On rural education in Romania

Cinzia is a graduate of pedagogy in Brașov. She is an extraordinarily involved young woman, who was raised here, in our commune. She is our very first employee. She first joined us as a volunteer in the midst of the pandemic, when she offered to work online with the children and keep them engaged in reading. Since then, things have evolved and right now she is involved in two projects: she runs the menstrual education workshop and the reading club, where she is working with the children from the five villages of the commune: Laslea, Florești, Mălâncrav, Roandola and Nou Săsesc.

We have prepared an interview to help you get to know her better.

Cinzia, if you were to describe yourself using only three words, what would those be?

Huuh…we’re starting off with tough questions 🙂 I think that the first three words that come to my mind right now are: sociable, good-hearted and smiling.

What would you want the readers to know about your work at the association?

I would like them to know that I don’t consider it as work and everything I’ve done and accomplished here, I’ve done with all my heart and soul. I believed and still strongly believe in everything we’re doing here. I’m trying to leave a ’’positive” touch in every activity, to leave something good behind.

I put my heart into everything I believe in and I’m sure that, as time passes, I will see that everything lead to something very beautiful and fruitful.

What’s your story? What made you get involved in non-formal education projects?

I finished both high school and university in this field and during the time I was doing my practice hours, I’ve found out that I love what I was doing and that I could do it well, especially in bringing something good in the kids’ lives, so I continued working on projects with and about children.

While also working with them in a formal environment, I figured out that there are subjects that are not properly covered and discussed accordingly to the children’s needs. I also noticed that the non-formal activities have a more positive impact in the development of some skills and abilities, and, as I wanted to overcome the barriers of time and programme, I decided to get involved in this area of education as well.

What do you think is the biggest advantage of our commune? What about the issue we have to work on the most in the community?

I think a great advantage of our village is that there are so many smart and creative kids, and with a little bit of work, they will surely have a bright future. But, as not all things are perfect, I think that the villagers should trust their forces more, they should be more cooperative. That’s when we will see how teamwork brings amazing results.

What does the ideal village looks like to you?

I have a flaw (or, at least, I consider it as one), I like to believe in good and kindness. My ideal village would imply villagers that, out of kindness, would help each other, accept each other, grow together and eventually fight for the greater good of the community. Oh…and my ideal village would also have a library and a children’s club.

What does an education process adapted to the needs of the children in your village look like for you?

It’s a difficult process, but not an impossible one. Children need to be brought to a level where they understand the importance of education in their lives and how much work there is behind this process. They need someone to believe in them and to remind them how much they matter and how much they can achieve in life.

Finally, do you want to say something else about yourself that wasn’t covered by the questions?

I like to read and I love books and their smell, I love nature and everything it has to offer us. I usually do things out of passion and where passion doesn’t exist, I prefer not to do those things.

I don’t know it it’s relevant, but I like to be up to date with everything that happens online in order to understand better the children’s level, but also to know how to approach certain issues from an update perspective.

And I would like to do interactive activities that will increase children’s critical thinking and creativity and, obviously, have fun together. 🙂