Cours report chitila engleza

Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

REPORT INTRODUCTORY COURSE

Basics of intercultural civic education

As part of the Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity project, Activity 3.1: Didactic labs for schools was initiated.

The partner schools for the project were: School No. 1 “Ion Olteanu” and the “Ion Visoiu” high school, from Chitila.

6 classrooms were instructed, grades 0-I-II-III-IV-V. The overall number of children attending the classes was 126.

The courses were held in May and June 2013, as follows:

Day May 30, 2013 June 05, 2013

cl. 0

cl. I

10:00 – 11:00 ________

cl. II 13:00 – 14:00 ________

cl. III 11:00 – 12:00 ________

cl. IV 12:00 - 13:00 ________

cl. V 17:00 – 18:00 17:00 – 18:00

June 06, 2013

10:00 – 11:00

13:00 – 14:00

11:00 – 12:00

12:00 - 13:00

17:00 – 18:00

June 13, 2013

10:00 – 11:00

13:00 – 14:00

11:00 – 12:00

12:00 - 13:00

17:00 – 18:00

June 18, 2013

10:00 – 11:00

13:00 – 14:00

11:00 – 12:00

12:00 - 13:00

________

Each workshop lasted for 1 hour and four meetings were scheduled for each class.

Activities were held within the school premises (in classrooms) as well as on the outside (school park or school sport grounds).

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

Purpose of workshops: Children initiation in assuming and consolidating values like respect, cultural diversity and non-discrimination.

Goal: Teaching basing notions for non-discriminatory behavior directed towards self, to group and community.

The workshop aimed at inducting and developing basic notions of self respect and respect towards others; proper communication and group issue management. We also monitored the management of real, daily life situations, occurring at home or at school, so that all work/play strategies were anchored in real life.

The training was focused on two main courses of actions directed by specialists: 1) Creative games and exercises directed at self development and self-awareness of personal actions influencing the group.

2) Experiential games and exercises directed at discovering discrimination and tolerance, social and cultural marginalization.

Theme content -

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Self-awareness and self-esteem Self-integration within groups and communities Respect directed at others Effective communication Social discrimination Social marginalization

Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

Activities and methods The course was based on interactive training methods, aiming at supporting the teaching and selfchanging process for attendees. The choice of training methods considered the fact that training is enriched by individual study and interactions within small groups and within the larger group.

We also considered age differences, differences with regard to personal information and development for attendees from grades 0-I-II-III-IV-V. For grades 0-I the exercises were focused on age-specific methods and techniques: drawing, individual sessions, small groups, imagination, role plays.

For children in grades II- III- IV- V the methods were more elaborated and introduced free communication, problem solving, presentation and representation of reality.

The following training methods were used for the purposes of the workshop:     

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Manual activities Drawing session Role plays Effective communication practices (presentations, group presentations, free debates on given topics, active listening and active repeating) Individual and group sessions

Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

Activities were held indoors (classrooms) and outdoors (school yard) and were focused on the personal characteristics of each child, following the two goals. The games played were focused on self awareness and self knowledge for each child as well as to each child’s reasoning with others.

Non-formal plays were introduced, assisting children in reflecting on tolerance and communion with other persons with no regard for social discrepancies.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

There was more emphasis on drawing expression especially for children aged 5-7 years. Drawing is preferred by children in this age group both for communicating ideas, notions, emotional states and feelings as well as for getting themselves understood easier and in a more pleasant manner. Children worked individually and in teams, learning to share a workplace. Individual children drawings were presented to the group and each attendee was given an opportunity to add and/or explain drawings.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

For a better experience we alternated group relaxation and group dynamic activities with actual working and training sessions, thus leading to an enjoyable, pleasant mood of children with increased curiosity for the thematic suggested.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

At the end of each daily activity we analyzed children’s feedback of all of their experiences throughout games and activities so that trainers can better understand what each child learned in each session.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

Results An overall result of the training was that the attendees received all expected information.

The children learnt that they are each and every one unique and that it is important to respect themselves for their own qualities. Respect is gained from the way one relates to his peers, as well as from the way of communicating and acting. Children learnt by this stage that there are different ways of communicating and that there are barriers / blockages which may alter our relationships. As far as communication and relation-forming occurs in each child we differentiated between what groups/communities/societies have in common and whatever differs between them, therefore creating a link to societies and cultures. Children found that there are plenty of cultures bringing plenty of methods for inter-human relations and relationships.

As part of the following study stages the children were able to express their knowledge on our own country inter-cultural differences, the speech starting with notions of cultural minority and majority.

The exercises helped attendees to identify habits, traditions and characteristics specific for particular communities.

How could a minority integrate into a different cultural group? Which are the imminent needs of a minority aiming for integration? Which are the problems that may arise throughout this process? How can we help a minority integrate into our group?

These are some of the questions to which the children and their trainers found answers throughout the 4 meetings.

The problem solving exercises and self-experimentation of marginalization and exclusion assisted the children in becoming aware of a series of difficulties which are part of the process of integration into a majority group. In reply to this awareness all attendees understood the need for adaptation, for learning and for increased tolerance and empathy as well as the need for dialogue with those subject to discrimination.

To better apply the information and knowledge identified together the children were guided to check in their own group or in nearby groups real life situations of discrimination / marginalization and to relate to those, “here and now�. It was noted that exerting self respect and respect to others is both a personal and a cultural value at hand anytime, anywhere.

The non-formal approach of the speech in these sessions, a practice known to a lesser extent by children, raised the curiosity of all attendees and boosted their involvement.

The sessions allowed attendees to introspect, to express themselves freely and directly, to become self-aware, to unleash imagination and creation, to better understand themselves as part of the group they belong to.

Each child was given the opportunity to ask for clarifications, to make amendments and to provide feedback to his peers and trainers.

Starting from specific examples (personal experience), going through generalization (groups to which they all belong, like classes, families, clubs, teams, cities, countries etc.), and getting back to the lesser group of their own class children were taught about respect, about recognizing their belonging to a group and about how each can contribute to group activities. Teachers paid due emphasis on the

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

fact that each child is special and unique and, therefore, each child completes the group he or she belongs to. Attendees understood that the success, stability and development of any group depend on each member of the group.

The applications and thematic allowed the attendees to identify common points of view and contextual differences which should be considered when relating to the class and to the outer environment.

In the end all children broadened their perspective on their self and on others thus leading to a better knowledge and appreciation of others in the group.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

Attendance and group dynamic During the whole course the attendees were interested in the topics, were pro-active and captivated by the thematic and innovative work methods of the trainers.

As a whole, the group dynamic lead to a positive, stimulating environment, favorable to learning;

Recommendations -

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It is advisable that the learning process should continue as a practical application of the things taught as part of this instruction.

It is also advisable to develop and introduce as part of the curricula some work tools to be constantly used in the educational process, for each of the age groups.

Conflicts, mass media and rights: a raising awareness campaign on Roma Culture and identity.

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It is advisable to train and prepare trainers for non-formal education which might add value to currently employed educational methods.

The direct involvement of teachers is both required and viable in teaching children and in a continuously learning/applying cycle based on a step-by-step induction of new notions and/or enforcing issues already introduced in these workshops.

It is advisable to have a close contact between trainers and teachers targeted at providing information and educational resources in order to preserve all notions acquired by the children as part of these sessions.