The workshops
The ‘To picture a story’ workshops aim to help young students develop creative skills and English fluency through photography and storytelling, enabling them to capture and share their stories of everyday life in rural or small urban Romania.
Over the course of three months, from April to June 2021, nine teenagers in underdeveloped areas across Romania, part of the UiPath Foundation network, learn and practice film photography and storytelling in English, in a series of bi-monthly workshops supported by UiPath Foundation and delivered by British Council teacher David Hughes, artist Wanda Hutira and communications expert Cosmin Anghel.
The programme focuses on developing students’ English fluency and creative abilities through two sets of skills:
- Visual storytelling, by gaining a deeper understanding of the techniques of photography and using film cameras provided within the programme to showcase slices of Romanian life from their own local perspective.
- Written storytelling, by learning to develop short stories in Instagram caption formats that further convey their message for each photo, whether it relates to capturing a feeling or mood or providing context; through this, students develop written storytelling skills along with their English fluency.
Explore their work
The students’ film photographs, raw and unedited, along with their stories are published on Instagram at @topictureastory, showcasing life in different areas and backgrounds of Romania as part of the workshop’s creative programme.
Discover the students’ work on Instagram.
‘To picture a story’ programme is developed by British Council Romania in partnership with UiPath Foundation, with special thanks to volunteer trainers David Hughes, Wanda Hutira and Cosmin Anghel.
Creative Life Skills workshops
Creative Life Skills is a creative education programme in English developed by teachers at the British Council in Romania.
Through the Creative Life Skills series of workshops, volunteer teachers work with partner NGOs and creative industry professionals to help students from disadvantaged environments across Romania develop creative skills and English fluency.
Previous workshop editions have covered various means of creative expression, from music and dancing to graffiti and comics, and have provided creative learning opportunities in English for over 200 students aged 5-18. Programme partners have included national and international NGOs such as UNHCR, Matka and the Policy Centre for Roma and Minorities.
The programme is part of the British Council’s education and society work in Romania, which aims to empower communities and young people, promoting the benefits of inclusive education and enabling youth to access opportunities, be successful and contribute to stronger societies through the key life skills they gain within classes and workshops – English language skills for a more connected world, as well as creative expression and critical thinking abilities to prepare them for the future.
