Francesc and Ana are the two volunteers we have sent to carry out a European Voluntary Service in Romania. They participate in the second edition of the Second ACT project, in which they collaborate with different social groups on the themes of sport, culture, languages ​​and active citizenship. Do you want to know how our participants are doing? In this testimony, the host association, ACT, tells us the experience of volunteers in Bailesti during the months of November and December.

During the month of November, our volunteers began with the part of the project focused on Cultural Awareness. They adapted the activities to different ages and levels of knowledge, presenting some curiosities about their countries. It is important to note that at Stefan Anghel Theoretical High School they paid special attention to show students things related to agriculture or animals because in this school teenagers study veterinary and agriculture. To end this part of the program, they created a Kahoot game in which students could show how interested they were during the presentations of the volunteers.

More related to each one's personal development project, they began to test their own activities such as creating a newspaper, recycling, starting a student association, theater (we already have a theater group in a school and we have planned to start with the second one in January) or do research on similarities between Sardinia and Romania. With the little ones in the Speranta Center they have prepared more games, energizers and crafts, without a doubt the moments in which they practice more Romanians.

Regarding the events, at the beginning of November a Halloween party was held at the House of Culture with the participation of the children of School Number 3. For two hours we made "energizers", face painting, games ... As a result of our upcoming weekly activities at this school, we received many participants who wanted to continue learning and playing with us.

The first weekend of December, Francesc organized a football match with the help of the rest of his colleagues. Looking to connect the students of Bailesti with the students of Silistea Crucii (a town 20 minutes from Bailesti where children have fewer opportunities even than here), we spent a morning of sport working on team spirit and inclusion because the teams were mixed. Girls were also given the opportunity to play, something that does not happen often in schools. To close the year, the volunteers organized a Christmas event in which they invited students from three different schools with similar ages to the House of Culture. It was a challenge to manage more than 30 children and organize them to dance, play and enjoy with us to break shyness and make them interact with each other.

Now is the time to rest, reflect and put on paper everything we have lived and learned. To do this, we are creating a blog together (which can be checked here). After Christmas, I hope the volunteers come back with the energy again full because we still have a lot to do.