Sumnal, Newsletter July - August 2011

www.sumnal.org

SUMNAL - Association for development of the Roma community in Macedonia

News letter, July - August 2011

EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT- EARLY TEACHING The early child development program is already in progress, even in July. During July the children participated in activities involving musical instruments (woodwinds, percussion, and string), crafts, as well as hearing about different careers. Their parents were included at all of these teaching activities, which greatly helps the overall learning process. Sumnal lead parallel activities with the parents on various themes from physical health, mental development, language development and communication between parents and children, and general knowledge and skills. During July the children also had some physical coordination activities, such as stacking cubes, jumping on a ball, and bowling.

The Early Childhood Development Program continued during the month of August. Throughout the month, children enjoyed free time (playing with blocks, jumping rope, bowling, playing with balls, etc.), learning about traffic and road signs, talking about how they spent their summer holidays, and more. Parents were included in all these teaching activities in order to help the children learn the content. Teachers also worked alongside parents to teach different themes regarding physical health and mental development, language development and the parent-child communication, and gaining general knowledge and skills.

FURTHER LEARNING AND TEACHING - SUMMER PROGRAM The summer program “Further learning and teaching� had several opportunities in July for children from 6 to 12 years old. The activities included bowling, table-tennis, basketball, volleyball, handball, etc. This program also included classes for English and chemistry for children in the 7th and 8th grade.

As part of the Further Learning and Teaching Program in August, the summer program for children from 6 to 12 years old has included free activities such as bowling, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, handball, and more. The summer program also included additional mathematics and chemistry classes.

SUMMER PROJECT Sumnal began on July 1st to implement sports activities - the summer project for children and youth, supported by the United States embassy in Skopje.

The Sumnal Summer Project is a three month program aimed at offering educational and cross cultural opportunities for the Roma Youth of Topaana.

These children would otherwise be without direction during the summer months, and would spend most of their time on the streets of Topaana and Skopje.

The Sumnal Summer Project is meant to engage Roma Youth in Topaana in activities that will encourage them to remain in school in the fall and to do well in their studies.

The sustainability of the project will be proven in how the students continue their studies and utilize the skills they gained during the summer.

ACTIVITIES WITH VOLUNTEERS FROM FRANCE EVS- EUROPEAN VOLUNTEERS' SERVICE Children from the 5th to 8th grades, along with volunteers from France and Sumnal educators went on an outing to the park.

The volunteers from France lead the children in different activities, such as navigation and orientation in open spaces. This was a new experience for the children.

VISITING THE ZOO The children of Sumnal visited the zoo. This visit was sponsored by Chelsea Appel from the United States Embassy in Skopje.

Summer camp in Struga The children from Sumnal participated in this year's summer camp held in Struga. Children from many schools and NGOs participated in this camp, which focused on multiethnic tolerance and understanding. The children came together through different games, and workshops focusing on tolerance, culture, wildlife (flora and fauna), etc.

Presentation of certificates from the ELF program On June 11, 2011 children from two age groups - 4-to-6 years old and 6-to-8 years old, were given diplomas from the program ELF (English Language Fellow), sponsored by the American Embassy. Mary Kumar Bromwell coordinated this program, and the classes were lead by Tera Petkovska and Elena Stoichovska, students from the Education Faculty.

Workshop theme "And I can promote my culture" On July 21, 2011 Sumnal hosted, in cooperation with the NGO "Without Borders," a workshop on theme,"And I can promote my culture." Children from the 5th to 8th grades who attend Sumnal participated in the workshop. They were lead in activities to help them know each other better, as well as how better to know both their own culture and the culture of others. The activities included interactive discussions and interesting games.

Summer camp in Pretor From July 27th to 31st, the children from Sumnal participated in a Summer Camp which was held in Pretor.

The summer camp is part of Sumnal's summer project which is funded by the United States Embassy.

The children at this camp had an opportunity to discuss various themes from social and humans rights, ecology and environment, and volunteering.

Cooperation between NGO Sumnal and NGO Without Borders As a result of long-term cooperation with the NGO Without Borders, the children from Sumnal were able to visit the Ethnological-National Museum of Macedonia, where they had an opportunity to see objects and national dress from the past, which types of traditional dress are characteristic for each region, and how they can recognize which families were rich and poor based on their dress.

On August 10, 2011, at Sumnal, a workshop was held to introduce students to the city of Ohrid. th th This workshop allowed children from 5 and 6 grade to be familiar with the city, so that when they visited it (see next section) they would recognize the things they see there. Through a short film and pictures of cultural and historical sites, the children were introduced to the culture and history of Ohrid.

Painting the wall at Sumnal The Youth from Sumnal and Scouts from France painted the wall. This activity is part of the Sumnal summer project supported by USA Embassy in Skopje.

SAVE TO HAVE In August, a new project was begun with the goal of reducing poverty by saving energy and protecting the Earth. Within this project, workshops for the older and middle-aged generations were continuously held in Skopje and Gostivar on the theme "Save to Have".

Before the workshops, people distributed flyers with information and tips on saving electricity.

This project is funded by the World Bank and EVN Macedonia.

ECOLOGICAL DAY IN TOPAANA 25.08.2011 As a part of the Sumnal Summer Project, we got members of the community of Topaana involved in a clean-up day. This included youth from Sumnal, Sumnal staff and volunteers, friends of Sumnal, and other members of the community. This activity was supported by the US Embassy-Skopje.

CAMPAIGN "EVERY CHILD IN SCHOOL" To celebrate the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, Sumnal's annual "Happening" was held with the motto "Every child in school". The campaign is part of the Early Childhood Development Program funded

by UNICEF. The children who attend Sumnal presented various dances, dramas, and poetry recitation. The Happening was attended by many guest from the community and beyond. With this event, Sumnal proved that education is the most important aspect of a community's progress