November 9, 2023
News
Every young person matters and has the right to participate in community actions. In an effort to strengthen the involvement of young people in the society, Caritas Czech Republic has launched a new initiative aimed at creating 8 youth groups that will foster collaboration and dialogue between young people, elderly people, the community and local public administration.
80 young people will learn about civic activism
Caritas Czech Republic has identified and selected 80 young people to be part of 8 youth clubs across Moldova. The clubs have been designed to give young people the opportunity to get involved in various constructive activities and will host meetings where valuable experiences, knowledge and lessons will be shared.
Guided by mentors, the young people organised the first meetings as a form of intergenerational gatherings with a variety of activities for the elderly people including storytelling, playing board games, sharing craft secrets, embroidery, knitting, carving and digital literacy.
"I remember the times when I was an energetic and lively young man. Now, it's time to listen to you, learn from you and support you in what you do. I can also share with you the lessons that life has left me,“ said one of the older participants of the intergenerational clubs.
The young people also took part in training sessions where they learned what civic activism means, how they can bring about positive change in the community and how they can collaborate with local authorities to solve common problems. Thanks to the dedicated training and mentoring sessions, they learned how to express their ideas and how to advocate for their ideas to gain community support.
"After these trainings, I feel prepared to meet with local authorities representatives. Now I know what data and arguments I need to present to get their attention to the urgent issues of our community,“ says one of the youth club participants.
Young people are a strong voice for positive change
In order to promote dialogue and cooperation between young people and local public administration, Caritas Czech Republic organised roundtables in 8 localities, bringing together representatives of youth clubs, local public administration, opinion leaders, and social workers.
Through these meetings, solutions to local challenges were identified and young people learned how they can get involved in the community to bring positive change and what they can do to help solve local problems.
The roundtables gave young people a platform to elevate their voices and highlighted the importance and values that each age group has in a community: "These meetings are not only an opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives, they are also powerful tools to promote intergenerational dialogue and build a better and more inclusive future in communities, " says Mariana Novac, project coordinator at Caritas Czech Republic.
In addition, the young people will carry out local awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of social activism and the benefits of being a young activist.
The project Intergenerational Clubs - a tool for youth involvement, financially supported by the National Youth Agency and the Czech Development Agency, contributes to building more united and involved communities and paves the way for a society where young people join their energy and forces to bring positive changes in the life of their communities.
