Recruitment phase is going well here in Romania, lots of kids interested and, most importantly, their guardians are open to it. They have been very keen to learn more about the opportunity and seem comfortable to let the kids go, at this early stage in proceedings.
They recognise the need to do something a bit different, to help their kids and grandkids navigate these dark times and say that they are incredibly grateful that people from far away New Zealand are helping to fund this idea.
I've identified 7 of the 11 suitable teenagers, so far. There are more than 11 interested, but I do have a screening process to go through before each one is confirmed as appropriate. They also need to be in the right age range so I've had to turn down a couple of 12 year olds as I have made the minimum age 13.
I've left the refugee centre to go to Targu Mures for a couple of days, that's where the Outward Bound management team are based. Planning sessions with the Country Director and his team are going well.
We've decided that October won't work for the course date. A number of emerging reasons behind this realisation. Fund raising not being successful enough, yet, so we need longer to achieve the result unless a large amount was to come in during September. The main issue though is one that has arisen in the last few weeks, relating to their education. The school situation for the teenagers has changed.
They were due to start their classes this week, for the new school year. When they broke for the school holidays at the start of June, everyone still hoped the war would end "soon". Things have not improved, the war still rages, and their Ukrainian teachers are suffering the same instability they are. Some of those teachers were still in Ukraine for the last school year but have fled in recent months.
We're not sure if their online classes can continue. They may have to join Romanian schools, taking classes in Romanian, a language they have developed only "tourist level" conversational skills, at best. The local mayor is also trying to open a Ukrainian school, as the most appropriate option. It's a very big ask and would require Ukrainian teachers (refugees) to be attracted to his town, for the kids to learn in their native language.
There is a lot of uncertainty on the education front for these teenagers and it means a false start for the year. Not a good time to rip them out of class 3-4 weeks after the school year finally starts, especially if they are tackling the tough stage of starting at a Romanian school for the first time.
Another challenge is the winter. If we don't do it in October, we need to avoid the harshest winter months that follow and to hold it when the weather improves. The Outward Bound school does hold courses during their harsh winters but it wouldn't be appropriate for this unique course. Many of these kids fled in the winter conditions and spent nights out in the open as they made their way to safety. From a psychological standpoint, I'm not comfortable putting them in situations that could trigger and re traumatise them.
The survival type of activities are one thing, but the frigid conditions are a step too far. The school is in the mountains, making it the coldest part of Romania so that means April is the first appropriate month. They have end of year exams in April, meaning we're now looking at the course happening in the first two weeks of May.
The Outward Bound school can accommodate that time frame and the kids and guardians have been advised.
It was snowing last April, in the low lying area where I'm based, but it had stopped by the end of April. May will still be very cold in the mountains, but not abjectly uncomfortable as they won't be camping in the snow.
You might be thinking, but what if the war is over by then? I have wondered the same. Wouldn't that be fantastic, if the kids were no longer able to take the course, because they were already reunited with their Dads, Uncles and Brothers. They'd have moved back to their homes in Ukraine, to restart their old lives or moved to a new village, town or city that hadn't been decimated, to start a new life.
There will be two options available to those who have donated funds, if the course cannot go ahead, for any reason. This could be that we don't reach the required fundraising level, the war finishes and the kids go home, we don't make the minimum number of attendees to fill the course, adverse weather event has the Outward Bound school cancelling it etc etc
Option 1.
I can refund your donation, at the point of course cancellation, if you tell me that is your preferred option. Please let me know if that is your preferred option, by end of October 2022, by messaging me to this page so that I can plan accordingly.
Option 2.
I can use the funds to deliver some benefit to the same teenagers, in another form. e.g. pay for a shorter course/camp, closer to the location of the refugee camp. It wouldn't have the same focus on leadership, resiliency and communication skills but would still have activities they would surely enjoy. Alternatively, we could fund an educational course that we hold at the refugee centre, to complement their classroom education. If they are leaving to go back to Ukraine, in a peacetime scenario, I could put the funds towards them attending an adventure camp in their respective towns in Ukraine. If that just isn't feasible, due to the country's rebuild phase, we could give the money to their guardians to assist those family groups with costs associated to their reintegration into Ukraine.
This was a long update, I know, but I wanted to give a full rundown for any interested parties. Next update will be next month.
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me offline at hedaytch@yahoo.com
Thanks for your continue interested in this cause!
Heather B
