The wide-ranging project which started in Săcueni in the second half of last year continues. Led by five young local volunteers, more than 100 pensioners and around 200 students, including 50 Roma youth, are involved in the various activities of the project. A series of training sessions, workshops, and thematic lectures are organised for them about the dangers of the internet, as well as the safe and useful use of digital technology and the opportunities provided by the online environment, all through environmentally friendly educational materials.

Seniors are helped by instructional videos and free courses for the best use of digital tools

On the third weekend of January, members of Ér Hangja Association met with representatives of Békéscsaba’s Premier Vocational Art High School and Elementary Art School, – their partners during the project – in Gyula, Hungary, in order to discuss the details of the Click it until you make it!, their winning KA210-ADU-1A1F806E code Erasmus+ project. The meeting’s aim was to plan a free training among older people for developing digital skills and to distribute between the organizers the tasks related to the production of the instructional videos.

The Ér Hangja Association is launching another free course aimed at developing digital competencies for the retired members of our community. The project called Click it until you make it! will start in DEcember and is a joint initiative of our association and the Premier Vocational Art High School and Elementary Art School in Békéscsaba, Hungary, allowing also Hungarian retirees to participate in the program. Keeping in mind the significance of adult education and lifelong learning the four-month course will involve retirees over the age of 55 who find it important to acquire new knowledge to help them cope with the rapidly evolving digital technologies.

Several students in the Ier Valley learned about the many uses of corn husks during July. Under the guidance of Bátori Szabolcs, a teacher from Săcueni, 35 pupils learned how to make small dolls and corn husk braids. It took a lot of patience for the youngsters to master the art of braiding, but they did a good job and took their creations home with pride.  The event, organised by the Ér Hangja Association, was part of a project called “Digitisation of crafts in the Ier Valley”, which aims to involve and familiarise local students with traditional crafts in the region. The project, supported by the European Solidarity Corps and run by the Ér Hangja Association in partnership with the Petőfi Sándor High School and the Săcueni Town Hall, introduces local students to a range of crafts from the Ier Valley.

In June, as part of the Digitradition project – Digitization of folk traditions, folk music and folk dance in the Ier Valley region, we got to know traditional folk songs, folk dances and traditional costumes, thanks to Noémi Dévai and the Ährenkranz group from Petrești.

The project is supported by the European Solidarity Corps, organised by the Ér Hangja Association, in partnership with the Petőfi Sándor High School, the Zajgó Folk Dance Group from Săcueni and the Săcueni Town Hall.

You can read more about it on the Erhangja International Facebook page, where you can find photos, interesting podcasts and videos.

In May and June, 50 pupils learned to crochet under the guidance of local craftsmen Ildikó Braun and Zsuzsa Major. This old craft, which is enjoying a revival, has proved a big hit with young people. At first, children learned simple crochet methods, made bracelets and necklaces, and then, step by step, they could try more difficult techniques. Some took less time and some took longer to learn the art of crochet, but in the end all the young people had fun and were able to take home some of the items they made to show their parents. The event, organized by the Ér Hangja Association, was part of the project “Digitization of crafts in the Ier Valley”, which aims to involve and familiarize local students with the traditional crafts of the region.

The Ér Hangja Association is launching a free, multi-month course in July aimed at developing digital skills for local high school students and pensioners. The aim of the project DigitAll is to equip participants with basic digital skills so that they can use the internet safely and effectively in their daily activities, such as communicating on social networks, shopping and paying bills online and using online banking. You can sign up for this project, which is supported by the European Solidarity Corps and implemented in partnership with the Săcueni Town Hall, by calling 0762830344.

Thanks to the Digitradition project – Digitization of folk traditions, folk music and folk dance in the Ier Valley region, the winning project of the Ér Hangja Association from Săcueni, we were able to get to know the folk costumes, dances, songs and folk traditions of the Slovak communities living in the region. Iaroslav Zetocha, instructor of the Cerovina Folk Ensemble from Valea Cerului, showed us these aspects of Slovak culture, their folk songs, dances and traditional costumes in May. The project is supported by the European Solidarity Corps, organised by the Ér Hangja Association, in partnership with the Petőfi Sándor High School, the Zajgó Folk Dance Group from Săcueni and the Săcueni Town Hall. You can read more about it on the Erhangja International Facebook page, where you can find photos, interesting podcasts and videos.

The 80 students from Săcueni learned about wood carving with the help of local Ferencz Szabó, photographer, master wood carver, who showed the youngsters the tricks of this profession in his workshop in March and April. Ferencz Szabó welcomed the curious young people with a piece of wood with a pre-designed pattern to make the work go smoothly, they were able to learn about wood carving, one of the crafts of our region, by carving the logo of the ÉrHangja International.

Young people were introduced to a craft from the past in February, when they experienced the miracle of making wood models with the help of Lajos Dormány, a craftsman from Săcueni. The LEGO-like wood carving was a beautiful glimpse of a terraced farmhouse, a barn, a wagon and a working well, evoking a not-so-distant past. Of course, the children also had the opportunity to try out how to build a wooden shed.

The event, organised by the Ér Hangja Association, was part of the project “Digitisation of crafts in the Ier Valley”, which aims to involve and familiarise local students with traditional crafts in the region. The project, supported by the European Solidarity Corps and implemented by the Ér Hangja Association in partnership with the Petőfi Sándor High School and the Săcueni Town Hall, introduces young people to the crafts of the Ier Valley region.