Laura Molnar

Name: Laura Molnar

Organization: Sol Mentis Association

Location: Romania

Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)

LTLT was implemented in Romanian schools by Sol Mentis Association through a memorandum of cooperation with AI Geneva office and N.C. of UNESCO Romania. The LTLT training for teachers was accredited by our Ministry of Education in March 2014. then more than 1400 teachers, schools inspectors and counsellors have been trained. Inside Sol Mentis Association, I had the responsibility to coordinate the LTLT program to find partners, to organize trainings and to coordinate the LTLT programs implementation in the country and the mentorship program for teachers, as trainings follow up.

How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)

The Ethics Education framework was explained during the trainings. Providing a new approach for our teachers, based on putting the children in the centre and building horizontal relationships with them, it needed to be consolidated through our mentorship program offered to our community of practice and through projects for students, implemented in schools from different areas of the country like „Me, in the word diversity” where students had opportunity to present but also learn from their colleagues about different cultures and religions. Were provided also trainings for teachers to teach them how to stimulate children’s’ participation and critical thinking, but also how to create a save learning environment. Space for understanding interconnectedness and gain critical consciousness was created also among teachers in our practice community, underlining the importance of being role model for children

Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)

I chose to organize part of the trainings in the disadvantaged areas, with poor training opportunities for teachers and children and in areas with minorities: Reghin, Bistrita (Hungarians and Roma; Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic), Constanta (Turkish, Ukrainians, Moldavians). Trainings addressed the local issues and provided respect for others coming from different ethnical and religious background. Teachers didn’t learned also the importance of having a no discriminative attitude, but also to pay more attention on the group dynamic, not only on the lesson content. Through our projects in schools on Eradicating poverty, students gained empathy and social responsibility for disadvantaged children. We registered lots of students’ initiatives in this sense.

How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)

The feedbacks received from teachers who participated to our training were very positive, mentioning not only the originality of the approach, but also the flexibility of the method and its large applicability in practice. Some of them recognized that they were never active in courses and that our training was the first one who build a safe learning environment which allowed them to be able to speak in public. Most of the teachers mentioned the training changed their perspective on children and on the way they have to treat children – more empathetic with their real needs, listen them more, having more responsibility for their attitude and words and including all students equally in activities, even encouraging their active participation in different projects for the community .

Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)

I don’t think the methods or resources I use are original, however I tried to integrate in the course, the most effective ones I learned from different sources. What I bring new is the large variety of examples took from my practice. Working a lot with teachers and children in different schools, we are able to provide examples of the most effective ways we found to solve problems or we can show specific contexts from Romanian reality, where LTLT approach can make a difference, motivating this way teachers to implement the method. I also tried to create a unitary strategy to connect LTLT with the other Arigatou International initiatives an I’m satisfied by the natural way they can be developed together, constituting an added value one for each other, increasing the impact on community .

How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)

For teachers in Bucharest we provide a mentorship programs going once a month in each class and facilitating a LTLT session with children, helping teachers to have a deeper understanding on the flexibility and unicity of the LTLT approach. For teachers outside Bucharest we provide free courses according with their needs, periodical projects proposals for consolidating the values nurtured in children and sharing best practices opportunities through FB group, AI platform and our periodical newsletter.

How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)

At professional level LTLT gave me self-confidence to build a consistent educational program and directions in my work to serve the others and make a difference in our community. At the personal level, offers me the opportunity to find each day more and more perspectives on the ethical values and more effective ways to apply it in my relationships. This developed my ability to solve problems, to have a more relevant communication with people and attracted valuable persons around me.

Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)

A strong role model shall include LTLT approach in his/her daily life, in the choices he/she makes every day, in the way he/she address different problems and the way he/she is able to build valuable relationships, based on authentic respect, openness and cooperation with the others. He /she is also a person who is knowing him/herself well, is not afraid to assume his/her limits and has enough flexibility to identify continuously the learning needs still have. Only working every day on building our ethical attitude, the role model can offer guidance to others.

Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)

I promoted LTLT in different conferences, seminars or meeting organized for teachers by different state or private institutions. I also promoted LTLT inside GNRC Europe network, as being an effective tool to achieve our objectives. However I consider the best promotion is to offer quality trainings were people may learn useful, practical ways to solve the real problems they face in schools or in their life. In this way, our teachers who participate to or LTLT courses become the best LTLT ambassadors.

Laura Molnar

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