The 2024 FES Alumni Conference debated about the Youth in Romania

LAB 1: A country to stay?
Laboratory facilitated by Andra CORDOȘ, President, Go Free - Association for the Support of Civil Society, Cluj-Napoca
Everyone knows the famous Vunk song from 2010, which later became the protest slogan "Vreau o țară ca afară! (I want a country like outside!)". It came to symbolize both the young people's deep frustration with the Romanian state and society, as well as their clear demand that the country move more decisively towards a Western European society model. However, studies show that more than 50% of young Romanians, if they had the opportunity, would leave the country in search of a better education or a job. This lab aims to explore what would be the specific desirable features of the country that would make young people not choose to emigrate and, instead, stay in Romania to contribute to the modernization of the country in the direction they want.

LAB 2: How we deconstruct conspiracy theories on social media (in English).
Workshop facilitated by Katharina NOCUN, publicist, internet activist and former politician, Berlin
Social media is an important part of everyday life for young people. Our 2024 Youth Study shows that in Romania 35% of young people spend more than two hours on social networks. Often this increased use of social media brings young people into contact with radical right-wing ideas, conspiracy theories and anti-democratic mindsets. How do we prevent ordinary socialization from turning into political socialization, and prevent young people's political values, opinions and behavior from being shaped by exposure to far-right social media?

LAB 3: Young leftists? How do we find out who they are, where they are and how we can contact them?
Laboratory facilitated by Sorin GOG, Lecturer, Faculty of Sociology and Social Assistance, Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca
The participants are familiarized with sociological analyses in a Romanian political context and are guided through an interactive process to learn to use the results of sociological surveys to identify young leftists in Romania. Based on the knowledge gained from this practical exercise, the laboratory will discuss ways in which we can get in touch with these young people to encourage them to participate more actively in political and civic life.

LAB 4: What unites and what separates rural youth from urban youth?
Laboratory facilitated by Costi ROGOZANU, writer, teacher, activist
In the few cases where the problems, expectations and challenges of young people become a topic of discussion, they are spoken of as a uniform audience, whose only distinguishing feature is age. But the reality is much more complex, and Costi Rogozanu knows it very well from his position as a teacher at a rural school. Most of the time, if not every time, between rural and urban young people, hurdles are erected that are difficult to overcome, obstacles related to the financial situation of their family environment, to the deficient school and cultural infrastructure, to the prospects of finding a well-paid job or housing they can afford. But there are also aspects that affect rural and urban youth equally. The laboratory aims to explore and map the differences and similarities between the life situations of rural and urban youth in Romania.

The whole program of the event is available for consultation here: Agenda pdf