Power of youth - the UN Youth Delegate program

I have always believed that the power stays in our hands, the young people, to change the world that we live in. Not because more aged people are not capable, but because we are gifted with the energy of youth, with the drive given by the fact that we believe that our future is in our hands and there is still a lot of time to fulfill our dreams.

Having this thought in mind, I found an opportunity which is worth spreading the word about. I would have joined the program myself, but I am at a point where I decided another course of life for myself. Therefore, I want to write about the program “Youth Delegate at United Nations” from Romania. However, if you are reading this article and you are not Romanian, you have to know that it has also been implemented in other countries; you just have to research about it. 

It has been launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and it implies that two young people, a girl and a boy, will have the possibility of representing Romania in New York at the UN General Assembly from September/ October 2014 and at the Commission for Social Development from February 2015. However, having this position requires your involvement for one year, period during which you will have meetings with young people round the country, as well as be involved in other related activities.You can find more details about the program here.

As basic requirements, in order to be able to candidate, you must be a Romanian between 18 and 25 years old and you must have spent at least 6 months in Romania in the year before the moment of candidature. You can check here the stages of application, the requirements of the application file, the profile of the candidate, the role of the UN Youth Delegate, as well as other details. You can also join the Facebook event.

This short description from the official website of the UN Youth program may answer some questions regarding the global movement. : “Since 1981 the United Nations (UN) recommend Member States to include Youth Delegates in their national delegations in order to ensure direct youth participation. The inclusion of Youth Delegates in the work of its Mission to the United Nations gives a country legitimacy in representing the views of its young population and promotes the voice of young people in global decision making”.

And after all, why do this? Why run for the position? It is a chance for you to act, to intervene in the society, to bring up front all your potential and, nonetheless, have a year marked by personal and professional development. 

Music in the mountains

Once upon a time, there has been a charming mountain town, an enchanting music sound and a young, energetic lady. Driving through sinuous road curves located between forests and passing through small towns, we arrive in Sinaia (Romania). I have been several times before here, since it is only 40 min away from my home town, but this time I go with a different, new, purpose. Dressed elegant, together with my parents, we enter the 4* star hotel.

What brings us here? A special invitation for us, as partners in the opening event of the International Festival Enescu and the World Music (in Romanian: Festivalul International Enescu si Muzica Lumii). This initiative is worth praising but, in case you haven’t heard about it, let me tell you a few words. It is an international festival meant to promote classical music, with a tradition of 14 years. Not only the Romanian Youth Orchestra and the Romanian Sinfonietta Ochestra take part in it, but also foreign orchestras, such as it was this year the Youth Orchestra of Spain and the Youth Orchestra of France. It lasts for almost a month, from 5^th of August until 27^th of August and, what you should especially note, the entrance is for free. There was a high number of people in the audience and I hope that their interest to be there, to spend two hours seating on a chair and listening to music, is a solid foundation towards educating the great mass of population in the field of music. Through this statement I do not mean to express any disagreement with other forms of music but, on the contrary, to support diversification, openness and learning through music.

In this context, the travel agency owned by me and my parents, SETA TRAVEL, had the pleasure to be a partner of the foundation that had the initiative and organized this event since the beginning. We handled issues such as transportation and accommodation for the large number of people and numerous parties involved. We have only beautiful words and sincere feelings for the leaders of the Foundation Friends of Music – Serafim Antropov, that put so much dedication and passion in bringing this festival to real.

Just sitting and listening to that music… for which I don’t have words to describe, created the perfect space to let my thoughts and feelings fly away. Especially at a moment when a big change was about to happen in my life. The interpretation has been absolutely amazing, driving the audience from peaceful and serene moments to sparks when the body was about to jump off the chair dancing. The pieces interpreted belonged both to internationally renowned composers, as well as to Spanish ones, since the Orchestra that gave this show was the Youth Orchestra of Spain. Below is a link to a movie showing some parts of the concert.

Therefore, I invite you, dear reader, to take some time, make a short trip and be a spectator to one of the other concerts which are part of the festival. You can find the schedule by entering one of the useful website below. After all, we all need a break from time to time, particularly considering the fact that it is summer. Dare to explore the unknown and make this moment a memorable one!

Useful websites:

http://www.festivalenescu-sinaia.ro/

http://www.setatravel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/setatravel

https://www.facebook.com/PassionForRomania

Ciao Timisoara!

Sitting on the chair in the train to Timisoara, this trip has the taste of coffee, the flavor of dark chocolate with oranges, the green color of the fields and of the forests, the glow of the sun and the sound of Keira Knightley and Adam Levine playing the soundtrack of the movie Begin Again. Who said that a nine hours journey has to be boring? Here is a short video of the trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaOHY0yLNf0

I am really happy that I eventually got to visit Timisoara! It is a beautiful city, definitely unique, showing the traveler another perspective of the complex Romanian background.  I will keep it in mind also as the city of pigeons (I did really see many funny ones), kids (I really think they have a good birth rate) and bikes (the locals use bikes in everyday life, not just for fun). What amazed me was the preservation of the old buildings belonging to the 18^th-19^th century, with their colorful, beautiful architecture.  The weather was nice to us, but kind of moody, ranging from hot sun to fast rain. Regarding the period of stay, I would recommend two nights as enough to see most of the important places, but it also depends on your own rhythm.

To make it easier, I will organize the places that I find worth visiting in a list. However, dear traveler, it is not about the sightseeing spots you check, but on actually watching them and the people that pass by, interacting, feeling, in your own way.

• Piata Victoriei (Victory Square) – a large place with beautiful architecture, many cafes and restaurants. Close by, you may find the Central Park, the Orthodox Cathedral and many other small interesting streets. Sitting on a bench in the Central Park, reading, I heard around five languages being talked next to me and I think this says a good thing about the degree of internationalism of the city.

• Piata Unirii (Union Square) – it displays a baroque style. Here, you may see a beautiful Catholic church which personally remembers me of Igreja Nosso Senhor do Bonfim from Salvador, Brazil; and also the Museum of Art of Timisoara. Unfortunately, at this time, the square is under construction, just like the Liberty Square and other surrounding streets, so we could not fully enjoy their beauty.

• The Museum of Art of Timisoara – it contains exhibits of both Romanian and foreign painters, as well as a smaller collection of modern art artifacts.

• The Park of Children – it is really well designed and maintained! There are a lot of fun areas, from hammocks to castles and Indian huts.

• The Park of Roses – it was designed by Wilhelm Mühle at the end of the 19^th century and attracted the fame of Timisoara as “the city of roses”. Personally, I think it resembles a bit to the Gardens of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Really relaxing and enchanting for the eye-sight.

• The Bastion ­Maria Therezia – it is the largest piece of wall preserved from the Fortress of Timisoara of the 18^th century. Don’t imagine you will have to go through rocks and cold rooms! It has been transformed into a useful place, being home to many cafes, some shops and even clubs at night.
  

•  Iulius Mall – it is a very good place to spend time if you are a shopping person or if the weather is bad. It is spacious, the prices are adequate and it has an entire floor dedicated to the Food Court. However, the Cinema offered quite few and restrictive options.

Food plays an equally important role in any trip, isn't it? You may try the Restaurant Lloyd, in Victory Square, which has a beautiful terrace, or the Intermezzo Restaurant, a few meters away from Union Square, if you want to taste some good Italian food. Ah, and don’t forget to eat some ice cream – there are lots of places to buy it in Victory Square and everyone seems to enjoy it!

After three full days which I had the impression they were actually four or five, I made my baggage and went in the 22:10 train to Bucharest. I have taken an additional step in knowing and understanding my own country. Now, at the end, I will tell you, like the locals say instead of “Hello” and “Good-bye”, Ciao!