Moldova youth summit focuses on encouraging students to return home
A youth summit was held in Chisinau, Moldova, from September 1-3, 2023. The event, titled "Longing for Roots," brought together dozens of young people from Moldova and Moldovan students studying in Romania.
Organisers from the Federation of Moldovan Youth in Romania said they wanted to encourage young people to stay in Moldova or return home and contribute to the country's development and European integration.
"The general purpose of the event was and is to encourage young people studying in Romania to return to Moldova, and for those who are home to not leave," said Cristian Murafa, president of the Federation of Moldovan Youth in Romania. "From this goal, we started on two important directions for our young people at present, namely: the role of young people in the integration processes of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union and the future of work in the Republic of Moldova. The results certainly speak for themselves."
Young people who participated in the summit said that the knowledge they gained from their studies in Moldova or abroad will help them implement their ideas for the development of the country.
"I chose to go to university here in my country, and I encourage other young people to follow this example, because I see a perspective here, even if it is somewhat lower than in other European countries," said student Stela Postolache. "We are here to develop perspectives, to create our future that will please us, will satisfy us and will call us home."
"I stayed here to get my education, but I will probably do a master's degree abroad, because I want to benefit from such an opportunity, from a better quality education than we have in the Republic of Moldova. But that doesn't mean that I'll stay there. I will definitely return to the country, because this is where I was born and I want to contribute to the development of our country," said student Grigore Rînja.
"I want to gain a vast and multicultural experience in different countries. I'm going to Romania because I'm an adventurous person and I like to meet different people, to be as inspired as possible, and, in the end, to come with a wide, rich and generous bag of ideas that I can implement in the Republic of Moldova," said student Daniela Simion.
Minister of Economy Dumitru Alaiba was also present at the event. He welcomed the initiative of the young people and spoke to them about the opportunities that the state offers to implement their ideas.
"Many of our young people choose to study in another country: a large part in Romania. Therefore, when they return home, on their own initiative, they want to remain part of the Republic of Moldova, to be involved, to form their own opinion, to be more informed, then we just need to welcome this and be part of this process," Alaiba emphasised.
The Youth Summit of the Republic of Moldova "Longing for Roots" was held from September 1-3, the first edition. The event was attended by 80 young people. Organisers aim to attract a much larger number of participants in future editions.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
