7 Months EVS experience in Romania: Approved project

Project Details:

“Smile to Change”
Dates: 01/11/2018 – 31/05/2019 (7 months)
Venue: The project takes place in 2 different towns, which are 20 km apart: Mărăşeşti and Focsani.

“Smile to Change” is a long-term EVS project that aims to increase the chances of social integration of children and young people from rural areas by improving their life skills.
The project also aims to contribute to reducing early school leaving and increasing the number of high school graduates among the children/youngsters from rural areas.

Project description

It has been found that young people choose violence as a method of solving conflicts, not because they are the best, but because they do not know other alternatives for the situations they face and thus act “with what is easier and more at hand”. The project will be targeted at children and young people from Marasesti town, where Roma children in schools have a share of over 70%, from Panciu – ”Ioan Slavici” High School, where 65% of pupils come from rural areas, from Focsani – ”Gh. Asachi” High School, where over 85% of the pupils are from the villages, Pedagogical High School ”Spiru Haret” , where 30% are rural students and children from the villages of Garoafa and Ciuşlea.
The aim of the project is to prevent the phenomenon of bullying among children and young people from the Mărăşeşti, Panciu, Garoafa, Ciuslea and Focsani communities through non-formal education activities.

Main objectives:

– To increase the awareness of children and young people in Vrancea County on the phenomenon of bullying and its effects during the 14 months of the project.
– To improve the skills of the 8 volunteers in working in the field of education with disadvantaged groups during the 7-month mobility.
– To increase the motivation of children and youth from participating communities to take responsibility for resolving conflicts in their lives without violence during the 14 months of the project.
– To develop attitudes of non-discrimination, equality, tolerance, respect among the children and young Romanian participants in the project and the European volunteers.
The project will involve 8 EVS volunteers from 8 different countries: Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Estonia, Italy, Poland and Turkey.
Project activities: 01/11/2018 – 31/05/2019 (7 months) – 212 activity days + 2 travel days. 31 October 2018 and 01 June 2019 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 and youngsters (6-18 years) in different schools from Focsani, Garoafa and Ciuslea. • 4 volunteers will live in Marasesti town and they will work with children and youngsters (6-18 years) from different schools from Marasesti and Panciu.

Project activities will have the form of thematic workshops, organized during the classes of personal development, civic education, physical education, religion, art and craft, psychology, homeroom/advisory classes, in order to have a common component with school planning and not to disturb the schedule.
The aim of the activities in schools and high schools will be to provide a neutral area to the children and young people from Marasesti, Panciu, Focsani, Garoafa and Ciuşlea to explore the deep causes of bullying and the possible measures and actions to address them from a constructive perspective . All activities will be based on non-formal education and will be achieved through an interactive approach. Activities with children and young people will be realized through group-work, teamwork, role plays and plenary discussions as well as theoretical contributions of specialists from the Vrancea Police, probation counselors and the intervention of school psychologists who will join the 8 European volunteers and will complete the program of activities to cover all aspects of the bullying phenomenon. We will organize workshops, awareness raising campaigns, art craft exhibitions, sports activities, participatory activities that will have as main themes rules of intercommunity, the importance of the appropriate language, ways of addressing, respect for the other, preservation of the school goods, tolerance, solidarity, in short, a way to behave so that life in community is as pleasant as possible. By implementing the project activities, there will be a contribution to ensuring a safe and pleasant environment for the 8 participating schools, especially for the children and young people who attend them. As a result of participation in the non-formal activities of the project, over 1800 children and young people from the schools and high schools participating in the project will have an increased level of knowledge of the phenomenon of bullying and its effects. Over 60 teachers directly involved in activities will be more responsible for transmitting and reinforcing the anti-aggression message on a regular basis. The participation of the 8 young people for 7 months in voluntary activities will contribute to a better understanding of the concepts of using non-formal education methods in working with disadvantaged children and young people and an increased understanding of the European context on these topics.

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.

How to apply

The volunteers should send their CV to info@fioh-ngo.com with the title EVS-ROMANIA