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Description
The commune of Grădinari, Olt County, has a highly marginalised community. The problems identified at local level, according to the Local Development Strategy of the commune for the period 2015-2021, belong to areas such as: education, lack of family-school-community partnership, employment and assistance, lack of professional and occupational counselling centres and environment. There is also a weak dialogue between the citizens of the commune and the local authority.
The project will address these problems by increasing the civic involvement of the local community, through non-formal education actions in science and environmental protection, carried out in the framework of the school-family-local community partnership and community volunteering actions. Also by increasing the level of information and counselling of a group of young people, with a view to their socio-economic integration through professional counselling. A meeting of young people with representatives of local authorities, economic agents and NGOs will be facilitated. The expected results of the project will be: young people counselled and informed about employment and the importance of completing compulsory education; teachers with new skills who will be able to pass on information to their pupils through project-based teaching methods and will be able to form future active citizens who will be involved in solving problems in their community; 150 children and pupils will be able to participate in educational workshops on environmental protection and in a schoolyard greening and landscaping action.
340 members of the local community will benefit from the project''s educational, counselling and volunteering activities.
The project partner, the Learning by Teaching Association, with its experience in educational actions targeting rural school communities, will be instrumental in raising community awareness and civic engagement.
Summary of project results
Gradinari commune in Olt County faces significant challenges within its marginalized community. According to the Local Development Strategy for 2015-2021, key issues identified at the local level span education, the lack of a strong family-school-community partnership, employment opportunities, vocational counseling, and environmental awareness. Additionally, there is limited dialogue between local citizens and the authorities.
As part of the community development project, innovative initiatives were implemented to strengthen the family-school-community partnership. This included the creation of a guide for practical extracurricular activities focused on science and environmental education.
The project directly benefited 340 community members, including 30 preschoolers and their parents, 60 elementary school students and their parents, 60 secondary school students and their families, 10 teachers from preschool to secondary education, and 30 young people aged 14-35.
To address high absenteeism, STEM-based educational programs were introduced, engaging young people alongside school staff and community members in finding solutions to communal problems.
By fostering a collaborative school-family-community partnership, the project also succeeded in encouraging volunteerism, while addressing employment and social assistance needs. Low employment rates within disadvantaged groups were tackled through both individual and group vocational counseling sessions.
Environmental issues, such as a lack of ecological awareness, illegal dumping on vacant land, and the scarcity of green spaces, were mitigated through community-led environmental protection actions. These initiatives promoted civic responsibility and contributed to a cleaner, healthier environment for the commune.