Youth Forum in Teleorman
Rosiorii de Vede, "Anastasescu" National College
March 20, 9:30 - 16:30

The "Youth Forum in Teleorman" event, organized at "Anastasescu" National College, on March 20, 2010 gathered over 100 students from high schools in Alexandria such as: "Mircea Scarlat" Pedagogical College, "Constantin Noica" Theoretical College and "Alexandru Ghica" National College and in Rosiorii de Vede: "Anastasescu" National College and "Anghel Saligny" Technical College. The event was attended by local authorities and Teleorman School Inspectorate representatives. As part of the "Teleorman network of civic involved youth" project, the youth has identified a series of problems in their community and offered solutions to these problems for the "Youth Forum in Teleorman" event.

The problems identified by the youth during this project and also their solutions regard environmental, social and educational issues such as:

• The shortage of youth recreation centers: cinemas, theaters, house of culture, sport courses
• Environmental issues: the arrangement of green spaces, the Vedea forrest(greening and afforestation), the Vedea river greening, finalization of work on the Mavrodin landfill, chaotic deposits of waste, the shortage of garbage cans in public space including high schools
• Social inclusion for underprivileged youth
• Including in the school curricula of subjects that prepare students for integration in the society such as: entrepreneurship concepts, protection of the environment, volunteer work projects, nutrition concepts

The "Build up your green future!" project intends to involve young people from Rosiorii de Vede City in environmental protection activities that will restore some of the neglected and cleared green spaces and parks, thus determining a positive change in their city.

The project is supported by the U.S. Embassy's grant program and is organized by the Youth Forum Association.

By offering the youth a chance to get involved in the community, we are laying the foundation for a benefic partnership for the local community and for professional and personal development of the youth, that is responsible for the community's wellbeing through a positive attitude towards active citizenship.

The concept of this project is based on promoting young people's initiative and solidarity in order to determine a positive social change and to protect the environment. The project's objectives are:

• Increasing awareness in the environment's protection by organizing an informative campaign and promoting "green" methods in schools.
• Putting together a group of young, responsible leaders to get involved in the ecological problems of their community, people that have the abilities and social skills required to be active in your community and to become part of society, by organizing specific training programs.
• Organizing ecological projects in partnership with local authorities, by involving young people into decision-making processes related to these issues, such as the greening and improvement of parks and green spaces inside the city.

In conclusion, our project's objectives are based on the concept of involving young people in the environment's protection and promotion and their community's problems that will increase life quality for the city's inhabitants and provide a safe future for the city.

The "Civically responsible youth of today - a guarantee for tomorrow's democracy" is a project that is financed by the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest through the "Democracy grants" program that took place in three high schools from Rosiorii de Vede, between September 15, 2007 and June 15, 2008.

The project intends to encourage high school students to get involved into decision-making processes by offering them the knowledge and basic instruments required in order to be able to debate and solve their own problems and the community's problems. The project consists of organizing training sessions on subjects such as: democratic institutions, the elective process, the youth's rights and also project writing and basic management notions seminars. Also, through the included activities young people are encouraged to get involved in solving their community's problems by offering real answers, proposing and implementing projects.

Essay contest theme suggestions:

• School violence prevention
• Youth's rights
• A comparison between the Romanian and American education systems
• Proposals for modifying the pre-university education legislation (check the ministry webpage forums for details)
• Ways to involve youth into the community's socio-economic activities for an easier labour market integration.