Inside the project MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING TROUGH CVIC EDUCATION ON BOTH BANKS OF NISTRU, on the 23^rd of February current year, at the Educational Center PRO DIDACTICA, took place an ASSESSMENT CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS. The activity was organized thanks to an initiative which aims to improve the relationship and to establish peace for a long term in the Republic of Moldova, including the regions Transnistria and Gagauzia, by a piloting of an optional intercultural discipline “Culture for a good neighborhood”, which is applied this year to third graders, with financial support from BST (The Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation).
Initiated by the civil society, this project reunites NGOs, teachers, government and educational officials, in the qualitative implementation of this discipline in almost 30 schools with over 2000 children from all around Moldova with Romanian and Russian languages of instruction, strengthening tolerance and cooperation between different groups. Through the aims of the projects, the beneficiaries got involved in a common process for personal and professional development, in order to obtain new social skills for communication and intercultural cooperation; for the introduction of inovative methods for teaching-learning with a varied cultural content, increasing awareness of cultural diversity; mutual understanding and solidarity between the separated territories.
The partners of the project are the Center of Educational Inovations and Social Programs from Transnistria region, Tiraspol, the Center of Integration and Development from Ukraine, the Association „Global Partnerships for the Prevention Armed Conflicts” and the Swedish Institute for Peace and Arbitration from Sweden.
The approved curriculum by the Ministry of Education from the Republic of Moldova and the Workbook for intercultural education „Culture for a good neighborhood”, entitled We learn, we work and we rest together, offered to all the students for free, became a valuable didactic support, supporting involved teachers, which promote educational values for the edification of a responsible and democratic community, by respecting human rights of different cultures.
By being questioned, students involved in the pilot-projecta, appreciate what they learned in the following way: “What I like the most at this discipline was that we learn a lot of new and interesting things about our country, Moldova and its citizens, who are very different”, “I liked that we learned to help our neighbors, to respect each other.”; “We like that at this subject we talk freely, we draw, we color, we play more with each other and we are becoming better friends.” ; “We learn to evaluate our works, to work in groups, in teams, we sing and we draw.”
As an impact of the project, we expect the strengthening of relationships between territories through intercultural education, border cooperation between government agencies and civil society organizations. The sustainability of the project targets increasing the level of mutual trust of the population, efficient and constructive management of differences between divided communities, but also cultural awareness, intercultural communication of positive values at the initial stage,  so that the risk of conflicts would be reduced in the future. The abilities gained by students and teachers strengthen school culture and equal treatment of different minorities.

Project coordinator:

Viorica GORAŞ-POSTICĂ