Keystone Moldova
Keystone Moldova English and Keystone Moldova Romanian
Keystone Human Services (KHS) is a non-profit organization that is a part of a global movement to provide support and expertise to people with disabilities.
Collaboration, change of experiences, involvement, cooperation, friendship, positive emotions – Keystone Moldova volunteers used those words when asked what they liked most at the summer school.
Between June 22 – 24, Keystone Moldova organized the Summer School “Promoting cultural activities among young people”, with financial support of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova, within the project “Involving young people in cultural activities, for better social inclusion”. The school took place on the bank of Nistru River, in Tudora village, Stefan Voda district , and it was organized in partnership with “UNITY” Community Center and local Museum “La bunici” (at grandparents).
30 young people participated at the summer school and got involved in cultural and sport activities. Volunteers learned how to make different things of clay and how to weave rugs. During a brainstorming, they identified cultural activities that can be organized in their regions, in order to promote traditions and social inclusion. Two volunteers with disabilities participated within this summer school. “I liked all the activities and I’m glad I met positive people, who can collaborate with each other”, – said one of them.
Volunteers exchanged experiences and learned from each other different fun and sports exercises that could be used afterwards in volunteer activities. They had the opportunity to boating on the Nistru River and to taste the famous peaches form Tudora orchards (every year, the villagers organize the Peach Festival in Tudora).
Volunteers – actors from theater troupe “Alternativ” performed two Forum Theater sessions for school pupils and for parents of kindergarten children and teachers. The theme of the performances was – stopping and preventing the discrimination of persons with disabilities in educational institutions. The young people from the both theater troupes, from Falesti and Chisinau, performed in forum theater sessions.
During the performances, the public mentioned that every child has the right to go to school / kindergarten and no one should make any difference between children. ,,We need to have the same attitude toward all the kids and to be friendly, in order to help them integrate into society” – said children. ,,Kids don’t make differences between them. They help each other. We, the parents, could do the same thing” – said parents.
Following the summer camp, the volunteers will organize cultural activities in their communities in the next month, with the involvement of persons from vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities. Our volunteers trust that they can support social inclusion through promotion of Moldova’s culture and traditions.
“We want another summer school that will get together all Keystone Moldova volunteers. But we want it to last longer – at least a week!” – said the young volunteers.