technology, ensuring not only their access to technological tools, but also their ability to use them safely and properly so that they serve as valuable instruments for socialisation and democracy in order to reduce online violence, harassment and fake news; calls on Member States to ensure the protection of students’ and teachers’ personal data while working with educational technology tools;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Warns that intensive use of digital devices and increased staying in virtual environments can lead to addiction and toxic behaviour; reiterates in this context its demand for the EU to adopt a responsible and coherent approach to the integration of the digital aspect of education;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Urges the Commission to significantly step up its overall efforts to improve media literacy of children and young people, with a focus on digital media and communication, and to further intensify tackling the problem of disinformation notably in the context of such a sensitive issue as a pandemic where fake news aggravate people's mental health and undermine their trust in public institutions;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Calls on Member States to take the necessary measures to reinforce the students’ feeling of belonging to the school community; calls on the Member States to embrace the notion of student agency and to adopt procedures that will enable students' voices to be heard and will encourage students to take initiatives and to participate actively in the decision- making regarding issues that concern them;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14 d. Calls on Member States to provide extra-curriculum cultural, sport and environmental participative activities that will help the students feel familiar again with the school environment and regain their interest for school life;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14 e. Calls the Commission to consider extending the European Year of Youth 2022 throughout 2023 in order to allow enough time, at least for the mitigation of some the negative consequences of COVID-19 to children and youth;