Mărăști Street 32, a white building, a few chairs, a long table, and stacked drawers with materials

ready to be used. Creative young people, come to share their ideas with others, working hard and
playfully to make toys, greeting cards, bags, and everything that can be done by hand. Brightly
colored earrings, pendants of different sizes and shapes, whole boxes of jewelry handmade by
volunteers, are waiting to be perfected along other new creations.
This is what the headquarters of the Workshop looks like, a simple place, where ideas take shape, in
the true sense of the word.
When you are at the workshop for the first time, activities can seem difficult. Although "making
earrings by hand" does not sound very difficult and exhausting for those who have never been
behind the curtain, the truth looks completely different.
“I was always attracted to manual work, and this department seemed to be the ideal place to
develop such passion. At first, I thought it was going to be an easy job, a game, until I needed to
meet Mrs. Simona, who made sure I went through the hardships that need it to be followed. I was
shy, and quite new to this world, but I had support, I gained confidence in myself as well as in my
abilities. ”- Laura Zediu, Atelier volunteer, and her experience of first impression against reality.
So, making greeting cards, toys, jewelry and painting does not sound challenging, but the young
people in the department know the hard work that needs to be done for the best results.
The new coordinator of the department, Maria Dinu, describes our days as dynamic, sometimes
really taking the young people by surprise and keeping them involved and focused.
"A workshop day starts within a few hours before it even begins, it gets going right when I start to
wonder about what other interesting products I can create. Although my process of finding diverse,
brand new ideas is so important to me, my plans are often turned upside down. There are so many
different concepts that I forget mine. ”
Although FSC volunteers make a mostly mental effort, from a creative point of view, to complete
their inventions, the days in the workshop are days of relaxation, of distress. The high school
students confess to us that the Workshop is the place where they forget about problems, where
they have fun, directing their attention to manual work. The atmosphere is distinct. Among the many
moments of full attention, and the effort that is put in for the best results, there is good music, and
friendly jokes. Such an welcoming and relaxing environment.
The work in the workshop represents expressivity, creativity, and passion (but especially work), in a
perfect intertwining with joy, enthusiasm, and dissimilarity. This cozy, small and bright place is ideal
for those who want to focus on their work and proceed to do better, in a friendly environment.
By Stoian Denisa Ștefania.