Radio România Internațional

Tag: young people

  • Priorities of young people in Romania

    Priorities of young people in Romania

    Each year on August 12, the world celebrates International Youth Day, which is an opportunity to celebrate the potential of young people as partners in society, and to bring to the attention of the community the problems they are facing. In Romania, at the behest of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS) conducted an opinion barometer regarding the situation of youth and their expectations. Here are some of the research findings.

     

    Young Romanians want to be supported in relation to the labor market, housing and access to education, and also in relation to career guidance and counseling. For them, high incomes and job security are the most important aspects, probably, sociologists think, also because of the uncertainties marking the current economic context.

     

    However, according to CURS, access to a job still remains the main obstacle in the way of the young people’s independence. As to the quality of life, the current situation is considered by young people as problematic, a consideration probably caused by the wider context marked by the pandemic, war and inflation.

     

    There is a causal link between the workplace and income, on the one hand, and housing and starting a family, on the other. That is why, according to the barometer, the lack of job stability and the difficult access to housing are major obstacles for young people to start a family. Although dissatisfied with the way school prepares them for life, young people recognize the essential contribution of education to success in life. Regarding civic participation, they feel to a large extent that their power to influence public decisions is low, hence the low interest in getting involved in the life of society.

     

    In terms of mobility and emigration, the barometer reveals that going abroad is still a desire for many young people in Romania. The country has trained, quality young people who must dare and be determined to achieve their goals, says the Minister of Youth and Family, Natalia Intotero adding that quote: ”it is very important to dare and this is my message to each and every young person in this country. As a young person, when you dare, you are determined and you pursue your dream with a lot of work, it can come true”, minister Natalia Intotero encourages young people, whom she assures that their voices are heard.

     

    At the same time, the official introduced Romania’s youth representatives for the period 2024-2025 at the United Nations Organization: Alexian-Arthur Stark and Patricia-Alexandra Nae. The UN Youth Delegate Program was inaugurated in Romania in 2006 and is coordinated by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (LS)

  • Elections and young people

    Elections and young people

    Ahead of the electoral marathon to take place in Romania this year, with European Parliament and local elections on June 9, with the presidential election in September and the legislative elections in December, the “Youth Vote” initiative was launched in Parliament, being intended to encourage young people to vote and to promote an agenda of their priorities. During the event, the comprehensive study “Young people from Romania in the 2024 election year” was launched. Among the challenges reported by those interviewed are the lack of well-paid jobs, the quality of the education system, and problems related to the living standard. Regarding the trust in institutions, the university environment holds first position, being credited with much and very much trust by 56% of young people, followed by the European Union (51%), the army (50%) and NATO (50%).

     

    The list of institutions that enjoy little trust among young people includes the press and especially the political institutions: Presidency, Government, Parliament and parties. Young people criticize certain aspects of the functioning of the state, such as predictability, equity, independence and orientation of the country towards its citizens, the survey also reveals. And the lack of hope makes two out of three young people to consider temporary or permanent migration from Romania, 68% of them considering that the country is going in the wrong direction. The main aspects identified by most young people as worrying about their situation in Romania are the lack of opportunities on the labor market, the poor quality of education, the vices and the standard of living. Predictably, social networks are among the top sources of information for young people. Thus, 4 out of 10 young people say that they get information from sources such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp. Young people’s interest in politics is low.

     

    The presidential election is considered the most important. The intention to participate in the vote is, declaratively, very high, but it could be invalidated at the polls. In the 2020 parliamentary elections, a little over 25% of young Romanians went to the polls, and the highest participation rate among young people, in the last 8 years, was in the 2019 European Parliament elections, when over 40% of them voted. Choosing the “lesser evil” is an aspect indicated by 4 out of 10 respondents.

     

    “Youth Vote” is not the initiative of a human or a person, it is the project of a generation, said Alexandru Manda, the founder of “Youth Vote” and organizer of the event. He believes that the main conclusion would be that one in four young Romanians says he or she is undecided and does not know who he or she will vote for in this year’s elections. Probably, the biggest problem is that many young people do not see their future here, not because they do not want to, but rather because the system is built in such a way that it does not meet their needs, says the sociologist Dan Jurcan, the director of research of the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES). The IRES survey took place in March, on 800 young respondents, with a margin of error of 3.5%. (LS)

  • European Parliament election: How to convince young people to vote?

    European Parliament election: How to convince young people to vote?


    Radio Romania, the public service, won an editorial project, “YOU+EU 2024 and beyond”, co-financed by the European Parliament, providing information on the upcoming European elections scheduled for June 6-9, 2024.



    Under this project, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as 12 debates, in Romania, and two debates in Romanian and English, in Brussels.



    How



    The second debate in English was held in Brussels, on January 23, 2024, at the headquarters of the European Parliament, themed “What to expect from the European elections? How to convince the young people to vote?”.



    The debate was moderated by Vlad Palcu, Editor, Radio Romania International, and involved the participation of MEPs Alex Agius Saliba, Malta, Vice-Chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Dragoş Pîslaru, Romania, Renew Europe Group, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Romania, Group of the European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats), and Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian Group, former Kantar Media.



  • Interview with Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian

    Interview with Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian


    As part of the “You + EU – 2024 and Beyond” project, won by Radio Romania and co-funded by the European Parliament, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as a series of debates. One such debate took place in Brussels on January 23.



    One of the participants in the debate, Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian Group, a global research and public policy center, gave us the following interview.








  • January 10, 2024

    January 10, 2024

    Economy – The Romanian economy grew by 1.8% last year, by 0.8 % less than previously estimated, shows a World Bank report. The report also revised downwards the estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2024 and 2025, when the growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product would be 3.3% and 3.8%, respectively. According to the World Bank, the world economy will slow down for the third consecutive year, up to 2.4%.



    Partnership – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, congratulated Gabriel Attal on his nomination to the position of Prime Minister of France. The Romanian PM states that he is ready to work together with his new counterpart to strengthen the Romanian – French strategic partnership. Attal, a former Education Minister, was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to form the new government of France, after the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned. At 34, Gabriel Attal, with studies in political sciences, becomes the youngest prime minister in the history of France, according to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris.



    Free travel – Almost 2,000 young Romanians aged 18 will receive a free travel permit to explore the diversity of Europe, as part of the DiscoverEU initiative, a program funded by Erasmus+. They will travel mainly by train between March 2024 and May 2025, to learn new things about the history and cultural heritage of Europe and meet people from all over the continent. So far, over 11,600 young Romanians have benefited from such a travel permit.



    Water polo — Romania’s national mens water polo team won Group D of the European Championship in Croatia, after defeating the Slovakian team, score 8-7, on Tuesday evening, in Dubrovnik. In the previous matches, the Romanians defeated the Netherlands and Slovenia. They will play a play-off match for qualification for the quarterfinals against Group B bottom-placed team, Georgia, in Zagreb, on Thursday. At the European Womens Championship, organized in the Netherlands simultaneously with the mens, Romania ranked 14thout of 16 participating teams.



    Flu – At least nine people sick with the flu have died since the beginning of this cold season in Romania. The Romanian Health Ministry announces that there is currently no flu epidemic in the country, but medical units are facing an accelerated increase in the number of respiratory viruses’ cases, especially flu. The situation is also complicated by the acute lack of doctors, the expert in health policies, Emilian Imbri, told Radio Romania News and Current Affairs Channel.



    Under financing – Family doctors in Romania point out that their budget allocation has been reduced by 25% in 2024, compared to 2022. They argue that the system is already underfunded and that the decrease in income will further deepen the already existing shortage of family doctors. The president of the national family doctors’ society, Dina Mergeani, states that the permanent centers operate with the doctors’ own money, they have not yet been paid for the October – December period, and the suspension of their activity would block the emergency rooms. (LS)

  • Young Romanian’s dream jobs

    Young Romanian’s dream jobs

    Romanian high school students are savvy about connecting to the world, aware that the digital revolution will change the world, and that new jobs will emerge over the next decades due to new technology and economic evolutions, jobs for which they will have to prepare and train. According to a poll run by INACO – the Initiative for Competitiveness, as part of the Guide to Future Jobs project, most students want to work in information technology, according to association president Andreea Paul:



    “Two out of three students believe that the jobs of the future are in computers and robotics, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. This is what Romanian youth dream about. Of course, the Future Jobs Guide opened them up to new opportunities, helped them understand the impact on the labour market of new 4.0 technologies. It helped them understand that they apply to all areas, from art to medicine. Students understood that their life will be easier, they will work smarter, more creatively, that they need new skills in the future labour market. What I think will be surprising in this poll, in addition to IT and medicine, which seem to be very attractive for young people, is the fact that many young people seem to be attracted to jobs in the police and the army. Here, percentages are twice those of students who say they would want to work in education. This poll revealed they want some more exotic jobs too, such as drone pilot and space miner. I think this is inspired by the Future Jobs Fair, but what is certain is that they gave us a clear signal that education today is blind to the needs of the future labour market.”



    Experts with the INACO Association believe that Romania is completely unprepared for the future, in terms of education. Through the Future Jobs Guide, launched last year in autumn, the INACO community of professionals wants to show young people how the world will change over the next few years, in which areas new jobs will emerge, and the best predictions about the economy and the labour market. Already, a few schools have been endowed with new technology, and the project continues, Andreea Paul told us:



    “We are at an advanced stage in our talks with the Bucharest School Inspectorate in order to set up the first 4.0 smart labs in Bucharest. We are thinking to set up such units this year in 18 schools, even in Constanta and Calarasi. A SMART LAB 4.0 has to have 6 3D printers, a 3D scanner, two multifunctional educational robots, virtual reality units, with their software, and the consumables needed for the first year of functioning, as well as the maintenance for the first year. However, what is essential is the training of teachers, and we figured about three teachers are needed for each educational institution involved in the program. The second step, which this time has to be made by the Ministry of Education, is to have it create as quickly as possible a Working Group for Future Education. This would allow us next year to talk about a national program to furnish schools with the new technologies. Smart Labs 4.0 are as important today as the classical physics, chemistry, IT, geography or biology that we are used to in Romanian schools.”



    Marian Stas, an education expert, also believes that the Romanian educational system has to be changed in order to create a more attractive kind of school, where students would be motivated and passionate about what they learn:



    “School is like a car running with its parking break on, it is highly inadequate for the real needs of society and of individual children. Here I am referring to two distinct dimensions: higher education and pre-university education. Maybe higher education is a bit more focused, even though I have my reservation about it too, but pre-university education definitely has nothing to do with the childrens real needs for development. It is in fact a trade union designed educational system, stuck in the previous paradigm, the communist paradigm, with no relationship with the authentic, real needs of society and young people going forward. Right now, pre-university education is designed so that teachers have their teaching loads and salaries, not with the kids in mind. This is why we have this craziness with 15, 16 or 18 subjects per semester, hence the craziness with paid tutoring with children we teach, hence the craziness with the national evaluation in 8th grade, which is actually just a formality, without substance, because activities are trivial, hence it yields no credible results.”



    In Romania, only 3% of students attend educational Olympiads, 42% of them dont understand what they read, and the drop-out rate is some of the highest in the EU. For the time being, the new minister of education, appointed for the fourth time in this position, wants to continue reforms with a new law of education. There is talk about giving up on single textbooks, and a transition to a differentiated baccalaureate, or stage exams.