22 young volunteers from non-governmental youth organizations, youth centers in Chisinau, initiative groups and young people were awarded at the Municipal Festival of Volunteers in Chisinau, 1st edition.

The event took place on Thursday, December 7, at the Digital Park, in the context of marking the Year of Youth 2023, and the Chisinau City Hall aimed to appreciate the merits of the most active young people in the municipality during the current year.

Volunteers were awarded in the following categories: Most Active Volunteer of the Year 2023; Volunteer Coordinator of the Year 2023; Outstanding Volunteer Project of the Year 2023; Structures oriented to the implementation of volunteer activities.

The participants of the Volunteer Marathon (activity organized within the National Volunteer Week in Chisinau) were also awarded. A raffle was also organized, where young people won the "Year of Youth" voucher.

Attending the event, the Mayor General, Ion Ceban, thanked the volunteers who assumed responsibilities in different activities and showed their civic spirit. According to the mayor, in the coming period, some subdivisions of the municipality will be accredited as host institutions for volunteering in order to give young students the opportunity to do an internship as a volunteer and gain experience in public administration.

"I was pleased to hear that more than 50 applications were submitted to the competition, which shows the interest in volunteering. This is why we want the Chisinau Municipal Volunteer Festival to become a tradition. In order to promote volunteering, the Chisinau City Hall, through the Youth Centres in the Capital, offers young people the opportunity to volunteer and develop their skills and competences needed in life", said the Mayor General.

Every year, through the Volunteer Empowerment Programme, young people from the Youth Centres receive mentoring and personal development support. In 2023, the Chisinau Municipal Youth Centre has reconfirmed its status as a volunteer host institution at the Accreditation Commission at the Ministry of Education and Research.

It is worth mentioning that in the last 4 years the Chisinau Municipal Youth Centre has issued about 350 volunteer cards and involved more than 2000 volunteers in various projects. They have been with the Chisinau City Hall team in the most difficult moments during 2019-2020, in activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the management of the refugee crisis in Ukraine.