www.stationeurope.org
Activity Report 2022
This is Station Europe.
A note from
Alin
Grămescu
Founder & President
Station Europe added one more year of great accomplishments!
I am proud of our organisation`s growth and the outstanding future that aligns in front of it.
As a tech-savvy NGO, Station Europe equips today's youth with the necessary tools and knowledge to thrive in an increasingly digital world while prioritising environmentally friendly practices.
In this fast-paced technological era, it has become crucial for young individuals to acquire essential lifelong skills. Additionally, the pressing need to combat climate change and protect the environment created a need for the younger generation to understand sustainable practices deeply. I envision Station Europe as an organisation aiming to bridge the digital divide and ensure that young people have the necessary skills to work for a future where sustainability becomes the norm, encouraging young people to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to real-world challenges.
Through constant efforts, Station Europe is paving the way for a new generation of digitally-prepared, environmentally-conscious individuals poised to impact their communities and the world positively.
In 2022, we proudly launched the Reality Lab—an innovative space where creatives, technologists and communities work together to explore and build new solutions that benefit all Europeans. Debuting at the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels, Reality Lab is committed to creating a portfolio of ready-to-scale solutions stimulating creativity and emphasising the benefits of digital platforms. It encourages people from all backgrounds to connect with nature, respect diversity, and acquire new digital, resilience and green skills to make a meaningful impact on the world around them.
Our Vlogging Academy, a media education initiative designed for children from rural areas and small towns in Romania, continues to make waves. These creative hubs are nurturing the next generation of content creators, channeling their energy toward positive change. In 2022, our editions focused on "Well-being in the digital age" and "Our Food. Our Future," engaging 115 children and young people from rural communities in transformative activities.
Between September 12th and 15th, the Station Europe team embarked on a mission to the University of Cambridge, where we hosted two impactful social media workshops at the David Attenborough Building for the BirdLife Young Leaders. As part of the Erasmus+ "It's Time" project, over 30 passionate young individuals converged to establish a Youth Council dedicated to combatting biodiversity and climate crises. Our role was clear—to teach the Young Leaders how to use social media for social good in pursuing their aim as advocates for climate and biodiversity problems.
As the leading national organisation of Understanding Europe in Romania, Station Europe gathered its group of volunteer trainers in a Training for Trainers event where they improved their facilitation skills and learned to deliver the four workshops of the educational network - European Institutions, First European Moment, Fake News & Disinformation and Bullying & Hate Speech. With these, they held 24 workshops in schools and libraries across Romania, addressing students aged 10-16 years old. In 2022, we conducted 24 workshops in schools and libraries across Romania, targeting students aged 10 to 16 years old.
I am thankful that Station Europe built partnerships with capable, committed partners in education, digital and environment in these first few years of sustained activity. Through these experiences, I and my team had the opportunity to activate in diverse contexts and work to accomplish our stated mission. I convey my immense appreciation for our amazing partners and collaborators! Station Europe also succeeded in creating an impact among youth and their communities thanks to its partnership work and involvement! It’s been a great year, and you’ve been a big part of that!
I’m looking forward to a future where our cooperation reaches more and more people, offering them the right tools to tackle today`s challenges and better connect with nature and others around them!
As I reflect on the past year, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and hope for what lies ahead. It is with immense pride that I see the accomplishments of our organisation, thanks to the dedication, passion, and hard work of every member, partner, and supporter. We created successful projects, launched impactful initiatives, implemented transformative programs, and forged fruitful partnerships. The positive change we have witnessed is proof of our commitment to our mission and the efforts of our team.
As we move forward into the future, I am filled with hope for more opportunities to make a difference and leave a lasting impact. I am confident that with our community's continued support and collaboration, we will navigate any challenges that come our way and bring about even greater change. Let`s embark on this new journey with renewed enthusiasm and determination!
This is Station Europe.
Our mission
Station Europe's mission is to give young generations the power to bring useful ideas and initiatives to life, create stories that celebrate diversity, and inspire communities to act for a sustainable future.
What does Station Europe do?
We direct our mindset to courageously work to design and develop creative projects and initiatives that embody five strong directions we want to put in place for and together with the young generations:
Education on Europe
We aim to create contexts for children and young people to present their perspectives about how they understand their rights as European citizens and the future of Europe they want to experience.
Why?
We know how important it is that children and young people acknowledge their power of change as European citizens so that they can work on creating a democratic and sustainable future for Europe.
Social media for social good
Social channels can be used to help societies grow.
We believe the young generations can use digital tools to create content for social good.
We use technology, Social Media channels, and new media to address burning topics that attract young people's attention and require their involvement, such as European citizenship, radicalisation, democracy, digitalisation, innovation, climate change, or sustainability.
Why?
Social Media are not a different world from our reality. Social Media are reality itself, and the new generations must understand the importance of responsibility on the Internet. We give them opportunities to transform the virtual world into a common ground for creative and initiating minds.
Network Democracy
We want to nurture creative spaces where citizens can share their thoughts, progress and interests and find friends along the way, creating fruitful networks in which people may transform their ideas into reality.
Why?
Great ideas turn into impactful initiatives with the support of communities.
Reality
Lab
This is our playground!
We love to keep in touch with what's new, so we are so happy we have a dedicated space to discover and create!
The Reality Lab is our way to keep up with new trends, try out new apps, and test our projects using new and attractive platforms such as Discord or TikTok.
Why?
This is the space where we can look forward. Technology changes fast, and we must prioritise research and creativity to keep up with the progress.
Connecting
Nature
We want to add contexts to our projects where participants can better interact with nature. We believe a holistic approach will better prepare them to work with new and sometimes challenging concepts.
Why?
We know that young generations get further away from nature nowadays, and we strive to change that! Nature is home to all of us, and by understanding this, the youth will become aware of the need to protect and preserve nature.
Station Europe's 2022 projects and initiatives
Join us as we present our transformative projects from 2022, each aimed at igniting creativity, encouraging active citizenship, and fostering connections with the world around us.
Understanding Europe Romania
January 2022
Our team of volunteer trainers at Station Europe participated in their first Training for Trainers meeting at Ibis Hotel Politehnica. They simulated non-formal workshops on topics like European citizenship, media literacy, and civic participation as part of the Understanding Europe educational network.
Looking for a fun way to explore IT careers and promote gender balance in the tech industry? Check out "Girls in IT" - a board game that guides players through popular IT professions and encourages girls to pursue technical careers. Plus, it's even got an Arduino robot to randomize your turns!
Girls in IT
February 2022
It's time
Station Europe is a partner in the "It's Time" project, funded by the European Commission and implemented in the UK, Malta, Poland, and Romania. The project aims to involve young people in the fight against the climate crisis and provides opportunities for tangible action. The project includes three stages: a transnational meeting, a selection of Young Leaders aged 18-24, and two learning, teaching, and training activities hosted by BirdLife International in the UK and Station Europe in Romania.
March 2022
April 2022
Vlogging
Academy
Station Europe held the third edition of Vlogging Academy on the topic of "Well-being - a perspective upon people's daily digital routine." Sixty children participated in the Vlogging Academy and completed four challenges by creating video content as young vloggers aiming to make a change in their communities. They created vlogs on "A day offline," "Smartphone apps for well-being," and "Bugs Hotel" to connect with nature. The winners of this edition received a vlogging kit as a prize!
Blooming
schools
May 2022
Station Europe is a partner in the "Blooming schools" project, funded by the European Commission and implemented in Greece, Malta, Portugal, and Romania. This project aims to bring STEAM education and sustainability to young people through a network of collaborating schools and a Vlogging Academy for Sustainability. Plus, we're working to create wildlife gardens on school grounds as a learning environment for students. Join us in bringing a touch of green activism to schools and the next generation!
New European Bauhaus
June 2022
We had a fantastic time at the New European Bauhaus event!
Station Europe was there with our Tree of Ideas and Reality Lab projects, and we had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with others working towards a more sustainable future. The New European Bauhaus is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative that connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences.
European Development Days
Reality Lab participated in the European Development Days, a leading forum on international partnerships organized by the European Commission. We had the opportunity to showcase our projects and initiatives and connect with key actors to inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to global challenges.
June 2022
Launched in 2022 at the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels,
Reality Lab is committed to creating a portfolio of ready-to-scale solutions encouraging people from all backgrounds to connect with nature, respect diversity, and acquire new digital, resilience and green skills.
Reality Lab is a centre for inclusive digital innovation and creativity.
Our ready-to-scale solutions:
BirdLife World Congress
September 2022
Reality Lab was part of the global event, BirdLife World Congress, held in Cambridge and London, UK, to celebrate 100 years of international partnership and the creation of the BirdLife Young Leaders Council.
Our team led a Communication Workshop, teaching the Young Leaders how to create and execute a social media campaign. Then, we introduced them to their "First in a Lifetime" experience.
Organizational Development Grant
September 2022
Station Europe has begun a process of organizational development with the support of the Organizational Development Grant from MitOst and the Bosch Alumni Network. Working with trainer Elyes Guermazi and utilizing resources from the Civil Society Toolbox, we have created a plan to enhance our volunteer management by focusing on the themes of community engagement. We are dedicated to ongoing improvement and being a reliable resource for our communities.
SmartCityzens Debate
October 2022
We organized the SmartCityzens Debate as part of the Understanding Europe Romania. The main topic was smart cities as a means to fight climate change and build better, more sustainable communities. We tackled this issue from three different perspectives: political, corporate, and civil society. With the help of expert stakeholders, we generated ideas and solutions for green and sustainable communities through dialogue and debate.
Station Europe's president, Alin Gramescu, designed an interactive method (a game) through which youth will learn about the effects of digital spaces upon democracy. In this game, the error symbolizes the difficulties of democracy in today's digital context. The project is funded through a fellowship grant by Humanity in Action and Alfred Landecker Foundation.
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November 2022
A Very Personal Fellowship
December 2022
For the third year in a row, Station Europe's President, Alin Gramescu, has offered "A Very Personal Fellowship" to a driven young professional woman who is making a positive impact on society. This fellowship program was created to provide support and guidance to ambitious female change-makers who are paving the way for the next generation of European leaders. As Gramescu says, it's time for the giveback. If you're a non-conformist, troublemaker, or just someone looking to make a difference, this fellowship is for you!
Connecting Valea Bistriței
Through this project, the Station Europe and Communities of the Future Association teams assisted Valea Bistriței Foundation in its development process by helping them grow their organization’s capacity-building.
During the eight months of implementation, Valea Bistriței Foundation carried out seven (7) activities for their local community in the region of Valea Bistriței. These activities were coordinated by Station Europe and gathered a total of 275 direct beneficiaries (children and young people of the community). As for the indirect beneficiaries, the Valea Bistriței Foundation team participated in public events, interacting with more than 5000 people from the region. All activities had an educational aim for the young generation, getting the participants through different modules created to teach them about nature conservation & protection, using digital tools and civic participation. Through these activities, the Valea Bistriței Foundation signed partnerships with educational institutions such as local High Schools and the County`s Library, pursuing them further in other projects. One of the greatest achievements of the Foundation was the equipment of a Tech Lab in the Technological High School ”Constantin Brâncuși” from Peștișani, from which students of different ages will beneficiate to develop their future skills.
ECO-TEH
001
Through this project, the team of Valea Bistriței Foundation aimed to create the right conditions for youth to develop their desire to preserve nature and solve environmental problems. They wanted to achieve this objective by educating children through thematic modules and tackling the region's environmental issues. The target audience of this project was 60 students aged 10-16. This project appeared in the context in which students need to be more present in nature, as they are busy with electronic devices and lose the essential elements of the area in which they live.
Period
November 2022 - January 2023
Educational Partners
The Technological School Group "Constantin Brâncusi" from Peștișani
In the framework of Eco-Tech activities,
Valea Bistriței Foundation had 60 children enrolled from ”Constantin Brâncuși” Technological High School from Peștişani, willing to contribute to solving environmental problems.
ActivTIN
002
120 children and young people aged 10-16 from Gorj county were recruited, trained, and mobilized to become agents of change in their communities. The Valea Bistriței Foundation team created an educational program to grow students' communication and digital skills and interest in ecological education and active citizenship.
This project appeared in the context where the students are increasingly absent from libraries, children do not read, and do not show a particular interest in books. As adults, we are primarily responsible for their educative activities by understanding the importance of reading in children's development.
The library is vital in the communities served, being the central institution providing information and documentation services in various forms and contexts. Thus, it contributes to the personal development of users through non-formal, lifelong education, activities held after school hours, information culture, leisure activities, or access to information.
Cultural and local identity represents problems with a significant impact on the community. It must be popularized through the public library, while imagination and creativity develop public interest in cultural activities. All this proves that the library has a particular social role in the community, and its services are focused on fulfilling it.
Period
September 2022 - December 2022
Educational Partners
Turburea Technological High School, "Constantin Brăiloiu" High School of Arts from Târgu Jiu, Technological High School "Constantin Brâncusi" from Peștişani,
"Christian Tell" Gorj County Library and EUROPE DIRECT Gorj
Eco-Christmas
003
Through this educational project, the team wanted the children to express themselves creatively by making trees from ecological materials, showing them their world vision. Regarding friendship and helping those in need, they had the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial spirit, thus obtaining maximum satisfaction. Through the project's activities, the team aimed to bring children's artistic creations to the fore, but let's instill in them the pleasure of "giving."
Period
November 2022 - December 2022
Educational Partners
The Technological School Group "Constantin Brâncusi" from Peștișani,
"Constantin Brăiloiu" Arts High School in Târgu Jiu
The project addressed a group of 75 students aged between 7 - 19 years. They gave free rein to their imagination, creating Christmas trees from recyclable materials.
Contact Information
How to get in touch with us.
Email Address
thisis@stationeurope.org
HQ
115200, Costesti, Romania