Empowering Youth Workers to Drive Climate Action in Romania: A Non-Formal Education Approach

As part of the Empowering Youth Workers to Drive Climate Action project, Euroactive conducted an in-depth desk research study to assess the current state of non-formal education on climate change in Romania. This research aimed to provide a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities that youth workers face when promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices among young people.

Our findings reveal a significant gap between policy intentions and practical implementation. Although Romania has developed strategies like the National Strategy on Education for the Environment and Climate Change (2023-2030) and launched initiatives such as Green Week, real progress remains limited. The country’s educational system lacks proper coordination and resources, leaving many schools unprepared to effectively teach environmental education. Most importantly, the national curriculum does not sufficiently support non-formal education methods that could inspire youth engagement in climate action.

Key Outcomes of the Study:

1. Current Educational Gaps: Romania’s formal education system fails to integrate environmental education in a meaningful way, with most schools only offering it as optional and poorly supported courses.
2. Barriers to Non-Formal Education: Although there are initiatives to engage youth in environmental action, such as the Green Week program, the lack of proper planning, training, and resource allocation severely limits their impact.
3. Youth Motivation and Participation: Our research highlighted that young people in Romania often feel disconnected from environmental efforts due to a lack of clear understanding of the long-term impact of their actions. This affects their motivation and commitment to participating in green initiatives.
4. Examples of Successful Initiatives: Projects like ECOVENTURE, showed that hands-on, ecotourism-based activities help connect youth with nature and foster sustainable behaviors. However, such initiatives remain isolated and lack the support to scale across the country.
5. Need for Non-Formal Education Reform: The study emphasizes that without a systematic approach to integrating non-formal education into national policies and providing proper resources, environmental education efforts will continue to fall short.

To address these issues, the project calls for more strategic support for youth workers, enabling them to lead impactful non-formal education initiatives that inspire real change.

For a detailed analysis of the findings and a full report on the current state of non-formal environmental education in Romania, click here to read the full research.