"Dor de rădăcini" – Youth Summit of the Republic of Moldova

The training activity took place

in Chișinău, Moldova

organised by Federația Tinerilor Basarabeni din România (FTB), in partnership with the National Youth Council of Moldova (CNTM) and the Youth Council of Romania (CTR), funded by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, Government of Romania

1-3 September 2023

Reference person

Cristin Murafa

(Co-facilitator, President of FTB – Federația Tinerilor Basarabeni din România, at the time of the event.)

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Aims & objectives

The summit connected Moldovan youth studying in Romania with peers living in Moldova, as well as public institutions, NGOs, and opinion leaders from both countries. Two thematic tracks ran across both days: the role of youth in Moldova's EU accession process, and the future of work in Moldova. The event aimed to motivate Moldovan students in Romania to consider returning home and to build cross-border peer networks contributing to Moldova's development.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

80 participants — half from Moldova, half from Romania, aged 18–26 — drawn from civil society, the public and private sectors, and student communities. High-level guests included the Speaker of Moldova's Parliament, the Secretary of State of Romania's Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, Moldovan parliamentary committee chairs, and ministers from Moldova's government responsible for the economy, labour, education, and foreign affairs. The facilitation team represented CNTM (Moldova), FTB, and CTR (Romania).

Training methods used & main activities

The summit ran on participatory non-formal methods: a moderated opening plenary with live audience questions via Mentimeter, six World Café discussion rounds across both days on EU integration and the future of work, thematic group work, a Human Bingo icebreaker on EU and civic literacy, a storytelling session on day two, and a closing panel between youth participants and senior decision-makers.

Outcomes of the activity

Participants mapped priorities across four thematic clusters — EU integration, youth employment, entrepreneurship, and social protection — feeding directly into the closing panel with Moldovan ministers. The summit built cross-border connections between Moldovan youth in Romania and at home, and produced concrete inputs on youth priorities for Moldova's pre-accession process.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Teodora co-facilitated the summit as CNTM's representative, one of the three co-organising partners. She spoke at the opening plenary alongside Romanian and Moldovan state officials, led the workshop cluster on the role of youth in Moldova's EU integration and the future of education, and facilitated World Café rounds on both days.