A new project coordinated by AMURTEL has been approved by ANPCDEFP and will take place between 1st of october 2014 and 31st of december 2015. The project is called Whispering to Wild Horses: using non formal holistic education to help children gain more self control and to encourage their empathy.
The metaphor of the horse whisperer has been chosen for the project’s title, as a horse whisperer is someone who has an uncanny intuitive ability to connect with wild horses and to tame them with love and understanding so that the horse can be harnessed by a rider. The goal of this project will be to provide volunteers with personal development opportunities and practical skills needed to connect effectively and empathetically with children across language and cultural barriers, while sharing talents that help the children express and control their energy in constructive ways. This is especially important in our accelerating modern culture where children are exposed to high levels of stimulation and need life-skills in self-regulation and stress management from an early age. The volunteers will learn holistic education approaches and yoga-based techniques to tame both their own wild horses, as well as to be able to connect with children in creative, fun and loving ways that increase motivation for learning, empathy and respect for diversity for both the children and adults involved.
The project activities will consist in planning, implementing and evaluating non-formal, holistic learning experiences with children in Bucharest and the rural village of Panatau. Two Italian volunteers will be primarily working in a kindergarten in Bucharest that serves 30 children, including some with special needs. They will also have the chance to assist in the development of courses at the Morningstar holistic center. One volunteer from Spain, one from Portugal and one from Italy will be working in an after-school center in the rural village of Panatau that serves 65 disadvantaged school children aged 7-13 with free hot meals and extracurricular activities. Some activities will be organized by all of the volunteers together, such as promoting volunteer spirit to young people with fewer opportunities in the rural villages.
AMURTEL’s partners with this project are Scambieuropei, Italy ProAtlantico, Portugal and Kaebnai, Spain. It’s a project that was granted finance from the European Union, through EVS – European Voluntary Services Erasmus Plus.