The Youth Centres have a positive impact on the development of youth in the Republic of Moldova. According to the study ‘Analysis of the perceptions of Youth Centres beneficiaries regarding the access, relevance and quality of provided services, over 70% of young people who used services and/or programs provided by Youth Centres assess their quality as ‘very well’. They report a positive impact of Centres on their behavior, such as increased self-confidence, enhanced civic engagement, acknowledgment and appreciation from people surrounding them and better program organization.
Youth Centres are public institutions that operate all around the country and provide a wide range of free services and programs with equal access for every young person. According to the survey, the top preferences include non-formal training programs (66%), volunteering (52%), leisure time animation (41%) and civic initiatives (40%). Young people believe that these services are relevant for them and appreciate being consulted in their design, thus feeling that their opinion is being considered.
Mihaela Gutu is 15 years old and attends the Sangerei Youth Centre, where she likes to participate in non-formal training activities and volunteering. The young girl says that she is fascinated by the approaches used in the personal development activities and she is glad that she can launch and participate, together with her colleagues, in community civic initiatives: ‘The Youth Centre fills our time with activities that are useful for us. We notice and appreciate that the opinion of all persons is taken into account, and the activities planned and projects are chosen together with the young people. This instills the idea of understanding and cooperation with young people, which allows the young person to harmoniously develop, in a safe and friendly space, guided by the youth workers’, states the young girl.
According to the Statistical Reporting Form**, the 44 municipal/district Youth Centres, as well as their subsidiaries from rural areas, hosted more than 3500 activities involving youth participation and engagement last year.
‘The territorial development and extension of the youth programs and services at the local level is a priority of youth sector. In the last years, the authorities and the development partners made significant efforts to build Youth Centres’ capacity, diversify services and enhance their quality and accessibility and we are glad to note their positive impact on young people’, said Ivan Gheorghiu, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research.
When asked how they perceive the influence of Youth Centre on them, most of the young people mentioned that thanks to the services and programs carried out they managed to improve their organization and teamwork abilities and to outrun the communication barriers with their peers, and therefore they became members of a team or network.
‘Youth Centres are a youth non-formal education and development platform that helps them avoid behavioral risks and achieve their potential. They help grow up the future leaders who drive the Republic of Moldova to a better future and we need to further invest in the modernization and consolidation of these institutions, said, in her turn, Nigina Abaszada, UNFPA Representative in Moldova.
The results of the study show also positive dynamics in the implementation of the Joint Fund program via the human resources training actions. Young people who attend Youth Centres (more than 70% of the respondents) appreciated the attitude and professionalism of youth workers.
‘The impact of Youth Centres will be further noticed within communities. However, this can be achieved by enhancing the potential of youth workers and local public authorities of facilitating youth engagement in the community life and decision-making process, said Radu Danii, National Local Government Program Coordinator of the Swiss Cooperation Office.
The study was conducted by the ‘Partnership for Development’ Centre, under the Joint Fund for the development of Youth Centres and strengthening the participation and civic engagement of young people in Moldova of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the United Nations Population Fund.
According to the Statistical Report on Youth Centres Activity**, by the end of 2020, the Youth Centres Network in Moldova included 92 employees in 22 districts/municipal Centres and other 22 subsidiaries in the rural areas of the country.
Note:* The analysis was carried out based on data gathered through an opinion poll, by phone. The volume of the sample: 201 people aged 15-24 years old, randomly, with a maximum error of +6.9%. Sampling frame: list of phone numbers of young people who benefited from services and/or programs carried out by the Youth Centres. Selection mode: random selection of phone numbers. Data were gathered during 18-22 November by the Centre for Sociological Investigations and Marketing ‘CBS-Research’. The questionnaire was drawn up in Romanian and Russian, giving the respondents the possibility to choose the appropriate version.
** The Statistical Reporting Form is meant to gather information about Youth Centres activity (YC) and find out about the specific of services provided by YC and the young people using these services. The Analytical report represents the joint effort of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research (MECR) and UNFPA Moldova to analyze the activity of YC. UNFPA Moldova encourages MECR in analysing the statistical data on the activity of YC for the second consecutive year.
For details please contact: Irina Draguțanu, communication assistant, 069694246 dragutanu@unfpa.org
