ESC: BEYOND Horizons Autumn 2024

Go Romania is a non-governmental and non-political organisation based in Craiova, the administrative capital of the historical region of Oltenia (West Wallachia) and one of the major cities of Romania. With a population of about 300.000 inhabitants (according to INS 2014 it has the 5th population of the country, 6th considering Bucharest, Romania’s capital), Craiova is one of the most important cultural and historical centers of the country. Not being as popular as the other major cities in Romania because of its notoriety for subculture expression, Craiova is a city of contrasts. In the center you can find French-inspired bourgeois architecture and lifestyle while in the outskirts and the suburbs the rroma population still drives horses and carriages in a very rural and time-frozen world. While the city has reasonable job opportunities and living conditions, the population (especially in the rural areas) lacks the skills and adaptability to the job market and is fighting with poverty. Those who didn’t leave the country in the search for a better life in Western Europe remain dependent and sometimes have to be satisfied with the social assistance funding received from the authorities. The lack of education segregates even more the social layers of the communities across the county and in some cases the authorities are using these people to gain political advantages. Plastic and residential waste (and not only) are becoming a major problem in Oltenia and it can be noticed on every public or abandoned (but not only) piece of land. The lack of efficient administrative measures an almost non-existent recycling system has taken the city’s waste management problems to a critical point. With the help of a very dedicated team our organisation strives to engage the community of our city through cultural awareness and participation campaigns in getting involved – both online and offline. We provide non-formal education that is closer to the needs of young people in an era of information and technology. Our primary goal is to empower and involve young people in improving the quality of life and the standard of living, to create awareness and pursue sustainable development goals for a healthier environment and work on solutions to the main problems of a consumerist society, currently based on unsustainable exploitation of human and natural resources. We devote to empowering young people with knowledge and skills for a better life, in a world of solidarity where they can sense the benefits in diversity and equal opportunity and not see them as burdens.