List of National Youth Awards 2023 winners

The most active young people and the most involved youth organizations of 2023 were awarded on December 20. The list of this year's winners was made public during the National Youth Awards Gala, organized by the National Youth Agency jointly with the Ministry of Education and Research. During the event, the locality that will hold the title "Youth Capital 2024" was also announced.

According to the director of the National Youth Agency, Ion Donea, through the National Youth Awards Gala, partnerships are built with the youth sector, which provides the opportunity to develop effective mechanisms for implementing youth policies at the local level.

"We offer two distinct award categories. These are awards dedicated to the youth sector, which means that we recognize the contribution of civil servants, youth workers, youth centers and those working in the given sector. On the other hand, the other category refers to young people, i.e. those who applied individually, as well as those who represent certain youth initiative groups and have carried out different projects. So, we are trying to combine the sector, which offers opportunities for young people, and young people, who are the final beneficiaries", emphasized Ion Donea.

Below you will find the list of winners for each category.

The youth specialist of the year within the APL level II

"The Directorate of Education, Culture and Tourism in the Taraclia district directs all its activities towards educating active young people, instilling in them love for our country and trying to make them see their future in Moldova. Our biggest success this year was the creation of a youth center, not only as a legal entity, but also as an opportunity for young people to gather, discuss important issues, find solutions for them and, in general, to develop. Now, this is their world", mentioned Lilia Sarsaman.

School Council Student of the Year

Student Council of "Mihai Eminescu" Theoretical High School, the city of Edineț - 20,000 lei

“Our council is based on promoting democratic values, civic spirit, creativity, individuality and teamwork. In our activities, we manage to fully involve the students in the institution, but we also have an impact on the community of which we are a part. Thanks to some implemented projects, we managed to create recreational spaces for the entire community. In the same way, we renovated an underground, which increased the safety of our students, but also of people from the locality", emphasized Vilen Cruglițchi, representative of the Student Council of the "Mihai Eminescu" Theoretical High School.

Youth worker of the year

Dan Roșca, youth worker at the Ungheni District Youth Center – 25,000 lei

"I hesitated for many years to sign up for the National Award, saying that there are better workers, that I am not well-honed enough, but after four years of activity, the year 2023 being full of activities and projects, and, in somewhat, at the insistence of my team, I decided to apply."

Youth Center of the Year

Ungheni Regional Youth Center – 30,000 lei

"We are a public institution, but also a safe and friendly space for young people. However, above all, we offer personal development opportunities for young people. We don't just let young people know what's happening in our district or what activities they can participate in, but we also take into account the activities that are at the national level, especially the opportunities that are abroad: programs, scholarships, internships", he said Alina Butnaru, interim head of the Ungheni Regional Youth Center.

Local Youth Council of the Year

The District Council of Young Dondușeni – 20,000 lei

"This year we managed to hold a very big event for the young people of the district - the District Youth Forum. Within it, we consulted the opinion of young people regarding the activities for the development of the youth sector. In the same way, we managed to carry out the information and promotion campaign "The impact and activity of a local youth council" and a campaign to promote the activity of the council", said Denis Parnăo, vice-president of the Dondușeni District Youth Council.

Student self-governance

Association of Law Students of the State University of Moldova – 20,000 lei

"The Association of Law Students of the State University of Moldova directly participates in decision-making within the Faculty of Law. At the same time, we have a lot of projects. At the national level, we are known for the "Patrol agent for a day" project, implemented in collaboration with the National Public Security Inspectorate of the General Police Inspectorate. We also have an exchange of experience with five university centers in Romania, carried out within the "Law Highway" project. Thus, we offer our students the opportunity to go and see how things are at colleges across the Prut, what are the forms of learning there", said Cristian Luca, Department Director within the Association.

Solidarity

Public Association "MilleniuM Development Training Institute" - the "Educational Center for Millenium Solidarity" project - 20,000 lei

"MilleniuM organizes projects in the field of youth and, since the war in Ukraine began, we have also focused on providing opportunities to young Ukrainians who have found refuge in the Republic of Moldova. Those who preferred to continue learning online can come to our organization to have access to a laptop and internet. After that, Ukrainian teachers living in the Republic of Moldova come to provide support in homework and graduation exam preparation for young people who plan to graduate from schools in Ukraine. In the evening, we organize informal activities, where young people from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine can interact", said Vitalie Cîrhană, the director of the Association.

Diaspora at home

Young Guards – ZdG youth college – 20,000 lei

"The Young Guard aims to create lasting connections between home and diaspora communities by sharing the social and academic experiences we have in countries such as Great Britain, Belgium, Hungary or Taiwan. In order to bring topics of interest to the public discussion table, we organize events, publish podcast editions and write editorials that we publish weekly on the pages of Ziarului de Gardă", Alexandrina Caruța, representative of Tinilor de Gardă, told us.

Social innovation

Oxana Capatină - the project "A new reality" and the augmented reality painting exhibition "Peace" - 20,000 lei

Promotion of national heritage and culture

"Time of the Youth from Moldova" Public Association - the "Time Magazine", Republic of Moldova edition" project - 20,000 lei

"The magazine "Time" is a cultural magazine that aims to promote the youth of the Republic of Moldova. It is about young writers, both those who have made their editorial debut and those who have not yet made their editorial debut and therefore have the possibility to debut in an extremely important cultural magazine", said Maria Ivanov, executive director of the magazine "Time".

Promoting the fundamental rights of young people

Public Association "Center for Educational and Community Development" - the project "Combating the phenomenon of bullying through the involvement of teachers and students" - 20,000 lei

"Our project aimed at uniting the efforts of teachers and students in ensuring a positive environment for the development of children in educational institutions. In its implementation, we also launched an information campaign regarding the need to ensure a positive environment in schools, which took place in several stages", said Victoria Isac, president of the Center for Educational and Community Development.

Start-up in entrepreneurship

Vitalii Uzun, administrator Bio Watt - the "Cleaning and Maintenance of Solar Panels" project - 20,000 lei

"A year ago, in Europe, I saw a group of specialists going to clean solar panels. I really liked this idea, so when I returned to the Republic of Moldova I decided to apply to different programs to win a grant, which happened. This fact became a motivation for me to start the business."

Leadership

Victor Babcinetchi, president of the District Youth Council from Șoldănești - the project "Summer Camp "Acasă Camp" 2023" - 20,000 lei

"The project brought added value to our community, being an innovative one. Thanks to him, we managed to attract more funds and unite a community of young people eager to make a change in the locality."

Research and innovation

Mihail Ciobanu, ACS, Institute of History "AD Xenopol", Romanian Academy, Iași branch - the project "Researching the history of Romanians in Romanian and foreign archives" - 20,000 lei

The National Youth Awards Gala is organized annually and aims to recognize the achievements, performances and contribution of young people, specialists and youth workers, as well as youth structures and organizations throughout the year.

We remind you that during the 2023 National Youth Awards Gala, the locality that will become the "Youth Capital 2024" was officially announced. Thus, in the following year, this status will be held by the municipality of Cahul.