Romania

Current Status ? August 2004

Training in Romania -- August 23rd ? 27th, 2004

In Techirghiol, along the Black See, 31 kindergarten, primary and secondary school teachers, as well as the Director of the Kindergarten and the Director of the ?Lyc?? attended a five-day training in the Living Values Education Program methodology.

The training was conducted by Monique Liger, LVE coordinator for France and Dr. Elisabeta Negreanu, LVE coordinator for Romania, with the collaboration of assistant professor, Adina Ignat, and primary school teacher, Maria Tanase, both LVE Trainers in Suceava county. The translation was done by Mr. Alexandru Matei.

After almost two years of implementating of Living Values Education Program in Romania (since November 2002), teachers, inspectors and directors from 7 out of the 41 counties in Romania have now been trained and many new demands are there.

However, a new step was made ? to pilot LVEP model schools. The little city of Techirghiol has been chosen to be the first place to implement Living Values Education Program at every school level: in its kindergarten and primary schools as well as in the Lyc? where Veronica Frincu, the Director, welcomed the Living Values team.

During the four-day training, participants did activities on Peace, Respect, Cooperation, Love, Responsibility and Unity. They were reminded of the new role of a teacher and learned more about techniques of communication, such as Active Listening and Conflict Resolution, as well as a model for explicit and precise Appreciation. They did an action plan for the coming school year, for the whole community of schools and to introduce values into the curricula.

Most of the participants also attended the one-day session for parents because they recognized the need of cooperating with families in order to apply LVEP in a way that benefits each child.

The participants were very active, available and open to this method. They enjoyed the training a lot and concluded by expressing their feelings and thoughts:

A great challenge! Interesting! Curious! Attractive! A real gain!
It was very interesting! There were new things which we will use for enrichment of the soul.
I was impressed by the very close interaction of trainer ? trainees.
This session allowed us to develop better interpersonal relationships among teachers from our school.
It was an interesting activity which changed my mood and inspired me for future activity.
The training is very efficient for all! The trainers were very professional. The most important gain is that all teachers have participated so that we could develop a value-based atmosphere in our kindergarten and in our team.
The training energized me; I consider it would be important to develop it on a wider area.
Initially I was skeptical, but after that I become more attracted; I was impressed by methods and approach; I felt enriched by knowledge and methodology.
I am in Techirghiol since 1990; since then this training is the most beautiful thing that has happened; I saw another side of my colleagues; do not forget that together we are a power.
It was very useful for spirit and mind. Thank you!
Calmness, play, joy, peace.
A very pleasant, constructive and beneficial atmosphere.
It fits very well now, at the beginning of the new school year.
It was a good example of unity and cooperation.
It was an opportunity to make alive my own values.
Lots of information; knowledge, cooperation, positive atmosphere.
It was a way for improving the relationships between colleagues, for energizing and bringing new ideas for the new school year.

Five training programmes and two presentations of Living Values: An Educational Program took place in four regions of Romania between 10 and 22 May 2003. The programmes were organised by the Institute of Educational Science in Bucharest and the Casa Corpului Didactic (Centre of Continuing Professional Development for Educators) in Suceava, Bucovina.

THE CARAS SEVERIN REGION

Baile Herculane

10 May 2003
There was an official reception at the Hotel Romane, followed by a recital of song and dance given by the children of this small spa town. There was also a general presentation of LVEP to an audience of educators, mainly teachers from nursery schools.

11?12 May 2003
There was a training for approximately 30 people ? teachers from primary and nursery schools and members of the regional Education Inspectorate. Participants came from four towns: Baile Herculane, Moldova Noua, Caransebesh and Reshitsa. The values of peace, respect, responsibility and love were addressed.

REGION OF MEHEDINTZI

Turnu Severin

14?15 May 2003
There was a training for 54 people ? teachers from nursery schools and members of the regional Education Inspectorate, coming from Turnu Severin, Craiova and Bucharest. The participants chose to work with the values of peace, happiness, cooperation and responsibility.

REGION OF SUCEAVA

In October 2002, the LVEP team facilitated the first two training programs in Romania, in the region of Suceava. This year, the training took place in three areas:

Dolhesti

17 May 2003
Greeted and welcomed by a recital of French songs, meticulously prepared by the pupils and guided by their French teacher, the LVEP team presented a two-hour program to 30 parents and teachers from the primary school, based on the value of happiness.

Cajvana

19 May 2003
Forty-eight participants from primary and nursery schools received training on the values of responsibility and unity, with the cooperation of two people who had taken the three-day training in October 2002 in Suceava. The director of the main school in Cajvana who had inspired this training was delighted with the action plans drawn up by the participants of this training.

Suceava

20 May 2003
Members of the Values Club which has been set up under the auspices of the Director of the Casa Corpului Didactic, as a result of the training programs in October 2002, shared how they had been putting LVEP into practice in their respective classrooms and also how they had managed to pass on some elements of LVEP whilst carrying out their own teacher training programs.

A new training program was organised by the Casa Corpului Didactic for 25 primary school teachers, based on the values of tolerance and unity. A meeting with the translation team was organised in order to plan future work. The beginning of August 2003 was fixed as a deadline to finish work on LVEP?s Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8?14. In addition to that, three values from Living Values Activities for Children Ages 3?7 have already been translated.

REGION OF ILFOV

Bucharest

21-22 May 2003
An inspector and a director of a nursery school in Bucharest, inspired by the training in Turnu Severin, which they had taken special pains to attend, organised a training of two half-days for 35 nursery school directors, trainers and members of the Education Inspectorate. The values chosen for this training were respect, cooperation and peace.

Inspired by this training, participants have decided to organise a national training program, to be held in Bucharest in the autumn of 2003.

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Impact

Comments from participants:

?We have learnt to revive our values and to classify them.?
?We were given the courage to express our opinions.?
?Communication becomes possible when values are held in common.?
?Values first of all have to come from us.?
?To discover values that were not in our active consciousness.?
?We will take away with us changes in tone of voice and behaviour.?
?Values are the basis of our future.?
?It was like a short therapy.?
?We are going to put everything into practice immediately.?
?A great step towards greater confidence.?
?A positive emotional and professional energy.?
?Joy and energy to combat tiredness.?
?To instigate a rapport of equality with my partner, the child, in order to free him/her.?