- RespectfulnessA: People respect each other and value the contributions and help of others. This builds a positive community/environment both inside and outside the block;
- Belonging: responsibility towards the project, the idea, the block community;
- Cooperation between peers, parents and other residents of the block;
- Helping each other: working together in the community to maintain cohesion.
In 2020, Sandra had the idea to make Christmas and New Year cards for the elderly in her block of flats. Mum Sabina Masnik was immediately in favour of this, but took the idea a little further. She wanted the cards to go to all the residents in the block. So she invited other mums to join in.
The response was overwhelming, with twelve people coming forward and, consequently, all their children. They had a meeting to agree on how many cards they needed, how many they would make per family, and they also agreed that the cards should be handwritten and how they would be distributed. They got to work quickly, as time was running out in the run-up to the Christmas-New Year holidays. Anything that still needed to be agreed on was quickly and coherently sorted out.
Since Sabina had plenty of materials at home to create with, each child was given enough to get started. And of course, if anyone wanted to, they could use their own materials. The time the children spent creating with their mothers - there was a dad in between - was priceless and filled the souls of children and parents alike. They learnt to work together, to learn together, to communicate and to connect, but the best part was spending time together.
When they put their products on the pile, they saw how much work they had put in and how many beautiful products had been made. Everyone was overjoyed and happy to have made such beautiful cards. It was time for the children to distribute them around the block. They enjoyed it immensely and had fun doing it, knowing that they had done something important and that it was a wonderful stepping stone for the future. When all the cards had been distributed, there were still a few left. These were distributed to other rooms in the block; they were taken to the optician, the clothes shop, the hairdresser and the florist. They took them to some other places and made even more people happy.
The very next day, the word on the block was how genuinely surprised all the residents were by this unexpected act. They thanked all those who had undertaken this project, encouraged them to continue their good deeds, congratulated them and admired them. The residents of the block returned the surprise to the children and made thank-you letters for them and gave them lots of presents. Bags of sweets and salty treats awaited the children. Each of them even received a pair of sunglasses from the opticians.
The enthusiasm the children showed for all this was immense. Seeing how much the residents were touched by this simple act of greeting cards, they have introduced this tradition into their annual Christmas-New Year celebrations.
Thank you, children!
Andreja Bakšič Grozdina, 11.6.2025
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