By The European Times | Created at 2026-09-01 07:36:49 | Updated at 2026-09-05 07:01:07
3 days ago
Two large-scale initiatives implemented in recent days in Romania demonstrate different forms of church work with children and youth – from addiction prevention, family problems and peer pressure to providing clothes, school supplies and food for more than 16,000 children from socially vulnerable families. The projects are being implemented in Bacău and Iași and involve church institutions, volunteers, local authorities and NGOs.
The Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău has launched a new edition of the “Discretion” program, aimed at 800 young people aged between 14 and 25. The project is aimed not so much at religious education as at specific problems that young people face in their everyday lives: family communication, peer pressure, addiction prevention, building a healthy lifestyle and setting personal goals.
In the previous edition of the program in 2025, more than 1,100 children and young people participated in various educational activities, workshops and conferences. In the survey conducted at that time, 62% of the participants stated that they had never or almost never had access to such types of non-formal education, and over 82% indicated that there was a need for such initiatives in their communities. These data are one of the reasons for continuing and expanding the project.
The new program is implemented with co-financing from the Bacău County Council. The agreement between the local administration and the archdiocese was signed on August 19 by Archpriest Eugen-Ciprian Cuque, Protopresbyter of Bacău, and the President of the County Council Cristina Brăhna-Pravaț. The project is an example of an institutional partnership between the Church and local authorities in working on problems that have an educational, family and social dimension at the same time.
In parallel with this initiative, the fifth edition of the International Festival of Family, Life and Good Deeds INIMO took place in Iași on 22 and 23 August, organized by the Voice of Life association. This association is associated with the Romanian priest Dan Damaskin, known for his charitable work. This year, the festival will help 16,176 children from Moldova and Romania who live in poverty or other difficult social conditions. The funds collected from tickets and donations during the festival will be used to buy new clothes and shoes, school supplies, hygiene materials and food, so that the children can start the new school year in better conditions. Nearly 400 volunteers have been involved in the organization, with Father Dan Damaskin paying special attention to the participation of young people, who spent hours talking to visitors and raising funds for other children.
According to the priest, the project has gradually gone beyond the scope of a personal charitable initiative and has become a broad community of volunteers and donors. “The mission of taking care of the poor and orphaned children of Romania is no longer mine alone,” he emphasized after this year’s festival. The main idea of INIMO is for a visit to a cultural event at the festival to directly help specific families and children.
The social activity of “Voice of Life” does not end with preparing children for school. The organization supports programs for hot meals, support for single mothers, provision of housing for homeless families, as well as free medical care through the “Veronica” clinic. Thus, the festival functions as a means of financing and promoting a broader year-round social network.
The two initiatives also show a certain change in the model of church social activity. In the first initiative, the Church does not intervene only after a social problem has arisen, but directs its efforts to the prevention of addictions, family communication, and the influence of the environment. In the second program, traditional church charity is tied to a large public event, volunteerism, and long-term care for thousands of children. What both projects have in common is the aspiration for the parish and its associated organizations to act not only as places of worship, but also as sustainable local networks of social support.
