Description of activities
The ASPnet Romanian schools were interested to participate in the GIFT A POEM Project again this year. Please find here their names written in the chronological order of their email that expressed the interest to be involved in the project.
An enthusiastic dialog by email and on the social groups started and some ideas came to the fore:
1. Some ASPnet coordinators from schools found the idea very good to be used to celebrate the World Poetry Day from the 21st of March also:
– Școala Gimnazială „Dr, Victor Babeș”, Baia Mare: “On the occasion of the World Poetry Day”, the students from our school, which is a member of AspNet UNESCO Schools, participated in the project called “Gift a Poem”, a project inscribed in the calendar of UNESCO activities. Students chose poems they transcribed in order to give to someone they love. Some of them gave their chosen poems to their friends from the classroom while others chose to bring a smile to a family member. We were joined by our partners from the Secondary School, Craciunesti and the selected poems were in different languages: Romanian, English, Ukrainian and German. Congratulations to all!”
– “Școala Mea” Theoretical High School in Bucharest: “We wanted to mark International Poetry Day again this year by participating in the annual Gift a Poem project included in the UNESCO calendar of activities. Thus, the students penetrated more deeply into the literary world, discovering once again the importance of the contribution of writers in the development of culture as well as the emotions that the realization and carrying out of these activities can create, strengthening the connection and understanding between individuals.”
– The project ” Gift a poem” in our school, Radu Negru High school, from Galati, Romania has, this year as a a main theme “gratitude”. Students dedicated their poems to their friends, teachers, all the people from our school to whom they feel respect and gratitude, the school nurse, the ladies from the secretary department, the ladies from the high school canteen, the lady in charge for the student hostel. The joy and the enthusiasm were from the both sides, our students participating with pleasure at this activity.
– Our school, ”I.C.Brătianu” High School / ”Aron Densușianu” Secondary School in Hațeg celebrated World Poetry Day this year with 50 primary school students, as part of the project ”Gift a Poem”, an initiative of ASPnet Poland, enrolled in the ASPnet Anniversary Project. Under the guidance of their teachers, the children selected poems which they transcribed by hand, later offering them as a gift to people who are important to them. The students sent messages of encouragement, support or gratitude and offered, through poetry, a piece of their soul. This was an activity that helped them understand that “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found its words.” (Robert Frost). Among the objectives of this activity, we could name: raising awareness of the importance of poetry for rendering feelings and states of mind, recognizing the value of poetry as part of universal culture, encouraging and supporting poetry recitals, motivating students to use their imagination and creativity in creating works of art appropriate to the theme. By taking part in this activity, our students became more vulnerable to the needs of their peers, more aware of the importance of feelings like friendship, encouragement for those in need and gratitude for the loved ones around them. They also discovered that a poem can represent a perfect gift, in any circumstances. As you can see in the photos, participating in the activity brought great joy to our students, both to those who received the poem and to those who wrote it.
– Colegiul Național „Calistrat Hogaș”, Piatra-Neamț: The range of poems chosen was wide: Romanian poets and poets from universal literature, classical and contemporary poets, poets from different literary schools and trends, poems with various themes and styles. The gesture itself was an exercise in admiration and gratitude. Handwriting retained its primary function: to activate the three areas of the brain responsible for reading and writing skills, but it also acquired a symbolic one: respect and appreciation for a loved one. ,,Gift a Poem” was not only an opportunity to become aware of the role of poetry in human existence, but also to understand what it means to give a gift to colleagues, teachers, parents, friends, colleagues, dear relatives, neighbours or small communities to which the participants belong, adults within the Post Office, employees of the Romanian Post Office or the Directorate of Population Registration. Not concrete, valuable objects, but “rare gifts” that involve emotion, sentimental involvement, warmth and generosity.
2. Some ASPnet Schools choosed to offer poems
– ”Hermann Oberth” German School and ”Hermann Oberth” German High School, Voluntari, Ilfov County: For the second year in a row, students at Hermann Oberth International School focused on empathy and human interaction by participating in the “Gift a Poem” initiative in 2024, as the centenary of the Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert is being celebrated. They brought text and visual cues together in the act of sharing a poem with those they cherish – from classmates and teachers to their friends and family members. The campaign promotes spiritual support, building peace and creative manifestations of gratefulness throughout the simple act of offering words of poetry to other individuals.
– Middle School “D.R.Popescu” Nojorid – Bihor county: Students and teachers received this innovative event with interest. The idea of giving a handwritten poem as a gift, rather than something we were accustomed to, was a surprise. After a preliminary activity where we became acquainted with the life and work of the poet Zbigniew Herbert, the steps for making the gift were explained: “Choose, copy, gift!”. Each child chose to work according to their pleasure; some worked at home, others together at school. Some decorated first and transcribed the poem later, some found it difficult to decide on the poem, and some wanted to write poems in English. Many chose to give the poem to their mother, grandmother, or another woman in the family or at school, on the occasion of March 8th. Others thought to bring joy and surprise to an unknown person, a passerby in front of the school, the bus driver, the lady at the bakery, or the beneficiaries of a center for people with disabilities.
3. Even the Kindergardens asked to participate in this project even if the children doesn’t know yet to write they realised the illustration for the poems written by their educators. You have below some messages from them:
– Kindergarten No 69, Bucharest: We are proud members of Kindergarten No. 69 in Bucharest, Romania, where we form a vibrant and united team. We were delighted to participate in this project, as we are dedicated to nurturing a deep love for poetry every single day. However, this time was different: together, we learned how to gift verses. Our recipients included parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and “one special people” – the teacher of a group of children. In essence, we sought to embrace everyone in our hearts and dedicate poetry to them. A total of 8 teachers and around 21 children enthusiastically participated in this delightful project. The emotions and the joy were beautifully expressed through the verses we chose.
Schools involved
- Middle School “D.R.Popescu” Nojorid – Bihor county
- “Școala Mea” Theoretical High School in Bucharest
- “Hermann Oberth” German School and “Hermann Oberth” German High School, Voluntari, Ilfov County
- Colegiul Național “Calistrat Hogaș”, Piatra-Neamț
- Kindergarten No. 69, Bucharest
- Școala Gimnazială “Dr Victor Babeș”, Baia Mare
- Colegiul Economic “Regele Mihai I” Buzau
- “I.C.Brătianu” High School / “Aron Densușianu” Secondary School in Hațeg
- Radu Negru High school, from Galati
