A.C.T.Y.V.E is a Group EVS project implemented in 11 communities from Gorj County – South West Romania and it has gathered 15 young volunteers from Program and Neighboring Partner countries.
The project aims both towards volunteer social and personal development, providing them with opportunities for intercultural learning, new skills and abilities development, multilinguism and European Awareness as well as organizational and community development – encouraging youngsters participation in local communities, promoting European Active Citizenship and encouraging local and international partnership.
The project is structured in three main phases: the Preparation phase, EVS service and the Valorization and Evaluation Phase.

Theme: Community Development and European Active Participation and Citizenship

- Stimulate the intercultural learning process and enhance the European Awareness and Active Participation within the hosting communities from Gorj County.
- Provide the context and the opportunities for all volunteers to develop both personally as well as socially by acquiring and improving new skills and competences as well as boost their self confidence.
- Increase tolerance towards different cultures by learning and accepting the cultural differences.
- Contribute to the community development by boosting the participation and active involvement of young people in their local communities.
- Encourage the participation of youngsters with fewer opportunities
- Widen and strengthen the partnership and co-operation relation in between all project promoters.

Hosting communities: Bustuchin, Rovinari, Ţicleni, Târgu Cărbuneşti, Hurezani, Novaci, Muşeteşti, Bumbeşti Jiu

1.Grenzelos Austria

2.AIPC-Pandora – Spain

3.Allianssi Youth Exchanges Finland

4.VJF - Germany

5.CESIE Onlus Italy

6.InCo - Interculturalità & Comunicazione – Italy

7.Itineraire International France

8.DGO Alliance - Ukraine

9.FYCA Armenia

10.Civil Society Institute Armenia

11.International Association Civitas Georgica Georgia

12.Youth Association DRONI Georgia

Europe's Day and more - 9 May, 2009 - Targu Jiu

For the 9th of May the volunteers made a mobile info centre in the centre of Targu Jiu. The aim of the activity was to inform the youths of Targu Jiu about the triple semnification of 9th of May: Europe's Day, the proclamation of Independence of Romania and the end of WWII.

"Take care of yourself, take care of nature" - June 8, 2009 - Musetesti

The start of the action was a success, even categorized by the Environmental Protection Agency director, Gheorghe Fometescu, which claimed the following, "Thank you for this initiative ARDR established in partnership with Musetesti General School and MUSETESTI City Hall, taking the necessary awareness of students about Selective recycling (ie plastic, paper, glass and aluminum cans, each in different bags), cited the fact that the more selective recycling is made more responsibly the more they could recover waste collected from the campaign to a collection center in Targu-Jiu. "

Large scale events in A.C.T.Y.V.E. EVS project

Bustuchin Title:GREEN FIVE Period:4-8 May 2009 Theme:environmental campaign Location:Bustuchin Partners:Bustuchin city hall and National Agency for Environmental Protection in Gorj This campaign was started by the two volunteers from Bustuchin with the help of their mentor Marian Sindrinaru. The main objectives of this campaign was to raise awareness of the importance of environment protection and pollution and recycling. The volunteers had group discussions with the youngsters from the community on pollution and environment protection. With the trash they gathered the volunteers and youths have created materials to promote environment protection. At the end of the campaign, the volunteers managed to get three trash bins in the school yard with the purpose of sorting trash. At the end of the campaign the director of the National Agency for Environmental Protection shared some diplomas to the youths and volunteers. The youth were very happy and that gave them very strong confidence about themselves and what they did.

Ticleni Title:Don’t kill the nature Period:3-9th of April 2009 Theme:environmental campaign Location:Ticleni Partners:Ticleni city hall and National Agency for Environmental Protection in Gorj Ticleni is the place where the environmental campaign had started. The very first step of the campaign was lobbing at the director of National Agency for Environmental Protection in Gorj County. In this purpose a meeting was set up with the director. The director was very happy to help and and also called the local television to promote our campaign and his help. The campaign started with a speech from the director of National Agency for Environmental Protection in Gorj County and a movie about pollution. The youngsters were encouraged to participate in the campaign "Marea debarasare" which’s campaign has the purpose to collect and recycle all electric and electronic waste. Lia Rogava coordinated some group discussions on pollution. On the last day the volunteers from EVS project, the youths, ardr staff and A.L.I.A.T. staff cleaned the river Cioiana. This cleaning campaign was made with the help of Ticleni city hall which provided gloves and bags. The bags were collected at the end of the day by a machine provided by the city hall.

Polovragi Title:Excursion Period:23-24th of May 2009 Theme:promoting cultural heritage, communication and intercultural dialogue Location:Polovragi Partners:Ticleni city hall, Novaci city hall and Petrom Ticleni It is known that Romanian youths don’t appreciate much their cultural and historical heritage. In order to try to change that amongst the youths from Ticleni and Novaci, the volunteers decided to make a excursion to Polovragi. That was a very good place to make a excursion because from there you can visit two caves (Pestera Muierii and Polovragi Cave), the Polovragi Monastery and also have a very nice landscape. The main problem the volunteers had was raising the money for transportation of about 40 youths. Transportation support was provided by the city hall of Novaci for the youth from Novaci. For the youths from Ticleni the volunteers got the help of a petroleum company from Ticleni: Petrom. The director of the company was very open to help the volunteers organize this excursion. Through this excursion volunteers have managed to increase communication between the youths from the two communities. At the end of the second day phone numbers and email have been shared between each other.

Ticleni Title:Debate Period:11th of May 2009 Theme:9th May Europe Day Location:Ticleni Monday on the 9th of May Lika Rogava organized with the help of two volunteers a debate with the pupils from 11A. They were divided in two teams. Both teams received same task but only the best of them received points. The main topic was European Union, its history and general information. At the end of the debate Lika gave some diplomas for all the pupils, thus considering much more important the fact that they learn a bit more about EU rather than who got more answers correct.

Targu Carbunesti Title:football match Period:23rd of April 2009 Theme:promoting of intercommunitary dialogue and mobility through sports Location:Tg. Carbunesti Partners:“Tudor Arghezi? Carbunesti High School, Bustuchin city hall On the 24:th of April we organized a breathtaking football match between Targu Carbunesti and Bustuchin. The teams consisted of High School students that are the best players in each community. The idea was to bring the youngsters together through an interest that they all share and are good at: football. While the players strenghtened their skills and meet new people they also promoted and represented their own communities under the name of team work. The participants came as two teams but left as one big! It was a pleasure to watch the game and to feel the joy and excitement of the players. The Mayor of Bustuchin also appreciated the event and joined the spectators. This sport exhange fullfilled one of the goals in the A.C.T.Y.V.E program by improving the communication and the mobility between two communities in Gorj. This event was followed up by a bigger tournament between all the communities in the project.

Hurezani Title:We protect the nature Period:13 May 2009 Theme:environmental campaign Location:Hurezani Partners:Hurezani city hall and school and Bustuchin city hall In Hurezani the volunteers worked mainly on raising the awareness on pollution and environment protection and also cleaning and have fun at the same time. The main activity was cleaning the area around the school. The volunteers and kids from Bustuchin came and helped and at the end of the day they had a football match. The youths from Bustuchin received help from the city hall a minibus, to manage transportation. The youths and volunteers from Hurezani received gloves and bags for the trash.

Hurezani Title:Ecotheatre Period:20 May 2009 Theme:promoting active participation of young people and create cohesion between them Location:Hurezani Partners:Primari Hurezani This theatre was made by the volunteers with the kids from primary school from Hurezani. The spectators of the play where the parents of the kids, teachers from the school and the mayor of Hurezani. The main purpose of the ecotheatre was to improve self expression and self confidence of the kids from primary school and also improve interpersonal relationship. The reason why they called it eco was because this way the volunteers managed to approach in a better way topics related to environment and also the theme of the play was related to ecology.

Novaci Title:Excursion Period:23-24 May 2009 Theme:promoting cultural heritage and socialization Location:Polovragi Partners:Ticleni city hall, Novaci city hall, Petrom This was done together with the youths and volunteers from Ticleni.

Musetesti Title:ACTYVE SPORTS Period:17-18th of June 2009 Theme:promote active participation of young people, solidarity between young and collaboration network between institutions of Gorj County by carrying out extra-curricular activities Location:Musetesti Partners:Scoala Generala Musetesti, Musetesti city hall, A.L.I.A.T., Musetesti police The purpose of this football championship was to promote active participation of young people, solidarity between young and collaboration network between institutions of Gorj County by carrying out extra-curricular activities. On this activity a number of 60 youths and their sports teacher participated from 6 communities.

Musetesti Title:Take care of yourself, take care of the nature Period:8th of June 2009 Theme:environmental campaign Location:Musetesti Partners:Musetesti General School, A.L.I.A.T.

Rovinari Title:Excursion Period:20 May 2009 Theme:group cohesion and communication Location:Baile Herculane Partners:Rovinari city hall and Rovinari General School The purpose of this football championship was to promote active participation of young people, solidarity between young and collaboration network between institutions of Gorj County by carrying out extra-curricular activities. On this activity a number of 60 youths and their sports teacher participated from 6 communities.

Targu Jiu Title:free hugs Period:3 iulie 2009 Theme:breaking cultural barriers Location:Tg Jiu Partners:ATDR, ALIAT, ASUCB In the “Free hugs? campaign the volunteers asked the help of the students from the Brancusi University, volunteers from ALIAT and ATDR. Together they designed some posters and started walking in the center of Targu Jiu and giving free hugs. In this way the volunteers got in contact with the citizens of Targu Jiu and also reminded everyone that we are all humans and we shouldn’t be so mean with each other.

Targu Jiu Title:Smile for tomorrow Period:3-7 July 2009 Theme:social campaign for poor families in rural areas Location:Tg Jiu Partners:A.L.I.A.T., T.F.F., EHN Bustuchin, Tele3, Gorj Domino, Radio Infinit, Acces TV, Lupta in Gorj, RTV, Gorjeanul, Antena 1 After staying 6 months in a community volunteers have noticed that people in rural areas are very poor in general but also there are some families that live in extreme poverty. I don’t know which of the volunteers came with the idea of this social campaing but I know that all of them supported this idea. With our support they managed to get a lot of help from the media and a lot of media partners. The main purpose was to collect food, money or anything else that could be of help to the poor families in the rural areas. The volunteer from Germany called her friends and asked their help. She managed, by calling them, to raise the amount of 600 euros. She used the money to buy the poor families from Musetesti what they needed the most. This project had a great impact on the poor families and people in general from the rural areas.