Romania “Holiday in My Community” – Taking the magic of childhood games seriously

Project : Romania 6 Jul 2010 | education summer camp

Craiova, Romania, July 6th 2010: The launching event of a series of summer activities for children entitled “Holiday in my community” took place in the Youth Park of Craiova. The event included a Fair Play football tournament where 120 children from the communities of Băileşti, Caraula, Cerăt, Coşoveni, Giurgiţa, Malu Mare, Podari, Predeşti, Sadova, Sălcuţa, Valea Stanciului, Vârtop and from the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection, Dolj County and from St. Mina Special School from Craiova could play and show that childhood is about sharing, understanding, supporting, accepting differences and recognizing achievements also by winning medals that will enable these children to be aware that they can be on top.

Well-designed sequences of challenging physical activity can lay important foundations for physical health and well-being. Physical activity – games and sports – also contributes to the psychosocial development of children. Or, physical activity can simply be used for fun!…These stand for the core idea behind the project „Holiday in My Community” developed by Terre des hommes Foundation in Romania in partnership with the Centre for Educational Resource and Support from Dolj County and “Ovidiu Rom” Association.

The project was developed directly in the rural communities of Dolj County *during the summer school holidays (July and August, 2010) and aims at improving personal, social and educational capacities of 350 of the vulnerable children and at preventing risky migration and labour exploitation that those children are exposed to. Considering the erratic school attendance and drop-out situations, Terre des hommes offered the opportunity to 40 professionals and social actors from 13 rural communities involved in the summer project to learn and use psychosocial methods and tools for the stimulation and education of children through play and sport. Psychosocial games are an alternative leisure activity that ensures a cognitive, affective and relational environment, promoting self-esteem, and child’s confidence, increasing respect for other children and providing opportunities for social interaction especially between Roma and Romanian children.

The 40 trained animators (teachers, parents, social workers) from Craiova (Mofleni and Brestei neighbourhoods), Băileşti, Caraula, Cerăt, Coşoveni, Giurgiţa, Malu Mare, Podari, Predeşti, Sadova, Sălcuţa, Valea Stanciului, Vârtop are encouraged and appreciated for their commitment in sustaining the psychosocial activities by maintaining a cooperating team spirit with fair play rules for the groups of children that they are working with. [LAG]