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THE CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY IN 2012
Aside from the regular Club UniCo activities
held in week-ends,
The Children's University hosted in 2012 two major events:
The intensive summer classes with academic teachers
and the EUCU.NET international conference.
The Children's University of Romania had the chance of hosting
an absolutely unique event, you might even say a worldwide premiere.
Children, members of the european network of children's universities
and children from the international project "Sis Catalyst"
gathered for the very first time in Bucharest during the 23rd-27th april.
The purpose of this meeting was to organise a workshop after which
four of them were to be delegated to go to the Romanian Parliament.
The children printed out personalised "business cards"
where they've mentioned their message to the european ministers,
so that when they got the chance to meet with them
they were able to share their ideas and suggest certain desires that they had.
Children from all around the world: Brasil, India, Austria, England and so on
were introduced to Romania, to its traditional customs
and to the hospitality of the young people from Romania.
There were friendships made, promisses of seeing each other again soon
and even vacation plans for this year have been made between these children.
It was a great opportunity for them to get to know the Parliament Palace,
the second largest building in the world,
it was a great chance for them to meet the ministers, and all that happened in Romania.
The Children's University Association benefited from the help of 30 young volunteers,
students of the University of Bucharest
and of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
They proved to be a group of very enthusiastic youngsters, open and very very hard working.
The foreign delegates showed a great appreciation
for the extra hours that these students have spent together with us.
That is why the Children's University wishes to open its doors
and gather as many volunteers as possible
in order for us to have Universities of Children
in other cities as well aside from Bucharest.
As every year, the opening ceremony for the summer classes takes place
at the University of Bucharest in the Aula Magna.
The Children's University is a project that has been around for three years now,
it's a european project, there is a network of children's universities,
and Romania is a founding member of this network.
The Children's University implies bringing the young "students" aged 7-14
to take part, together with the university professors
at several workshops held on themes such as:
science, knowledge, universal knowledge, courses that are held
in the very same classrooms in which regular students learn.
This year we have workshops taking place at the University of Bucharest
for the first week.
As for the second week,
hosting us will be the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
The courses include themes of biology, chemistry, geography, foreign languages,
european knowledge, mathematics, journalism and communication sciences
within the University of Bucharest,
and at the Agronomic Institute we will have workshops
from within its area of expertise.
The children will be able to achieve a wide perception and attachment
towards nature,
actively participate, along with the teachers,
at the several activities held in gardens, parks, and forests,
meaning a close bonding with the nature,
directed by specialised guides.
This year we also have the support of
the Institute of Forest Research and Development from Stefanesti
who will welcome our little students with great hospitality.
The first week of the summer intensive classes
is designed for practical activities with the academic teachers
from the faculties of the University of Bucharest,
whether it's inside a classroom or outdoors.
We are in the middle of a packed summer schedule
for the UniCo Intensive classes of 2012.
We already have ongoing activities at the Faculties of Letters and Geography.
Today we even have a workshop in the Cismigiu Park,
upcoming are workshops in mathematics,
workshops in computer science, where we will see
the evolution of this field from the Turing test
to the artificial intelligence,
and we will also have workshops in chemistry.
As a geographer, I taught the kids to measure the quality of a street,
and my colleagues taught them to assess the perception
of the population towards the Cismigiu Park.
They have learned what noise means,
what natural noise is and how badly it affects us,
they've also learned to measure the temperature,
and last but not least,
they learned to regard the air humidity as an important stress factor,
considering the case when its values cross a certain comfort level.
The results of our workshop will go to mister mayor :)
The children together with their tutors
designed a chart containing the main complaints
of the park's users,
but also the main aspects that are appreciated
and considered to be beneficial
for both children and young people
as well as other persons that are connected to sports,
whether professionally or simply recreational.
The feedback from the children after submitting them to the enquiries
and after designing the "street-o-meter",
as you can see here in this image,
has been very favorable to the activities
that we undertook today.
The straight lines represent the fact that they've enjoyed the course very much,
meanwhile those
who have drawn the curly lines weren't as thrilled.
You can clearly notice
that most of them were delighted with today's class,
and at the end of it
they will receive this symbolic badge which says "UniCo Junior Researcher 2012".
This year was for the first time
when the children were given the opportunity
to speak with the journalism professors
and attend to their classes.
Me and the kids from the Children's University
spoke about lecture, about books, about libraries.
I tried to give the little ones some answers to several questions,
queries or puzzles that they've had,
meanwhile establishing a vivid communication.
Although they were of different ages,
I tried to bring them all to an equal level
and at the same time challenge them to debates.
The artificial intelligence course brought the children
a whole new and interesting world
and has opened them a gate towards knowledge.
In the meantime,
the Japanese Arts and Culture workshop
was one of the most desired classes this summer.
- So tell me, what did you do in today's japanese lesson with the kids?
We taught the kids the japanese greetings and forms of introduction,
in hope of awaking their interest for the language
and draw them towards the world of japanese culture.
Apart from the greetings we also sang a little song,
the japanese version of the song called
"If you are happy, clap your hands".
The kids were very thrilled and participated very happily,
creating a very pleasant atmosphere.
We really hope that they enjoyed it and that they had a good time.
And we also hope that we can take part in next year's class as well,
in order to observe their evolution
and to notice whether their level of interest in japanese culture
made them come back.
We think they've enjoyed themselves, apart from singing and learning to greet in japanese,
we also made animal sound immitations - onomatopoeias,
and that's where their enthusiasm was at it's highest.
We liked it, we had a good time.
It really was a great pleasure for us to take part in this event.
The kids were easy to work with and very receptive.
The University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest
opens its gates year after year for the little students,
and the teachers guide them with a lot of care and patience.
Our university,
the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
is very happy to welcome our little students this year as well.
We trained a part of our faculties to create workshops and classes.
I'll start with the Faculty of Horticulture
which this year will be hosting two workshops:
the pomiculture workshop, where the "students"
will learn about the fruit-tree species,
fruit trees and bushes,
about the way that they are grown, the way they multiply,
the way they graft,
but also about the role of fruits in the rational alimentation
of the people, but most importantly of the kids
because we must teach children to get used to eating fruits every day.
We will also learn about the active principles,
about vitamins, about aminoacids, fibres and natural sugars
that the fruits contain.
Also, my colleagues from the ornamental plants department
will hold classes of floral art, where our students
will learn how to use flowers and ornamental plants
to design bouquets and floral arrangements
for different occasions.
This year, our colleagues from zootechnics
located at the didactical ferm in Moara Domneasca
will also be joining our cause
by making a presentation of ways to grow birds,
with the ammendment that
we possess there a national collection of ducks and geese
that we keep in order to multiply them
and then to deliver to those
who wish to raise such species.
In the meantime,
my colleagues will guide our little students,
presenting them the way that the cows are being raised
in order to give milk,
and the way the horses are being raised for recreational purposes.
.. so it's going to be a very intense program.
The children enjoyed the practical lesson
that they've learned in the orchard
and they each decided
to take a fruit tree under their care.
After we've planted the tree,
we sprinkle it.
As you can see I've arranged a dripping irrigation system
so that it gets the amount of necessary water.
Periodically, we give it nutrients and then we simply look after it:
we cut it, and, where it requires to do so,
we protect it against maladies and pests,
and having all these treatments,
in about 3-4 years, depending on the species,
we get to reap the fruits that are very high in vitamin C.
As you all know, fruits are basic nutriments
and can protect you from germs and diseases.
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"..
- Have you ever taken care of a fruit tree?
- I looked after a cherry tree.
- Did you plant it yourself?
- No, my mom helped me out.
- And how did you look after it?
Because he was a small tree, I layed him in the sun,
I sprinkled it,
I constantly changed his fertilizer,
and a year later it started bearing fruits,
and I ate them.
- What have you learned today? How can we take care of the trees?
I've learned that
first you have to grow them into becoming about this size
then you grow them in a bigger vase for them to become about that size,
then you plant them in the ground, you graft them,
and a few years later you can see the fruits bearing.
- And there's still something you must do, not only waiting for them to grow..
That's right, you sprinkle it and give it what it needs.
The Institute of Forest Research and Development
organised a few practical lessons for the children involving in-field work,
where they did very good.
The Institute of Forest Research and Development from Voluntari
offered a valuable lesson about ways of protecting the nature,
about what nature is and its importance
in the day-to-day life,
what biodiversity is,
what the past of the forest holds,
and what will its future hold if we don't protect it properly.
The respect towards nature is passed on at an early age,
not when we're all grown up.
In the early stages of life
you learn things and hold on to them,
that's why the children should learn from an early age
what the forest is and how to protect it,
look after it and even improve it.
- How many trees have you planted?
I've planted 20.
- You were that diligent?
Yes!
- And what's it called?
The tuja
- And what was the process?
Easy: I digged a hole,
then took the thujette out of the flower pot
and put it in the hole,
and then I planted it.
- How does the thuja get big eventually?
The thuja gets big with water and fertilizers.
The entire activity that the Children's University
undertook throughout these three years
would not have been as successful had it not been for the involvement
of the volunteer students and the bighearted people
that support this activity.
First of all,
I think that you need to be very attached to the children,
to love the children to the extent of doing several things for their benefit,
you need to be responsible, confident and very serious
in order to be able to finish what you started.
In our first year,
we only had the University of Bucharest
as our educational partner.
In the second year,
we already managed to have a partnership
with two of the biggest universities in Bucharest,
the University of Bucharest and the University of Agronomic Sciences
and Veterinary Medicine.
We have more and more student volunteers every year,
coming from within the two universities I've mentioned ealier,
we have more and more children coming, more class locations in the universities..
- Is this volunteer project worth the effort?
Oh, absolutely!
It is an enormous chance for them to get to see and understand
the academic environment way before they normally would.
If we would have had this chance a few years ago,
it would have definitely helped us out a lot,
knowing which professional path we will take.
The closing ceremony of the summer classes
took place at the University of Agronomic Sciences
and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest.
I would be happy knowing that you will someday embrace
a profession from the today's called "sciences of life",
among which we can find agriculture, environmental protection,
biotechnologies, animal raising and many many others.
I would be happy if, by embracing such a profession,
you will do so with great belief and commitment.
But until then, until you decide
to take such qualification courses,
prepare as well as you can
in the schools that you're currently attending.
Learn biology well, learn chemistry well,
mathematics as well,
and especially learn the romanian language as well as you can!
Learn to express yourselves properly, and to respect the language.
Be kind to one another, be close friends
and act together in all of the goals that you will set for yourselves.
I wish you the best of luck and for you to become reliable people!
At the closing ceremony, diplomas were given
to all of the professors who held the classes.
The sponsors of the activities from this summer were invited
to witness this ceremony.
The volunteers that made the practical workshops possible
were also brought on stage to receive their diplomas.
The children were also given the joy
of receiving their very own diplomas,
and, as every year,
they were the ones closing this ceremony, with a short photo session
and stating their vow as UniCo students.
"I swear to rediscover the world..
.. and what I can do for it!
I swear to find out who I am,
and what my mission on this earth is!"