2016
PROGRAMME FOR GROUP WORK WITH ART
Theatre – as a tool for development in child protection
This year the aim of the Hungarian FICE Association – with the support of the Ministry of Human Resources – is to realise an innovative, pilot project, which intends to reach young people living under child protection through theatre.
School teaches how to read and write.
Letters. Words. Sentences.
Theatre teaches how to play with everything that can be found deep within the fun-hiding schoolbooks, but are covered by those reckless dog-ears…
Theatre teaches how to unfold those dog-ears…
According to our plans, we would like to create a theatre group of children by cooperating with four children’s homes and write professional recommendations based on our experiences. The prepared project involves several child-protection institutions across the country. The community and the social interaction and cooperation within theatre groups for children offer a creative form of social and personal development and of acquiring a role in the society. We believe that it is our task to present this form of talent management to a larger audience, and therefore encourage professionals working in child protection to start up more and more theatre groups following the example of the Fecske Theatre Group.
Activities for the programme
- Introducing theatre-group workshops to talented adolescents and different child-protection organisations. (KÉPEK tehetségkutató)
- Recruiting talented adolescents by organising talent shows in children’s homes.
- Organising theatre workshops with talented adolescents in theatre camps. (KÉPEK tabor)
- Performing plays to a larger audience. (képek kranj)
- Building up international relations, collecting, integrating and presenting foreign practices and techniques.
2015
Nagyszakácsi – Cooking Worskhop
The Competition of Children’s Homes’ Little Chefs has been organized for the 10th time this year on 6th June 2015. The location was provided by Nagyszakácsi, a village that in the 15th century served as the territory of the royal cooks. Nagyszakácsi, thus, proved to be a perfect place for such competition. The competition attracted children’s homes both from the countryside (9) and from the capital. For the competition was open for everyone – besides children from children’s homes for the residents of the village, 150 children and 300 adults took part in the all-day-long event. The motto of the day was “World Wide Open” the competitors could excel in cooking a broad repertoire of cuisine all around the world (Mexican, Azerbaijan, Italian, African, Transylvanian, Hungarian, etc). The organizers also provided programs for bystanders: dance groups, kindergarten groups, sport events, art workshops and folk workshops welcome the guests of the day. The Golden Spoon Award went to the Balatonboglár Kikötő Children’s Home, who deserved the best cook title by cooking a wonderful African meal.
Camp Würth
Sponsored by the Reinhold&Carmen Würth Fund the camp could be organized for the 21st time this year. The camp’s theme is preserving nature and, following the long tradition, it was organized in Salgótarján. 61 children took part in the camp (from 19 “apartment homes” around the country), supervised by a 6-member-group of professionals. The camp provides real fun and holiday for children with a history and, moreover, follows a special concept year after year. UNESCO has chosen 2015 to be the “International Year of Light” so in the focus of Camp Würth there were themes connected to light in order to draw attention to the importance of it in our everyday life. The aims of the camp (including, but not limited to): to provide knowledge in how to preserve nature; to provide programs for relaxation as well as leisure time activities; thematic discussions about light and scientific experiments; to gain knowledge about wildlife. These aims were met through the following activities: hiking; arts workshops; film screening; trivia on nature; beach activities; trainings about self-understanding; thematic discussions, etc.
Crime Prevention Camp
It was the 1st time this year that the camp has been brought to life in August 2015, in Csillebérc, supported by the Ministry of Human Capacities. It provided a great holiday experience for 20 children and 4 professionals from 3 countryside children’s homes (Sopron, Győr, Debrecen) and one children’s home from the capital city.
The main aim of the camp was to address victimization and the age group most affected by it (13-15 yrs of age). The camp used not the old-fashioned methods (of deterrence) but new prevention techniques, such as experiental education, self-defense techniques, movie club and sport events. The organizers also put emphasis on conveying knowledge of self-recognition, sensitization, drug prevention, respecting nature, diminishing violence through creative conflict-management.
Children’s Parliament
FICE Hungary has been organizing the Children’s Parliament since 2001, which provides an opportunity for children living outside their families to express their opinion and experiences about child protection services. In November 2015 the event hosted 52 children (12-13 November in the capital, 19-20 November in the country). The first day in both cases was for trainings, the second was for the plenary sessions where there was opportunity for the children to give recommendations in order to better the system.
During Children’s Parliament most of the participating youths worked and expressed their opinion on the subject in an open, active and responsible manner. The overall claim was that the guardians pay more frequent visits, that they “serve” less children so more time would remain for one, that they were supported by methodology material. And also a few recommendations were formed about vocation and vocational guidance.
Gift Day
FICE Hungary has organized a Gift Day in December 2015 for children living in the system. The event hosted 400 guests from all around the country. Children’s homes were represented from both the capital (10) and the country (11). The organizers provided rich programs for the guests – concerts, art workshops, stand-up performance, trivia (the winners of which were awarded with chocolate and FICE T-shirt). In the focus of the Gift Day there stand not the material goods but rather the day in itself that is a gift for the kids with all the rich programs and fun. However, at the end of the day all the participants arrived home with a FICE mug and chocolate selection (sponsored by the Würth Fund).
Conclusion
FICE has closed a successful year from the point of view of programs organized for children and it could not have been realized without the help of the Ministry of Human Capacities.
We can proudly announce that all the planned programs could come true this year, which is in itself a success. The participating children and adults were happy and satisfied and are looking forward to the similar programs, camps, events of 2016. We express our gratitude for the professionals and volunteers who sacrificed their time in order to give these children a rich, colourful and precious time.
2014
The project is dedicated to the assistance of young people sentenced to custody or placed in youth custody centres to prevent them from committing crimes again after being released, increase their employment prospects, and support their re-entry into the society and the labour market enabling them to be responsible, conforming citizens of the society.
On occasion of the International Children’s Day, I would like to inform you about two events, and beside this report I attach some photos.
The first one was organized on the 25th of May in the BVSC sports center, where we provided various programs: sports competitions, folk-dance, singing contest, concert and karaoke. The whole day passed in very good mood, and in the ‘dog-days heat’ children could use the swimming pool for free. For the event, FICE Hungarian Association – teaming up with the helping-disposed companies – presented the children with sweets and toys to commemorate them, furthermore they were given
certificates, medals and cups at the ceremonial award.
Our other happening was the cooking competition in Nagyszakácsi on the 31st of May. The children – working together with the educators -could show their science of cooking. Thanks to this activity, they put specially delicious dishes on the table. Meanwhile the children could do sports and did special entertainments of high standard much to the delight of the audience. Everyone had a very good time, and on the whole both the Children’s Day events were very successful.
“The Reinhold and Carmen Würth Foundation has organised it’s Environment Camp for the 20. time, between 30 June and 7 July 2014, for the children living in care.
Although there are holiday/recreation possibilities for the children living in state care, however what Würth Foundation provides for 20 years by now: the standard of the camp, the quality of the programs/set of activities, the care and respect that children are given is: exemplary. The campers come in for such experiences year by year, which remains a determining experience in a lot of children’s life. This year, 62 children participated in the camp, from 21 apartment homes, children’s homes and foster parents nationwide. The selection of children, the pedagogical and professional background were performed by the FICE Hungarian Association. The pedagogical community has been working together for several years, this evolved team is familiar with the children living in care system, knows what to attend to, and how to hold the attention of the camper children. The successfulness of the camp was supported by the shaken together team of attending educators with high-level pedagogical knowledge.
This year we organised the camp at the usual location. We were enjoying the hospitality of a 3-star hotel, the beautiful-sited Hotel Salgó. Regarding the conception of the camp, it has not changed. We were providing the children with learning of nature and environment, enriching with much recreation and spare time-activities. This year the main issue was the renewable energy sources and the children could obtain much knowledge in this topic through obstacle race and playful tasks. The environmental factors affected the children in a positive way. We can say that the community-development was successful as well, the children were active, we managed to shape the rules of the camp fast, which were understood and accepted by the children.
Following the traditions, Dr. Horváth Sándor: President of the Würth Foundation, Hámori Ágnes: Madam President of FICE and Vera Hazai presidency member, representative of Würth company and teachers from the Óbuda University, paid a visit together to the camper children this year as well. After the informal and joyful meeting, the children participated in a very amusing and interactive presentation of natural sciences under the direction of the teacher of the Óbuda University and they saw a lot of physical experiments, furthermore they could be an active party to the show. We render many thanks for the Reinhold and Carmen Würth Foundation for having enabled the camping, and with this support they provided the
children living in apartment homes, children’s homes and those ones who live in foster care, with unforgettable experiences. Hopefully we will meet next year as well.
The FICE Hungarian Association-under the Hungarian Holocaust Remembrance Year-2014. application program-has arranged and organised an Artistic Meeting in Debrecen with the involvement of children and youth between 14-19 years old, living in penitentiary institutions.
These young people know very little on the issue, so we considered of high priority to give information for the youth interactively, based on a complex methodology.
Furtherance of the social sensitization and forming the aspect of the children and young people. During the program series which took place before the Artistic Meeting the children and youth got acquainted with human fates beyond the textbook data,
they could think about the weight of the historical dates and events which are sometimes understated and arranged in one sentence. Revisitation of the Dohány street Synagog also served the psyching up to the issue. Talking with two holocaust survivors was part of the visit as well, what the youth were listening with outstanding attention.
The actuality of having organized the Artistic Meeting is that 2 august 2014 is the remembrance day of the international rom holocaust.
Presentation of the entries having participated in the drawing competition, opening of the exhibition, together with the presentation of the shows and programmes having been prepared under the artistic workshop are an obeisance at the same time to the victims of the hungarian holocaust.
With the elaboration of the issue in this way, the program has contributed to the improvement of social integration of the youthful offenders.