Pedibus programme - Walk to your school! Our city, our responsibility!
The Municipality of Sfântu Gheorghe is encouraging families and children to walk to school as one of the safest, healthiest and most enjoyable ways to start their mornings. Children participating in the programme meet at predetermined times and collection points, from where they walk to school accompanied by adults. The programme is a volunteer-led group initiative to encourage school children aged 6-10 to walk to school every morning.
Local
Romania
Municipality of Sfântu Gheorghe, Covasna County
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-05-17
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Municipaity of Sfantu Gheorghe Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Kincső Last name of representative: Székely Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: Local councillor responsible for health and social activities. Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 1 Decembrie 1918, 2 Town: Sfântu Gheorghe Postal code: 520008 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 744 830 819 E-mail:kincso.szekely@sepsi.ro
The programme of the Municipality of Sfântu Gheorghe, called "Pedibus", was launched on 17 May 2021, with the aim of encouraging school children aged 6-10 to walk to school. Physical activity and regular exercise improves academic performance and social skills, as well as emotional control and self-confidence. As fewer students walk to school and more students take the car with their parents, this not only reduces independence and activity, but also increases air pollution around school areas as the number of cars increases. This provides an alternative approach to transport kids between schools and their homes and increases physical activity among pupils. Each week, children are accompanied to school by a different adult, a "bus driver" as we call them (athletes, actors, politicians, teachers, doctors, heads of institutions, representatives of NGOs and associations, etc.). The timetable will follow predefined routes, departing each morning from the yellow-marked collection points, where volunteers will be waiting for the children, each group being accompanied by two adults.
There are currently 10 routes, and at the start of the programme there were only 3, which have been expanded over the months as demand has been growing.
When the programme was first launched, 60 children took part on the first day, which we managed to double after a year.
In a year and a half, more than 1,000 chaperones have participated in the programme, with a maximum number of participants exceeding 220 in one morning. We organised 58 weeks from May 2021.
physical activity
community
learning
health
individuality
The programme was launched in the spirit of environmental awareness, it is in harmony with nature. It has reduced traffic, there are fewer cars at the schools in the morning and nonetheless air pollution is reduced as well. A very good system has been developed, because as children grow they can walk not only to school but also home. The programme is also a great way to teach traffic rules, as children who have been walking since primary school have the opportunity to learn the rules of the road while walking (colours of traffic lights, what colour serves what purpose, correct use of crossings, selfawereness and awareness of one’s surroundings). It has grown into a great community-building programme. Over the past year and a half, a large Pedibus family has been formed. The children have quickly got used to having a new chaperone take them to school every week. At the same time, parents trust the volunteers. During morning walks, children learn to separate from their parents by meeting new children. Thus the child feels more "grown up" and independent. Experience shows that children who were more introverted in nature became more open and friendly after repeatedly riding the "bus."
First of all, before starting the programme we created a Pedibus logo which will appear as a communication item in the future. It was important to create a child-friendly, personalised logo to make the programme appealing to children, parents and teachers. The logo was used as an easily recognisable marker at the collection points of the routes. Using a cut-out template, we applied it to the roadway with a tabletop spary to make it clearly visible to all children and adults. Immediately after designing the logo, we created a personalised "Pedibus" photo frame, which the children love to use for all their group photos. The small portable bus has windows for children to peek out of. The wheels of the bus are, of course, the feet of walking children.
The yellow minibus logo also appears on the volunteers' T-shirts, which will help children feel safe on their way to school. The person with the yellow T-shirt will identify their companion.
To keep the children motivated, since the start of the programme, we have rewarded them with yellow stickers every morning, which they can collect in a sticker album. Once a certain number of yellow stickers have been collected, the children can redeem them for cool prizes, like key holder/bookmark, mug, umbrella, backpack, or wheeled bag. We have given each child a timetable for the start of school, and we want to extend the programme with new useful prizes. The logo, as an identity element, is also very nicely reflected on the prizes, making the children feel special and part of something unique, special.
There were special moments, like the 1st birthday of Pedibus, when the children started the day with a morning exercise together with the organisers, local politicians and after the exercise they were treated with healthy muffins. Or when Santa Claus greeted the children with a bag full of presents. And lastly, when they were delighted by the local football team's, Sepsi OSK, mascot.
Participation in the programme is free and fully funded by the municipality. There is no limit at all on who can apply to be a chaperone, or how many children can participate. Several age groups are involved: parents, children, people in different jobs, pensioners. There is no language restrictions, as we have both Hungarian and Romanian speaking pupils, it is a great opportunity to learn from each other. Through Pedibus they can learn new foreign words that they might not have learned at school.
It was also important for us to make the programme more visible and popular with the public. After the programme was set up, we held a press conference to inform the residents of Sfântu Gheorghe about the initiative. Programme coordinators also provided information about the routes, collection points, the exact process of how to get started every morning and how to volunteer. We felt it was important to promote the programme not only offline but also online, so we appeared on several local radio programmes. We created a Facebook page, which is an easy way to update the parents, volunteers about any changes, news. Most importantly, building a volunteer network was crucial, without them the system could not work. Each week there are different volunteers, so we coordinate them, keep in touch with them continuously. It is also a possibility that new volunteers join the team, so this requires some reorganization from time to time.
This project could move everyone in the city. By promoting the project the parents are going to be interested, as this is a huge help for them. For the children it is simply a funnier way to start the day, while they are developing on multiple levels on their way to school. The volunteers are motivated to do something unique in the city, to have to do extra exercise and to do something for the community. Participate in the life of the place where they live, to express solidarity by showing interest in solving problems affecting the local and wider community and by taking part in problem-solving.
The programme itself is financed by the local government, and the project coordinators are members of the local council. The other stakeholders participate by offering their “service” as volunteers. Initially, the weeks were themed, like: doctors' week, police officers' week, teachers' week, folk dancers’ week, priests’ week, entrepreneurs’ week, etc. Doing this we could coordinate them easily, and it creates a cycle, thus everybody can organise their weeks besides this programme. Their engagement is essential, but fortunately they are persistent, enthusiastic and are willing to help, participate. Last year the Covasna County Council employees participated the most.
The creators of the programme are active in the fields of sociology, mental health and pedagogy. They have designed and created the programme according to their knowledge. Taking into account the needs of the community and the impact of the project. The programme is a major source of informal learning for children and adults. Developing competences is a very important principle in our overall education and this programme provides an excellent opportunity to do so. First and foremost, in the area of interpersonal competencies, which include all the behaviours that individuals need to acquire in order to be able to participate effectively and constructively in society. During the programme, by getting to know each other, talking to each other, helping each other (the older ones looking after the little ones), observing traffic rules, our young pupils acquire very important knowledge and at the same time a valuable attitude is formed.
Health preservation is also a key part of this programme. The earlier the need for it develops, the more sustainable it becomes. The children arrive at school happy and cheerful. Time spent in the fresh air has a positive effect on learning.
The benefits of the programme are not only an excellent opportunity for children and parents, but also for the volunteers involved in the programme. They are given the opportunity to become involved citizens. At the same time, effective interaction with public institutions also builds relationships and trust. It develops attitudes such as a sense of belonging to one's place of residence. An interest in voluntary civic engagement, supporting social diversity and social cohesion are important principles for a citizen. The programme offers an excellent way to acquire these attitudes.
"Pedibus" brings the people of the city together. As mentioned previously, participating in this program gives a feeling of belonging. The children gets to know their town, or at least the route between home and school. The parents let their children out into the "big world" and let their children to be more independent. Volunteers experience the feeling of being part of a positive initiative. This is also supported by the feedback received from participants, and by the enquiries from other municipalities, as several Mayor's Offices in the area have been motivated to launch the similar programme. Most of the participants highlighted the importance of physical activity not only for the children but for the adults who do a sedentary job. They called the programme a wonderful experience to meet children and get to know them a little, and see how honest, curious and joyful they are. It's great to see the adult-child relationships that develop during the programme. Sometimes a chaperone becomes emotionally attached to a child, especially if they see that they have a difficult family situation. One example was a collection for a little boy who received used, warm shoes and clothes. Therefore, it is safe to say that "Pedibus" became very popular and well known in the area, so we are sure that it will continue in the future.
Pedibus is the first programme of its kind in Romania. In response to our positive example, we have received several inquiries from all over the country, from small to large cities, about the programme. Three of them have already launched the programme, although with fewer passengers, but it is up and running. During meetings, where we exchanged experiences with other experts, we got the impression that we established a unique project in the country. We also presented the programme to students at the Active Hungary Conference in Siófok, Hungary. The feedback also showed that while it works very well in our city, unfortunately in other cities the results are not so positive and far fewer children participate. This also shows the mentality of our city.
First and foremost, we needed to create a structure that would create the kind of cycle that would help us do our work. We had to design the image, give it a name, give it a look. At the same time, we had to logistically work out the routes, so that as many children as possible would be reached. The teachers helped us with that. The project managers have experience in organising, they have good organisational and problem-solving skills. Scheduling has to be done weeks in advance. As each week a different group of volunteers comes forward, it was necessary to build a communication base where contacts and problem solving could be handled quickly and smoothly.
The project is fully replicable at any place, especially in a place where there is nothing like it and where civilians are interested in setting up such a project. Anyone can adapt this idea to their own city. Financial and human resources are the most important. One should build a similar voluntary network like ours. After that building an image is a key, to promote the project.
Our project addresses climate change, because we care about our environment, and the city we are living in tries to be more green and climate conscious. So this project represents these values, as thanks to the project there are less cars, so there is reduced air pollution. Furthermore, it addresses health issues. Firstly, we motivate children, adults and pensioners to do more exercise, to move more. And we also pay attention to mental health, as morning walks help in the concentration and the activeness during the day. The Pedibus is not only a therapy or a refreshment for children but also for adults. The feedback and experience has been that these children bring a lot of smiles and joy to the faces of adults on grey, ordinary mornings. Many children also have a favourite companion, for example, so they are always welcomed with great interest.
