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„STEP IN“: Youth-Social project week in Lipova and Temesware

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„STEP IN“: Youth-Social project week in Lipova and Temesware

In Lipova, a small town in western-romania, a social-ethical youth week took place between the 21.-27 of march. 27 girls and boys assembled and concerned with social questions in their region. “STEP IN”, that means take action and engage yourself: You can move something” says Attila Dobai, who organized the week as a volunteer. What he means becomes clear by taking a look at the background of the project: Since 2016 there are yearly social-ethical youth projects in the small town in the Banat-region, which are organized by the SocioMovens and the Kommende Dortmund, together with the roman-catholic parish in Lipova and the local Caritas.Therefore, there is now a solid group a young people who are meeting monthly, planning caritative activities and trying to build a sustainable community.

“It’s a wonderful a experience to see how the young people keep together. They are fascinated by the idea, to do something together for their town and to change the region for good”, says Andreea Mergel, who accompanies the project since the beginning as a volunteering coordinator. Priest Macedon Hiticas, who brought the project into being in 2016 together with socioMovens, adds: “You can feel, that the youngsters are inspired by the gospel. They want to be more than a single NGO which just does good things. Through the spiritual dimension Catholics, orthodox and protestants can work together here as siblings – for the public good.

You can feel this spirit also under the youngsters which took in this year’s youth-project. While the week, they had contact with responsible managers of the civil society, they visited children of socially disadvantaged families and spend their time with old and lonely people. They learned ways to concretely engage for other people and to use their own potential.

 

How much this engagement is appreciated become clear to the young people when the bishop of Temesware, Joszed Pál, visited them in their accommodation and talked with them about their experiences. They all agreed: “Step in” that is a concrete invitation to implement the motto of socioMovens “Giving Europe a Soul” in the own town.