Social and Emotional Education: the arts as a foundation for a healthy personal development in childhood

9 May 2009 – Timişoara, Romania

The European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education, in collaboration with the Romanian Waldorf Federation and the Rudolf Steiner Foundation-Timişoara will be hosting a conference on “Social and Emotional Education: the arts as a foundation for a healthy personal development in childhood.” The conference is funded with the support of the European Union’s Jean Monnet Programme.

The social and emotional well being of a high percentage of Romanian children is at risk because of the separation caused by the emigration of their parents. The conference will look at the healing power of the arts in creating bridges; the role of schools in not only transmitting knowledge and learning, but supporting the psychological, emotional and social development of children, especially at times of need.
In Steiner schools, artistic expression is considered the children’s main vehicle for self development.
The Steiner Waldorf curriculum includes many artistic subjects, all having equal status and underpinning the academic subjects.

An International Analysis in 2008 on Social and Emotional Education was led by Christopher Clouder, ECSWE CEO. The analysis gathers the different initiatives being taken in UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and USA in mainstream and alternative schools on this theme and highlights the role of the arts.
Through the conference ECSWE would like to share this expertise and best practice with a wider public in a country which could benefit from this approach, with the hope that the transfer of these practices could tackle some of the challenges of children’s wellbeing in Romania.

Click here to learn more about this event.