Celebrating European Youth Week in Slovakia!

Post date: May 16, 2011 5:51:1 PM

A super week full of activities has just started in our Primary School! It is a unique chance for pupils to celebrate the European Youth Week by taking part in several voluntary activities as 2011 has been designated as the European Year of Volunteering! Let’s have a look at these activities, most of which will last till the end of the School year: Toys/ clothes bank: pupils will start the creation of a special “bank” at the School where they are going to collect all the things that they don’t need anymore and distribute to poor people of the local community. They are going to collect toys, clothes, food and medicines. Helping children learn to read and write: pupils will help other children to learn to read and write by using their books and provide them with all the necessary (exercises books, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers etc.). Planting vegetables: pupils will plant some vegetables (tomatoes, carrots etc.) at School’s playground. When these vegetables will grow up, pupils will give them to those in need. Integrating pupils with special needs: pupils will make their first visit to a School for pupils with special needs and they will do some activities together (play, read, write, take photos, make puzzles etc.). Pupils will continue to visit this School in our city one or two times every week till the end of the School year. Empowering older people: pupils will inform older teachers of our School about Comenius programme and from the next week they will provide some seminars to older people about using the Internet, the e-mail and the blogs.

Helping in an animal shelter: pupils will adopt some animals of the animal shelter of our city. This adoption means not only to give some money but visiting the animals, feeding the animals, spending time with animals.

Eco-agents: an attachment is waiting for you…

It's very important to inform you that this project is based on the pedagogical material "Sxoleia gia to klima" (Schools for the climate) of WWF Greece.

Today the first workgroup about Food (Grade 5C) started to search the Internet in order to find useful information and material about climate change and food.

Are you interested in implementing some of these activities to your School? Here are some tips:

Toys/ clothes bank

1. selection of a place/ room where all things will be stored

2. posters and invitations about this activity in order to raise the awareness to local society

3. 2 pupils from each class: responsible for collecting and writing down the items in the bank

Helping children learn to read and write

1. pupils should find a symbol (e.g. ribbon, sticker etc.) for each volunteer-pupil who is going to take part in this action

2. pupils who want to take part will wear the symbol at the breaks and they will help other pupils

Planting vegetables

1. pupils should buy seeds

2. School should provide pupils with all the necessary for planting the seeds

3. School should provide a space at the playground

Integrating pupils with special needs

1. pupils will have to think about interesting games/ activities that they are going to play with pupils with special needs

2. pupils can buy some gifts for these pupils

Empowering older people

1. pupils should think about the lessons plans

2. School should provide one classroom and all the necessary equippment (interactive board, laptop, projector, netbooks)

Helping in an animal shelter

1. pupils should collect some money

2. pupils should visit the animal shelter and make questions to the Head of the animal shelter about how many times per week can they visit the animals, what kind of food do animals eat etc.