In rural areas civil Society is almost non-existent, the voice of young people is not expressed or heard. Our project offers means of empowerment to young people for them to increase the quality of their life and become active and relevant using non-formal methods.
We aim to create a nucleus for civic initiatives that increase the involvement of citizens in community life and awareness of the importance of civil society initiatives in society, by setting up a local youth education center.

Găujani, Giurgiu county, south Romania

The rural area concerned has a low degree of citizens participation and a limited capacity of leaders to mobilize the community and make improvements at the community level.
Young people from Găujani have reduced opportunities for education and involvement, but the civic education is essential for upholding democratic values and human rights.
A community with educated and involved young people is the basis for the local sustainable development of a strong community in the current context characterized by an increased dropout rate in rural areas, poverty and labor migration.
We aim to train the young people as leaders, with skills of active citizenship, non-formal methods and project development, which will increase their degree of inclusion in the community and society.

We target young people from Găujani, age between 14 and 20 years old. Direct beneficiaries are 15 young Roma and non-Roma, trained in community intervention methods and project development to become local agents of change.
Their needs were identified following previous collaborations in Găujani: need to get actively involved, the need for their voice to be heard by the responsible authorities. The young people want to participate in the meetings of the local council and to have their proposals taken into account, to be consulted on the decisions that concern them. They want to matter.
In the process to form them in the spirit of active citizenship, the target group of the project, crystallized in a nucleus of local initiative, is meant to become an initiative group for further action.

Identification and selection of young people from the local initiative group and their training on:active citizenship,social theater,social campaigns, writing projects,fundraising
Carrying out a local awareness campaign by young people on the topic of active citizenship and the importance of civil society initiatives in society.
Caravan to promote project results that targets 5 rural localities in the southern area in which young leaders will present the activities and results as a model of good practice for local development and for the promotion of active citizenship.
Establishment of the local youth educational center
An event will be held to which young people from the commune, parents, teachers, local authorities, NGOs and other relevant and interested actors and stakeholders will be invited.
Local planning - is an activity that supports the idea of "invite to action". The new group formed becomes a nucleus for future initiatives,able to write and implement small projects, to carry out educational actions with non-formal methods for other young people, to carry out social campaigns and to mobilize young people and the community, to take an active role in society.
The local planning will be done for 1 year and will include at least 4 activities / events for the community and involve at least another 50 young people and reach at least 250 people from the community.

The change stems from the existence of a local initiative group of young people who have developed proactive attitudes,active citizenship and skills to implement activities that involve other young people.The educational center will become a reference point for the community regarding social involvment,social dialog,local development and social cohesion.
Project indicators:
-Youth Educational Center created in Găujani
-15 young people trained in non-formal methods of community intervention,volunteering, fundraising,project writing
-a local planning for the next year after the end of the project
-50 more young people involved in active citizenship development,campaign and caravan activities
- at least 650 people participating in the activities carried out by the youth initiative group

The project provides young people with tools to make their voices heard. They can make a difference, have the courage and motivation to act and bring to the attention of community members, authorities, any institution involved in community life, issues related to involvement, participation, active citizenship, responsibility and dialogue.
The educational center will be the place for the newly formed and trained group of young people to develop activities for intervention, communication of local problems and the needs of young people. The tools of non-formal education (social theater, social campaigns), but also the skills to support the activity autonomously (fundraising, writing projects) will empower the group and the youth community to become active and relevant citizens.

Project manager - Teodorescu Gabriela
Experience of over 5 years of project management in Găujani: educational and cultural for children and young people, projects to stimulate involvement.
Project assistant-Enache Cornelia,President of the partner association Datini Educație Cultură Găujani,involved in the community as an employee of the City Hall and as a partner and initiator of educational projects, charity actions, cultural actions, civic initiatives.
Communication and public relations specialist-Ularu Vera
Over 10 years experience in communication and project promotion, CSR and PR in foundations and banking institutions. Experience in conducting communication campaigns, in creating promotional materials, in coordinating the relationship with the press and in carrying out events

Human resources - 20000 EUR
Travel and accomodation costs – 8500 EUR
Experts 10000 EUR
Services 4000 EUR
Supplies 1000 EUR
Equipments 500 EUR

How can we improve the work in rural areas where live people with a very low life quality, young people with limited access to leaning opportunities, general level of education is low and social dialogue, common projects, integration of minorities , development are not priorities.