There is no psychologist in Budila Secondary School, a situation that we find in most villages in Romania, although families in the community face very big problems: poverty, addictions, single-parent families, insufficient or non-existent support from the state.
We, Grow and Know, have already implemented this project in a similar community, Slon, Prahova county, with wonderful results among the beneficiaries. Obvious changes in the children's behaviour, thoughts and actions, reduction of bullying in the classroom, reduction of conflicts, easier integration in the class, and better management of daily situations by the teachers, are just some of the results we have observed in the school in Slon.
The need
Life skills training is often not part of conventional formal education and is not part of the compulsory curriculum. The presence of a school psychologist in the school can help by creating a happy, healthy, safe and effective learning environment where these skills can be learned and developed.
In Romanian schools, the school psychologist is present in about 1500 pupils in urban areas and almost non-existent in rural areas. Poverty forces some families to lead a more than modest life. Their needs are often not recognised and they are seen as having no contribution to make to the community. This exclusion reduces children's chances to learn, grow and develop.
Managing emotions, anti-bullying strategies (because families in the community face very big problems: poverty, addictions, single-parent families, insufficient or non-existent state support) and being able to deal with conflict in a constructive way not only contributes to the mental health of students, but also has positive effects on the community as a whole.
The change
Through this project, we aim that participating students from Budila School:
- learn to critically analyse their attitudes and views in relation to a variety of issues
- develop useful skills for dealing with conflict
- understand the importance of communication. Sometimes it is enough for a small gesture, an understanding of a situation to create a domino effect, a reality of peace.
- reducing social exclusion and school drop-out.
Activities
1. 10-20 December: Signing of partnership contracts with Budila School, with psychologists, setting of the sessions schedule.
2. 15-31 January: Selection of Beneficiaries- Partner psychologists, together with school principals/teachers, volunteer teachers involved.
3. 1 February - 25 April, actual running of the sessions
4. 30 April - 10 May: project closure, conclusions and impact measurement, reporting.
Budget
12000 lei to remunerate the work of the 3 psychologists involved with the direct beneficiaries (80 hours activities with students, 150/hour - a ~50% reduction from the standard rate, about 50 hours needed for training and reporting will be pro bono)
2000 lei will be used to cover transport costs Brasov - Budila
2000 lei for the materials needed to run the sessions
Web
www.growandknow.ro
www.facebook.com/growandknowro
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