On 20 June 2026, we took part in a special edition of the Together in the Park series at Roaba de Cultură in Herăstrău Park, Bucharest, dedicated to World Refugee Day. Organised together with Green Revolution, the gathering brought refugee, migrant, and host communities into one shared, welcoming space, an afternoon built around intercultural exchange, community engagement, and the simple joy of meeting one another.
Our team hosted an information stand where visitors could learn about the activities we run throughout the year and discover more about The Youth – The National Centre of The Youth Ecosystem. It was a chance to start conversations, answer questions, and show young people and families the many ways they can get involved, connect, and find a place to belong.
What made the day especially meaningful for us was who stood right beside us, our international volunteers from Ukraine. Far from being guests on the sidelines, they were at the heart of the activities, running a hands-on experience with VR glasses that let young people step into new, immersive worlds, and a creative pin-making activity where participants designed and took home their own badges.
Their presence carried a story that sits at the very core of why this work matters. Many young Ukrainians arrived in Romania in need of support, and today they are the ones offering it, welcoming others, sharing their experience, and shaping activities for the communities around them. That quiet shift, from receiving help to giving it, is exactly the kind of transformation World Refugee Day invites us to recognise and celebrate.
Throughout the afternoon, the park filled with the easy energy of people getting to know one another across languages and backgrounds. The VR headsets drew curious crowds, the pin-making table buzzed with colour and creativity, and our stand became a meeting point for anyone wanting to learn more about youth work in Romania.
World Refugee Day is, above all, a moment to honour the resilience of people who have had to rebuild their lives far from home. Being part of Together in the Park allowed us to live that meaning rather than simply mark the date, surrounded by a community that grows more open, diverse, and united with every encounter.
We are grateful to Green Revolution, Roaba de Cultură, and all the partner organisations who made the day possible, and we look forward to the events still to come throughout the summer.
“Pathways to Belonging” (EU-UKR-PB), project number 101239630, is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps, under the Key Action “Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas” (ESC-SOLID-2025-VTHPA). The 24-month project is coordinated by the National Foundation for Youth (Romania), in partnership with Collectif pour un Service Civique Européen (France) and Stowarzyszenie Projektów Międzynarodowych LOGOS Polska (Poland). It aims to support the social inclusion, civic participation and personal and professional development of young Ukrainian refugees, drawing on a safe-spaces methodology delivered through the network of youth centres coordinated by the National Foundation for Youth.