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Framework of activities of Children's Club of Freiends i Warsaw

Children Club of Fiends in Warsaw was started by "Diamond" in 1998 in the Praga South district. Praga is the most neglected part of Warsaw. The majority of the inhabitants are from pathological and dysfunctional families. That makes Praga a very dangerous district. There are few places for children and youth to spend their free time. That is why children and young people regularly smoke, drink alcohol and take drugs.

 

We decided to place our activity in such an environment. We called the club Children's Club of Friends . In this way we want to indicate friendship as the basis to build good relations with others. It is important in the environment where aggression and violence and communication by screaming is something natural. Our aim is to show other patterns. We also want to teach them acceptance for other people by our daily attitudes and relationships with children who come from different homes. Most importantly, we want to encourage them to base their life on God.

Children's Club of Friends is situated in three rooms with a total area of 85 sq. meters. The club is equipped with many toys, games and teaching aids. There is also a computer, piano, tape recorder, ping-pong table, microwave oven, etc.

Activities for school children make up the main program of the club. They are conducted from Monday to Friday from 3p.m until 7pm. Each day the children take part in typical club activities such as board games, sports, computer games, preparation of meals, crafts, and doing homework with the help of tutors. Each day from 6pm until 7pm, the following classes are offered:

English for beginners
English for lower intermediates
A theater workshop
Piano and music lessons
Art and crafts

Each day the children get hot meals, sandwiches and fruit. There happen also to be sweets.

In all the activities, 55 children and youth participate weekly. The age of the participants is between 5 and 19 years. It is very big age span. It results from the fact that in the year 2001 for the first time we decided to find a place and time for young people, because they have not had their own place for meeting and talking about their concerns. Most often they just stand in the gates and staircases where it is very easy to get drugs and alcohol, and smoke cigarettes. It is a great challenge for us. We wonder how to develop this work, where to find a better location and money for activities for them. Among those young people there are some elder siblings of the children who come to our day club.

Besides daily activities there have also been special programs. Among them are those conducted by friends of ChEC "Diamond" from abroad: USA, Wales and Australia. In this way we organized "Day of Texas", "Day of Wales", "Day of Australia". The program included customs of that nation, games, meals and gifts from a given country. There were also other events concerning such occasions as Child's Day, the end of the school year, Andrew's holiday, Christmas Eve and birthdays of particular children. Besides games, competitions, theater performances and gifts there were also occasional meals. Some of them were held in restaurants like KFC, some were pizzas ordered in. We wanted to give those children who live in poverty the feeling that they can also spend time in such places, where children from wealthy families are taken. They can also have their dreams fulfilled.

With our own means, we organized a playground in the neighborhood of the day club which is accessible to all children. We also made a parking lot.

BANK ACCOUNT:
Bank PEKAO S.A. Al.Jerozolimskie 65/79, 00-950 Warszawa, POLAND
SWIFT CODE: PKOPPLPW
Chrześcijańskie Centrum Edukacyjne "Diament"
23 1240 1066 1111 0000 0006 3946