Activities in Romania
You can read here about some insights from the collaboration between the Anthroposophical Society of Romania and our Section on the practical fields of inclusive social development.
Text: Sonja Zausch
Photos: private source
Immediately after the “Revolution” in 1990, many anthroposophical initiatives were established in Romania – Waldorf schools, Waldorf kindergartens, as well as living and working communities for people with special needs, and two schools for children with support needs.
Today, thirty years later, some of these institutions have grown significantly and are very active, while at the same time grappling with political regulations, changing financial resources, and employee qualifications.
This led to a dedicated collaboration between our Section and Vlad Popa, the General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Romania, at his request.
Thus, in autumn 2025 – initially with the support of two colleagues from Urlați – a foundational course on anthroposophy with a focus on supportive education in schools was held in five modules and successfully completed by approximately 20 participants.
The instructors were Sonja Zausch and Bart Vanmechelen, and for one module Ásta Jakobsdóttir, an Icelandic colleague from the Tobias School of Art & Therapy in England.
Following this initial offering, the local eurythmists asked Sonja Zausch if she could offer a course on “Eurythmy as Movement-Based Process Facilitation” (colloquially known as social eurythmy). The first module took place in February 2026, and the second module has already been held this October.
At the same time, the idea arose that colleagues at the schools would like to have an in-depth program. Through collaboration with the Section’s working group “Schools for All,” another continuing education program was developed, which will begin in February 2027. We are delighted that, in addition to Bart Vanmechelen and Sonja Zausch, we were able to bring on board Delia Laţa from Campus am Park and the Bingenheim Community in Germany, as well as Volker Ermuth, a freelance lecturer with extensive experience in Romania, and Ulrike Barth from Alanus University in Germany.
Sonja recently had the opportunity to meet many colleagues during a trip through Romania, accompanied by Vlad Popa:
She visited the Waldorf school and the Waldorf kindergarten in Timișoara, presented the Section’s work, and then led a short eurythmy workshop on the topic of inclusion with 50 participants (parents and educators).
This was followed by a visit, including a lecture and discussion, at the school for children with special needs in Simeria, which serves 170 children and has 30 residential spots, as well as a highly dedicated vocational training program – from which the school hopes to establish a workshop for adults with assistance needs. Here, the school’s 35th anniversary was celebrated with eurythmy and music.
The journey continued to the Hungarian-speaking part of Romania, the region known as Transylvania.
There, Sonja visited the Camphill community Harom Galamb, which moved into its new building in May of this year and can now welcome up to 30 people daily with social-therapeutic services. One morning was set aside for an in-house training session on anthroposophical anthropology. Last year, continuing education courses were already offered here for colleagues from across the region, including those from non-anthroposophical institutions.
Afterwards, the journey continued to Odorheiu Secuiesc, Polonița for the Waldorf School’s Thursday conference. There, Sonja had the opportunity to report on the Section’s activities during a group discussion. There are five Waldorf schools in Transylvania, and next year they will hold a joint pedagogical conference for the first time.
We very much hope that, through the Section’s strong commitment in collaboration with the Anthroposophical Society in Romania, we can provide lasting impetus and thereby also strengthen cooperation between the organizations.
