IMPART

Quarterly Report

April-June 2011

OVERVIEW

April-June

- During this period, IMPART team held four combined arts courses (second module “Advanced”) and one course (1^st module “Initiation”) , recognized by Work, Family and Social Ministry and Education, Innovation and Research Ministry.

-  Impreuna newsletter, No 21, is finished and ready to print.

-  6 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Inclusive Education Centre No.1 Bacau, have been included in a project coordinated by Bogdan A. and Mariana D.

- “Zemes” project continues every Tuesday, all activities being organized by an Impart team member.

- 1^st of June day was special for those approximately 200 children from “Domnita Maria” school and CEC Zemes.

OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORTED PERIOD AND ASSESMENT OF ACHIEVEMENTS 

·       Impart:  “Impreuna”network

Objective achieved

·       Impart:  Combined arts worker trainings

Objective achieved

·       Impart:  Combined arts worker –3rd  module “Qualification”

Objective achieved

·       Impart: CEC Zemes

Objective achieved

BENEFICIARYS

CURRENT ACTIVITIES / OTHER ACTIVITIES

1.     Impart: IMPREUNA Network

A.   Network Communication

B.   Impreuna newsletter, 21 issue

We just finished editing the last issue of Impreuna newsletter (No. 21) in June. We’ve received stories from Impreuna Network members, coming from 11 counties in Romania, were they describe using combined arts stimulation techniques in their work with children and adults with different disabilities.

Those stories help disseminate the information about  techniques in this field and share results of their work with the rest of Impreuna Network members.

Next step is to print the newsletter and send it to all Impreuna Network members.

C.   National Seminar “Developing Combined Arts Field in Romania” Bacau, 14^th to 15^th of April 2011

The main purpose of this seminar was to discuss with the most active members of Impreuna Network, about developing combined arts stimulation field and evolving of Impreuna Network. 35 people participated at the seminar, representing NGO’s and institutions around country. The event took place at the Levisticum Hotel in Bacau.

Conclusions drawn: we must have more projects in partnership with other NGO’s or institutions. The Network should be more visible. We have to continue working on 3^rd module accreditation, the qualification in “Combined arts worker” profession. We need more experience exchange visits. Better lobby for this field in institutions and in mass-media. It would be great if we’ll have a virtual library and an online store for products made by people with disabilities around the country. We should make preparations for a postgraduate program in combined arts field. More visits were required and trainings in different fields like “Parents school”.

D.   Autism project: “Combined arts sessions for children with autistic spectrum disorders”

The project’s length was for 5 months (January to June) and took place at the Inclusive Education Centre No.1 in Bacau. We’ve had 6 beneficiaries, children in 3^rd grade, aged between 10 and 14 years old. Bogdan Ardeleanu and Mariana Diosteanu, went to this Centre, twice every week (Tuesday and Thursday) and worked with children from 9AM till 1 PM.

The project goal was to improve quality of life and to shape personality of our beneficiaries (children with autism diagnosis) through combined arts stimulation sessions.

We used combined arts techniques, in individual therapy sessions (music, painting, massage, movement, modelling plasticine, playing games and mobility development tests, puzzle…). We adapted the sessions for every child, depending on his preferences for one or more activities / techniques.

Combined arts techniques, gave us the opportunity to communicate better and easily with children, to work in an informal environment and more fun also; and children were happy to spend time with us while they were developing their personalities.

All 6 children became more opened to the environment throughout sessions (they were paying attention to us, were interested in our techniques and attentive to the rest of the children – important for the autistic spectrum disorder); also they start communicating better and developed some capacities for self expression through arts.

E.   Applying for introduction of the “Combined arts worker” job in the organizational chart

We’ve sent emails to all Impreuna Network members, asking them to be involved in our action, to add the Combined arts worker job in all institutions chart, in Romania. Following our request, Impreuna Network members started to send agreements, supporting our action, explaining how useful will be this job in organizations and institutions chart. We are collecting as much agreements as we can, to start the necessary actions to convince the Ministry to help us.

2.    Impart: Paid Courses

All those 133 new Combined Arts Stimulation graduates, learned IMPART team techniques and received CD’s with written materials and movies about work with children and adults form different centres, NGO’s and families.

Impart team had courses in just 4 counties this quarter, 4 “Improvement” courses and 1 “Initiation” course. The fall of applications is caused by the summer vacation and even financial loss.

Impart team managed to send diplomas to all graduates and today we have a total of 1150 Combined Arts Workers.

3.Impart: 3rd Module Certify (Qualification Module)

Community Support Foundation received the agreement from Sectorial Committee “Health and Social Assistance” Bucharest. A major step is being made and now we will send papers at the Education Ministry and Work Ministry for authorization of the 3^rd module “Qualification”.

Next, we will make necessary preparations for the request to the Work Ministry, to add this occupation on the institutions and organizations chart, in Romania.

4.Impart: Street Children and Youngsters Activity

25 children and youngsters coming from the streets had a warm meal, from FSC team in Easter day.

“Morcoveata” Day Centre services have been promoted and now we have 16 children who benefit from services offered by the personnel. In August, “Morcoveata” Centre personnel will attend the Impart course, organized in Bacau.

5.Impart: Activity at Zemes

After school programe:

Children number raised in this programe, because the weather is warm even in the activity room.

25 children attend the programe made by Miss Tania, teacher at Zemes School.

1^st of June:

Children day was celebrate by all kids and parents in the centre. Smiles and happiness was broth to the children heart when they were surrounded by different shape balloons. Meanwhile, mothers made lunch, lemonade, cookies and fruits for their children.

The centre gates are opened throughout vacation (every Tuesday) and every child and parent will benefit from creative activities and education provided by professionals. All materials are provided by FSC.

Promoting health programe:

Every week, promoting health session take place in the Zemes School.

Those sessions are presented by Miss Olinic, children Doctor and FSC’s representative, with interesting themes:

·        Hygiene and healthy food for children and youngsters;

·        Preventing Tuberculosis, 5^th to 8^th grade;

·        Alcohol and smoking, 5^th to 8^th grade.

Two other schools from rural area are being planned in September for this programme of health promotion.

Following those activities, we offered information reading materials with specific themes, both children and teachers.

Also, we made contact with the family Doctor from that area and we offered him specific reading materials for promoting health.

Children with health problems and diseases, are receiving help by Miss Olinic at the County Hospital from Bacau.

Parents school:

20 mothers and 27 children, participate at the awaiting meeting in Zemes Centre. Miss Olinic, presented important themes about communication, family, school, community and themes specially for mothers like: caring, hygiene, food, relation with child. Miss Olinic, also sent time to check and advice children and mothers.

Over 10 children, different ages, received advice, following requests from mothers.

At the end, mothers were invited at the gastronomy club, where they made healthy lunch for children.

Also, every mother received writing materials named: “Mother and baby”, “How to be better parents”…

We planed the following activities:

“Combined arts worker” course, after 24^th of August. This period was proposed by teachers from Moinesti and Zemes cities.

Health promoting in Moinesti and Zemes, on the outskirts schools, are planed for September.

Activities with children from Zemes, organized by FSC:

6.Impart: Activity Mozaic Centre:

1^st of June group painting                                            

Rummy                                                            

Games

Roma children painting                                    

Game room

1^st of June activities                                                      

Parachute and colours game

7.Impart: Sensory room

 
The activity took place in sensory room from podiatry department, 2 hours a day. Children hospitalised in this department, aged between one and fourteen years old, participate at this programe. They have diseases like: cold, allergies, indigestion… Every session was made with 5-6 children, depending on the children being hospitalised at the time. Children were selected by age, every one of them with normal IQ, except one boy, with autistic spectrum disorder and one girl with mobility and IQ delay. With both of them, we worked individually and with the rest of children in a group. Hospitalised periods being small, children participate at few sessions and there was a permanent rotation.

            Within this activities, we’ve had sensory stimulation sessions, music stimulation and movement. The class contains sensory objects, percussion instruments and all kind of materials for movement. This way, children had a good time and were happy to be involved in this activities. Some of them, don’t want to leave the sensory room or they what to take an object with them. Small kids, participate together with their parents who were pleasantly surprised by this opportunity offered to hospitalised children.

We’ve had a good communication with hospital personnel and the psychologist worked with 2 children in one afternoon (he is on vacation this period). Following discussions with chief doctor from paediatric department, this activity will continue by the psychologist and kinetotherapist from the hospital, depending on their time.

Because the room is oriented to sunrise, it is very warm and a certain discomfort rise. We hope that we’ll resolve this problem, being promised that there will be an air conditioning device installed there.

OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES

ISSUES RELATING TO PERSONNEL

2 Impart team members are in sick leave.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE NEXT PERIOD

-         Continuing quality services in Impart projects (Zemes, paid courses, fundraising campaign…;

-         Developing creation workshops in CEC rural areas and creating objects;

-         Planning vacations;

-         Planning paid courses in: Brasov, Ramnicu Valcea, Bacau, Moinesti and Sibiu;

-         Impreuna Network Communication

Lenuta Nastac

Programme Coordinator

See previous reports on this Romanian charity project