This project was implemented by the Nongovernmental Association "Youth for the Right to Live" Balti (TDV B?l?i) in partnership with B?l?i City Hall.
The main project objective was to create a community interaction space within ?Al. I. Cuza? B?l?i Gymnasium in order to revitalize the deprived urban area by ensuring access to quality civic education services for children and adults in the area.
The specific objectives were:
1. Renovation and endowment of the community interaction space in "Al. I. Cuza? B?l?i Gymnasium during April - November 2018.
2. Conceptualization and implementation of a continuous educational program addressed to students, parents and teachers in order to revitalize the degraded urban area and increase civic activism.
During the project implementation period, TDV B?l?i performed following activities:
I. Renovation and endowment of the community interaction space within the ?Al. I. Cuza? B?l?i Gymnasium:
- Renovation of the greenhouse within the Gymnasium and purchase of the needed equipment for its proper functioning: shelves, pots, sprinklers, tools, soil, microscopes, seed molds, roots, etc. The basic objective of the greenhouse are: to develop students' practical skills in cultivating plants and crops; to involve students in the arrangement of the Gymnasium territory; to develop school volunteering; but also learning the school curriculum in a practical, interesting and enjoyable way.
- Procurement and installation of street benches that could be used during ecological education activities organized outdoors, but also for leisure time, spent by students during breaks between lessons. This space offers also opportunities for the tenants with small children, from the houses related to the Gymnasium, thus they can spend their free time in a safe and beautiful, clean space.
- Procurement of equipment and materials needed for the endowment of the Gymnasium space to ensure a clean and comfortable space (indoor garbage cans, large and small outdoor garbage cans, tees, buckets, etc.).
- Planting trees and shrubs on the Gymnasium territory.
- Renovation of the fence around the Gymnasium.
- Cleaning and renovation of the fountain located in the courtyard of the Gymnasium and arrangement of the space around it.
II. Conceptualization and implementation of a continuous educational program addressed to students, parents and teachers in order to revitalize the degraded urban area and increase civic activism:
a. Implementation of the Educational program that strengthened the knowledge about environmental pollution, about the environmental problems the society is confronting at the moment, about the ecological health and about the healthy life style:
- 14 seminars organized with 126 students from the 7th and 8th grades;
- 8 seminars organized with 22 teachers from the Gymnasium (primary and secondary cycles);
- 3 seminars organized with 57 parents of the students from the 7th, 8th and 9th grades;
b. Development of the booklet "Ecological and Health Education Activities", which contains 10 lesson plans and practical activities that were organized with students from the 7th and 8th grades.
c. Organization of two trainings with the involvement of students from the 7th and 8th grades and the teachers of the Gymnasium. During these trainings an Environmental management plan within the ?Al. I. Cuza? B?l?i Gymnasium was developed.
As a result of the undertaken activity, it was possible:
- to obtain a qualitative functioning of the sanitary block,
- to ensure the access within the school for all people with reduced mobility and also
- to revitalize the space available around the school.
All these goods will be available to the target group over a long period of time.
Ensuring school rooms with modern equipment that meets the standards of education guarantees the regular attendance of the school by students, helps to reduce absenteeism and school dropout, provides a favorable ecosystem for the implementation of various educational activities.
By implementing the conceptualized educational program it was obtained a consistent well-structured training to instruct and to develop key competencies in the fields of environment and health, and also to increase civic activism of students, parents and teachers.
At the same time, it will be possible to implement this educational program in other educational institutions from Balti municipality, as a success story, which will ensure sustainable results for this project.
The lessons learned from the implementation of this project can be summarized as follows:
- Favorable conditions and attractive landscaped, which meet the educational standards and can ensure the development of the educational process, can catalyze the access to quality educational services.
- The competencies and abilities obtained due to the participation within organized trainings are the basis for the development of a responsible, socially adapted and conscientious personality.