Asociatia Voluntariat Pentru Viata
Str. Nicolae Balcescu 2, Marasesti
625200, Vrancea, Romania
Tel. +40784226249; +40772277079;
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.voluntaryforlife.ro
Infopack ESC Volunteering project
“Earth Recall” –
2019-1-RO01-ESC11-061641
15/10/2019 – 15/06/2020
Marasesti – Focșani, ROMANIA
Project description
The social apathy is strongly present in Romania, and the Romanians’ civic and social attitudes still need to be developed. We know that education can improve this situation. And for this, young people and children in Romania need to have enough opportunities to develop civic abilities and attitudes to help them become active citizens, involved in the community. People will have to learn through education to become citizens of the planet without losing their roots and continuing to play an important role in the lives of their own nations and local communities. In the framework of this global response, school and education are becoming the main players in shaping people able to cope with this issue now and in the future. The implementation of this project will be an opportunity to address issues of diversity and inequality, both locally and globally, thus providing an understanding of the main issues of global citizenship and responsibility. Our project is meant to be an appeal for young people, children and citizens of Vrancea County to rethink their habits and livelihood, spending and consumption, but also to find new ways of education and socialization. Therefore, the proposed activities aim to put students in concrete and different life situations in order to understand as much as possible the idea of change, so that they can identify the resources needed to support and cover the needs of each.
The aim of the project is be to raise awareness among the children and young people in Vrancea county about the globalized world they live in and their role as citizens of this world.
Objectives:
- to acquire attitudes of respect for diversity and intercultural communication skills, among eight European volunteers, during the 8 months of volunteering stage.
- Increase responsibility for their own actions of youth and children from the 10 partner school institutions by the end of the 14-month project.
- to acquire a range of skills needed to succeed in the modern world of globalization, among eight volunteers and children/young participants in the project, during the 8 months of mobility.
- to develop entrepreneurial skills and sense of initiative through the specifics of the activities undertaken among the 8 young volunteers, until the end of the project.
The project will involve 8 ESC volunteers from 8 different countries.
Project activities: 15/10/2019 – 15/06/2020 (8 months) – 245 activity days + 2 travel days. 14th October 2019 and 16 June 2020 are travel days.
Venue: The project takes place in 2 different towns, which are 20 km apart: Mărăşeşti and Focsani. • 4 volunteers will live in Focsani and will work with children/youngsters (6-18 years) in different schools from Focsani, Garoafa, Ciuslea. • 4 volunteers will live in Marasesti town and they will work with children/youngsters (6-18 years) from different schools from Marasesti and Cosmesti.
Project activities will have the form of thematic workshops, organized in schools, during the classes of civic education, physical education, English, sociology, visual arts and practical skills, English, psychology, homeroom/advisory class, in order to have a common component with school planning and not to disturb the timetable.
All activities will be based on non-formal education and will be achieved through an interactive approach. All activities of the project will use non-formal education methods such as: workshops, brainstorming, role play, discussion circle, debate, galleries tour, sports activities, photovoice, socio-educational animation, art-craft exhibitions. From Monday to Thursday, volunteers will go in teams of 4 in a partner school, where they will have 3 hours of activity in the morning and in the afternoon 3 hours for preparing the activities for the next day. On Fridays they have the Romanian language course and the meeting with their mentors. The 16 themes of the Global Education activities are: 1. General Human Rights 2. Children 3. Citizenship 4. Democracy 5. Discrimination and Xenophobia 6. Education 7. Environment 8. Gender Equality 9. Globalization 10. Health 11. Human Security 12. Media 13. Peace and Violence 14. Poverty 15. Social Rights 16. Sport.
The tasks of the volunteers will be to plan, organize and implement non-formal education activities with children/youngsters focused on Global Education, with the aim of developing life skills that will enable them to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life.
The 8 volunteers will use non-formal education methods, showing teachers that the skills that a new way of teaching develops, are for the benefit of children and young people and emphasize the idea of youth cooperation and development of everyone’s potential. Volunteers and teachers will be able to create inclusive contexts in which Roma/rural children and the majority of children develop social, communication, and individual skills. Once developed, these abilities will result in their acceptance and participation in community life.
The role of European volunteers and teachers will be to facilitate and encourage children and young people to participate in the social change they want in their own community and at the same time to be themselves agents of change. Through this practical experience of social entrepreneurship and community involvement, children and young people from Vrancea County are offered an alternative to the activities they do at school. They will develop the competences of the 21st century that are needed in everyday life and future career and will be more aware of their own actions and how they can influence the world they live in.
The volunteers will adapt the activities to both children aged 6-14 at Marasesti, Garoafa, Ciuslea and Cosmesti Schools and to youngsters aged 14-18 at Gh. Asachi High School, Focsani, ”Pedagogical High School ”Spiru Haret” – Focsani, “Al. I. Cuza” National College Focsani.
The volunteers will also write weekly activity reports and some articles for the Volunteers’ Magazine. The volunteers are also expected to engage in community life, helping children in schools to take the first steps towards a better future and personal development, gaining confidence and becoming familiar to the European values.
Expected learning outcomes:
By the end of the 7 – month stage the volunteers will be able to improve/acquire:
knowledge and experience in performing non-formal education activities;
communication skills in English and his/her own mother language; knowledge of basic Romanian language;
skills to work in an international team;
skills in managing the relationship with disadvantaged children and youth;
knowledge of the organization of NGOs, experience in volunteering and interculturalism;
time management skills, team coordination skills, they will learn what it means to bring a change in the environment where they live and they will also develop the European and intercultural dimension;
entrepreneurial skills – the volunteers will develop their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship by designing and coordinating project activities;
coordination skills, teamwork, leadership, partnership management and project management, that serve them in future projects;
the volunteers will also improve their social and networking skills and will become more motivated to engage in community life as a result of their working with children and youth during the project;
knowledge about the Romanian culture, traditions, customs, gastronomy.
Other details:
Accommodation: The volunteers will live in flat accommodation in Focșani and Marasesti, in shared bedrooms, individual beds, with common area, shared cooking, washing, laundry and social facilities, free wi-fi included.
Food: Volunteers will receive a monthly food allowance of 150 Euro to buy food products and cook for themselves. They will also receive a monthly allowance of 90 Euro in form of “pocket money”.
Local Transport: The volunteers’ flat apartment is situated near the location of the activities, so the volunteers will walk to the place where the activities take place. For transport to the other schools in villages, volunteers will travel by minibuses, which run daily every half an hour. The bus tickets will be reimbursed.
Holidays: ESC volunteers will work 6 hours per day, 5 days a week, two consecutive days off per week and two days off per month.
National Holidays are also free days.
Travel: The volunteers together with their Sending Organisations will be responsible for arranging their travel. The travel costs will be reimbursed at the end of the project according to the distance band limits imposed by the European Commission.
The budget for travel costs is: € 275/participant
The volunteers need to arrive at Bucharest – Otopeni (Henri Coanda International Airport). From Bucharest to Focsani/Marasesti there are regular buses every day directly from the airport. We can arrange to book the bus tickets for you.
Training during the project
The volunteers will be accompanied and supported at all times during the activities by the teachers from classes and they will receive training at the beginning of their stage to become familiar with the way the activities will be implemented. They will receive ongoing support from activity coordinators, teachers and staff of our organization.
The volunteers will attend the On-Arrival Training and Mid-Term Evaluation, organized by the Romanian National Agency.
The volunteers will also receive Romanian language training for the first 3 months.
Other recommendations
you should bring your regular clothes and personal hygiene products. Bed clothes, covers and towels are provided by host organisation.
in Romania it is usually very cold in the winter and sometimes there is a lot of snow. During December, January and February the temperatures can go down to -15° below 0° Celsius), so you should also bring some warm clothes with you: a warm hat and gloves, boots, a winter jacket!
Project Environment
Focşani is the capital city of Vrancea county, situated in the east of Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia. The city lies 180 km north-northeast of Bucharest. Focşani is the centre of a wine-making region that has been famous for its vineyards since the 15th century. Focşani is also an industrial city, processing dairy products and manufacturing furniture and clothing.
Mărăṣeṣti is a small town in Vrancea county, situated in the east of Romania. Mărăṣeṣti is known as a town with a great historical significance because here took place a major battle during the First World War. The Mausoleum of Marasesti, one of the most important memorial sites in Europe, was built in the place where, in the summer of 1917, great battles were fought between Germany and Romania. Nowadays, Mărăşeşti is the poorest town of Vrancea County, with a population of approximately 11,000 inhabitants on the decrease comparing to previous years.
The town is a disadvantaged area, with no economy and most of its inhabitants receive social security benefits or are in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, in this town there are 4 elementary schools attended by 1200 children aged 6-14 years old and one High School attended by 200 students who are facing the absence of positive role models and conscious leaders.
About us
Asociatia Voluntariat pentru Viata is an NGO, based in Romania, founded in November 2012 on the initiative of some specialists in the field of education, art, history, social assistance.
The mission of Asociatia Voluntariat pentru Viata is to promote volunteering and civic consciousness by developing activities that contribute to increased public awareness of the contribution of volunteers to the local community and to the society in general.Asociatia Voluntariat pentru Viata performs the following duties:
- develops activities based on non-formal education aiming to enhance social functioning, integration and cooperation among young people;
- provides counsel, therapy and specialized assistance in order to prevent social marginalization.
In 2012, Asociatia Voluntariat Pentru Viata started its work in Marasesti town in order to support a sustainable local development. First, the Organization developed and implemented youth projects in the framework of Youth in Action programme (Youth Initiatives promoting cultural heritage and environment). Then, the Organisation started to develop European projects under the Erasmus+ programme.
A large part of the activities that we carry out are focused around supporting the disadvantaged children and their families to have access to education and involving young people, in particular, and community members in volunteering actions.
Asociatia Voluntariat pentru Viata carries out its work in partnership with local and regional schools and local social centers, offering the chance to their target groups to participate in the projects.
Our Organization also initiated an on-going collaboration with the School Centre for Inclusive Education ”Elena Doamna” from Focsani, an institution which schools more than 300 students with special educational needs, but also children from families with fewer opportunities who are at risk of marginalization and social exclusion. Our Organization wants to change the view on these children and wants to start working directly with children and young people who are at risk of social marginalization because of their disabilities.
