02 Sep RAISE Youth Study Visit | Romania

At the study visit of the Bulgarian partners, which Romania hosted between 26th-29th of August 2022, 13 NEETs from Romania were present, the RAISE Romania coordinator, Ioana Mănăilă, the project coordinator in Vrancea region, Atena Chiriac, providers of courses, experts, mentors, volunteers.

The Bulgarian team, led by Stanimira Hadjimitova, the country coordinator, gathered volunteers, a visual artist, the accountant, a tourism expert and other management members.

All the young Romanian NEETs we talked mentioned, with pride, the support and openness they had throughout the project.

Alina Lazăr, winner of 25.000 euros, through RAISE Youth project

“The RAISE regional coordinator was writing to me and motivating me on WhatsApp even at 12 at night”.

The statement in the heading belongs to Alina Lazăr, winner, along with seven other Romanian NEETs, of 25.000 euros grant for starting a new business, offered as part of the RAISE Youth project in Romania.

The participants at the event were impressed by the dedication of the hosts, their presence, by the fact that they were tireless.

Laughter, good will, creativity, relaxation, involvement were the main ingredients in the group experiences: the pottery molding workshops, traditional weaving, painting and the tasting of traditional sweets, activities that took place in the Demo Center in Păunești and which captivated the people.

The Bulgarians and Romanians were invited to take part in an familiarization and warm-up exercise, before the presentation of the results of the project, the obstacles encountered and the solutions implemented in the two countries, the exchange of good practices Bulgaria – Romania, regarding ecological and sustainable agriculture and rural ecotourism, as well as the particularities of field meetings. The focus was also on the sustainability of RAISE Youth at local levels.

Starting from the mentalities of young NEETs from Romania and Bulgaria, psychologist Eugen Dumbravă held the outdoor workshop: “Why do people give up?”. Not only our Bulgarian neighbors, but also NEETs from Romania, according to each one’s experience, expressed agreement or disagreement regarding the reasons why people quit.

Part of the program were hiking, traditional and delicious lunch and dinner outside, socializing, joy and… bonus… the desire to remain for a long time with that big smile brought to the face by big-hearted people.

Member of the Bulgarian team weaving

The workshop “Why do people give up?”