The Generations Project continues in the Transylvania region in the 2022–2023 school year, bringing together children and senior mentors within 10 after-school social centers. A project of The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, supported by Hochland Romania.
- 80 seniors have the opportunity to volunteer in community centers
- 10 after-school social centers in Transylvania provide support and education for children
- 350 children benefit from activities for academic, vocational, and personal development
The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation and Hochland Romania open up opportunities for volunteering to seniors who wish to continue or regain an active role in the community.
Seniors who want to become volunteers for children can find out more by calling the toll-free Senior Helpline at 0800-460-001 or by registering through an online form on the website www.intergenerational.ro. People who have reached retirement age can get involved and propose educational activities for the benefit of children in the community, carried out within after-school social centers.
The successful experience of the Generations Centers will continue in the 2022–2023 school year in 10 day centers across the counties of Alba, Bistrița-Năsăud, Brașov, Cluj, Mureș, and Satu Mare. These centers will engage 80 valuable seniors in supporting 350 children who need assistance in their academic, vocational, or personal development.
The Generations Project – Senior Mentors was launched in 2019, and its main objective was to address in a holistic, intergenerational manner the current issues faced by these two groups: school dropout, which is particularly acute among disadvantaged children, and the social isolation of older people. The proposed solution was to stimulate solidarity and collaboration between generations, as well as to facilitate the exchange of values and knowledge between children and seniors within community day centers.
Over previous school years, the intergenerational approach led to a number of significant learning gains for children, who substantially improved their knowledge and academic performanceas a result of the involvement of senior mentors, with 46% of children recording academic progress. Through intergenerational sessions, children learned to love history and geography, practiced various musical instruments, explored numerous creative techniques, revived local crafts, improved their communication in foreign languages, practiced different sports, connected with the world of plants and animals, learned culinary skills and good manners, as well as many other extremely useful abilities.
The development of social and emotional skills is another benefit of intergenerational relationships, with 75% of children showing visible progress in this area..
The Generations Centres, offer children living in vulnerable life circumstances a stimulating environment in which they broaden their horizons of knowledge, grow emotionally, and develop harmoniously through the diversity of activities they take part in, as well as through material support. Academic support for various school subjects, educational clubs, vocational workshops, counseling sessions, and the inspirational role models provided by the involved seniors all contribute positively to children’s development and to improving their quality of life.
At the The Generations Centres,, seniors from the community become mentors for children and valuable resources for the social centers. As volunteers, they support children with their homework and organize and take part in various socio-educational activities, creative workshops, and vocational clubs. In this way, they pass on their knowledge and life experience to new generations, make generous use of their passions and talents, and, last but not least, receive respect and appreciation and gain new friends.
Intergenerational relationships, through their diversity and complementarity, lead to visible progress in the lives of everyone involved and contribute to the sustainable future of communities and society. Social centers become more attractive by offering children a highly diverse portfolio of activities.
In the 2022–2023 school year, the Generations program supported by Hochland Romania is carried out in:
- Day Center for Children in Cenade, Caritas Mitropolitan Greek-Catholic Association Blaj – Alba County
- Blaj Day Center, Association for Elderly People and Children in Difficulty “Familia 2004” – Alba County
- “Little Innocents” Day Center in Bistrița-Năsăud, Inocenți Foundation – Bistrița-Năsăud County
- “Diaconia” Day Center in Brașov, Diaconia International Aid Foundation – Brașov County
- Day Center for Children at Risk of Separation from Parents in Cluj-Napoca, Christian Union Association – Cluj County
- Day Center for the Development of Independent Living Skills in Târgu Mureș, Talentum Foundation – Mureș County
- “Buckner” Day Center in Târnăveni, Buckner Foundation – Mureș County
- “Casa Maria II” Day Center in Reghin, Orthodox Philanthropy Association Alba Iulia – Mureș County
- Veritas Day Center for Children in Sighișoara, Veritas Foundation – Mureș County
- “St. Tatiana” Day Center in Satu Mare, Holy Protection of the Mother of God Association – Satu Mare County
About The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation
The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation is one of Romania’s leading non-governmental organizations, contributing to the development of civil society through social and educational programs. With over 30 years of activity, the Foundation supports children, young people, and seniors through sustainable interventions based on the exchange of experience and values between generations. The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation is among the few organizations drawing attention to population aging and its imminent effects on society, proposing practical solutions to improve the quality of life of older people. More details about the Foundation’s programs are available at fundatiaregala.ro.
About Hochland Romania
Hochland’s story began in 1927 with the founding of the company and the production of its first product at the Hochland cheese factory in Lindenberg, Germany. Present in Romania since 1993, Hochland is the market leader in the cheese category and the most loved brand in this segment. With family as a core brand value and a strong desire to invest in the community, starting in 2019 Hochland became a partner of The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation in the Generations project, aiming to bring positive change to communities of single retired seniors in Romania, as well as to the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. For more details, visit: www.hochland.ro.
