On October 2-3, the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) organized the “Fall School of Young Influencers”, held in Chisinau. The event brought together 10 young leaders from 10 rural communities in the Republic of Moldova, for two intense days of learning and collaboration, focused on promoting active citizenship in the context of the electoral period.
Over the two days, young people explored the importance of civic engagement and learned how to mobilize other young people to participate in the 20 October elections. In interactive sessions, participants discovered how to create engaging digital content for social media to encourage young people to get out and vote in large numbers. They also discussed the dangers of misinformation and manipulation in the media and learned how to recognize and combat these phenomena.
“The Fall School was a transformational experience for me. I returned to the community not only with new knowledge and skills, but also with the enthusiasm to inspire young people to become more actively involved in civic life.” – Viorel Picalau, community leader in Elizaveta, Balti.
Participants shared their positive impressions of the experience.
“I learned how important it is to be informed and use your vote responsibly. Now I feel ready to motivate young people in my village to go out to vote and contribute to change in our community.” – Cezara Bulgaru, community leader in Manta, Cahul.
Another participant, Mihai Pascari, community leader in Alexandreni, Singerei, added:
“The Fall School opened my eyes that we can use social media not only for entertainment, but also to fight misinformation and mobilize people for a good cause”.
In addition to the learning sessions, young people had the opportunity to create motivational videos and messages to promote youth involvement in the upcoming elections. With the support of trainers, they developed effective communication strategies and innovative ideas to mobilize their communities.
Back in their communities, the young people, equipped with the necessary tools, organize activities to promote active citizenship and fight misinformation.
The event was hosted by the Europe Café, which provided a friendly space and great collaboration, contributing to the success of this project.
You can see the photo album of the event on the Facebook page of the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi).
This activity is part of the project “ProElect: Youth participating in elections” implemented by the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) with the financial support of the European Union and Equal Rights & Independent (ERIM).