Albania I can't wait to try out this game with the kids!

Project : MOVE 12 Jul 2009 |

Vlora, Albania: 15 volunteers participated to the MOVE kick off event at the end of June. MOVE staff had the chance to learn, discuss and put into practice the knowledge gathered through different psychosocial games. The new Albanian project team learned to understand self-consciousness, to organize a game with specific learning objectives, perception, communication, emotion management, learning in groups, demonstrations, the role of animator, competition and cooperation, needs and resources of a person, conflict resolution, methodology of feedback giving and planning (see the image gallery here).

This two week long training (22 – 29 June) enabled the MOVE staff, to implement activities in the field psycho-social activities. These psycho-social activities will have a positive impact on children, parents, community, and school. It will enable children to reinforce their own personal and social capacities and will support children reintegration into their family. Direct access to the children will be used as psychosocial tools to improve children’s personal and social competences, to develop and promote skills and values like self-esteem, trust, tolerance, respect, cooperation, honesty, creativity, responsibility. This project will be implemented very soon in five main cities, where children at risk or at high risk are more exposed: Tirana, Korca, Elbasan, Fier and Durres.

Atmosphere was great and allowed trainees to learn while having good time. Besa, one of the 15 trainees, said: “We learned a lot from each other and shared our positive and negative experiences_.” And Anisa confirms that “_emotions should be expressed and not repressed, no matter if is positive or negative!”. In terms of methodology, the Albanian beginners share some of their lessons, such as Silvana who believes “a good planning of an activity it is the first step to have an entertaining and educative game”. *A part of the psychosocial activities were using football games and Matilda says “the football game helped me to learn how you can ask from the children a “fair-play” by having them as protagonists (they set themselves the rules.) Mediators’ role in this game is very interesting". Kela admits this game reinforced her new lessons, “in a game it’s not the most important who wins, but to think during or after what you are doing and to respect each other. I can’t wait to try out this game with the kids!”

Starting from May 2009, Albania has started the implementation of Project MOVE (Psychosocial development of children through Games and Sport). In the frame of psychosocial activities that Terre des Hommes organizes in Albania, MOVE project is a new component with a particular approach to TACT CPSN. Participants have different backgrounds and jobs such as teachers, social worker in Child Protection Units), Psychologist advisor, Community Mediator and Social workers from private or public services.