Article about workshops in Romanian media

"Stop Labeling Yourself" in Dej

"Stop Labeling Yourself" - if not all people from Dej, at least those who have recently participated in the workshop "Stop Labeling Yourself!", respectively tenth grade students from "Al. Papiu Ilarian" high-school.

Organized by the "ASCU" Cluj and LAPI, the workshop was held by Alexandra Alexa, participating in January on a project bearing the same title, held in Vidrike, Estonia. That project was implemented by Seiklejate Vennaskond Association, the project was supported by "Youth in Action” programme of European Union, which brought together 21 young people from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Turkey and Hungary. ASCU Association, which was partner in "Stop Labeling Yourself!" project, organizes non-formal activities that promote learning through active participation and experimentation among children and young people in Cluj.

Welcomed with interest by the students, the workshop was all about defining stereotypes-trough  games and exercises, exploring and discovering their own prejudices related to different people in terms of social, financial and educational background; and discovering their own identities in relation to others. Discussions on the topics covered the differences between a man and a woman, the way a woman is seen in contemporary society, which are her competence as compared with man's – this was  probably the most exciting topic! This was also an excellent way to understand and learn about stereotypes and prejudices present in our everyday lives and to acknowledge and understand that these stereotypes can easily lead to discrimination. In fact, this was the purpose of the workshop, carried out in English, in the presence of Prof. Cornelia Platon, English professor and also the coordinator of the educational program "Adobe Youth Voices".

Although, to create stereotypes is a natural function of our brain, in order to simplify the complex reality, the results can be quite dangerous. Maintained by the media, stereotypes lead to prejudice and negative opinions about others and are usually major obstacles in communication. When acquired in childhood, they are very difficult to change and remain stubbornly in our minds, contributing to our perceptions and our behaviors. It is no surprise that people with low intelligence and knowledge are the most prejudiced.

Fortunately, people can change their stereotypes gradually over time, through education and higher learning, as they accumulate more experience, more knowledge and information.

M. Vaida

you can find the original article, written in Romanian, here:

http://www.dej.biz/sa-nu-ne-etichetam

http://www.ziarulfaclia.ro/„sa-nu-ne-etichetam”-la-dej/