Today we have arrived at Episode 8, the final instalment of updates from our advocacy campaign for social inclusion, conducted within the ȘURA – Laboratory of Experimentation and Inclusive Civic Engagement project. In this episode, we will meet two people who contribute meaningfully to the promotion of social inclusion within their communities.
𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗜𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗮 holds a Ph.D. in biology and is the wife of an Orthodox priest from Boiu, Albești commune. Six years ago, together with Vasilică Balogh, she founded the Children’s Club in Boiu, through which she organized camps, outdoor activities, and visits to the citadel. A group of participating children went on to compete in and win awards at two traditional carolling festivals in 2019. All travel costs for children from disadvantaged families are covered by the Children’s Club’s budget and donations.
During the pandemic, isolation, and lack of access to medical services hit rural communities especially hard, particularly children, disadvantaged individuals, and the elderly. Thus, the workshop “Healing in Boiu” emerged at the Parish House, where those without means found allopathic and herbal remedies (many of them donated free of charge to those in need, especially children), treatments for chronic conditions, kind words, and the possibility of having their blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation measured for free.
Since 2022, several groups of Boiu schoolchildren have learned to source food in nature and to identify and prepare local medicinal plants through the “Healing in Boiu” workshops, contributing to a greater degree of independence in the community and generating local business ideas among young students.
Contact: oriana.irimia@gmail.com; Tel and WhatsApp: 0728843190
𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 is the initiator of the ProEtnica festival, “a festival I don’t organize for myself, but for a normal Romania,” as he stated in an interview. The festival brings unity through diversity and promotes interethnic peace in a democratic society.
“We collaborated extraordinarily well with national minority organizations; the festival had over 800 participants, over 1,100 accommodations, over 50 shows on the main stage, and an amazing agora section,” Volker said of this year’s edition of the festival.
What is your perspective on this, regardless of your vantage point?
Join our virtual brainstorming session, where we aim to identify 100 ideas for social inclusion, inspired by your individual experiences and endeavors. These ideas will be featured in a common guide for several NGOs and social inclusion initiatives. Note down your idea or ideas in an email to: contact@mihaieminescutrust.ro by November 29th, the end date of our campaign.
To increase the campaign’s impact:
📤 Help us with a SHARE.
🎯 Give us a LIKE.
🗣 Leave us a COMMENT.
This campaign is part of the “ȘURA – Laboratory for experimentation and inclusive civic engagement” project, and is supported by: