From January 16 to 17, the partners met in Cluj-Napoca at the premises of LAG Napoca. After a review of the last session that took place in Strasbourg with the aim of advancing the final production. A workshop was held with young entrepreneurs from the city of Gilau with the aim of sharing their experience. What are the obstacles and problems they had to face before achieving success and in order to carry out their project in rural areas.
An example mentioned was that of a massage parlour, financed by a LAG project and having received a subsidy. The salon was run by a highly motivated and talented young woman, who saw great potential to develop her favorite profession.
During the meeting, Sandrine presented feedback and information from a previous meeting in Strasbourg. Marc has set up a discussion grid to assess the main trends. The subject of political commitment was also discussed.
Ada stressed the importance of teaching young people effective communication skills, so they can share their ideas constructively and better understand their needs. She stressed the importance of communication advice, because sometimes people can be too direct without considering the other's point of view.
The group concluded that civic education should play a key role in strengthening political engagement within local communities. Ivana suggested emphasizing citizenship courses in future projects, as this could encourage young people to become more active and involved.
Sandrine shared her vision of the main objective of their work, comparing it to sowing seeds of opportunity. She believed in empowering people to decide how to use those opportunities and create positive change. All the efforts made by their organisations, she pointed out, were in reality political actions leading to essential changes.
Ivana offered to invest in a young leader, a motivator, providing him with the necessary tools to realize his ideas. She illustrated this with the example of Mladforma, a youth platform that managed to implement different campaigns in Osijek to improve society.
As the meeting progressed, they discussed the final production and defined several key points. They planned to create a common culture through actions such as the organization of festivals, moments of shared cooking and town twinning. The group recognized the importance of a mix of formal and non-formal education in their initiatives. Global, youth-focused education was also a priority for them. Moreover, they highlighted the importance of fostering strong relationships and territorial dialogue between different organizations in rural areas. Finally, they agreed that experiential learning was essential, as it allowed individuals to gain valuable experience and share their practices in
their respective territories.
In the end, these ambitious and forward-looking young individuals left the meeting with a renewed determination to bring about positive change in their rural communities. Their projects, driven by passion and supported by the LAG grant, demonstrated their commitment to tradition and their desire to create a better future for all. Through communication, education and collaboration, they believed they could " sow the seeds of progress and pave the way to success.«
