Student Volunteering, a Modern Education Opportunities for Children from Disadvantaged Families

Due to the economic changes in Romania over the last two decades, many parents have gone to work abroad, preferring to send money home. Their children remained in the country, with grandparents or relatives. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in school dropouts over time. To help reduce it, Social Homes were built in underserved areas where children could eat, learn, and participate in extracurricular activities. The paper describes one such educational model, a project in Bucharest in which students from two universities participate actively over one academic year. To begin, some issues that arose during the activities are discussed, as well as how they were resolved. The mutual benefits for both students and children are emphasized. The advantages for each party involved in this project are also examined separately. Children are drawn to direct communication and approaches to topics other than school activities. They further their understanding of new concepts or participate in extracurricular activities. The projects completed as part of the program were successful. The paper ends with some conclusions and discussions about the educational program’s benefits and the possibility of extending it to homes with refugee children from Ukraine or orphans, as well as other areas.