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The results were promising: setting a national network, made up of experts in the field, who either work directly with the beneficiaries or have leading positions in the field. The point of cohesion of the network, the newsletter IMPREUNA, managed to draw the interest of the people working in different institutions. By the help of the newsletter they shared their experience, being a role model for many people. The conference this year intended besides the effective sharing of information and work methods or favorable contacts to consolidate the network and to centralize the existing opinions and ideas on a possible accrediting of the Art Therapist profession. 274 people registered, out of which 217 have been accepted, grouping as follows: - 25 people from the organizing committee (FSC, Relief Fund for
Romania Opportunity Associates Romania, Action Space Mobile, Muzika
Charitable Trust) and authorities (EU Delegation, National Authority
for Disabled People, National Authority for Child’s Protection
and Adoption, MMSSF, DJAS and DGPC Bacau). The final number of participants in the conference was of 189 people, including the organizing committee and the representatives of different authorities. National coverage: 78% from the whole country NGOs coverage: 3 foreign NGOs and 52 Romanian NGOs 64% of the accepted people have jobs involving direct work with
the beneficiaries. 19% of the selected people hold management positions and are specialized in the field (41 people: 23 managers, 4 presidents, 2 vice-presidents, 1 training coordinator, 11 heads of centres/ services) 1,8% -4 university professors 2,8%-6 artists working in the field (1 choreographer, 1 painter, 2 artists, 2 actors-working in the field) 3,2%-7 beneficiaries from Recovery Centres The total number of disabled people attending was 11, but 4 of them have management positions in the NGOs they come from. 6,9%-15 declared no job/ position. 2,3%-5 Other jobs/ positions (they come from the organizers’ staff).
DAY 1 After receiving and recording the participants
The speakers We were happy to see that the main authorities in the field answered
our invitation and sent their representatives. Unfortunately, on
objective grounds, Mr. Quinton Quayle, Ambassador
of Great Britain in Romania, could not attend the conference. Edward Parry encouraged the idea of strengthening the National Arts Network that would stimulate many people using Art Therapy in their jobs towards lobby actions, solving together certain problems, which will automatically lead to an improvement in disabled people’s lives. Mr Parry said: “The way a society deals with it's least fortunate members is how that society can best be judged... Those working with these groups are among the best a society has to show for itself”. For a better co-operation between the different groups involved, Edward Parry said the network must remain neutral, and not be seen as being owned by any particular NGO or faction. This would lead to understandable human jealousy and a failure to partcipate by other NGOs. The solution was to run it under the symbolic patronage of an experienced NGO, which is not involved directly in activities with the disabled people. Mr Parry said the Relief Fund for Romania would be funding the highly respected NGO training consultancy Opportunity Associates to undertake this role Mr. Parry reminded all of us of the hardships that the staff faces working directly with their beneficiaries and of the fact that this conference will offer them a chance to improve their abilities. Mrs. Elena Branaru presented her greetings on behalf of ANPCA, followed by the introduction of our initiative to develop Art activities for disabled people, an approach in accordance with the stipulations of internal and international laws in the field. She considered that a conference on this theme is more than welcome, helping to join the experts in the field. Mr. Salajeanu transmitted his message of supporting the initiatives in the field of Combined Art Therapy for disabled people. As president of ANPH, he expressed his opinion that the methods used by the ones working in the field can bring positive changes in the disabled people’s lives, especially those living in institutions and such procedures meet the ANPH desire halfway, because ANPH is permanently seeking new ways of solving various problems. Mrs. Mariela Neagu mentioned that the EU standards accept and encourage the methods based on Art Therapy and that a national network would support to a large extent the spirits of the people working in the field, as theirs is a harsh work and the results may appear only in the course of time. The opening of a more practical part of the conference was done by Tim Wright, who introduced us into a typical atmosphere using a colorful speech and a song. The workshops then took place. After the workshops, all the participants were invited to have dinner.
DAY 2 The participants have been looking forward to attending the workshops on day 2, and the activities went really well. During lunch, there was a short performance run by 15 children, beneficiaries of a Complex of Community Services from Onesti that the participants enjoyed a great deal. There were 2 traditional Romanian dances and a modern one. The festive dinner was a success and involved besides Gabriel Magureanu, Tim Wright, Vali Racila and Daniel Hristea some of the participants as well. The audience encouraged the interpreters and seized the opportunity to create bonds. We have enjoyed once more the artistic contribution of one of the beneficiaries from CRRN Gasteni, Stefan Bran. DAY 3 Wednesday, November 17 Unfortunately, on the last day of the conference we have been forced by circumstances outside our control to reduce the time allocated to the session in plenum. This affected the rhythm of the speeches to a large extent; some of the speakers, although asked to synthesize their presentations, did not manage to frame within the time limit. We succeeded in rendering a significant period of time for debates, but unfortunately there were few interventions or some of the participants were too shy to express their opinions in public. The Questionnaire is thus extremely relevant, being an encouraging way of expressing opinions. (See Appendixes) The debates focused on emphasizing the need for Combined Art Therapy, some of the speakers having been asked questions by the audience regarding the results of their work or the professional context that they need to develop their activity. There was a unanimous agreement as for the idea of a detailed research of the various needs of the institutions all over the country, of the staff organization. An interesting intervention was that of the ANPCA representative who underlined that she was supporting us in everything we want to achieve and that the methods we use are very good. She mentioned that the interest of the participants and the examples showing their work with the beneficiaries bear witness of a general trend of using Combined Art Therapy. You may find more details on the participants’ suggestions as regards the various aims of the conference within the annex with Questionnaire Report. Speakers The participants’ contributions to the sessions in plenum
followed entirely the aim of the conference: there was a thorough
presentation of working methods based on at least one form of Combined
Art Therapy. A percentage of 80% consisted of interesting and entertaining
speeches, using pictures and films to render the progress of some
beneficiaries or to prove the fact that there is an increasing number
of people who focus on these methods in institutions. Obviously,
there have been also formal presentations, though few. Unfortunately, Mrs. Rodica Atanasoae, from “Pentru Voi” Timisoara, could not attend the session in plenum on the last day, being the only speaker who did not deliver her speech. The speech delivered by Oana Miron , a beneficiary of ‘Trebuie” organization and Adrian Tabol’s film , a beneficiary of CRRN Gasteni have been the most successful speeches, which proved that they are different from the negative pattern still imposed by the society. Finally, there was a presentation of the conclusions of the conference, based on the analysis of the questionnaire. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for more detailed debates. The participants were invited to lunch, allowing a continuation of debating the topics introduced during the session in plenum. Many participants contacted us to express their thanks and to give positive feedback about the conference.
The workshops After the coffee break there was the first session of simultaneous
workshops where the participants were divided in groups, which helped
them find their way to the other workshops from day 2. All the coordinators of the workshops were pleased with the way their activities have been organized and with the rooms offered by the hotel. The attendance was satisfying on an average of 45 people per workshop, which enabled the fluency of the activities and the chance of working with small groups of people. The participants were content with the variety of the workshops, though they expressed their regret of not being able to attend all of them. We presented the participants the initial attempt to run each workshop 4 times, but they understood the technical impossibility of achieving that attempt. Moreover, the time allocated to each session of workshops was convenient not only for the coordinators but also for the participants. Exhibition As mentioned before, the exhibition took place in the hotel hall, having enough tables and panels. To the exhibition contributed 11 NGOs, including the NGO s from UK. Most of the exhibitors brought pictures and works done by the beneficiaries, some of them on sale, and other presentation materials of the belonging organizations. The exhibition was open constantly and the participants showed themselves very interested in the materials exhibited. The exhibitors also had at their disposal a TV set and a Video. The central mass media (TVR1, PRO TV, Antena 1 - main televisions from Romania) answered our invitation and came on the second day of the conference, during the workshops. There was a complete interview of the following participants: Dana Nicolescu from Opportunity Associates Romania, Brenda Norreys from Muzika Charitable Trust and Fanel Bran, beneficiary. The interviews showed some images from the workshops as well. The core idea of the interview was the supporting of Combined Art Therapy methods.
Conclusions, results Strong points Strong points Strong points Strong points Weak points The results of the conference are satisfying considering the following:
The participants have been assured of the confidentiality of their
answers (the questionnaires have not been signed). From the total of 189 participants, 141 have filled in the questionnaire, that is 74,6%. If we eliminate the organizing committee, the authorities and the experts who have not filled in the questionnaires ( that is 26 people), we get a percentage of 86,5% people who filled in the questionnaire, considering their answers as being representative for the participants in the event.
13% from the participants believe that the network does not represent
their interests, while 6 % did not answer. It is more likely that
the ones who did not answer are the ones who did not answer the
first question as well (“do you consider yourselves members
of the network?”) and some of the participants who do not
consider themselves members. A better involvement of all members is what most
of the participants wish for. Some of the participants’ requests
correspond to the activities developed so far in the network. For
example, the guide for the specialists already exists, but the participants
either associated it to the initiators’ name (Impart/ FSC
Bacau) or they do not know about the editorial. Most of the participants, 77,3%, have done nothing so far to support
the activity developed by the network, having a rather passive attitude. The “art therapist” title Most of the participants (80%) believe that “art therapist”
is the name that describes best the activity that the members of
the network develop at the moment. 15% believe that it is not the
most suitable name, 4% have not answered and 1% said that they have
no idea as regards the best name for the job. We have to mention that all the solutions suggested above by the
participants include the term “therapist”. Here are
some comments on the suggested names : Training in the art therapy field Most of the people who filled in the questionnaires (95%) feel the need of training in the field, 4% believe that they do not need training, 1% did not express their idea on the matter As regards the best length of time for training, more than half
of the participants (57%) believe that 6 months training is enough. Training in the art therapy field should have theory elements
of social assistance, psychology, elements of medicine and health
care, as well as practical elements of combined art. Accrediting the “art therapist” job 87% of the participants who filled in the questionnaires believe
that accrediting the art therapist job would be of great help for
those who work in the field and a percentage of 94% believe that
setting some standards in the field would ease their daily work.
The participants’ suggestions refer to: - LOCATION – it should have been more accessible, there should
not have been the going to and fro between the two hotels, there
should have facilities for disabled people in wheelchairs; As for the degree of assessing the workshops, most of the participants
considered that all workshops were top-level.
95,7% of the participants achieved new knowledge that they would use in their daily work, while the rest considered that the conference brought nothing new, or there were methods already known. Conclusions
- Most of the participants believe that the “art therapist” name is adequate, there have been also other suggestions, still all of them included the term “therapist”. - Most of the people who work in the field feel the need of specialized
training. - Accrediting the “art therapist” job and seting some standards is a must to most of network members. - Most of the participants were satisfied with the conference and the selected workshops, considering this event as a point of cohesion within the network, which helped in improving the professional abilities of the team.
Location The event took place at Sinaia, a well known and accessible mountain resort. The hotels chosen by the organizers offered all the facilities required by the conference. Sinaia Hotel Inside the hotel there were all the necessary facilities for the transport of the disabled people. The hotel offered us 3 rooms (with a capacity of 45-50 people per room) and the hall, in view of developing our workshops. The circuit and the privateness were very good for the 3 rooms and medium as for the hall (to offer a certain degree of privateness necessary to hold the workshop, the hall has been ingeniously separated by means of panels used for the exhibition). The permanent registering committee was offered a large room with the necessary equipment, strategically situated near the reception desk.
The Symposium room used for the sessions in plenum has a capacity of holding approximately 250 people and offers all the necessary equipment. For an easy access to the hotel and to the conference room, the hotel staff provided a route separated from the rest of the hotel (there were other activities going on simultaneously with our conference inside the hotel). There were platforms provided for the access of the disabled people. Restaurant All the participants who have been registered with rooms, received breakfast tickets from the reception staff. The restaurant of the hotel provided us with all the necessary places, pointing out with special signs the booked tables for the participants and especially for the disabled people. The extent of the restaurant allowed all the participants to have their meals at the same time within the given time limit. 3. The permanent registering committee, recording the participants Situated near the front desk of the hotel, the permanent registering committee was active during the whole conference, developing activities of receiving and recording the participants, as well as of offering support and information whenever people needed. There were various banners indicating the important locations for the conference. Recording procedures Drawn by Translated by
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