Tag: United

  • Initiatives des jeunes pour les jeunes

    Initiatives des jeunes pour les jeunes

    Lavinia Bucur est élève en Seconde au Lycée national I.L.Caragiale de
    Ploiesti et ambassadrice des valeurs européennes au sein du projet UNITED mis
    en place par l’Association des Jeunes Initiatives Young Initiative. Fortement
    impliquée dans différentes activités extra-scolaires, Lavinia a décidé de
    s’adresser aux personnes en charge des programmes imaginés au sein du projet
    UNITED pour les rejoindre. Comment cette expérience a-t-elle débuté ? Lavinia
    Bucur raconte au micro de notre collègue Monica Chiorpec.

    Parlons aussi entrepreneuriat. En Roumanie, les jeunes âgés de 16 à 24
    ans et qui sont intéressés par le domaine des affaires, peuvent demander l’aide
    d’Alin Apostu. Passionné par l’entrepreneuriat et souhaitant aider le plus de
    jeunes que possible à mettre sur pieds leur propre affaire à la fin des études,
    Alin coordonne des projets et s’implique activement pour accomplir sa mission. Au
    micro de notre collègue Monica Chiorpec, il nous présente son plus récent projet .

    Autant d’initiatives lancées par les jeunes roumains pour d’autres
    jeunes. Entraide, encouragement, esprit civique : leurs premiers pas dans
    la vie d’adulte sont déjà très intéressant. La suite sera sans doute encore
    plus belle.

  • Young People and Civic Engagement

    Young People and Civic Engagement


    Over
    February 1st
    2019 and January 31st
    2020 the ‘Young Initiative’ Association implemented a programme
    entitled ‘United We Stand for European Values’. Funded through
    the European Solidarity Corps, the project was aimed at developing
    critical thinking in young people coming from disadvantaged
    environments in the Bucharest – Ilfov region as well as their civic
    empowerment through non-formal learning contexts so that they may
    become more actively involved in society and in the situations
    concerning them. Here is Eliza
    Vaş, vice-president of the ‘Young Initiative’ Association with
    more on the aforementioned project, drawn up by young people for
    young people.


    Eliza
    Vaş: This
    is the first project of this kind implemented by the volunteers of
    the ‘Young Initiative’ Association, which we carried out by means
    of the funds we got through the European Solidarity Corps. Our goal
    was to develop critical thinking in young people from the
    Bucharest-Ilfov area and help them get more involved in society. We
    mainly addressed young people with ages between 14 and 25,
    high-schoolers, students or those interested in non-formal education
    contexts. More than 250 young people got involved with the project
    during one year of implementation; they participated in 15 events,
    such as interactive workshops, debates or decision-making simulations
    at the level of European bodies. We even had a board game of
    community involvement, which we named ‘United’.




    All
    the participants in the ‘United
    We Stand for European Values’ project were brought together and
    guided in every moment of their activity by members of the ‘Young
    Initiative’ Association. Nevertheless, the impact of their actions
    was being assessed in the end and every participant was able to
    understand how important is for an individual to get involved at
    community level.





    Eliza
    Vas: My
    role during the project was to be a coach, which means that I was
    training in a way or another the team of volunteers. I helped them
    develop and put into practice the activities that are part of the
    project. To use an illustration from football, I was like a headcoach
    standing beside the pitch and watching how the players are putting
    into practice the strategy previously discussed. Then we had
    locker-room talks about what was good and if there is room for
    improvement. The idea is that non-formal education lays very much
    emphasis on reflection in the learning process. The people involved
    become more aware of the knowledge they get and the abilities they
    develop. But most importantly they become aware of the impact they
    produced through their activity.




    The
    project United
    We Stand for European Values is first and foremost focusing on the
    solidarity and the general overview of the young Romanians as
    European citizens. The largest number of debates and workshops were
    staged around the European community values. Here is Elena
    Şelaru, from the International Relations Department of the ‘Young
    Initiative’ Association




    Elena
    Şelaru:
    Practically
    we as an organizing team prepared various workshops and debates on
    issues of European interest to create a framework to be able to talk
    about our rights as European citizens, European values and the
    opportunities of European mobility. My involvement in this project
    consisted in staging a workshop on circular economy and climate
    change for ninth graders of the Technical Energy College in
    Bucharest. I got involved in a simulated decision-making process like
    those in the European Parliament, during which I acted as a
    facilitator. I wanted to make sure my participation was interactive
    and that all participants would be able to express their ideas in a
    safe environment.




    It
    is very important for the young people in the Romanian society to
    have initiative in their fields of interest. Any idea or small action
    can create large-scale projects or activities aimed at improving the
    life of the community they are part of. So the team of the ‘Young
    Initiative’ Association is encouraging such initiatives as they
    themselves are people with initiatives. Here is Elena
    Şelaru at the microphone again.





    Elena
    Selaru:
    I
    believe that if you have initiative it means that you can think for
    yourself and maybe solve some issues or situations other people don’t
    think they need to be dealt with. I believe in our time, many people
    have initiatives and get involved with the local community. And it is
    this involvement that adds the value that makes the difference. And I
    am thinking here of my colleagues from the ‘Young Initiative’, as
    a lot of projects started from their initiatives.


    For
    Elena Şelaru, the working experience with the project ‘United
    We Stand for European Values’ had a special impact not only at the
    professional level. What do the young people who choose to get
    involved in suchlike activities gain actually? Well, they are
    boosting their self-image.




    Elena
    Selaru:After
    the funds had been approved, I had a short time of training, prepared
    the next activities and then started to implement them. Getting
    involved with this project was for me a personal accomplishment as I
    got a series of skills in the process of staging various activities
    and I learnt what assuming responsibility on long term was like.




    The
    solidarity team of ‘United
    We Stand for European Values’
    had 8 people (Elena Şelaru, Andrei Dobrea, Cristina Cautiş, Maria
    Balea, Simona Baciu, Andreea Boieriu, Dragoş Dănilă, Marius
    Ghiţă), six volunteers (Ana Maria Andronache, Maria Baciu, Irina
    Dobreanu, Vlăduţ Ene, Claudiu Brotea) and an experienced trainer
    with the European projects, Eliza Vaş. (Translated by D.B.)