Four educators from the Alternative Learning Programme (ALP) in Paola last month travelled to Ploiesti in Romania for the second mobility of the Erasmus+ KA2 project ‘Strategic Actions For Early-school-leaning Reduction’ (Safer). The first mobility took place in Carini, Sicily, in May.
The theme of this mobility was ‘Extracurricular activities to prevent early school leavers’. The mobility was attended by four teachers from each of the four partners, namely Romania, Italy, North Macedonia and Malta, together with students from the host country.
The teachers attended a series of extracurricular activities prepared by the Romanian coordinator that included cultural visits to archeological and heritage places, during which they accompanied the Romanian students.
Some of the places visited included the Parliament building in the capital Bucharest; Peles Castle in the Carpathian Mountains near Sinaia; Bran Castle, or as it is commonly known, the castle of Count Dracula; the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum; the Romanian Watch Museum; and the Museum of Natural Sciences in Ploiești.
Although the visits do not form part of the educational curriculum, they instil interest in the students, motivating them to remain attending school
The students showed great interest in what they were seeing and participated fully by asking questions. This was, after all, the scope of these visits. Although the visits do not form part of the educational curriculum, they were organised to instil interest in different aspects of the students’ country and, at the same time, motivating them to remain attending school to achieve higher grades.
Apart from these outdoor activities, others, such as sessions related to robotics and dancing, were also held in a school setting.
We also visited the premises of Concordia, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable children, youth and families in Romania. Established in 1991, Concordia aims to provide care, education, vocational training and support for social integration. The organisation operates through various programmes and centres that address social and economic challenges, especially for young people in difficult situations, such as those without family support or from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Concordia provides housing, educational support and psychological counselling for children without parental care. It offers skills development and job-training programmes in fields like cooking, carpentry and agriculture, to improve young people’s employment prospects.
Through formal and informal education, the organisation works to reduce school dropout rates and support children academically.
What I liked most during this mobility was interacting with the students and trying to instil in them that it is important to learn out of one’s own free will, and that learning is an enjoyable process that helps them in pursuing their dreams.
An afternoon was dedicated for the teachers to discuss whether the mobility had achieved its purpose. All in all, it was agreed that it was a positive experience throughout and we had achieved most of our targets. We also discussed our next mobility, which will take place in May 2025 in North Macedonia.
Emanwel Zammit is a teacher at ALP and Erasmusplus projects coordinator.