“Back to school” is a project implemented by Lumea lui Pinocchio Association in Panciu, Romania, in the course of 2023. It has been financed by the Otto per Mille Waldensian Church funds www.ottopermillevaldese.org
The activities of the project are as follows:
- A series of workshops for the staff and volunteers of Pinocchio Center, facilitated by the project’s partners, IBO Italia, an organization with a vast experience in cooperation projects, implemented in the educational sector. The training took place partly physically and partly online in August 2023, and it included team building exercises, evaluation and reflection, and setting new educational goals).
- Meetings and laboratories with children, pupils and their family members, on hygiene, preventing contamination and promoting a healthy lifestyle; in addition, hygiene products have been purchased, both for personal hygiene and the sanitation of common areas.
- Offering a warm meal and a snack for all the minors at the Pinocchio Center, in order to support a healthy diet.
- Extra-school activities to help with homework and literacy, recreational activities and non-formal education activities (such as artistic and creative workshops, physical movement classes, outdoor play, and environmental awareness exercises).
The “Back to school” project supports the strengthening of the Pinocchio Center, after the closure of 2020 caused by the pandemic, and the difficult recovery, in a path of professional and managerial growth, with the aim of responding to the new educational needs and new obstacles faced by the most fragile part of the local population.