Terre des hommes Romania Foundation has had an active year, with some successes worth mentioning. Despite the pandemic, their goal was to ensure that Romanian children and young people of all backgrounds can benefit from projects aiming to provide a brighter future. Here are some of those projects:
Education for the future
Starting in 2021, teens and teachers in the Târgu Ocna area (Bacău) could learn computer-assisted 3D printing, and designed and created objects in the Solidarity FabLab center. Later, the teachers will act as 3D printing guides for 100 young people from disadvantaged groups, and high school students in the area and beyond. The courses will benefit the unemployed and/or young people enrolled in the “Second Chance” program, young people from the Târgu Ocna Detention Center, teachers from the Târgu Ocna Technological High School and nearby schools (from Târgu Ocna, Onești, Oituz), and leaders in the local community. The ultimate goal is to facilitate these teens' future entry into the labour market. Funding for the Solidarity FabLab Târgu Ocna project is provided by the Orange Group Foundation and the Orange Romania Foundation.
Mentorship
In 2021, after two years, the MINT project - "Mentorship for the Integration of Third Country national children affected by migration," was completed. Together with our partners, we developed a unique peer mentoring program and organized two mentoring cycles that benefited over 140 migrant children and over 110 local young people. We believe that we have contributed to building more inclusive societies in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. MINT is co-funded by the European Union, through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
The tenth annual Takeover Day project created a special connection between children aged 12–18 and adult guests who answered their questions openly: Dana Rogoz (actress, designer, public figure and television presenters), Marius Moga (music producer, composer), Cristina Tunegaru (teacher), Ioana Chereji (PR Manager UNTOLD & Neversea), Otilia Mantelers (psychologist & author of children's books), Dana Deac (journalist), Ivona Amariței (architect), Mona Nicolici (journalist), Cornel Ilie (composer, soloist), Octavian Șerban (Ambassador of Romania to Albania), Vlad Măcelaru (entrepreneur), Camelia Rublinceanu-Banski (manager), Elena Matei (chef), Adrian Posteuca ('evangelist' of augmented reality), and Anghel Damian (actor).
Because minors and young people in education and detention centres in Romania also deserve a fighting chance, Terre des hommes initiated programs for those seeking responsible freedom. Since the beginning of 2020, Tdh has supported the rehabilitation of minors and young people deprived of their liberty through the PRECISION project (Promote Rehabilitation, Empowerment of Children and Support for Youth Offenders). Last year, an important part of the project was initiated: the mentoring program connecting volunteer mentors (professionals in various fields) with young detainees, to prepare for their reintegration into society when they regain their freedom. Thus, beyond education and information, twenty young people selected from the Craiova Detention Centre (among those who responded positively to the re-education system) can create trusting relationships with mentors of different professions and learn to become independent thinkers. Uniquely, the mentoring is initially done through physical activity (movement, play and sports), which makes it easy to build an informal relationship between young people and mentors. PRECISION is funded by Medicor Foundation (Liechtenstein).
Special
For the first time in Romania, a child protection foundation (Terre des hommes) has invited two important sports federations — the Football and the Gymnastics Federation — to make an official and complete commitment, to better protect children physically and emotionally (safeguarding). In addition, for the first time, twenty sports clubs in Romania have signed a public commitment according to which they will take additional, specific measures to protect all children who train and play sports. Terre des hommes, in partnership with the National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoptions (ANDPDCA), the Romanian Football Federation, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, and together with specialists in child protection, have developed these procedures for child safety and protection in a European project to create a safe environment for children in sport.
"Keeping Children Safe in Sport" is a project co-financed by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program (REC 2014-2020) and coordinated by the Terre des hommes Romania Foundation, in partnership with Terre des hommes Greece and Terre des hommes Hungary.
(to be continued)