ESC: Volunteering in a Waldorf School of Pécs, Hungary

About the Lions’ service in general: Lions Clubs International is an international religion free, non-political service organization founded in 1917. It has over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members in over 200 countries around the world. The main aim is to meet the needs of communities on a local and global scale. The discussion of politics and religion is forbidden. The Lions motto is "We Serve." In Hungary there is a Union for the Lions Clubs with 40 independent organisations including our association. Every organisations can define their charitable aims, choose the target groups and the fields of the activities according the needs of their local communities. In the life of the Local Lions Clubs important the community service and the community building. Our organization (Pécs-Normandia Lions Club) was founded in 1992. We have a local volunteer community helping our activities. Our aims in general - supporting socially disadvantaged people and children - providing accommodation for sick childrens’ parents who are threated in Pécs - operating a day care for the underpriviliged students - educating children who need help to catch up in the school - educating talented young people - supporting Hungarians living in the neigboring countries - preserving natural values of our city - organising summer camps We would like to strengthen our communities cultural, sporting and leisure events as well. Our club has 2 permanent activities in our social and childcare institution called LIONS House: 1) We have been maintaining a free accommodation for those parents, whose children are threated with leuchaemia and tumour. The parents, and temporalily their children can stay there for free during the period of the medical threatment. We started this activity with 2 beds in 1994, and after continuous expansions nowadays we have an accomodation with 10 rooms and 28 beds and we are able to host the sick children's parents from every department of the Children's Clinic of Pécs. (target group: families outside from Pécs with seriously sick children, who can't afford to pay for accomodation during the long healing process) 2) In the other buildingwing of the LIONS House we have our other main activity called LIONS School Alternative Daycare, which is highly relevant to the ESC project: This activity covers the underpriviliged student's free daily supply and coaching (since 2010). Beyond the homework completion the children working in small groups, are able to acquire foreign – english and german – languages in playful circumstances. We use competency-based education, with developing their skills and their determenation to be able to become succesful responsible adults. (target group: 10-15 years old underpriviliged children, children with lack of motivation) In summertime the LIONS school transforms to the „Tracing in the city” camp, where the children roaming in the city and playfully getting acquainted with the built and natural treasures of Pécs. To this camp we invite other hungarian children across the border to unite them in Pécs. (target group: underpriviliged hungarian children across the border) Beside these camps, in Augusts we help the primary school’s children in preparation to pass their re-take exam at the end of the month, so they can enter the next class. (target group: 10-15 years old underpriviliged children, children with lack of motivation) Beyond our constant activities, we have regular programs in every year: - We organize charity concerts, dinner evenings - to finance the LIONS House - We organize charity clothing fairs (target group: people in need) - We organize free performances and exhibitions (target group: people who are interested in culture) - We orgainze conferences with civil, social, educational health and international relations topic. (target group: the professionals of these scenes) - We support and host ESC volunteers making the children's life in our daycare more colourful and help the volunteers to develope their key competences.