My class outside the classroom

In November, a poster competition was held at the partner schools, putting young people's creativity to the test. The children let their drawings speak for themselves about what it means and how they would see a 'class outside the classroom'. The competition was aimed at elementary and middle school students from Conțești Secondary School, Sfinții Voievozi Secondary School, Bragadiru and Pietroșani Secondary School, Bragadiru Teleorman county, and the best creations received prizes. On each of the five posters (one of them being a collage with all the awarded ones) we inserted the drawings made by the pupils' hands, pictures made in watercolours, crayons or coloured pencils.

Following the 11th of April, at Conțești Secondary School, the primary school students took part in, among other things, "Funny Sandwiches ", an activity through which they talked about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables (a lesson that they declared to be… delicious), "Childhood Games", where they worked in teams, had fun and learned to more effectively cooperate and communicate, "Fantasy Workshop", where they learned about Romanian Easter traditions and egg-baking, "The Clever Ones", a general knowledge quiz, and "If it's Thursday, it's Theatre", where they saw a comedy short entitled "Mr Goe" Another primary class took part in, among other things, "Puppets come to life", where students expressed their feelings and emotions through characters, "Games and toys", where they developed a team spirit and improved their communication and cooperation skills, " A healthy mind in a healthy body", where they organised sports competitions, and "Eat healthy", where each child tasted fruits and vegetables without seeing them and tried to guess which ones they were - some of the children even tasted certain fruits and vegetables for the first time. Starting on the 10th of May, students have been engaged in activities that help make the school an environment where they feel safe and enjoy coming to. Thus, they all gathered together for "Cardinal Points" (an activity where students used their phones to orient themselves and identify the cardinal points ), "Observing Nature" (students observed with their huge "research lab", namely nature), "Flashmob for Peace" (where students wished to send a message of peace to the whole world), as well as "We Love Animals", a visit to the local animal farm, "A Colourful School" and a sports competition. At the beginning of June, students from Conțești Secondary School kicked off outdoor activities with the mission to make the school a friendly, safe environment where every student feels valued and seen for who they truly are. In addition to classroom meetings, the students (along with their teachers) undertook environmental and nature exploration activities, organised outdoor meetings, coloured the school walls to bring them to life, and competed in handball and football matches. After the completion of the new gazebo that allowed the outdoor activities to take place, the activities at Conțești continued in July, starting with mentoring workshops, where games and stories helped us to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves, but also get to know our neighbours better. Also at Conțești Secondary School, sports events have begun. Football, handball, fitness training... all to warm the students up for the August championships. Moreover, students continued to learn during the summer through tutoring activities, as well as relaxed thanks to movie nights in the new gazebo. In addition, both Conțești Secondary School and "Sfinții Voievozi" Secondary School in Bragadiru went to a super-mentor camp in Sinaia. The students, accompanied by their teachers, took part in mentoring workshops, sports workshops and socialized, under the coordination of Georgiana Ioniță, our colleague and the project's mentoring expert. The first day was about layers, labels, stereotypes and prejudices, and also about awareness, debates and team games. The second day in Sinaia took us on hikes and visits beyond the mentoring sessions. We went together to enjoy the sights of the area: first we made our way to the Urlătoarea Waterfall (Bușteni), then we walked around the centre of Sinaia and visited the Sinaia Monastery and Peleș Castle. It was a long walk, with many interesting discussions and lots of laughter, a bit of outdoor mentoring and different tales about all the differences that bring us together. These were two days where we put our worries on hold and spent time with people we met for the first time. Individual and team games, mentoring workshops, snack breaks and socialising, talking about our passions and dreams... all of this provided an outlet for us to take time to talk about diversity, labels and getting to know each other. As the children said during the mentoring workshop, "We are all different because we are unique, and that's wonderful."

Also starting in April, the teachers of the "Sfinții Voievozi" secondary school (Bragadiru) have been working with primary and secondary school students on, among others: "We are artists during meals!", "Let's eat healthy!" or "Health is important! It is the most precious good", this allows students to learn about the importance of healthy food in relation with well-being and harmonious development, as well as "Let's try to decipher the secrets of the Earth", "Win Romania!", a general knowledge contest, "Dare to know! Dare to believe!", through which they got to know each other better, played games and worked as a team. On the 7th of July, the school students met in the newly set up gazebos and talked about inclusion, diversity, mutual respect, their dreams and they used playing as a tool to get to know each other better. The students from the "Sfinții Voievozi" Secondary School (Bragadiru) also took part in sports and environmental activities. Spoiler alert: At the end of the environmental activity each of them left a motivational message, a colourful greeting or a drawing in crayon on the white t-shirts they wore... to keep as a souvenir. Towards the end of July, students continued their cultural activities in the drama club. They each took a seat in the newly opened gazebo, and spent the afternoon with their teacher reading and performing poetry as a first step towards learning about acting. The photos below show how the students interacted with the art form and how they enjoyed their first theatre training at the workshop. In another session of the same drama club, the students not only studied dramatic texts, but also participated in improvisation workshops to develop their acting abilities and teamwork. Afterwards, a round of sports activities followed for the students from Bragadiru. This time, they warmed up for the upcoming competitions and championships and excelled in strategy and teamwork thanks to football matches between classes. Aside from sport activities and mentoring workshops, students at the "Sfinții Voievozi" Secondary School in Bragadiru put their creativity to the test. They learned to be more environmentally friendly through a fantasy club and different creations made from recyclable materials. During this activity, students were able to understand the importance of sorting and recycling waste, but they were also able to give free rein to their imagination, creating costumes and other clothing accessories. In late July, the students visited a local honey factory. This outdoor activity taught the children about bees, their role as pollinators and their importance for the environment and humans. In addition, an handball tournament between classes was held on the 24th of July, where the girls were the some of the most valuable players and excelled in movement, flexibility and teamwork.