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Presentation of the organization
The Talentum Foundation was established in 1992, being initiated by a group of 28 members, mainly teachers, educators, artists and psychologists. Its aim was to discover, promote and direct children with special needs (talented in music, visual arts, mathematics, philology, biology) towards special classes of the respective profile, especially helping children coming from families without the possibility to offer them the necessary support. The foundation has been working as a legal person since 23 March 1993.
Experience has proven the need to enlarge the foundation's activities. In 1995 - besides the special programs of talent promotion - we started a psychological program of personality development (addressing children with behavior problems and integration difficulties). Later, in 1998, we started a special program for children with learning difficulties. Since 1999 there is a psychology cabinet within the framework of the foundation.
The more and more prominent social polarization of the Romanian society as well as the members' convictions have determined us to direct our activities towards the most disadvantaged children, namely talented children at risk coming from families with serious social problems. Developing the aptitudes and talents of these children is our responsibility.
In 2000 we started a special program for children in crisis situation: A chance for those with no chance - a group of 10 children with good intellectual capacity and special abilities in a difficult situation.
The group has grown quickly, there have been many requests and we realized that many talented children are at risk. In the 2001 school year 15 children were the beneficiaries of this program.
The problems of these children and their families are most complex. A lot of activities and programs are needed to retrieve the deficiencies of the environment these children are coming from:
· involving the families by starting some psychological programs
· contacting the children's teachers
· offering social support for the whole family.
Since the 2002-2003 school-year the efficiency and professionalism of the services offered to this category has grown due to the financial support obtained (the CRESC program financed by the Princess Margaret Foundation of Romania, collaborations with local organizations, some physical and legal persons' contribution, incomes of the foundation's self-sustaining activities).
The interventions of the foundation have enlarged in four directions:
1. Group of support for children (23 children)
2. Group of support for the families of the 23 children
3. Services of social assistance, that make the link between family-educational institution-Talentum Foundation.
4. Social support - parcels with food (monthly), meals during the activities, school supplies, clothes, etc.
Since 1995 the activities have been performed at the foundation's own headquarters, a house with a yard in a quiet area of the city. As a result of the arrangements done, we have three large rooms for different activities, a gymnasium/dancing room, a small office and annexes. Adapting the entrance of the building to the access of children and young people with locomotor handicap has been important because there are some activities organized together with partner organizations that support persons with locomotor handicap.
To enlarge the field of activities organized by the foundation, to increase the number of supported children and the number of rooms, we are going to dispose the attic for which we already have the construction plan.
