“Christmas Gift”: 6 interactive workshops for 120 Romanian and Ukrainian children
AIDRom team from Galati, involved in the ”GFFO contribution to the IOM regional appeal for Ukraine and neighboring countries” project is preparing a Christmas surprise for 120 Romanian and Ukrainian children. Through the partnership with the Children’s Palace in Galati, 60 Ukrainian and 60 Romanian children will participate in 6 artistic workshops over three days, from 15 to 17 December 2023.
The little ones will explore together various art forms, including painting, sculpture, and winter holiday decorations, in workshops on modeling, crafts, decorative candles, Byzantine (icons, sacred symbols), printmaking/engraving, and “winter icing” (gingerbread decorating). Coordinated by Alina Rus, sculpture and graphics teacher at the Children’s Palace, Laura Cuțov, a gingerbread decoration enthusiast, XX and colleagues from AIDRom, the children will create small works of art, icons, sacred symbols, greeting cards, decorative candles, graphics, wood engraving and painting on textiles. To showcase the creativity and talent of the young participants, our colleagues will also organise an exhibition where their friends and families can admire the talent and creativity of these young artists.
”Participating in these workshops gives children the opportunity to develop their creativity and artistic skills and helps promote intercultural dialogue and friendship between the two communities. We have prepared these workshops with a lot of heart where Romanian and Ukrainian children will play together, learn and work together. All the colleagues and the beautiful and kind people from the Children’s Palace generously offered their time and knowledge. The AIDRom team bought all the basic materials for each workshop and I will make the cookies myself”, says Valentina Mihăluță, Social Pedagogue AIDRom, Galati, coordinator of this event.
Mothers from Ukraine and Romania will judge the children’s works, and the authors of the best “rated works of art” will be rewarded with small symbolic prizes, representative of the workshop in which they participated.
The festive atmosphere will be entertained by the children’s choir “Stropi de Bucurie”, coordinated by Lucia Stoica. The voices of 30 children, aged 5 to 16, will bring the Christmas spirit through traditional Romanian carols.
The event will bring the magic of Christmas, celebrated this year for the first time at the same time by Romanians and Ukrainians will bring joy to children who will receive gifts and will contribute to the bonding of friendships and a better integration of the two communities.
We thank the representatives of the Students’ Cultural Centre of Galati for hosting the event, the Children’s Palace who will teach the children the mysteries of the crafts of each workshop, the choir “Strop de bucurie” and the AIDRom Galati team who make such an event possible.