Edulife Association

Mission and Vision
Edulife Association is a young non-profit organization from Craiova, S-W Oltenia region founded on the 1st of February 2013.

The mission of the Edulife Association is to develop and implement local, regional and international projects and programs focused on the personal and the professional development of adults, youth and children , in order for them to acquire essential skills of active citizenship through the use of creative, non-formal and formal methods.

The vision of the association is to become an active factor in the community to support young people and adults to develop their creative and flexible thinking, their intercultural communication skills, the digital literacy, the basic skills necessary for a successful integration into the local community and active participation in the modern society.

Activities
Edulife Association is divided into 7 departments: Projects and Partnerships, Adult and Youth Training, Volunteering , Media and Communication, Adults, Youth , Children and their activities are directed towards:
- promoting, implementing and coordinating activities that contribute to the community’s development in terms of educational, social, cultural, environmental, tourism, sports and religion fields ;
- developing the association as a resource center for adult education, youth and children in order to promote lifelong learning activities through formal and non-formal methods;
- supporting actions that promote social inclusion of vulnerable groups in partnership with the leading social actors in the community;
- improving the organization and the functioning of the civil society by identifying and promoting the European values

Local Projects
One of the local projects underwent was " Edulife Summer School- an alternative education center " - There have been 2 editions, one in 2013 and another one in 2014, through which were carried out educational activities during the summer.
In 2013,the first edition was attended by 25 children (8-14 years), involving volunteers (6) volunteer teachers (15), parents, grandparents
In 2014 , the second edition was attended by 2 groups of 20 children (8-14 years) coordinated by volunteers (8) and volunteer trainers (18) and a group of 20 high school students who have completed a Course on Career Development followed by a Course about Volunteer Management.
The project carried out under the motto “ We don’t select, we don’t exclude “ had a real positive impact being addressed to the children from two neighborhoods of Craiova, one central and one peripheral encompassing different types of remedial activities and educational courses, drawing, photography, dance, music for children under 14 and courses for high school students.

Regional Projects
A regional project entitled "If you want to learn, we support you!" was dedicated to students (7-14 years old) from rural areas near Craiova, to those living on the outskirts of the city or to those students belonging to different disadvantaged groups .The project’s aim was to reduce the danger of school dropout by stimulating their interest to go to school through their participation in various recreational activities.
The Association has facilitated from its own funds, for a total number of 120 students, to take part in a thematic trip and it has motivated them not to miss classes and to learn better, those 2 requirements being part for the selection criteria of their future participation in other activities of the association .

Multiregional Projects
Between March-November 2015 ,SOP HRD project "Stop school abandonment" aims to develop activities of "School after school" for 400 pupils at risk of abandoning school and "Second Chance" activities for 100 children who had already dropped out school from S-W Oltenia and West regions.

International Projects
Comenius Regio 2013-2015 - "A bridge to leadership" that aims to develop the ability of "leadership" through volunteering among young people. The Volunteers of the Association have actively participated both at the local actions and at the mobilities that took place in the partner’s country, Lithuania.
Grundtvig 2013-2015 project named "A suitcase for Europe" aimed at providing a cultural tour around Italy, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Portugal in order to learn from each partner country its traditions, customs, history, geography and lifestyle. More details at http://www.asuitecaseforeurope.com

KA 1 (2015-2016) " Organizational Development through European Projects". 4 trainers from the NGO have been trained at 3 international course : Encouraging Creative Thinking (Prague), Developing Efficient Communication Skills (Ljubljana), Digital Extra(Stockholm).

KA 2 (2016-2018) Strategic Partnership Project " The development of transversal skills by promoting New Educations". The project proposes a new approach in the development of transversal competencess, by implementing the concept of “New Educations” through the acquisition of knowledge and skills relating to some of the New Educations: Education for the environment, peace, health, democracy, communication and mass-media, entrepreneurship, civic,leisure, personal development with partners from Croatia,Poland, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Belgium,Romania.

Courses
Adult and Youth Training Department has conducted 7 training sessions in 3 counties for 120 adults and youths on the topic " LLP Comenius / Grundtvig Mobility " and "Erasmus + Mobility”.
In the Volunteering Department, 12 volunteers were trained during the courses of "Volunteer Management "and "Personal Development" and they have applied what they have learned also in projects like "Edulife Summer School" and "A bridge to leadership ".