On 25 March, for the 16th time, we took part in a Social Friday Activity with our long-term partners, the Daycare Centre for street children in Suto Orizari, Skopje. We made a visit with the kids to the Zoo in Skopje, accompanied by a zoo guide, from which they had a chance to learn all about the animals and their habits.
Social Friday is a global initiative happening every quarter of the year, and its vision is for everyone to make their impact and help someone in need. Our team is a regular participant in the Social Friday initiative, where we choose to use the unproductive working hours on Friday and get involved in society. Which is the whole point of this wonderful initiative. There are plenty of ways you and your team can join and support this initiative. All you need to do is do a little research, find a local organization that needs help, support, or means and help them in any way you can.
The visit was truly wholesome! The kids found out all about the animals living in the zoo from our guide, asked questions and had fun. Anita, their English teacher, also joined us on the trip. Remember when we were looking for an English teacher for the kids to overcome their language barriers and communicate more freely? Well, we find the right one! Anita is an inspiring person, a truly dedicated teacher that guides the kids throughout their English learning journey. We got a chance to discuss their improvement and the opportunities that together we can make for these kids. They managed not only do they learn new words through all kinds of learning forms, but they are now open to communicating with simple and short sentences.
“Cause their attention is on a low level, I started first by playing games and songs with nursery rims. I found out that this method is catching their attention the most. After this, I would draw something that would lead them of learning some important words, and they would draw and paint it too. When I found out that they were more focused, I would teach them grammar by explaining how the sentence is pronounced correctly. We are repeating the material more often so they can remember what they have learned. Mainly I speak in English to them, but in the beginning, it has been difficult for them (of course, I’ve been helping them to understand), and now they are open to communicating with simple and short words.”
Besides the fantastic fun the kids have in the ZOO running around, seeing different kinds of animals, their different perspective of noticing the different sounds, shapes, and behaviour of the animals makes them explore and imagine more. That motivates them to ask even more questions, be curious and discover new things. One of the top educational benefits of visiting the zoo is improving their speech, and language skills and developing their senses.
Despite that, this visit helps the children be more aware of the environment. The unfortunate fact is that not many kids have the opportunity to connect with nature and the biological world around them. So this was a great chance for them to be out there and explore the natural world.
None of us can change the world alone, but our small actions can inspire others to follow our way and positively impact our society and the planet. The Social Friday initiative is not just about making you feel good and improving your company image; it’s way more meaningful than that. It’s a way to donate your time to society and the environment and invest in a better life for everyone. Read more about the Social Friday initiative and its vision here, get inspired and join us for the next event on the 24th of June.
Small steps, big impact!
References:
https://breon.ch/en/blog_post/the-importance-and-benefits-of-giving-back-to-your-community
