Bag of affection

After the students had identified and chosen the problem (Lack of food in the neediest families in the group), something that made us proud as teachers, since we found that our students had the ability to understand and identify the weaknesses of some of his colleagues, inserted in a deprived family context, we proceeded to the survey of possible solutions for the collection of foodstuffs with a view to the elaboration of capable of Christmas, to be distributed for these families. The students were immediately involved, presenting the most diverse solutions, such as: making a collection and donating food and clothing that they no longer needed. However, they quickly realized that their ideas would not be enough to help the greatest number of needy families. Thus, and based on this awareness demonstrated by the students themselves, they were presented with the possibility of establishing partnerships with other identities, in order to receive more consistent help for the development of the project. This novelty reassured the students who immediately began to think about possible partnerships that could be made, following the guidelines of the teachers who helped them to validate their choices and make them understand which partners would be achievable for the type of project they wanted. was being developed. After some debates between the students involved and the teachers responsible for the project, it was decided that partnerships would be made with the Parents Association, with the City Council, with the parish of Camarate, with the GAAF (Student and Family Support Office ), with several teachers from the group and with teachers from a Zumba school. Partners were invited and contacted for a face-to-face meeting, where the economic weaknesses of some families in the group were presented and possible ways of helping them were discussed. From this brainstorming, the mode of operation was decided and how each partner could contribute to this solidarity project. So it was decided that the parents' association would carry out a solidary collection of food through the organization of a zumba solidarity class, with certified zumba teachers who are part of the parents' association, whose entry value would be food goods to be reverted in favor of of our grouping. The city council offered to provide a stage, where the zumba class could be held, and even offered to print all the activity's promotional posters in color, for greater publicity of the event. The representative of the local parish, which already had a solidarity action in progress, also centered on the collection of food goods, undertook to offer the group the goods that he managed to collect with his solidarity action, he also undertook to promote activity with their parishioners. GAAF, represented by one of those responsible for the implementation of our project, was responsible for identifying the most needy families and for helping in the design of all the baskets that could be assigned and some of the teachers in the group volunteered to make cakes, snacks and other delicacies to be sold on the day of the Zumba class, the value of which would be converted into food items to make up, even more, the baskets we wanted. From this meeting it was decided that the partnership would last long enough for each one to fulfill their part, a factor that did not invalidate, at any time, the participation of the partners throughout the entire project.
After meeting and distributing the tasks to each of the partners, we started working to develop the project within the established deadlines, since our goal was centered on Christmas, so that we could provide greater comfort to our most needy families. In this way, and with the date of the zumba class already chosen, November 30th, we started to design the posters, to promote the event. Some students, with more ease in using ICT, were asked to join the visual education teacher, one of the teachers responsible for this project, in order to design the posters. As a group, the teacher and the students developed an appealing and instructive poster with the activity, the date of the activity, the entrance fee and the sponsorship obtained for the development of the zumba class. After approval of the poster, by the students and teachers involved in the project, a request was made to the Parish Council of Camarate, Unhos and Appeal, as agreed at the meeting, to print the poster in color. The Chamber provided the school with a satisfactory amount of posters, which were distributed to all the schools in the group, at various strategic points in Camarate and even posted in the local parish church. With this disclosure we believe that we have managed to sensitize more people to join our cause. The Poster and all the advertising and development of the activity was publicized on the GAFF Facebook page, a page that has a lot of visibility among our educational community. With the Zumba class already scheduled, the poster approved and its advertising in progress, we contacted the teachers who volunteered to design sweets, snacks and others for the donation of their delicacies which, as agreed, were sold during the class from Zumba. On the day of the Zumba class, the parents' association and the project's dynamic teachers gathered at the school in the group that hosted this event to organize the spaces used. The space where the class took place, the space where the food items were kept and, finally, the space where the sales of the delicacies offered by the teachers took place. The class went on as normal, several guardians, some of the students of the volunteer zumba teachers and even some fellow teachers from the school showed up. The guests, as requested, were accompanied by various foodstuffs, which were donated to the school and, even before, during and at the end of the class, they purchased our products, being aware that their value reverted to foodstuffs . As a way of acknowledging the help provided, the school management offered the zumba teachers a certificate of gratitude for their noble attitude in offering their services to our group.
In the following days, after the Zumba class, the teachers responsible for the project separated the food items into categories. And, with the money raised from the sale of sweets and snacks, they made a list of missing essentials and went shopping. It was taken into account that in addition to food products, these families also needed hygiene and cleaning products. Thus, a large part of the money reverted to the purchase of these goods, since we were able to collect a lot of food, not only with the Zumba class, but, as agreed with the local parish, we received donations from parishioners, we also received goods food from fellow teachers who, for various reasons, did not attend the Zumba class, however did not fail to make their contribution. To this end, an explanatory poster of the project was created and a box was left in the teachers' room where these colleagues could, whenever they wanted, place their contributions.

With the purchases made, the needy families identified and the food goods separated by categories, the project mentors proceeded to create Christmas baskets, this activity took some time, as we were careful in separating food goods and hygiene products, something that always took into account the number of households. After the baskets were made and properly stored, we had the help of the students to make calls to the families benefiting from this aid. Something that got the students excited, as they realized the responsibility they had in their hands. The distribution of the baskets was also carried out in partnership with the students, and the teachers previously raised awareness among the students involved, so that they understood that these families are fragile and that every action must be treated with the utmost care. maximum respect and secrecy due to it. The distribution of the baskets took place in the penultimate week of classes and it was satisfying for everyone involved in the project to see how these families gladly received the goods that were assigned to them.
In addition to the food collected, something that has always been our main objective, we started by receiving various types of clothing along with food. Receiving clothes came naturally, we received clothes from various elements of the educational community, from various elements of the parish and even from the parents' association. Taking into account the amount of goods received and in order not to condition the delivery of food baskets, in time for Christmas, we left the issue of clothes to be dealt with in early January. Now calmer and recovered from all the hustle and bustle of the baskets, the teachers and students began sorting the clothes, by gender, age and condition. After this separation was completed, the GAAF, once again, identified a set of more disadvantaged families to whom these clothes were distributed. Families were notified again and, as expected, they showed up at the school to receive our sincere contribution so that they could have, in some way, some more comfort.