The Youth Media Center, in partnership with the SOIR Representative Office in Moldova, have launched a nationwide campaign to sensitize the people to the problems faced by the children with special educational needs (SENs). The campaign with the slogan “From SENs to success” will last by this yearend. A video spot will be broadcast within it at local and national TV channels.
In a news conference at IPN, Youth Media Center director Veronica Boboc said that many children with SENs cannot yet benefit from the rights to education and socialization and cannot do the things the other children do despite the reforms done in the area of inclusion. For many children with SENs, going to school is a dream. “We want to sensitize the people to the needs of these children as they were treated with compassion and nobody motivated them to assert themselves, to say what they think and what they can do. The inclusion of these children and young people depends on our perception of this category of children,” stated Veronica Boboc.
The campaign will include a number of events. The first will be staged in the central park of Chisinau on September 13. Entitled “Dance for success”, it will involve children and young people with SENs and not only. The local activities will include discussions with the local public authorities to identify problems at the local level and solutions to them.
“Last year, a girl said in a training seminar that her greatest wish is for her father to have a car by which to take her to school, as she cannot go to school because the road is too long, and she is impatiently waiting for the two days of the week when the teacher comes to their place to teach her lessons. Another boy with special educational needs said Monday is the most important weekday for him as he goes to school on this day,” stated Veronica Boboc.
She also said that through the agency of this campaign civil society aims to launch an open dialogue with the local administration and to encourage local decision makers to develop policies and find solutions for children with SENs.
