The Youth Centre on Wheels: Bringing opportunities closer to young people from rural areas

On an ordinary day in the village of Mașcăuți, Criuleni district, a group of young people gather in a classroom at the “Ion Sârbu” Gymnasium for an activity that breaks the daily routine. It is neither a traditional lesson nor a formal presentation. It is a space for dialogue and interaction, where young people speak openly about discrimination, relationships, and how they can bring change - even through small actions.

This activity was made possible by the UNIT Youth Centre from Criuleni, one of the 14 youth centres participating in the UNFPA-supported programme “Centrul Călător ReVine la TINEri 2025.” The programme brings youth activities directly into communities where opportunities are limited and where, for now, there is no youth centre.

Thus, the team of the Youth Centre from Criuleni came to Mașcăuți to work directly with young people in the village, offering information and engagement activities tailored to their real needs. The activity focused on combating discrimination began with getting-to-know-you games and icebreakers designed to create a safe and open space.

Later, the young participants worked in teams and used their imagination to visually express what discrimination means in everyday life - at school, among friends, or in the community - and to identify the solutions they see for addressing and preventing it.

“I liked the fact that we discussed these topics, because there is a real need to openly address the issues we face in our everyday lives. It is important not to judge and to understand that each of us has our own point of view and different personalities. Through the Centrul Călător ReVine la TINEri 2025 programme, we have the opportunity to grow and to interact more with other young people,” shared Cătălina, a young participant in the Centrul Călător activities from Criuleni.

Between 15 June and 31 October 2025, the UNIT Youth Centre from Criuleni carried out mobile activities in several communities, reaching 278 young people who gained access to youth activities, information, and personal development opportunities directly in their own localities.

“I decided to join the Centrul Călător team in order to reach young people in communities more easily, bringing them both development-oriented activities and sensitive topics that need to be discussed and debated together with them. These interactions help young people understand how they can actively participate in society, becoming more open, more curious, and more confident in sharing their views on the issues addressed,” said Marina Turcan Cerlat, youth worker at the UNIT Youth Centre in Criuleni.

Youth centres are safe and friendly spaces that offer young people opportunities for personal development, access to information, and support in turning their ideas into concrete initiatives. Through the Centrul Călător programme, these opportunities are no longer limited by distance.

At the national level, the Centrul Călător ReVine la TINEri 2025 programme mobilized 14 youth centres, which travelled across the country with mobile activities dedicated to young people in communities where youth centres do not exist or where participation opportunities are limited. During this period, 150 activities were carried out, engaging 3,137 young people from localities across the Republic of Moldova in youth programmes, non-formal education, and personal development activities.

Young people took part in career guidance activities, workshops on critical thinking and countering disinformation, sessions on civic participation and human rights, as well as recreational and personal development activities - all tailored to the local context and to the real needs of young people.

The Centrul Călător ReVine la TINEri 2025 programme was implemented by AO CIDP “ANIMA”, with the support of UNFPA in the Republic of Moldova, within the Joint Fund for Strengthening Youth Participation and the Development of Youth Centres in the Republic of Moldova, supported by the Ministry of Education and Research, the National Youth Agency, and the Swiss Government.