A Calendar for the Future Year

Even if we didn't state we will, we wanted to prepare a physical final product for our project.
After lots of talks, ideas coming and going, proposals and arguments, we have decided to make something that would meet several conditions:
- to be easy to make, to give and to cary
- to be cost effective and not expensive
- not to have a big impact on the environment
- to reach as many people as possible and have a big impact on them
- to be time-resistant, meaning it could be used not only this month, but at least for one year
- to say basic things about the project, the partners and invite to find out more about TOWEL - TOgether WE Learn project
So, we have decided to make a pocket calendar. It fulfills all the requirements and it can also be personalized by each partner. Each one can make it's own design or use different photos. And we have even ensured the resistance in time, because we have chosen to make it with half a year from 2013 (July-December) and half from 2014. So, it can be used until at least one year from now!
We can show you some of the calendars with Esperando images:

Salamanca, End of the Road

So, our project is at the end. The final meeting of TOWEL - TOgether WE Learn project took place in Salamanca - Spain. 
The three project partners - Esperando Association Baia Mare (Romania), CRMF Salamanca, Polish Teachers Union Bialystok Branch - met again, for the last time during this Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project.
The Spanish hosts made a great job again. They have not only prepared very well the meeting, but also arranged for a wonderful visit to the State Reference Center for Alzheimer Salamanca. It was a a really great opportunity to visit  this state-of-the-art center where Alzheimer research and treatment is one step ahead of the world. Incredible place, fantastic facilities and extremely dedicated professionals - these are the ingredients of a model centre, visited and admired by Alzheimer specialists from all over the world. A pleasure for us and a unique opportunity to learn about Alzheimer, about the proper way to work with the patients and about the modern tools available (most of them would be extremely useful for any facility for disabled people).
Other highlight of the project meeting was the Conference on Unemployment in Disadvantaged Collectives, organized by CRMF. Lots of students attend it, but also many officials from the Government and state institutions. And with many interesting and well informed presentations, too!
We had also the special honor to award the diplomas to the CRMF students who worked in the TOWEL project. Some of them prepared the project logo, other prepared other materials for the project and the meetings, some of them filmed the work, some participated in the contests launched in the project by the Spanish partner, and others just participated in the learning events. And we have to admit that their work was very professional and we were impressed by the quality of the the products.
Well, and the final learning events on Salamanca, Spain, automotive history and the final talks on the final report and the project products concluded this visit. And the project is coming itself at the end, slowly but surely...

POLAND Again - Together with Disabled Youth

March was a special month. Not only because, instead of being the beginning of the spring, it was one of the most cold month of this winter. But also because we have organized the fourth project meeting, in Poland again.
This time, we took advantage of the smaller distance and we have organized a trip also together with disabled young adults. 5 of them (3 in wheelchairs!), accompanied by 4 staff, joined Daniel and Andrada, and so the Romanian team was impressive this time!
The meeting was great! We had the chance to make some learning events again about Poland and Warsaw, about history and culture (Chopin rings you a bell?), social life and foods and drinks. We visited The Institute for the Deaf and Mute, a special vocational school, where the Romanian students were fascinated by all the opportunities to learn a job/ trade.
We also had a great event in Bialystok: a very well organized conference - "Understanding Disability". Lots of people, teachers, officials from local authorities and from the Government, students and wonderful artistic show prepared by disabled students. And, after the Conference, we had a very interesting interactive debate with the members of the Teachers Association from the Podlaskie region.
Back to Warsaw, we continued the discussions about the future of the TOWEL project, the final products and report, and the future meeting in Salamanca. We have also talked about new projects, especially since the the Polish and the Romanian partners submitted already a new Grundtvig Learning Partnership this year.
All the experience was extraordinary for the young adults with disabilities from Esperando. They had a wonderful time in Warsaw, despite the tremendous cold and the lack of accessibility in many places. But having the opportunity to visit a new country, a splendid city of Europe and a couple of well established educational institutions make it worth entirely. TOgether WE Learn has a different meaning now for us, for the partners (impressed by our young adults) and for the individuals with special needs who travelled to Poland.
On their way home, our young adults were only talking about coming back to Poland. And, when they crossed the Romanian border, most of them started to cry and ask to stay there and not come back...

Welcome to Baia Mare! Welcome to Romania!

Well, it's time for the Romanian Grundtvig project meeting! And our guests, project partners from Spain and Poland, were here from October 2 until October 7.
We have had great, full days! We have learned together about Romanian traditions and culture, about our food and drinks, about the history of these places. We have seen Baia Mare and Maramures, with the wooden churches and monasteries, the wooden houses and gates, the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, the traditional costumes and clothing, we have enjoyed traditional meals, we have tasted the Maramures hospitality and kindness.

And that was not all! We also have visited Esperando Day Care Centre for physical and mental rehabilitation of physically disabled people and talked to the staff. And we have had the opportunity to learn even more: we all took part in Esperando's International Conference on therapies for disabled people. One day filled with presentations from specialists from Romania, Hungary, Poland and Spain (each partner made a presentation, too!). But not the usual boring talk-talk-talk-no results Conference. Because every single presentation had to show also a practical demonstration of one therapy. Most of the presentations were live, on the spot, including with the disabled people! So, no wonder we have seen standing ovations, tears and happy faces!

And, of course, we have talked about the project, the job done so far and what is still to be done. And we do have a lot of work ahead us!








The third project meeting is now over.
What remains is the memory of a beautiful time spent with great friends, lots of things learned and a little bit of Romania in every one of the partners that were here.
For me, there is one more thing that has remained: the nice words of the foreign people about us and about our work, and how more people should have the chance to learn about the real Romania and how Romanians really are...
Daniel

WELCOME TO TOWEL - WELCOME TO GRUNDTVIG

Hi!
We are begenning a new journey. After several months of work in the project, we are now starting the blog of the project TOGETHER WE LEARN - TOWEL. A Grundtvig 2011 Learning Partnership project supported financially by the European Commission.
During two years, three partners from Romania, Spain and Poland will work with a new way of learning: small events or circles where people can come together to learn and share their knowledge in an informal way, open and easy.
The events are opened to everybody who wants to participate. Disabled people are welcome. For them, too, it can be an easy way to learn more, to participate, to show to the others their knowledge and, finally, to build bridges with the society.
The partners in the project are:
Esperando Association - from Baia Mare - ROMANIA
Centre for the Recovery of Physically Disabled People Salamanca - SPAIN

Polish Teacher's Union, District Board of PTU in Bialystok - POLAND

Until July 2013 we will continue to come back with news about our work!
So, keep an eye here!
See you!

Daniel Filipas
Project Manager
Esperando Association