On 12 August, THE YOUTH by FNT in Bucharest came alive to celebrate International Youth Day, a day dedicated to the energy, creativity, and potential of young people. Under this year’s theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” the afternoon brought together young people from many different backgrounds around a single, shared idea, that no matter where we come from, we are united by the same wish to grow, to contribute, and to build a better future together.
From 17:00, the youth centre filled with workshops, conversations, live music, and an organisations’ fair that opened doors to a whole world of opportunities. It was a celebration in the truest sense, hands-on, welcoming, and driven by young people themselves.
One of the highlights of the day was the organisations’ fair, where participants could meet, in one place, some of the organisations shaping opportunities for young people in Romania and across Europe. Present at the fair were the National Foundation for Youth (FNT), ANPCDEFP, Eurodesk, the British Council, Salvați Copiii (Save the Children Romania), the Romanian Red Cross, and Act for Tomorrow.
Each stand offered young people a direct line to real opportunities, from leadership trainings, scholarships, and international school projects with the British Council, to European mobility programmes, information services, and volunteering paths. Alongside them, organisations working with and for young Ukrainian refugees, as well as those promoting community volunteering, shared how young people can get involved, find support, and make a difference in their own communities.
At the heart of the day were the workshops, and the people leading them made them truly special. They were facilitated by the young participants of our Youth Forward Lab youth exchange, which had brought together 41 young people from seven countries over nine days of learning and discovery. On 12 August, they stepped from the role of participants into the role of facilitators, turning everything they had learned into interactive experiences for the community.
Working in pairs, they led short, 30-minute workshops across four parallel spaces, repeated in successive rounds so visitors could move freely and follow their curiosity. From Camera Presence & Personal Image and intercultural language games, to 3D printing, a survival game, a live-action art gallery, a scavenger hunt of solutions, and a wish-making craft in The Yard, there was something for everyone. A continuous installation, Unsent Letters, ran throughout the whole event, a letter hung in a tree, no name attached, just each visitor and the things left unsaid.
International Youth Day at THE YOUTH was more than an event, it was a living reminder that when young people are given the space, the tools, and the trust to lead, they create something remarkable. Different contexts, common aspirations, and one community that grows more open, diverse, and united with every encounter.
A heartfelt thank-you to all the organisations who joined us, to the young facilitators who made the day come alive, and to everyone who was part of this special celebration. You made it unforgettable.
“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 unService 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.