What?

CODEKids clubs were open by public libraries in 150 communities where librarians facilitated free of charge learning of coding for middle school children. Two year curriculum was created and permanently adopted to the needs of the kids. Extra activities and gamification were included in the program. Regional Science fairs/CODEKids Fest events were organized so advanced children could work on projects and present them to the public.

So what?

More than 2300 participated in the Beginners group of CODEKids clubs and  879 of them went through also the Advanced group curricula. Dozens of them participated in open coding competitions at regional an d national level and won awards. Dozens of alumni of the project are part of the Robotics Team in their  high-schools. 

We provided access to quality and relevant education for children who have limited possibilities to break out of the underserved position of their families.

What?

30 public librarians were trained and later organized 30 workshops with 300 citizens from Gorj county. 

By building a network of 30 European information multipliers at the county level, public librarians became a bridge to the citizens. These multipliers were involved in the exercise of rights, simulation of voting process and recognition of the result in order to encourage the citizens in their communities to get involved in the voting process of the Elections for the European Parliament Members. They also learned how to deliver quality information about the EU and its communication policies and priorities and how to contribute to the promotion, protection and consolidation of democracy in their communities.

So what?

By the contribution of Gorj county public libraries, the turnout for the 2019 MEPs was higher than in the past. The project encouraged citizens to participate in the Elections for the European Parliament, to be part of the process of shaping the future of Europe and of our own country and the future of their communities, thus becoming active citizens who know that partnerships are the best way of achieving sustainable communities.

What?

Elderly people received Nordic walking sticks to walk and recuperate.

Nordic walking greatly improves physical and mental well-being, increases the release of endorphins 5 times, normalizes the central nervous system: improves sleep, well-being, improves performance, helps to overcome depression; affects posture, improves the feeling of balance and coordination, strengthens the vestibular apparatus; up to 90% of all muscles of the torso are trained at the same time (all muscle groups of the leg, thigh, arms and shoulder girdle, abdomen work; muscles of the neck, back and chest muscles additionally develop), the body’s defenses are stimulated, immunity is increased ; pressure and load on the knee joints and spine decreases. Nordic walking strengthens the musculoskeletal system, does not require special training and has virtually no contraindications.

So what?

38 seniors aged from 50 to 83 years actively engaged in Nordic walking, and gained material support with appropriate equipment. In addition to walking, the group is engaged in breathing exercises, which is relevant during a pandemic. The activities encourage communication of group members, leading to dissemination of relevant information about life in the community and promotion of a healthy lifestyle in the community.

Discovering the world can be time consuming and can involve a lot of challenges, especially in the times that we live in. But the library is and has always been the opened door to another world. Only here, the cultural facets and the knowledge of the mankind can be freely accessed!

Focusing on multicultural education, the “G.T. Kirileanu” Neamţ County Library created a space for learning foreign languages and discovering other cultures, by developing volunteer opportunities and discussion events for the youth of the community. 

The “G.T. Kirileanu” Neamţ County Library, a partner in the Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs project, opened the door to the multicultural perspective of the world!

Wanting to help the community develop its knowledge and to promote the Foreign Book Branch, the library started to create and implement an action plan for the active citizens. With the help of a group of volunteers, Neamţ County Library is creating a dedicated space for learning about foreign cultures and languages, through special events organized for the community – such as workshops, trainings and presentations.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

Nowadays, the online world has become essential in our every day life. The future generations of active citizens need to adapt and to develop at the same speed of the evolution of technology. Fortunately, the world of coding is a multidimensional one and can be inspiring and playful, even for the children who haven’t started to dream yet about their future.

The Lugansk Regional Universal Scientific Library decided to focus on self-empowerment of the children and developed opportunities for kids in the community to learn coding, by using the online Minecraft application. 

PLACH’s partner, Lugansk Regional Universal Scientific Library, has focused on the non-formal education for children and started to use Minecraft Bedrock as a base for the induction into the programming world.

Volunteer mentors started to design the step-by-step curriculum and have begun to create a virtual classroom, where children can meet and participate at the weekly workshops. In the end, the children that are part of the activity will learn how to use the Educational Edition of the game Minecraft Bedrock and will be able to successfully create a project on this platform, further developing their knowledge and skills of the coding world.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

We all encounter challenges during our lifetime, but now more than ever women need all the courage, support and knowledge available in the world. Let’s be honest, either if you are taking care of your family or only of yourself, a community of strong women can empower you and become your new group of friends!

The main focus of the Raional Library “D. Cantemir” Ungheni was to empower women through their project, by creating a gathering and exhibition space in the library, where community groups could meet, discuss and present themselves.

Focusing on the idea that women can succeed, even from home, the PLACH partner started to organize meetings to empower the community. During this group circles, women can attend different meetings, workshops and discussions, that are based on personal and professionals development.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

The times that we are living are quite unexpected, with rapid changes that none of us could have ever imagined. Nonetheless, this is the time when we must adapt to the circumstances and learn how to make them work in our favor, rather than against us. But is especially hard to do this when you have barely started to discover the world and how it works.

The “Antim Ivireanul” Vâlcea County Library developed an online educational space where young children could learn safe measures that prevent the spread of COVID-19, in an age-appropriate way.

PLACH’s partner from Vâlcea, Romania, focused on raising awareness about health education in young children and started to transform the library in a place of learning how to be safe in the world we live in nowadays. Since going back to school will never be the same, the “Antim Ivireanul” Vâlcea County Library started to plan 10 workshops, that will carry the message “Taking care of yourself you will take care of everyone else”, that allow children to learn in a ludic manner how to care of their own and how to play an active role in the well-being of the community.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

Promoting your local community is never an easy task, but is a skill that can be developed. And what better place to grow yourself and develop the opportunities of your community, than the library?

The Raional Library “IPS A. Plămădeală” Hîncești started to create a space for community group meetings, in the library, where they could discover the local heritage and learn to promote their local tourism.

Public Libraries as Active Citizens Hubs’ partner – the Raional Library from Hîncești, Moldova – started to gather a team of young volunteers, in order to create a space for promoting the local tourism. Focusing on the main tourist attractions of the area, this group had begun to create and share with the community various promotional materials, such as brochures and information panels. They also plan to develop an advertising spot “Tourist destinations in Rn.Hîncești” and a QR code “Promotion of four tourist areas in the locality” to help people find out even more information about the tourist attractions nearby. The Raional Library “IPS A. Plămădeală” Hîncești plans to help the community discover the potential of their beautiful area, by organizing cultural activities and implementing a contest named “We discover the local tourist destinations”.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

We all know that the library is the heart of the community. It is more than a place where you can borrow books or where you can read in peace. The local library is the perfect place for developing ways to grow the community or for meeting new people with inspiring ideas!

In order to transform the library branch in a community space, Lviv Central City Library “Lesya Ukrainka” started to plan the needed steps for this process and has also created discussion spaces for community members.

In order to develop a community space in the library, PLACH’s partner from Lviv, Ukraine, started to held different kind of presentations for the locals. Through the lectures, seminars and other non-formal educational meetings, they want to promote the library as the perfect place for new ideas and networking. Lviv Central City Library “Lesya Ukrainka” focuses on creating a comfortable place to educate and grow the community, transforming the library into a safe space where people from the area can get together, have fun and relax.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.