Insights from the Steering Group Meeting in Bucharest – 28-30 October 2024
At the end of October, a steering group meeting took place in Bucharest, bringing together partners from the three countries to discuss the development of the Butterfly model.
Over the course of three days, participants shared their findings from Work Package 2 (WP2), focusing on analyses, innovative ideas, and practical tools related to the model. The collaboration fostered a rich exchange of insights, setting the stage for the next phase of the project.
In the vidoes below, you will find the reflections that the participants made based on the meeting.
National workshop in Bucharest, September 10th 2024
On Tuesday, September 10, a national workshop was organized as part of the Butterfly project. The 38 participants included parents, practitioners, and experts in early childhood education, the Ministry of Education, local authorities (The General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection from sectors 3 and sector 6), NGOs, specialists in therapies for children with special educational needs (SEN), and others.
The analysis of policies and practices highlighted that the transition from family to early childhood education institutions is not sufficiently represented, and services and resources are not integrated. The Butterfly model was analysed, and based on this, the participants proposed ideas to support the transition of children in vulnerable situations into early childhood education institutions. Using components and values promoted by the Butterfly model, participants discussed problems and offered solutions for families, staff preparation, the transition from the children’s perspective, and community resources. During group discussions, culturally sensitive tools were proposed.
The teams from the three institutions participating in the project – Lizuca Day Center, Protagonists in Education, and the University of Bucharest (Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences) – are excited about the new ideas and are ready to test them.
At the end of October 2024, the University of Bucharest is organizing a meeting with all the partners involved in the project. The tools selected in each country will be tested and adapted for the contexts of Romania, Denmark, and Spain, as part of the training course developed by VIA University College, the University of Bucharest, and the University of Seville.
Presentation of the The Butterfly Project by Professor Beatriz Macías Gómez-Estern, ph.d.
At an Erasmus Meeting Generation event 2024 at the Pablo de Olavide University, Sevilla Spain, Professor Beatriz Macías Gómez-Estern, ph.d., made a presentation of the The Butterfly project. Beatrice is the national coordinator in Spain of the project. In the presentation Beatrice starts with reflections about how international activities can have a great impact on you both from a professional and personal perspective. Thereafter she makes a description of the Butterfly project in English.
Kick-off at VIA in Aarhus
The Butterfly project started on 11-12.23 the three-year project period, which focuses on the transition from family to ECEC institution for children in vulnerable situations.
The project’s participants from 8 nurseries, 3 universities and 1 NGO met in VIA in Aarhus, Denmark. In addition to discussing the project’s fundamental values and objectives and making concrete agreements about the upcoming tasks, the Romanian, Spanish and Danish participants visited two nurseries in Aarhus.
The next meeting is planned in Bucharest, Romania, October 2024.
