February 2016 Activities at Svitac
During February Svitac continued with regular activities:
- Culture and Art Diversity around the World (includes English, German, Art&Crafts, Music and Sports workshops from Monday to Friday)
- Younger group learned animals, numbers (the number “6”), colors and made lots of different crafts like dough figures, Valentine cards, paper plains, balloons and rabbits. Svitac staff and volunteers were trying to engage children in games and activities, and to help them develop their social and motor skills, as well as their creativity and imagination. Children were always reminded of how sharing, friendship and mutual respect are important. Since they love to sing and dance they learnt a new song “Djeca su ukras svijeta”. Every Friday children had a cinema day when they watched and enjoyed in their favorite cartoons.
- Older group was developing motor and acting skills by doing a play called “Karijes”. They were practicing and learning the text and they were acting on a stage without the script.
- Music workshops (guitar and music workshops for children)
- Language workshops (English, German)
- “Let’s speak German” (informal German workshops for teenagers and young people)
- Drama
- Magic tricks workshop
- Sports workshops (“Freeletics”, Karate)
- Local language lessons for international volunteers
- School homework help – Johanna was helping students with their homework for German and English lessons, term paper or presentations they have to do for school. Also, she was helping a young woman who is preparing herself for the Goethe exam (level B2).
133 participants attended regular Svitac workshops in February. Participants attending these regular workshops were between 4 and 40 years old. The youngest and the oldest participants attended the Culture and Art Diversity around the World workshops and the English/German workshops for adults.
Our Director Gordana Varcakovic also traveled to the UK in February in order to update a meeting of the Trustees of our donor Firefly International about Svitac’s work and needs, as well as to meet with the director of another partner funded by Firefly in Palestine, Mr. Hakim Sabbah of Project Hope, comparing the experiences of each of our volunteer programme. This was also a chance for Firefly volunteers and staff to work with us in person on matters related to Svitac.