OLE or ILE new ideas

       The New Year stands before us like a fresh chapter in a book. The beginning of the year is a time of new ideas, of fresh starts.

My project is called OLE (Outdoor leisure education), but my colleagues and I have changed the project name into ILE (Indoor leisure education) since is more suitable name during the winter. J In fact, there are not many outdoor winter activities, unless there is a snow so we can have a snowman building competition, we can build an igloo or a snow fort, or we can have a snowball fight. But, I have to admit I hate being cold and it’s really hard to drag me outside for fresh air and exercises. So, I prefer my ILE project during these cold months, even when the school gym is too small for two classes at the same time. Sometimes, I think I might end up deaf. J

      Since you already know, the goal of the project is to promote healthy life style through sports. Besides that, we- the OLE/ILE volunteers have other ideas for our children in the schools. We are willing to change something, not only to improve their life style, but to make them accept differences, to be respectful towards others, to learn something new, and to become better persons.

We are offering non-formal education, free Spanish and English classes, free traditional dances, culture awareness... We have prepared a list of activities, games, events and campaigns, and we are eager to start working.

      We will start a campaign about environmental care, together with the children from the schools. We will prepare creative signs for the Lunca Muresului natural park, in order to increase the awareness of environmental protection.

     We are going to organize a spring carnival, and the aim is to spread a lot of important messages such as: child protection, child rights, social messages, healthy messages, disabilities, and etc. The school groups participating can enjoy games, face-painting, arts and crafts workshops and corporal expressions. There will also be plays and shows in English and Romanian.

Hopefully this year will be different for us and everyone involved in our project!  Time flies fast, so we have to cherish every moment!

SECOND HAND BOOKS CAMPAIGN 

This is an article about a project that was conducted during the months of November and December in Arad. Daniel and Ana, two volunteers are performing an EVS in Arad, Romania, on Leisure. A part of it, and on our own and in our spare time we Spanish classes, lectures on art and film forum in Arad art school.

Even with all that, thanks to long journeys by tram (public transport and some old) in Arad, and thanks to the chance to meet several times with two Uruguayan voluntarees, Luciana and Lorena, it was created the idea of prepare, make and organize a Second Hand Books Campaign, which would translate in Romanian then as "Campania strangem carti vechi"

Under the name of 'Lectura Pentru Viata' campaign was created by volunteers OTI Arad - ERASMUS +, emerged with the concern to be part of the daily lives of children and adults reading. With this motivation, we believe that a good way to generate this approach is creating among all small libraries in Curcubeu, Vis Copiil and Hospital. Curcubeu is a center where children with disabilities are Vis and Copiil a welcoming place people at risk of exclusion such as gypsies, homeless, where they provide recreational space, a meal and support people through voluntarios. The main idea of ​​the campaign was that all the people of Arad, collaborate not only with us but with their own community directly donating books, leaving them in the boxes marked with our logo in different locations of the city such as libraries, shopping malls and centers school.

The first was to make a slogan Lectura Pentru Viata, then that slogan should be placed on a poster with a suggestive and direct image. A poster with the name of Second Hand books Campaign in English, then in Romanian, then the direct image and the slogan beneath it. These posters were placed as part of the decoration of the boxes that were distributed where people could donate books. In addition, I had to make a cover letter explaining what the project and objectives, and a name for the group formed by Dani and me, Spanish and Luciana and Lorena, from Uruguay, called "Mundos Posibles" was created.

The poster was designed by a student of the art school where Dani and I impart different activities mentioned above. Also worth mentioning the great work, support and collaboration of the Violet ...... A teacher that we met through Vis de copiil worker, Philip. She was the key to the German School in Arad, and the school collaborate with us Mihail Eminescu, involving each child donate a book. To do this, Dani and I had to make several conferences explaining the campaign in these two mentioned schools. In all, at school Nicolae Balcescu small party was organized in honor of St. Nicolae, to which we were invited, each child left their bit.

In addition, the Uruguayan voluntary work at Curcubeu made numerous bookmarks and other crafts which were sold at an event celebrating the 4th of December in Palatul Copilor for raising money with more books are bought.

With all these books collected more boxes deposited in the mall, a library thereof and private donations, the collection reached more than 20 boxes. This is not the final number as there will be in late January another 5 boxes more arrivals from the Faculty of Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid university where Dani and I studied and we sent the letter of motivation for the project to collaborate with us.Those first 20 boxes were distributed to various places mentioned above. It has been, and until they reach the missing boxes, is a campaign that has been extremely successful thanks to the collaboration of volunteers, teachers, workers Vis de Copiil, students, people of different ages and characteristics together with the same purpose, bring education to those places through books.

What was OLE, again?

“OLE” or Outdoor Leisure Education is a project financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Program, hosted by Asociatia pentru Protectia Mediului, Turism si Educatie Arad which takes place in Arad, Romania between July 2015 and September 2016. This project is an exercise of solidarity and active participation addressed to 9 young people from Macedonia, Portugal and Spain. The goal of the project is to promote healthy life style through sports, outdoor leisure activities and non formal education. For that manner, the past few months the volunteers joined their knowledge, experience and passion and put a lot of effort to present the children the benefits of leading active and healthy life. The activities mainly took part in schools where the pupils were given a chance to see that physical activity does not have to be boring, repetitive and tiresome but it can be fun and inspirational instead. Since we have a few more months until the end of the project we will continue with our mission to help the creation of future healthy generations.