British Council is organising the “Stronger Together Social Cohesion Romania” initiative for young people in Sinaia between January 20-23. This will consist in a 3-day workshop and is aimed at young Ukrainian refugees in our country, aged between 16 and 24. 55 young Ukrainians who arrived in Romania after the war were selected to participate in the project. More than 180 young Ukrainians signed up for the project, but it was those who demonstrated involvement in volunteer activities before or after the war, or who were involved in youth and social change projects in Ukraine who were chosen. The aim of the workshop is, on the one hand, to understand the socio-emotional needs of young refugees and to facilitate their integration in Romania, and on the other hand, to create meeting bridges and opportunities to connect with different organisations from Romania, whose initiatives include community projects and youth activities.
Romania started receiving refugees as early as February 24, 2022. A number of initiatives have already been put in place for those refugees who have decided to stay temporarily in our country. There are many programs for children, supported by public authorities, international agencies and other stakeholders, run by volunteers from the local community. However, the youth segment was less included in the offer of programs and projects, therefore it is necessary to understand their current conditions, what needs and aspirations they have and what plans they can make for themselves in the given context, with the aim of making this information available to organisations and authorities who can do something about it.
Who are the participants?
Among the 55 participants, 18 will come from Bucharest, 13 from Brașov, 9 from Constanța, and the rest from cities such as Timișoara, Iași, Sibiu, Oradea, Suceava or Arad. These are young Ukrainians whose lives were suspended in time and space because of the war, being forced to leave their country of origin, leave their families, interrupt their studies and start all over again in Romania. Now either involved in volunteer activities of various non-governmental organisations or isolated in the cities where they arrived, continuing their online studies in Ukraine, they are eager to resume their life course and actively participate in building a better future, in a world placed under the sign of uncertainty.
While participants such as Bohdana and Danylo are already enrolled students at the University of Bucharest, taking courses in the field of letters and international relations, Artyom works as a medical assistant in Timișoara, after graduating in 2021 from the National University of Medicine in Kharkiv, and Lyudmila is currently employed at the National Youth Foundation, after previously volunteering with the same organisation. The young Ukrainians in Romania, despite the unfavourable context, become the artisans of their own destiny in a completely new place, and through their intentions, openness and availability, show their qualities as future leaders and open the way to a positive perspective on the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Romania.
About the workshop:
“Stronger Together Social Cohesion Romania” is a workshop whose aim is to understand the socio-emotional, learning and networking needs of young Ukrainian refugees currently in Romania and to support the development of specific recommendations for programs to support their inclusion and participation in life in Romania. The young people will work alongside British Council trainers, both from Great Britain and Ukraine, thus allowing the course to be held bilingually.
The workshop is a British Council initiative and is part of the global program “Stronger Together”, which aims to create a favourable environment that brings together young people and representatives of the government, civil society, businesses and institutions, to solve pressing problems in society.
The themes of the workshop will be:
- Needs analysis and community mapping;
- Opportunities and challenges in building programs for refugee youth;
- Networking with stakeholders; projects and organisations active in the field;
- Developing recommendations for future actions.