About us
The organisation
IRDT started in 2014 as a small team of people who were already working with young people in Timișoara and wanted to do it in a structured way. We care about the personal, academic and professional development of young people, and we believe that people learn best by doing: in teams, on real problems, with reflection at the end.
We work on two levels at the same time. Locally, with young people from Timișoara and Timiș County, through workshops, courses and community projects. At European level, through projects with organisations from other countries, which we coordinate or join as partners. Since 2016 we have coordinated thirteen such projects, with organisations from eleven countries.
History and milestones
- 2014The association is founded in Timișoara. First project writing and management trainings for the city's youth organisations, together with ANOSR and the student leagues of the West University and the Politehnica University of Timișoara.
- 2016First Erasmus+ projects organised by IRDT: "Open Your Mind", at the Youth House, and "Making growth sustainable", two youth exchanges on social and green entrepreneurship.
- 2017"Learning to Speak Your Mind" receives the award for the best international project in Timiș County at the Youth Projects Gala.
- 2018–2019Seven youth exchanges and the first training course for youth workers, "Participation is Power". Entrepreneurship courses for young people together with the INCUBOXX business incubator. The "Shine your light" hackathon, with over 200 participants, for the Timișoara 2021 programme.
- 2021–2022"Advocacy to Go" and "Inclusion+", then the training course "Social Entrepreneurship is the Future" for youth workers from five countries. Partner in mobilities in Aveiro and Turin.
- 2024Institutional development strategy 2024–2027: five areas of work and diversified funding sources.
Local projects
Alongside the European projects, we have worked locally all along. "Digital Storytelling in Action!" worked with young people from Timișoara's neighbourhoods on the digital storytelling method, to change the way they are seen. The entrepreneurship courses for young people were organised with the support of the INCUBOXX business incubator. The "Shine your light" hackathon, in November 2019, brought together more than two hundred participants who proposed urban installations for Timișoara 2021. And every year we run project writing and management trainings for the youth organisations in the city.
Mission and vision
Vision
We want every young person to have access to learning opportunities and to community involvement, whatever their background.
Mission
We create non-formal education opportunities for young people and train youth workers and organisations. We work with organisations and institutions in Romania and abroad to make participation possible, including for young people with fewer opportunities.
The values we work by are inclusion and diversity, cooperation, innovation, sustainability and the recognition of learning, wherever it takes place. The full wording of the vision and mission, as approved, is in the Institutional Development Strategy 2024–2027.
How we work
We start from the participants' needs and choose learning methods that suit the group. We use hands-on activities, reflection and evaluation. We document activities and results, and in Erasmus+ projects we support participants to reflect on their learning through Youthpass, the European certificate that describes the competences gained in a project, without being a professional qualification.
Our five strategic areas
Skills and career guidance
We build communication, teamwork, critical thinking and digital skills through hands-on activities.
ProjectsEntrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship
We help young people explore business ideas and solutions to community needs.
ProjectsParticipation and active citizenship
We support young people to understand public decisions and get involved in their community.
ProjectsInclusion and access to opportunities
We make participation possible for young people facing social, economic or geographic barriers.
ProjectsYouth worker training
We develop the methods and skills of the people who work with young people.
ProjectsExperience and organisational capacity
Since 2016 we have coordinated thirteen European projects, with more than five hundred and fifty participations from eleven countries. We have managed grant contracts from the Timiș County Council, Timișoara City Hall, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Timiș County Directorate for Sport and Youth and the Romanian Erasmus+ National Agency (ANPCDEFP).
We have our own operational and financial management procedures, so that projects are implemented as described in the application and as required by the funder. Every project ends with a three-level evaluation (reaction, learning, transfer) and, in Erasmus+ projects, with a Youthpass certificate for each participant.
Our staff has experience in managing grant contracts, and members and volunteers support implementation. When needed, the project team is completed by trainers and youth workers from our partner network.
Funders of IRDT projects
- Erasmus+ Programme, through ANPCDEFP (Romanian National Agency)
- Timiș County Council
- Timișoara City Hall
- Ministry of Youth and Sport
- Timiș County Directorate for Sport and Youth
Team
Institutional memberships
Timiș County Youth Foundation (FITT)
FITT is the umbrella organisation of youth NGOs in western Romania, founded in 1990, with more than thirty member organisations. It owns the Youth House in Timișoara, awarded the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres in 2016. IRDT is a FITT member, and several of our projects took place at the Youth House.
Youth Advisory Council
Advisory body attached to Timișoara City Hall, set up by Local Council Decision no. 243/2013, which brings together the youth and student organisations active in the city. IRDT is a member and uses this mechanism as a practice ground for youth participation in decision-making.