September 25 and 26 marked the launch in Slobozia (Romania) of the ENDLESS PRESENT | LIMITED FUTURE project, coordinated by the Volum Art Association, financed by the SEE 2014-2021 Grants within the RO-CULTURA Program, produced with the help of Kaufland Romania, the main sponsor, and of NORSENSUS Mediaforum Norway and the Museum of Bucharest as partners.
ENDLESS PRESENT | LIMITED FUTURE is a non-formal alternative education project dedicated to children aged between 10 and 17 years old from six Romanian towns: Alexandria, Slobozia, Turnu Măgurele, Oltenița, Urziceni and Mizil, started in May 2021 and ending in October 2022. Using comics and illustrated stories, children coming from local communities of the six towns mentioned above will search for solutions to fight plastic pollution, one of the most serious threats to environment and climate. It’s a good opportunity to introduce children to concepts such as sustainable growth, circular economy and renewable resources, presented as constructive ways to actively contribute to preserving the ecosystem which is our home: Earth.
Six towns, ten schools, over one hundred children participants, ten teachers, six trainers, more than sixty comics and storytelling workshops, seven exhibitions – this is how the project looks like in numbers. But other than that, it’s the children’s imagination that’s leading the way, while working in teams, finding solutions for plastic pollution, translating them into a visual form, developing critical thinking. Empowering the young generation is a sustainable tool for a healthy development of the local communities.
ENDLESS PRESENT | LIMITED FUTURE brought together in the first two workshops organised in Slobozia 31 children aged between 10 and 18 from ”Sfântul Andrei” Primary School and Pedagogical Highschool ”Matei Basarab”, coordinated by their teachers, Maria Popescu, Sorina Elena Vasluianu and Anca Barbu. The children were guided by three trainers on behalf of the project: Alin Ivan and Aneli Munteanu, for an introduction to the world of comics, and Ana Agopian, who revealed some of the secrets of creative writing. Roxana Crișan was their guide in the universe of sustainable growth and fighting plastic pollution.
The morning of 25th September was filled with enthusiasm, appetite for telling stories, sharpened pencils, curious minds, an avalanche of questions, all in search for solutions for a #plasticzero world. Selective waste collection was even a topic of debate and the circular economy examples turned out to be very interesting to the children.
Also, the children came up with the first ideas for a new world where plastic use is reduced, reused and recycled, however, most of the scenarios relied on support from other worlds and other dimensions. This is proof that plastic pollution still holds an imaginary dimension to it, apparently only aliens and superheroes being able to solve it so far. 😊
What’s next? Four more workshops in Slobozia, where characters and stories will gain flesh and life. These heroes will find solutions for a world capable of satisfying the needs of the PRESENT without compromising the capacity of FUTURE generations to satisfy their own needs. And they may also inspire us, adults, to act more responsibly and take better care of the world we leave as heritage to our children.
The peak of the ENDLESS PRESENT | LIMITED FUTURE program in Slobozia will be an outdoor exhibition, put up on the surrounding fence of the Pedagogical Highschool “Matei Basarab”, at a date to be later announced. On this occasion, parents, the town’s residents and representatives of local authorities will be invited to appreciate the works of the participating children and let themselves be inspired by creative solutions found by kids to fight plastic pollution and, also, why not, implement politics and practical solutions towards achieving this goal.
After completing the program in Slobozia, the team will take the workshops to the other towns included in the project – Alexandria, Turnu Măgurele, Oltenița, Urziceni and Mizil.
The workshops will take place in person or online, depending on the evolution of the pandemic context. All activities will abide by the safety and hygiene measures imposed by the current situation. The entire project team (employees and trainers) is vaccinated against COVID 19.
You can follow us on our Facebook page , where we will be posting stories, photos and videos from the workshop and inform on the project’s evolution.
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ENDLESS PRESENT | LIMITED FUTURE
A Volum Art Association Project
Project Manager: Judit Balint
Executive Coordinator: Corina Gligor
Comics Trainers: Anna Florea, Aneli Munteanu, Alin Ivan
Creative writing Trainers: Ana Agopian, Iulia Rugin[, Oana R[suceanu
Communities:
Alexandria – Primary School “Stefan cel Mare” and Pedagogical Highschool “Mircea Scarlat”
Mizil – Primary School nr. 1 and Theoretical Highschool “Grigore Tocilescu”
Oltenița – National Highschool “ Neagoe Basarab”
Slobozia – Primary School “ Ion Heliade Radulescu” and National Highschool “Grigore Moisil”