We don't give grades or marks to children at the Summer School, but we firmly believe that our participants are a 10!
The animators, volunteers and trainers of the Summer School that Terre des hommes Foundation organizes for Ukrainian children until 31 August 2022 at the Palatul Universul guarantee us one thing: it's fun to learn through play.
We went to meet the little ones again on Tuesday, August 23rd 2022. They seem to have grown a little taller since our last visit and, just like in a song we were listening to, their smiles light up the whole city.
The Ukrainian participants started their morning at the Palatul Universul watching cartoons together, then they got caught up in games that stimulated their creativity (photos of them pretending to sleep were part of the game), after which the ball game started. Participants formed a circle, held hands and didn't let the ball go outside the circle. The aim of this game is for the little ones to weld the group together and function as a team.
The challenge of the day was to capture in colour what the Independence of Ukraine (celebrated annually on August 24th) means to them. Their work could be seen in the group exhibition at the “Friendship Brings Joy”.
Later, the specialist Jean-Baptiste Manitou soothed our souls with the sounds of his drums. We were all on a journey of healing from our fears through the story of the Guiro musical instrument (its sounds imitate birds and wild animals) and the tribe that invented it. Ukrainian children shared with us the things they fear. Some of the braver ones told us they aren’t afraid of anything, not even the dark.
The Terre des hommes Summer School Children’s Community
Fifteen children out of 24 enrolled took part in Tuesday's activities. Colleagues in the Emergency Response team told us that they have a stable group of 12-15 participants who have formed friendships outside the Summer School. They are a real community.
The Summer School was designed to support Ukrainian mothers: our activities with the children help mothers take a break, while their children live their childhood peacefully.
At 1 PM, when the Summer School was supposed to end, some children didn't want to leave. They stayed together and socialized, even though their mothers waited for them for minutes at the entrance to the Palatul Universul.
During this project, the Tdh team, especially the animators, made sure the children wouldn’t miss out on Movement, Games and Sport with fun and educational games that developed their team spirit.
Every Thursday throughout the Summer School visual artist Anastasia Palii taught the children the basics of graphic design.
We don't give grades or marks at the Summer School, but we firmly believe that They are a 10!
Terre des hommes Romania's intervention in support of Ukrainian refugee children is made possible thanks to the participation and financial contribution of the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the City of Zurich, the Z Zurich Foundation and the Swiss Solidarity.
