The network of Youth Centers in the Republic of Moldova was equipped with high-performance IT technology: 22 HD TVs, 124 VR (Virtual Reality) glasses and 22 game consoles.
The purpose of this action in the framework of the Joint Fund for the Development of Youth Centers and to strengthen the participation and civic involvement of young people in the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the United Nations Population Fund, is to provide opportunities for digital interaction. between young people and youth workers, especially during the pandemic.
Modern equipment will amplify young people's interest in the activity of Youth Centers, inviting them to innovative recreational activities, including film screenings, role-playing games, virtual reality experiences.
“The equipment offered to the Youth Centers within the Joint Fund comes to meet the needs of young people, thus modernizing these spaces for their development. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Research together with the partners of the Common Fund facilitates the organization of youth activities both within the Youth Centers and outside them. Thus, we manage to promote youth programs for more young people in communities ", said Ivan Gheorghiu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research.
“The adjustment of spaces and equipment of youth centers is essential for increasing the young people’s interest in the programs and services they offer. The digital resources are the allies of youth workers, which make interaction with young people more dynamic and interesting, in a safe and friendly environment,” said Olga Gordilă-Bobeico, project officer, UNFPA Moldova.
Moreover, district Youth Centres and their subsidiaries will be enabled to also use the IT equipment within informal activities and social behavior experiments through virtual experiences, with the involvement of young people.
‘The provision of Youth Centres with up-to-date equipment helps us to attract more young people to the Centre and creates an interactive and attractive working environment for them’, says Eduard Soltanici, director of Ct Criuleni.
Danu Roșca, a youth worker at Ct Ungheni acknowledges: ‘Recently we have tested the new equipment of the Youth Centre, and its possibilities went beyond the young people’s expectancies. We can now conduct different interactive games that we couldn’t organize before. It provides a broader set of activities for our young people.’
Youth Centres received visibility materials that are useful in their mobile work with young people, like anoraks, T-Shirts, caps, thermoses, umbrellas, environment-friendly bags, agendas, USB keys, wall/fabric for presentation, and other more than 12 types of products for promoting activities organized by the Centre among young people.
Youth Centres are public spaces owned by Local Public Authorities and meant to become attractive for young people at the local level, where they can develop their own personality and gain professional experience. Youth centers provide young people with opportunities for volunteering, vocational orientation, leisure activities, etc.
Annually, about 30 thousand young people, most of them aged between 14-25, attend the youth centers from the Republic of Moldova. Thus, the program aims to further invest in youth-friendly spaces, developing attractive opportunities for recreation and free time spending in a safe environment including also, including the prevention of behavioral risks.
For details: Irina Dragutanu, Communication Assistant, UNFPA Moldova, Tel.069694246, dragutanu@unfpa.org
