We are volunteers! - National campaign

On December 5, 2008 The New Horizons Foundation in partnership with ProVobis celebrated International Volunteering Day with the IMPACT kids and leaders from the Jiu Valley. About 45 kids, both IMPACT members who have been involved for 5 years and those who have joined in the last 6 months, showed up to be recognized for the work they do in the community. An article in the local paper, Ziarul, was published about volunteering and some of our key participants were mentioned in that paper.

We had an art exhibition where the kids from the IMPACT clubs did drawings on what "volunteering" means to them - some were quite abstract, some just stick figures - but many of them used the image of a hand. As a volunteer you use your hands, but also your mind, energy and heart, to help others.

The idea to celebrate this event came when two volunteers heard a lecture from a pro-volunteering organization called "ProVobis" who explained that recognition of volunteering is very difficult in Romania. Largely because of forced volunteerism during communism, present day volunteers are often met with cynicism and disdain. Celebrating voluntary work is important because it underlines its importance in society and recognizes the joy of service.

The New Horizons Foundation and ProVobis feel it is important to recognize those who take their free time to actively involve themselves for the common good.

See the entire description of the project here.


Youth leadership for a better community - National campaign

Creating real involvement opportunities for young people which encourage initiative, active participation and volunteering is a priority for New Horizons and ProVobis Nationl Volunteering Center. These NGOs both strive to sustain the development of young people and the communities to which they belong. Their goal is to achieve this through encouraging development processes for youth, valuing the competencies acquired by the beneficiaries of these programs, and through projects in which all the members of the local communities are involved. The direct result is a project developed in partnership which involves 6 communities (Craiova, Iasi, Slobozia, Timisoara, Uricani and Vlădesti-Vâlcea) through 3 IMPACT clubs and 3 Local Volunteering Centers.

This project is financed by the European Commission through the Youth in Action Program. Its goal is to develop leadership skills for youth in local communities through training sessions and internships, resulting with specific and visible projects in the target communities. The projects will be initiated and coordinated by the young leaders, under the guidance of experienced mentors in youth work. In addition, the activities will attract and involve many public institutions and civil society bodies. At the end of the "Youth leadership for a better community" project (February 2009), the 18 young people will have the knowledge and the practical experience to act as local leaders, and to attract other young people in activities related to volunteering and community service.


Educated to live green - National campaign

Live green! is the message of the campaign of 10 IMPACT local community initiative clubs, a project developed by New Horizons Foundation with the financial support of the European Union Commission through Youth in Action Program.

Between 15th of January and 15th of December 2008, the activities of the campaign will involve 7 local communities (Bucharest, Constanța, Iași, Roman, Slobozia, Timișoara and Uricani). The project will advocate for active citizenship's values, in general, and environmental issues, in particular. The goal of the campaign is to involve local actors (public institutions, civil society bodies, mass-media channels) from the individual local communities in promoting a responsible attitude towards the environment and to each member of the community.

IMPACT clubs will put together, in partnership with local public institutions (city halls, schools and high schools) paper collecting centers in schools and a planting day on the Earth Day (22nd of April). Also the IMPACT clubs will celebrate the Day of Europe (9th of May) with Theatre Forum presentations and debates on European citizenship. In October 2008, simultaneously in all the locations of the project, a Leave No Trace street campaign will be organized, in order to carry out ecological related activities. This street campaign will underline the importance of the recycling and the active participation of all the members of a community in protecting the environment. Join the young IMPACT volunteers in the activities and learn how to live green!