Schools from Hotar (Bihor county), Dragu (Sălaj county), Sânpaul (Cluj county), Budacu de Sus (Bistrița-Năsăud county), Moșna and Alțîna (Sibiu county), bring students who get involved in IMPACT clubs closer to meetings focused on democracy, active citizenships, human/children’s rights, discrimination or social inclusion. Students plan and apply activities that promote social inclusion among peers as well as in the community.

In the program Inclusion means learning for everyone, students develop community service projects (Service-learning projects), where they involve their peers, members of the community and parents alike – all guided by the teacher leaders of IMPACT clubs.

„Aviator Ioan Sava” school from Alțîna – Together we bring change about 

Through its community project, the school from Alțîna aims to make human/children rights better known and to increase at the same time the degree of cooperation and involvement of the community in the medium and long term.

The project “Together we bring change about” is implemented by GreenIMPACT Alțîna and the IMPACT leaders involved in coordinating the project are Simion Cristina and Banea Ioan Marius.

The aim of the project is that 65 students, 50 parents and 15 teachers become more involved in the activities undertaken by the school. The aim is also to help all participants involved in the project to better understand children’s rights, so that they can show a more positive attitude in the future regarding religious minorities in the community. Presence in class will increase to over 90% as a consequence of these actions.

What new things do they want to learn during the project? Young people learn how to cooperate, to get involved in the school activities, as well as how to respect human/children’s rights.

Lower secondary school from Budacu de Sus – Children of the community together

 At Budacu de Sus, the service-learning project “Children of the community together” approaches tolerance and cooperation among children belonging to the community, regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, social class or school results.

After an analysis carried out by members of the IMPACT club (based on observing behaviors and interviewing teachers), it was concluded that children from primary school are often actors in violent acts – physical and verbal. This leads to conflicts among students, between students and teachers, teachers and parents and even among parents, which affects the results of students and their involvement in projects.

This project is focused mainly of primary school classes. The project partners are: the church, the local authorities of the commune Dumitrița, local police, students from the school, teachers, and parents. The project concerns 50 students from the school in Budacu de Sus, 25 from 7^th grade and 25 from 2^nd grade, as they are the target audience.

The long-term goal of this initiative is to reduce by 30% the number of incidents among students in the school, both at the level of primary schools and secondary school students. An increased number of parents getting involved in the life and activities of the school by 30% is also taken into consideration, as well as an increased self-esteem for students belonging to vulnerable groups. This effect will be observed in class through their involvement in similar projects or through improved school results.

Lower secondary school S. L. Roth – It’s nicer together

The project that takes life at Moșna is called “It’s nicer together”. The project created by the GREEN Impact Club from Moșna is coordinated by IMPACT leaders Șuteu Ana and Pocan Ildikó.

The club exists in a multi-ethnic, multicultural environment and this project is aimed at the ideas of diversity and social inclusion at the same time.

In the fortress-museum from Moșna there are two rooms that symbolically represent two ethnicities in the area – the Transylvanian Saxons’ room and the Romanians’ room. However, there are also many Roma people in the area, therefore the project aims to also decorate a Roma people’s room in the fortress, in order to better represent the ethnographic diversity of the region. Furthermore, locals, regardless of ethnicity, will learn to know and accept one another.

The project involves about 420 students from lower secondary school, aged 6 to 14, teachers and parents. Club members talk to various people/specialists in various fields, in order to learn how things work: an architect, a curator, a history teacher, a Cost Engineer (that shows the students how to make an estimative measurement, how to calculate the cost of a redevelopment or restauration project).

Another activity involved meeting representatives of the local authorities, with the goal of obtaining a proper space for the Roma room, as well as to lead discussions about the history of the Roma people and a workshop on their wickerwork.

Throughout the project implementation, everyone involved gains new knowledge and, implicitly, new values. They discover new things about the history of the Roma people, about the value of historic monuments, about cultural heritage, about the museum, about what an estimation is and why it is important. Moreover, they will learn about team work, what tolerance means and, above all, about diversity.

Service Learning or Learning through community service projects is a method that facilitates student learning by involving them in solving a real problem in their community (school, neighborhood, town, etc.). Supported by teachers, students identify needs of the community, they debate solutions, they unite for a common goal and act in the community. Students reflect and evaluate their progress, guided by their teachers.

This project is co-financed from the Program for Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeships and Youth Entrepreneurship in Romania, financed by the EEA Grants 2014-2021 Inclusion means learning for everyone – Working together for an inclusive Europe.

European Economic Area and Norwegian Grants (EEA) represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in reducing social and economic disparities in the European Economic Area and in consolidating bilateral relations with the 15 beneficiary states from Eastern and Southern Europe and the Baltic states.