Starting from the fourth month of the “Recycling is the pillar of sustainable development” project, the program entered a new phase: in September, the Ér Hangja Association and the volunteers actively involved in the project began screening the completed educational short films for primary school students in Săcueni and its surrounding villages. The goal of these screenings is to deliver important messages about recycling and environmental protection to the youngest age group in an engaging and understandable format. The short films created so far are tailored to the developmental stage of young learners and introduce topics such as renewable energy sources, the role of bees, and forest fire prevention in a playful, accessible manner.

The small town of Săcueni, Romania, was abuzz with youthful energy and international collaboration as 23 young people from Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia gathered for an Erasmus+ youth exchange between August 30th to September 6th. Under the guidance of one group leader from each participating country, and facilitated by Dóra Aczél and Orsolya Bíró, the project titled “The Role of Media in Environmental Protection” was brought to life by the Ér Hangja Association. Over the course of eight days, the participants delved into the intricate relationship between media and environmental issues, exploring how media can influence sustainable behaviors and practices.

The “Recycling is the pillar of sustainable development” project reached another milestone in August: in the third month of the initiative, a new educational short film was produced, once again with the involvement of primary school students and teachers. The topic continued to focus on environmental and nature protection, with the implementation emphasizing creativity and experiential learning. During the activities, children used LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 kits to jointly build a rescue helicopter, whose mission was to save LEGO animals trapped in a forest fire. This story-based learning approach not only captured their attention, but also enhanced problem-solving skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the importance of preserving nature.

A total of 20 pensioners from Romania and Hungary took part in the free training, aimed at helping seniors navigate our rapidly evolving and increasingly digitalized world through instructional videos. This workshop was the second in a series of training sessions that started in July, involving twelve local pensioners and eight members of the Retirees’ Civic Association from Gyula (Hungary). Similar to the previous session, the main topics covered were the effective and safe use of digital devices, avoiding phone and online scams, verifying information and news, credit card use, online shopping and payments, and other practical issues related to digital technologies. These topics were explored over the three-day meeting through professional presentations, round-table discussions and instructional videos, with important feedback from participants.

The community-building and retaining power of cultural activities and folk dance is the focus of a project starting in October, which has won European Union funding as a result of the joint application by civil organizations from three countries.  This programme became necessary after the Hop Next Door (Lépj át a szomszédba) partnership-building meeting organized in Tata (Hungary) last June, where the organizations recognized that they were facing similar problems, namely low membership and ongoing difficulty in retaining current members. During the meetings held at the Tempus Public Foundation event, representatives of the Fóti Public Service Non-profit Ltd. from Hungary, FLOW-E.R. Environmental Association from Serbia, and Ér Hangja Association from Romania had not yet found a solution to this phenomenon affecting youth NGOs.

In the second month of the “Recycling is the pillar of sustainable development” project, the first tangible results have emerged: in July, filming began for a series of educational short films specifically aimed at primary school students (grades 0–4). The goal of these short films is to introduce children to the basics of environmental awareness in a playful, understandable, and engaging way. Teachers and students of the “Petőfi Sándor” Theoretical High School in Săcueni actively participated in the filming process, supporting the work of the volunteers implementing the project. In July, two short films were successfully produced, each representing an interactive lesson. During these sessions, children explored how renewable energy sources work using LEGO tools, and also learned about the essential role of bees in nature.

The Ér Hangja Association is organizing an Erasmus+ mobility programme called The Role of Media in Environmental Protection with a total of twenty-four young people from Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, accompanied by one group leader from each country, in Săcueni between 30 August and 6 September. During the one-week meeting, participants will partake in workshops, training sessions, and practical activities aimed at developing their skills in media content analysis. They will cover topics such as identifying misinformation, verifying sources, and understanding the impact of fake news on the environment. Apply until 10 August by clicking the following link: https://shorturl.at/4esEq. For more details, visit the Érhangja International Facebook page.

Free Training Sessions with Instructional Videos for Seniors in Romania and Hungary

An interactive training session was organized between 12-14 July in Săcueni by the Ér Hangja Association for retirees from Romania and Hungary. This workshop is part of a free training initiative under the winning Erasmus+ project titled Click it until you make it!. The goal of the training is to help seniors effectively and safely use the opportunities provided by digital devices through instructional videos. Additionally, the organizers aim to impart new knowledge to help seniors cope with the rapidly evolving challenges of digital technologies.

The aim of the initiative launched by the Ér Hangja Association in June is to change the behavior of local residents regarding environmental protection, particularly recycling. The project titled Recycling is the pillar of sustainable development strives to convey the long-term and short-term importance of our responsibility towards our environment through easily understandable digital educational materials. An interesting aspect of these digital educational materials is that four short films will be created with the participation of high school students and six animated films will be made using LEGO tools. Throughout the project, five local young volunteers will work on various solidarity activities to achieve the project’s goals.

The multi-month course organized by Ér Hangja Association, aimed at enhancing the digital competencies of local high school students and pensioners has successfully concluded, with the assistance of five local young volunteers. The project aimed to provide participants with basic digital knowledge, enabling them to safely and effectively utilize the opportunities offered by the internet in their daily activities. This includes communication on various social networks, paying bills online, using online banking services, and shopping online, while also raising awareness of potential internet dangers.