In 2024, 16 teams of young people, adults and teachers from 13 districts will implement community-based initiatives to solve local problems under the YouCreate Program. This program is implemented for the sixth year and aims to involve youth and other people from the locality in civic actions intended to contribute to local development. This year’s winning teams were selected competitively, with a record number of 46 candidates. 

Thus, 16 of the most compelling and creative ideas were selected as winners, and the teams will create friendly spaces, and organise thematic festivals, cultural and sports marathons, social theatre activities. All these activities aim to connect young people for learning, civic participation and community development. YouCreate 2024 teams met on 14 June during an event in Chișinău, where they had the opportunity to get to know and inspire each other. The young people presented their ideas to their peers and program partners, and in the end, each team received grant certificates worth USD 1,600 to conduct activities in their localities until the fall of this year.

“You should go on with the same creativity and energy. This is what Moldova needs, and Switzerland will continue supporting youth initiatives”, Guido Beltrani, head of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, said to the young people.

YouCreate Program is a platform for local youth engagement and participation. Together with youth workers and teachers, young people identify and implement solutions to problems in the community, improving their skills in analysis, communication, socialization, creative thinking, budget estimation and allocation, etc. 70% of the initiatives are implemented in rural areas with limited access to development opportunities for young people.

According to the European Commission Analytical report on Moldova's alignment with the EU acquis (2023), participation of young people aged 18-29 is the lowest among all age groups in the Republic of Moldova. Almost 11.5% of young people were involved in consulting the local budget, compared to 14% of adults, and 7.1% were involved in developing a local development strategy, compared to 15.5% of adults.

“UNFPA supports youth mobilization, development of civic engagement and participation skills. When young people are involved and their voices are heard and consulted, they are part of the solution, have a sense of shared responsibility and are eager to contribute to the country’s development. Young people must be supported to actively participate in democratic life and realize their potential”, stressed Karina Nersesyan, Representative of the UN Population Fund in Moldova.

As the Republic of Moldova is preparing intensively for EU integration, it is critical to ensure the engagement of youth and to harness the potential of the younger generation. Young people must be supported to actively participate in the democratic life of the country, to contribute to a more inclusive and united society. Last, but not least, we, adults, must guide them through this process, so that young people make healthy choices, avoid risky behaviours and reach their full potential.

UNFPA, the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Switzerland are continuously investing in creating and developing programs and platforms that enhance the participation and civic engagement of young people in the Republic of Moldova and support the Network of Youth Centers in Moldova so that young people have development opportunities.

Since 2018, YouCreate Program supported 105 youth initiatives in 54 localities involving around 2,100 young people and more than 300 educators and youth workers, who organised activities attended by more than 10,000 young people.  

The YouCreate Program is implemented by UNFPA in partnership with Terre des hommes - Moldova and the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, within the framework of the "Common Fund for Strengthening Youth Participation and Developing Youth Centers in the Republic of Moldova," supported by the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova, the National Youth Agency, and the Government of Switzerland.