The Youth Influencers Forum brought together on Friday, February 6, in Chisinau, 35 young people from seven rural communities across the Republic of Moldova to discuss and exchange ideas on how young people from rural areas can drive tangible change at the local level by exercising positive influence.
Held under the concept “Youth Inspiring Youth,” the forum provided an open space for dialogue and the exchange of best practices emerging from grassroots initiatives—innovative, creative, and deeply rooted in community realities.
Once again, young people took center stage, sharing the methods and strategies they have identified to actively engage youth, their desire to create opportunities within their communities, and the need for proactive policies based on genuine and sustainable partnerships between local public authorities, schools, and civil society organizations.
“Through this project, I understood that when we, young people, get involved, we have the full support of the local authorities. Together with the initiative group, we identified the activities young people in our village actually want, not only sports-related ones. We developed an action plan and presented it at the Local Council meeting, where it was unanimously approved. In addition, the one-week internship at the mayor’s office helped me better understand the extensive and responsible work carried out by the LPA staff for the benefit of our community. We will not stop here, we will continue to stay involved and attract new development projects for the youth in our village.”
This is a a highlight from the engaging and well-illustrated presentation delivered by Eugen Cazoti, leader of the youth initiative group from Tudora village, Stefan Voda district.
Another speaker highlighted the importance of active youth participation in community life and close cooperation with local authorities:
“For me, this project pushed me out of my comfort zone. It taught me how to get involved alongside young people, to understand what a project means and how it is implemented. I overcame my hesitation to walk through the doors of the mayor’s office and engage in dialogue with the mayor. Following our discussions and multiple meetings, we established a strong collaboration with the local public authorities and are confident that they will continue to support our initiative group.” – Veronica, local facilitator from Salcuta village, Causeni district.
Young people were joined by representatives of local public authorities, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions, who listened with interest and actively participated in the discussions.
“We support young people, encourage them to get involved, stay curious, and pursue their ideas. We congratulate each of them on the achievements accomplished in such a short period of time and are confident they will achieve even more if they maintain this level of motivation and inspiration.” – Rodica Gangan, Secretary of the Local Council of Salcuta village, Causeni district.
The experiences shared by young participants involved in the “Youth Dialog” project motivated those present to persevere, particularly in strengthening dialogue with local authorities.
“We are very pleased with the achievements of these young people. Together with local partners from five communities, we have created sustainable dialogue between youth and local authorities, promoted youth budgeting, and supported initiative groups that will continue to act as youth influencers in their communities. At the same time, we have developed youth-friendly policies and created safe and attractive spaces that encourage active youth engagement.” – Lilia Sula, Program Coordinator at iRi.
The forum also marked the culmination of the “Youth Dialog” project, which demonstrated that continuous dialogue and cooperation between young people and local public authorities contribute to strengthening social cohesion and fostering more inclusive and resilient communities.
“Your success as young people at the community level also depends on how well you understand the benefits of civic engagement. These benefits are diverse and substantial at the personal, community, and global levels. Your involvement in community projects shapes you into deeply responsible citizens, making you extremely valuable to our country.” – Ruslan Stanga, moderator and youth expert at iRi.
The event was organized by the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) within the project “Strengthening Social Cohesion in Moldova through Dialogue and Community Empowerment,” implemented by UNDP and UNFPA Moldova, with the support of Switzerland.