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Description
The civic education starts from childhood, through acquiring family models, attending school, through interactions with teachers, colleagues and by participating in activities promoting active citizenship. In 2019 we organized local consultations with 70 parents and 20 teachers, in order to detect the need to develop civic educational programs, addressed to children, in the 5 targeted localities. Parents pointed out that there is a lack of creativity, there are no local initiatives, they do not understand the formula of volunteering or community involvement, but they want and are devoted so their children to become more involved, to offer them opportunities, which may greatly develop their life skills. Most teachers report low levels of parental involvement in their children''s lives. Due to an overloaded schedule with household responsibilities, many students are at risk of dropping out of school / leaving school early. The project aims to support civic participation in 5 local communities in Covasna County, by implementing actions focused on civic education and developing an educational manual, with methods and practices in the field. The 24 months project will be involving 100 children, aged 7-14 and 10 volunteer educators. The children will benefit of weekly sustained civic educational activities - 80 of them are coming from Aita Mare, Aita Medie, Calnic (rural area) and Baraolt (small, mine town) and 20 of them from the town of Sf. Gheorghe (municipality). 10 volunteer educators will be carrying out educational activities for children, and together with the project team will be involving a number of 245 locals from the 5 targeted town in events, which promote active participation in their own communities and the role of civil society. The project is realized by the Turul Madar Association in partnership with the local schools from Baraolt, Aita Mare and Aita Medie.
Summary of project results
The project started from the premise that civic education develops from childhood, through the acquisition of family models, until school attendance, through interactions with teachers, peers and through participation in activities in the area of civic involvement.
The project’s aim was to enhance civic knowledge among children and develop the educational skills of educators across 5 local communities. 10 volunteer educators participated at 4 workshops, focused on the skills needed in civic education. An educational manual was developed for children aged between 7 and 14, focused on civic values. The manual was distributed in 10 rural schools in Covasna County, providing essential support for 45 teachers. Weekly activities represented the core of the project, providing constant opportunities for learning and civic involvement for 102 children from rural and urban communities in Aita Mare, Aita Medie, Targu Secuiesc, Baraolt and Sfantu Gheorghe. These activities aimed to strengthen the understanding and practice of civic values among the younger generations. The project included 5 civic actions in each community, such as the rehabilitation of playgrounds and the arrangement of public spaces, carried out directly by children and their families. 5 experience exchanges were organized between children from the 5 localities, promoting interaction and mutual learning in various environment. Approximately 200 locals were actively involved, and another 5,000 people in online environment were informed about the project. For organizational development component, an internal management process for volunteers was developed, included the creation of an internal regulation and specific documents for the management of volunteer.
The project had a significant impact by improving the civic skills of its beneficiaries and by strengthening the involvement of local communities in education
activities and civic actions.