{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:03:58Z","timestamp":1760058238305,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,19]],"date-time":"2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742342400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Youth"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Learn to Fly was developed between February 2022 and March 2023 with the goal of fostering greater social participation and intergenerational dialogue around the recognition and solution of pertinent social issues through the development of psychological flexibility and socioemotional competences in children at the start of their academic careers. Based on a participatory methodology and the concepts of the third generation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBTs) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy), the target audience included children of ages 5 and 6 (pre-school and first grade), their teachers, and their families. The Learn to Fly pilot initiative was implemented in eight partner institutions on the Portuguese mainland with the participation of 289 children, their families, and 22 educators. Learn to Fly was evaluated after 12 weeks of implementation using a combination of methodologies, including interviews, focus groups, and pre- and post-tests. Teachers emphasized that the initiative brought families closer to the school, thereby strengthening connections between the school and the community, when analyzing the impact of the project on the school community. Positive changes were observed in the children\u2019s behaviors, particularly with respect to hyperactivity, relationship problems with colleagues, prosocial behavior, socioemotional skills, their perceptions of their participation in various scenarios (their city and country), and intergenerational dialogue with their parents. In addition to the teachers\u2019 preconceived notions about child participation, they became more aware of the possibility of children having a say in decision-making and discovered that the program promoted this aspect. Presently equipped with resources, it is envisaged that teachers trained to implement Learn to Fly will play a significant role in promoting positive child development and social engagement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/youth5010032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,19]],"date-time":"2025-03-19T06:10:53Z","timestamp":1742364653000},"page":"32","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["\u201cLearn to Fly\u201d: Nurturing Child Development, Intergenerational Connection, and Social Engagement"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Margarida","family":"Gaspar de Matos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ISAMB\u2014Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Aventura Social, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Cat\u00f3lica Research Centre for Psychological, Family and Social Well-Being (CRC-W), Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"APPsyCI\u2014Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities & Inclusion, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2877-4505","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"C\u00e1tia","family":"Branquinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISAMB\u2014Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Aventura Social, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Cat\u00f3lica Research Centre for Psychological, Family and Social Well-Being (CRC-W), Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4310-2122","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catarina","family":"Noronha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISAMB\u2014Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Aventura Social, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"B\u00e1rbara","family":"Moraes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISAMB\u2014Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Aventura Social, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9616-0441","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tania","family":"Gaspar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISAMB\u2014Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Aventura Social, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"HEI-Lab, Lus\u00f3fona University, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"239","article-title":"Promoting self-expression in classroom interactions","volume":"15","author":"Baraldi","year":"2008","journal-title":"Childhood (Copenhagen, Denmark)"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Durlak, J. 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