SEED (Sport Education for intEgration Development) is a Group EVS project having as main aim the involvement, active participation and cooperation between Rroma and Romanian youngsters. The project will involve 10 volunteers from Programme Countries, and will be implemented in Craiova for 9 months, basically in three communities were Rroma youngsters are living and studying (only in a separated manner from the Romanian pupils).

The project aims also towards volunteer personal development, providing them opportunities for intercultural learning and cultural awareness, new skills and abilities development, multilinguism and use of sport as educational tool.

The project is divided in 5 main phases: a Capacity building training, the preparation of the activities schedule, through trainings and planning meetings, the implementation of the after-school non formal educational activities, the implementation of the Summer Camp and the Evaluation. Furthermore, during the whole duration of the project, weekly and monthly evaluation meetings will take place, in order to establish a constant reciprocal monitoring of the implementation of the project in between the volunteers and the project-coordinators.

Locations: Craiova (Mofleni, Lascar Catargiu and Popoveni neighbourhoods), Scoala n°26, Str. Banu Stepan nr.20, 200819 Craiova; Scoala n° 19, Str. Baraganului nr. 45, Craiova, Dolj, Romania. Scoala Generala Popoveni.

Musetesti: Nature Inn

Accomodation:

During the first two weeks, all volunteers are to be accommodated in a guest house in 2 bedded rooms with TV set and own bathroom.

After the two weeks, all volunteers will be distributed in apartments with 3 and 4 rooms, each volunteer will have his/her own room and will be able to receive guests. The living location will meet decent living standards (private room, free access to kitchen and bathroom, current cold and hot water, functioning heating system, clean and secure location). All accommodation and utility costs (water, gas, electricity) shall be covered by the hosting organization.

Logistics:

The office of EPYD in Craiova is divided in two locations: the one on Petre Ispirecu Street, Camin 6, Parter is the volunteers office and it’s being shared with the participants to the other EVS project held in Craiova Learning by Doing.The other office on Electroputere street, nr. 22 is the Staff office, but it can be used at times by does who can work better by themselves.

Both offices have all necessary working equipment and supplies, such as computers with broadband internet connection; basic word processing programs (Microsoft Office); a laser copy machine, a scanner, phone and fax.Supplies such as paper, pens, markers, etc. are stocked, and anything else that the volunteer feels that they need for a project may be requisitioned within the budget limits of the project. The association has also a digital photo and video camera as well as a video projector than can be used upon request in relation with a project / activity implementation.

The offices are located in a quiet and very nice area, about 20 minutes walking from the centre of the city.

The volunteers office open every week day, Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 17.00.

Food

The hosting organization will provide each volunteer with a monthly food allowance. The allowance is above the average amount that most of the locals spend on food. However, the allowance will not be enough for ensuring every day eating in a restaurant or bistro.

There are places in Craiova were you can eat a three course cooked lunch and a decent dinner at a reasonable price. Upon arrival, you will be introduced to the best eating and shopping locations from Craiova.

Bear in mind that the amount was calculated according to reasonable food products – and not some specialities or very expensive brands that a middle-income person cannot afford.

Just to give you an idea, the minimum wage in Romania is 550 Ron out of which, after paying all taxes the citizen receives only 420 Ron. Out of this amount one has to support all costs – food, accommodation, travel, phone, clothes, and in most cases the costs of another member of the family – a child.

Transport

The volunteer local transportation will be covered exclusively for the travels made by the volunteers for the benefit of the EVS project.

The personal transport of the volunteer within or outside the community is to be covered by the volunteer from his/her own financial resources – pocket money or private money.

The transportation shall be reimbursed only if made by means of the local transport authority: bus, tram.

Transportation by means of TAXI is not covered!!!

Language training

Due to the importance of communication with the people from the hosting community (most of them cannot speak any foreign languages) will be of crucial importance for the volunteers to learn the Romanian Language at a good speaking level. The volunteers will have the responsibility to attend all language courses according to the schedule as well as to make every effort in studying and learning the language. The Coordinating Organizations will provide Romanian Language Courses for the entire period of the EVS according to the following draft schedule:

The first month – an intensive language course will take place for the Volunteers with a frequency of 2 hours/day – 5 days/ week.

The next weeks – the language courses will be provided on to all volunteers with a frequency of 1 session/ week.

The language courses will be provided free of charge for the entire period of the EVS project.

1.Italy - Arci Comitato Territoriale di Catania(ARCI Catania)

2.Latvia - Radi Vidi Pats

3.Latvia - Assocciation of YWCA/YMCA of Latvia

4.Sweden - Culture & Leisure Dep. City of Molndal , Sweden

5.Czech Republic - O.s. Hodina H

6.Norway - NEVO - Norwegian ex-Volunteer Organization

7.Italy - Arcistrauss

8.Austria - Landesjugendreferat Karten

July

SEED Summer Camp - 5-10th July 2010

As a reward for the seriousness and  dedication proved by the pupils towards the activities that the volunteers have been doing in the 3 communities,  the idea of organizing a summer camp for them arouse.

The summer camp is a big event and the volunteers have been preparing for weeks now in gathering all the children, preparing their activities, acquiring all the materials necessary. The camp will aim at creating better understanding between the children, creating group solidarity and cohesion. The most important thing about this camp is that the staffers and the volunteers are bringing in children from all of the three Rroma communities involved in the project. Between these communities there are a series of tensions that have prevented them from communication or collaborating in the past. Trough the activities of the volunteers in the communities it seems that they are more open minded and willing to collaborate in the future, the camp will strengthen the links formed and will create friendships between children that otherwise would have never met. Aside from this, the children will have a chance to visit some great cultural sites such as Tismana monastery or beautiful natural places such as Cheile Sohodolului.

June

Children day - 1st of June 2010

1 of June was the perfect occasion for the volunteers to organize a show for the children and to make them happy on this day dedicated to them.
The activity were held in the Parcul Tineretului where the local authorities let us use an outdoor stage. A week before the festivity the volunteers together with their mentors went trough the community inviting the children and the parents to celebrate 1 of June together. This was the first event where Rroma from all of the 3 communities were brought together and, in spite their differences and tensions among the different families everyone enjoyed the festivity.
the show was divided into 3 parts:
1. volunteers show: juggling - Francesco/Olga/Jack/Nicia
2. children show: 2 girls singing modern music,
one folk group singing and dancing
kick - boxing demonstration - Olga's pupils
dancing demonstration - Rita's pupils

After these little shows the children were invited to play the different games that the volunteers prepared for them.
The day ended with a session of asphalt drawings.

May

Kick - boxing classes - april - november 2010

Olga has been working together with Rita in the school in Catargiu. This is the biggest of the the three schools included in the project and was a very time and energy demanding job.Olga's main activity consists in teaching kick boxing to the children. She has made great progress with them managing to put on a good team that comes always on time to school not only for the kick - boxing, but also for the other courses. Through kick boxing Olga managed to get the children interested in practicing a healthy activity and, also, the children learn the values of discipline, cooperation, respect for each other.

Modern Dancing courses: april - november 2010

Rita is one of our most shy volunteers. She has difficulties in speaking her mind and expressing her ideas, but dancing is one of her biggest passions and has practiced it ever since she was a child. Now, after diving the schools, she decided to go to school No. 19 in Catargiu and teach this beautiful sport to several groups of children. She also decided to make a modern dance group of the school with the best pupils from each class.
Her activity consisted in selecting girls from the school and giving them lessons on how to dance.

Europe Day  - 9th of May

 You may have come across a reference in a diary or elsewhere to the fact that 9 May is "Europe Day" and perhaps asked about its significance.
Probably very few people in Europe know that on 9 May 1950 the first move was made towards the creation of what is now known as the European Union.
In Paris that day, against the background of the threat of a Third World War engulfing the whole of Europe, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman read to the international press a declaration calling France, Germany and other European countries to pool together their coal and steel production as "the first concrete foundation of a European federation". 
Everything, therefore, began that day. That is why during the Milan Summit of EU leaders in 1985 it was decided to celebrate 9 May as "Europe Day".
Every country which democratically chooses to accede to the European Union endorses its fundamental values of peace and solidarity. These values find expression through economic and social development embracing environmental and regional dimensions which are the guarantees of a decent standard of living for all citizens.

As part of a European project and having the conscience of being European citizens, the staff and volunteers of EPYD joined efforts to celebrate in their own style the aims of  EU: peace, freedom, prosperity and working together.
In Craiova, the city where the project is implemented, activities will go on after the following schedule:

14: 30 Piata Prefecturii – Universitate – Casa Studentilor: European Youngsters March
15:30 Casa Studentilor: Cultural – artistic Program:

1.  European Interactive Country stands: famous people, amazing sites, important figures in history, “live native” citizens
2. Live concerts: folk, hip – hop, pop
3. theatre play
4. Modern dance groups
5. Games/Quiz

This will be an opportunity for over 500 youngsters from more than 15 countries to interact and exchange ideas, to share together a moment of  good time with the purpose of accepting each other independently of race, nation, sex, religion, etc.

April

Working meeting S.E.E.D., Musetesti, Gorj County, 23- 25.04.2010

 During two day, between the 23rd and the 25th of April the staff and volunteers of EPYD gathered in Musetesti for a structured working meeting.

The objectives of the meeting were to receive feed-back from the monitor related to the results achieved so far, ameliorating them by improving methods and involvement  and planning ahead the next activities and events.

During the first day, the workshops gave an overview of the project. Each volunteer and staff exposed the strong points and weaknesses of what has been done up to now. These were related to the weekly and monthly evaluations and some important quotes that summed up the main ideas. Giving the personal point of view created a list of common observations on which everybody had to work on and at the end of the session, EPYD members and volunteers divided into teams and thought on how to further strengthen the strong points and ameliorate the weaknesses by deliberating on the quotes and ideas expressed.
Saturday, thematic sessions and workshops followed in the order: blocking stones in the way of a successful project & state of affairs in relation with the schools, staff, pupils and communities, my role in the activities, planning ahead.
Identifying factors that stand in the way of developing the project and ways on how to surpass them represented a good method of reaching the core of the project and the position everybody is in at the moment. By correctly positioning yourself, you know what is there to be done and how to do it. Volunteers discovered together with their coordinator and mentors methods to improve actual activities and design better ones. Each found a suitable place on “the chess board” from which he/she could the best.
Planning went on smoothly afterward; roles being clarified, everybody was in position to realistically come up with initiative and support.

The meeting was a success and it gave a lot of tonus to the participants, consolidating the working and personal relationships.

Activities in Popoveni

Ken and Jakob  are developing their sports activities (handball, volleyball, football) 3 days a week in Popoveni and one day in Mofleni. Sometimes, their colleagues help them by presenting their own activities.
They are also developing different handicrafts. Presenting parts of Craiova, Romania and the countries they are coming from and then drawing them in colors is another good method for children to memorize important geographical facts, but also the enlarge their idea of the world they are living in.

Being together raises team spirit and the sense of interculturality.

Activities in Mofleni

Starting with the week after Rroma Day,  individual and team activities started in all three schools.

In Mofleni – School Nr 26, Girts, Francesco and  are developing different handicrafts and sports activities 3 days a week. Presenting parts of Craiova, Romania and the countries they are coming from and then drawing them in colors is good method for children to memorize important geographical facts.

Ken and Jakob  are developing part of their sports activities (handball, volleyball, football) one day per week in Mofleni.Apart from these, small manual and handcrafts activities that children enjoy very much are developing their spirit of friendship and sharing while spending some relaxing time together.

International Rroma Day - 8th of April

One of the most important day celebrating the largest minority in the world – the 8th of April – was celebrated in Catargiu, Mofleni and Popoveni School with and interactive story telling, a theatre forum in where the volunteers imagined they were an Indian family traveling to Europe through time and space arriving in the schools in our days.
On they way here they taught children traditional dances, they requested help to build a new house and asked questions about the new places they were seeing in their journey.
Games mingled with the story, the clothes they prepared were used and traditional music incited the little guests to dance.
The reunion ended with breaking red eggs (as Easter was close) and trying some traditional food.

Both parents and children enjoyed the time spent and teachers were happy their pupils participated in high numbers.

March

Activities – March 2010

After returning from Musetesi, the volunteers had to put together the daily and large event.

They decided on team and single small activities, but also started working on the first large scale event of the project: the 8th of April - the International Rroma Day (In 1971, the first-ever World Roma Congress took place near London. The congress was attended by not quite 30 participants who approved the design of the Roma flag and the international Roma anthem. Delegates also officially approved the use of the term “Rom” instead of “Gypsy”).

They designed a common plan to be put to practice at the same time in all the three schools they are working in and started preparations with the children.

As they only had two weeks to do it, they postponned the beginnig of other activities and focused on this event.

Workshops related to creating traditional clothes, both Indian and Rroma, learning a traditional dance, telling stories about the history of the Rroma people were only part of the things volunteers prepared with children.

Capacity Building and Planning Ahead – Musetesti/2 - 7 March 2010

Between the 2nd and 7th on March all volunteers and the staff of the project went to Musetesti, at the Nature Inn. Here they had two days of courses and trainings and three days of presentations/workshops related to planning major and daily activities. Scale events were settled, weekly and daily plans were drafted. More than that living together, thinking forward together gave birth to a strengthened team spirit and cooperation.

It was proposed and decided upon a major horizontal event composed out of two activities, namely the EVS Caravan. Every week, for a whole day, volunteers will go to all educational institutions and public places where youngsters hang around to promote the EVS concept. Possible candidates can then come during the week to the office to beneficiate from a direct, free talk and guidance from the staff and volunteers.

Volunteers also agreed on the on-line counseling sessions.

Another important decision was related to the methods and activities to use for unfolding the scale events of the project: Rroma Day - 8th of April, Europe ’s Day – 9th of May, Children’s Day – 1st of June, Summer Camp – July/August.. The events will be marked mainly orienting them towards the children apprehension, but will be adaptable to adult community also.

Weekly and daily activities consist of different workshops on sports (handball, football, kickboxing, dance), manual activities (drawing, painting, handcrafts) and music developed in teams of two in all targeted schools.

February

On-Arrival training – NA – Bucharest/21 - 27 February 2010

This one week programme was designed and implemented by the National Agency and held in Bucharest from the 21st to the 27th of February .
The volunteers responded well to the programme and presented us with the pictures they made.

Community Discovery – 15 – 19 February 2010

During one full week, we have encouraged the volunteers to spend as much time as possible in the communities, talking to people, noting important issues/details about the inhabitants, houses, infrastructure or any other factors that could facilitate/or block their activities.
. We have given one day to each neighbourhood. Not only the volunteers walked on the street with pen and photo cameras in their hands, but we also presented the results of the community analysis we earlier applied. To that, meetings with the teachers in each school were added.
The weather was totally against the action, as after one and a half days, snow and rain started to fall. The volunteers put their effort not to postpone the activity, but it was still difficult.
At the end of the visits, a structured list of observations was filled by each volunteer.
These instruments will help in future handling the activities.

Capacity building Programme – Craiova - 08 – 13 February 2010

The week 08 – 13.02.2010 was dedicated to the Capacity Building programme in Craiova. Thematic sessions such as: Presentation of the Project – roles and responsibilities, Session on Practical Aspects (Accommodation, Food, Transport, etc), but also on-site visits: the schools were we will be working, the offices of the Rroma Ngo’s. Accent was put on workshops held by the Staff and representatives of the Rroma Ngo’s: history of the Rroma (an EVS Guide for volunteers was designed by our team – an electronic copy is attached in the media folder), traditions, prejudices, beliefs, and discrimination/ways of fighting against, non – formal methods of working with Rroma children, actions already taken by the Ngo’s, study case of Mofleni school (presented by the volunteers that have been working there), etc.

Accommodation

Since two of the volunteers arrived on the 15th, they have joined from the first day Romanian classes with the volunteers from “Learning by Doing” as a means of easier accommodation to Romania. It was a bit difficult for them as is was not entry level, but it was a good way of at least hearing Romanian Language.
At the same time we organized a “familiarizing schedule” for them with the help of the other volunteers. Each day Girts and Rita have accompanied the “Learning by Doing” volunteers on the site, helping them implement their activities, taking notes, getting acquainted with the teachers and the children. Specific attention was given to the days when activities were conducted in School 26 – located in the Rroma neighbourhood Mofleni.
They also had one of the volunteers showing the town from a very informal way. The purpose was for them to act as guides for their colleagues when they come.
From the 2nd of February (the volunteers arrived late in the night on the 1st), when other volunteers arrived , we organized a more specific Accommodation Programme that lasted 3 days. We visited all important Craiovean sites: university, vegetables market, supermarkets, clothes shops, bank, post, etc.