We have had perhaps a more successful year than ever before, as we have reached more children with our educational activities. Before the start of the school year there was a lot of interest in our activities, so we decided to expand our team.

In Tirgu Mures, we managed to organise activities at all educational levels, from kindergarten to university. We also had regular activities in institutions in the municipalities near the city. We have participated in various events in the counties of Mures, Harghita, Cluj, Brasov and Bihor, where we have presented natural values to children. Our activities are based on experiential pedagogical methods and thus the cognitive knowledge of the participants is enriched with personal experiences. Bird-song walks, guided activities to detect subtle differences between species, the soft touch of an owl’s feather, exploring essential oils of plants, all target their senses and leave a deep impression on our students.

Regular activities are extremely important, since we have the opportunity to return to the same group and build their knowledge step by step. And also, it is a great feeling to see the excitement of the children when we meet again. However, we also believe that one-time activities are successful in raising awareness of the importance and beauty of nature.

It would be difficult to list all the institutions and enthusiastic educators who support our work. On one occasion, even as a professional, we were surprised to find a woodpecker burrow or a nest of a warbler on a walk with the children in one of our excursions. Also noteworthy is Green Week, when we reached 650 students. A memorable event was the Living Library event in the town of Miercurea Ciuc, where we presented our activities to curious high school students.

Here is the 2023-2024 school year in numbers: 

• 53 regular groups, with more than 700 children in attendance;
• 97 occasional groups with 1,750 children
• we participated as invited participants in 6 events;
• we organised the first Participatory Walk for adults
• we led 4 birdsong walks;
• 12 excursions organised, breaking the record for outings organised in a year;

We can’t say we are resting during the summer holidays, as we are preparing for the Milvus nature camp, which we are organising for the fourth time at the Apáthy István Association’s Education and Research Centre in Senetea, a very special place where participants can learn about rare plants. This is not only an important place for flora, as it is an important bird sanctuary. For this reason, participants can get to know many species, even rare breeding species such as the Common rosefinch. 

In closing, we would like to recall a phrase uttered by a 10-year-old girl during a trip to Rigmani: “When I grow up, I will save animals”.