Campaign “Let Growing Up Be a Child’s play”

In Croatia, the segment of pre-school education is the most neglected – according to UNICEF data, as many as 70% of children in rural areas do not pass the so-called ” small school, ie pre-school programs, and just the Society Our children in local communities are rarely carriers of such activities. In order to help with the DNDs efforts to engage in such activities, NIVEA and partner SAvez Company, our children have created a new program called Bajkaonica, free, educational and organized activities for preschool children and children from 1st to 4th of January. of elementary school grades and equipping a special corner for realization of this program. The main theme of the program is narration, and through story and narrative children learn about the world around themselves, interact and play with each other, develop social-cognitive skills and stimulate them to think.

The starting point of the Bajkaonica program is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. “Bajkaonica” as a specific non-institutional program of education for children of pre-school and younger age is a contribution to the realization of a number of rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is the starting point for the work of the Alliance of DND: the right of the child to play, creative expression, time, acquisition of literacy, right to information and presentation of their own opinion, quality leisure, culture and art and support for parents in upbringing children.

The communication strategy was based on linking with the strategic partner of the Association of Our Children (NGO and Humanitarian Association, which brings together 96 companies Our children across Croatia, who in many cities and municipalities of Croatia are the only place where children can spend their time playing, creative activities and sports) and the implementation of this multilayered project by combining PR and digital activities over a long period of time, focusing on cooperation with NGO partners, national coverage, education and creativity, full potential of children, and continuous communication with three key stakeholders – the public, the general public and the media.

The project started with volunteer education, with two educational programs: narration (techniques, methods of “building” the story) and stage / drama performances – speech exercises, gestures, mimics, tone of voice, production of accompanying narrative props. The introductory education of the first Bajkaonica program leaders was entrusted to the pedagogues: Jasni Held, a professional narrator of folk tales and tales, Ksenia Rožman, drama pedagogue and program manager at the Ribnjak Youth Center, Zvjezdana Baliji, puppet, drama pedagogue and educator.

It was presented to the public at the beginning of September on a relaxed social gathering where the main theme of the project was incredible ease of narrative by the top narrator Zijah Sokolovic and introduced the media into a magical world of stories by explaining to them the importance of preserving storytelling for the development of identity, creativity and creative potential of the child. A project website and a creative contest were also presented. I’m talking to you this story. In the realization of the project, general goals have been achieved such as promoting and ensuring the rights of children to creativity and creativity for children and positioning NIVEA as a socially responsible family care home.

Specific goals have been achieved in the form of continued cooperation with a credible NGO partner, a greater number of volunteers have been educated who will continue to transfer knowledge, an expert public is involved and a process of verification of the program has been initiated at the Education and Training Agency, a Handbook for narrators as a tool which allows for further program sustainability, includes a large number of families in Croatia, Bajkaonice for Children and Parents in DNDs in the Month of Narration, a project website was activated, a wider public was engaged in the web contest, 150 illustrated picture books were created as a lasting legacy of the DND project and positive media coverage was achieved through which key project messages were transmitted.

For the purpose of the implementation of this project, the Bajkaonica educational program, which is a valuable non-institutional program, has been conceived, which, by launching the process of verifying the programs by the Education Agency, is given the possibility of long-term sustainability and the possibility of implementation throughout Croatia, including the Society of Our Children, , libraries and public spaces. Research shows that the involvement of a child and an individual in artistic processes is developed in every child / individual by the meaning of creativity and initiative, rich imagination, emotional intelligence and moral compass, the ability of critical thinking, the sense of independence and freedom of thought and action, and the Bajkaonica “is an artistic process that encourages the child to do so.