Opening the YMCA Hub in Romania – The Spring of New Beginnings
Our journey takes us back to the team of YMCA Romania, located in the town of Baia Mare, northwestern Romania, where a momentous event took place on the 2nd of March – the official opening of the very first YMCA Hub – a space of growth, development for youth and communities, and a new beginning for this incredible team that has achieved so much.
YMCA is leading change through holistic and experiential learning sessions, delivering youth exchange programs, team-building, as well as leadership programs, focused on communication and team-building.
The team has a rich history in camping and developing quality standards in youth work, being recognized as a center of excellence in career development, refugee support, and integration. Their professional team is well established in empowering local and Ukrainian communities, through certified language classes, eDU and Mobile Hub activities within the county, and digitalization for all. Learn more.
Represented by our Secretary General Juan Simoes Iglesias, and joined by World YMCA Secretary General, Carlos Madjiri Sanvee, we had the pleasure to experience it all together with the local and Ukrainian community.
This grand opening represents a milestone in the history of YMCA Romania – celebrating the 20th Anniversary Event of the YMCA Romania Federation and 105 years of YMCA in Romania. Young people, families, friends of the YMCA, beneficiaries, business representatives, teachers, members of the Ukrainian community, as well as leaders from local organizations from all over the country joined the festivities.
We had the pleasure of connecting with the 5 local organizations – YMCA Baia Mare, YMCA Cavnic, Asociatia Young Initiative Bucharest, YMCA Arad, and Student Plus Timisoara; as well as representatives of IKE Transylvania. Warmly welcomed by Alina Pop, Secretary General of YMCA Romania, and Dan Carpov, President of the national movement, we had the chance to learn about the organizational culture, the strategies, and pledge our support to the ongoing commitment of the YMCA in Romania.
The opening ceremony, and the opportunity to visit the hub, discover the history of the movement, and the strategy aligned with the YMCA worldwide vision has been an impressive experience for Victoria Trofimova, YMCA Europe Project Consultant and representative of YMCA Ukraine, and Dumitru Roibu – Executive President of YMCA Moldova, who joined us on this unique journey.
The opening ceremony began at the County Council of Baia Mare, having representatives from the national, regional and local authorities and public institutions attending – Mr. Ionel Bogdan – Maramures County Council President, Doru Dancus – Interim Mayor of Baia Mare city, Mrs. Anca Hendea – Secretary of State at Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Chances, Mrs Eniko Krizsanovszki – Maramures County Subprefect, Mr. Radu Trufan – Maramures County Council Vice-President, Mr. Brian Cristian – Deputy in the Romanian Parliament, Mrs Oana Osanu – Executive Director of Maramures Employment Agency, Mr Marian Sitar – Senior Child Protection Associate UNHCR.
It has been a great session, with inspiring stories, and testimonies shared by all the guests, hosted by the young leaders of YMCA Romania in English, Romanian, and Ukrainian – a sheer reflection of the multicultural and multi-ethnic community the movement is serving.
To mark this milestone – the team invited all the guests to plant the YMCA Tree – a symbol of renewal, growth, and development – as a YMCA Hub is “born”, enabling a fruitful space for community development for all.
The festivities continued with the cutting of the ribbon and the very first guided tours of the YMCA Hub. During the visit all guests were guided by our teenagers volunteers who presented the Hub, the programs tailored for the Ukrainian refugees, as well as many national and international youth initiatives and projects.
We were impressed by the fact that the entire event was led by young leaders with ages between 14-23, empowered and passionate by the YMCA’s legacy and rich history in the country.
A massive thank you for the incredible moments, fantastic stories at the grassroots, learning about the challenges and opportunities the team is going through, and most importantly – the hospitality that brought us all together. May this hub continue to serve generations of young people and strengthen communities for a better tomorrow.
