Community Action : Children's High Level Group

Community Action: change through education

Community Action is a voluntary, certificated education programme, developed by the CHLG, which was successfully introduced into the curriculum of Romanian high schools in September 2004. The programme has already been rolled out in Moldova, Armenia and Georgia. The aim is to extend its reach throughout Europe.

Community Action was launched in 2004 and brings together school children with other children within their community who have special needs - many who are from Special Schools or Placement Centres. Community Action aims to break down existing social prejudices and help children in public care to feel part of their community rather than excluded from it.

The programme encourages students to understand the challenges faced by others in their community and helps children in rehabilitation and public care to gain greater self-esteem and confidence. Community Action is the largest group of young people working in this way in Europe.

Community Action enables young people to acquire knowledge through education and also to develop understanding through a programme of activities arranged between them and their student volunteers. The aim is to create a more caring and committed society now and in the future.

In Romania, it is run through all high schools, general schools and universities. There are children taking part in every county - a real demonstration of how enthusiastic and determined the young people are to return a real sense of belonging and inclusion to their local communities.

Community Action is also run in Moldova, Armenia and Georgia and is producing as remarkable results there too. One young girl was discovered in a very poor area in a rural community looking after herself. She was extremely withdrawn but one of the social workers eventually got her to open up and found out that she liked football. After being paired on a Community Action programme she was spotted as a talented footballer. She now plays for the Moldovan under-18s team and has just returned from a tour of the USA.

The potential benefits of participating in Community Action

For High School students

Community Action Programmes represent a valuable learning opportunity for High School students. This is a type of learning that does not come from studying text books, but comes through an active and personal involvement in the learning process. It is an educational experience engaging the use of the head, the heart and the hands.

Participation in Community Action Programmes will:

advance young people's knowledge and skills in important aspects of education, in an enjoyable and exciting way
enhance their understanding and awareness of the individual needs and challenges faced by others in their community
encourage their resourcefulness, intelligence and creativity to respond to these community and individual needs
give them the sense of reward and fulfilment in undertaking challenging but useful work
improve their awareness of important social issues
help to break down social prejudices and tackle ignorance
develop and enhance their attributes of patience, commitment and dedication

For younger children

The involvement of younger children in Community Action Programmes represents an enormously valuable part of their educational experience too. Through their participation we would hope that they would:

become further involved and more fully integrated into their local communities and enjoy developing new and personal friendships with volunteers
gain greater self-esteem, and more fully appreciate their own value and worth - which, in turn, would be appreciated by others
develop their creative and expressive abilities though the stimulation of a variety of physical and mental activities
develop new physical skills through a diverse programme of sporting and other physical activities
become more balanced individuals - gaining personal and emotional security and confidence
develop their own individual skills and talents, or pursue their own special interests
feel a part of their community and not apart from it

Good citizens don't appear by accident, and they will be more in number if the society values care for others. For both high school students and younger children, taking part in Community Action programmes can be an enjoyable, rewarding and formative experience.