On September 26, 2022, the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) successfully finalized the conduction of the course consisting of 5 online trainings for 10 communities interested in learning from the YEP project experience and in particular becoming familiar with YouthACT – iRi’s rural youth empowerment model.
More than 60 people (youth specialists from LPAs of level I and II, librarians, mayors and deputy mayors, local councillors, representatives of local NGOs, representatives of schools, young enthusiasts) attended these trainings.
The experts from the Republic of Moldova and the USA participated in the training sessions.
“The YouthACT programme selected communities that were open and willing to learn how to work more effectively with young people in their locality. We are glad that this opportunity allowed different age groups to learn together, from each other, how they can make rural communities more attractive to young people.” – Tatiana Cosuleanu said, the executive director, iRi.
The quests and experts from the United States shared their own experience and good practices in the youth sector in the USA and Moldova.
“We believe that the youth field is an important component in rural development. We often see that young people are not taken into consideration because nobody asks them directly what they want. Many studies show that the more young people feel part of the community, the more they want to return to their community. This is why engagement and collaboration with local actors is necessary. This allows young people to form up their vision for their community and to get more involved.” – Deb Martin said, GLCAP, Ohio, USA.
During the course participants also learned about some strategies for motivating and engaging young people at the local level, about communication tools and teamwork, about community resources and ways of interacting with LPAs.
“For me, the YouthACT Academy has been a good dose of motivation, inspiration and vision about how things are going in our locality, and for the initiative group it was the pedal to the metal for the achievements of our group, so that people could understand who we are and what we do. As a result we managed to apply for and finally win a mini project that we are currently implementing.” – Elena Garstea, the leader of the initiative group, village of Mitoc, Orhei district.
As a result of these trainings, the 10 new communities have become equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to act as agents of change towards the development of youth sector at the local level. These communities have become part of the iRi partners’ network and can therefore apply for various local development projects and programmes.
YouthACT is a rural youth empowerment model developed by iRi, GLCAP, USA partners and 15 NGO partners, following 3 years of experience within the “Youth Empowerment in Rural Areas – YEP” project. The model is based on a wealth of practice and experience working with young people in 30 rural communities in Moldova.
The activity is part of the “Youth Empowerment in Rural Areas – YEP” project implemented by iRi and 15 local partners in partnership with GLCAP, Ohio, USA with financial support from the US Department of State.