Developing Youth NGO Leadership

About this project

<pre style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 14px"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Recent studies in Romania have revealed low levels of participation in civic and community life. The Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) recognizes the power of civil society in addressing this issue, derived from organizations representing people's rights and active citizens who aim to transform their present realities. The most effective group for building a stronger civil society are young people, or #trillenials, who are engaged in civil society. To support them, CSDF created Program3, a one-year learning program for at least 146 young people from Romania, divided into four annual cohorts. The program consists of two semesters with a predetermined curriculum and customized learning based on the interests of each #trillenial. The first semester focuses on technical content and essential skills for NGO work, while the second semester covers thematic content related to NGO work. Students are encouraged to apply these learnings at the community level. The aim of the program is to create a motivated and skilled community of young people who can work within the NGO sector, benefiting at least 50 organizations directly and raising awareness among at least 500 young people.</span></span> </pre>

Bilateral cooperation results

The project benefited from the involvement of a Norwegian partner, Frivillighet Norge, the consortium partner of the ACF Romania program. The added value of this partner's involvement in the predefined project lays primarily in drawing parallels with Norway's NGO ecosystem—a system that future leaders of Romania's sector are encouraged to connect with, learn from, and develop partnerships with in the future. This made the involvement of Frivillighet Norge, Norway's largest umbrella organization for volunteer activities, highly significant. Throughout the project, representatives from the implementation team participated in program events in Romania and engaged with #trillenials to discuss the Norwegian NGO sector, including sector data, statistics, achievements, opportunities, and areas for improvement. They also organized two study visits to Norway for #trillenials from cohorts 1–4. These activities provided practical applications of the theoretical content presented during events, allowing participants to directly interact with Norwegian organizations and gain a deeper understanding of the Nordic civil society ecosystem—one of the project's key bilateral outcomes. The Norwegian partner was actively involved in all project activities, maintaining constant communication, and the collaboration proved fruitful. The partnership exceeded expectations, delivering strong results and generating concrete ideas for future initiatives.

Project partners

• Civil Society Norway Donor project partner· Norway
• The Resource Center for Roma Communities Project partner· Romania