The good of children can be approached with a business perspective and so it should, says a foundation that has been working with this goal (children`s rights) for the past 30 years. Of course, with the ``profit`` being the good of a greater number of children and youth. 

Terre des Hommes Foundation has set in mind to create a Youth Innovation Hub in Bucharest, an innovative child-centered space that promotes creativity and builds the entrepreneurial skills of children and young people.

The hub will offer classes (using the Tdh expertise of its professionals) to vulnerable children, but also to their parents while inviting businesses to buy trainings for their employees or parents and private schools to improve their knowledge regarding children and their protection. This is an ideal example of a pragmatic approach (self-sustainable space) with a noble goal. 

What made Terre des Hommes choose to create this kind of space?

For the children in Romania, the COVID-19 health crisis was and is accompanied by an educational crisis. Besides the lack of resources in schools, children from vulnerable and marginalized communities were not able to attend schools for a long period. This leads to gaps in education, in the development of social skills and is a risk for their mental health. With an innovative child-centered space, Tdh is creating a hub that will empower children and youth to continue and improve their education and choose a profession that suits them.

What will children learn in the Hub? 

In the Youth Innovation Hub, various groups of children and young people such as those with vulnerable backgrounds, children in conflict with the law, or affected by migration will be able to meet and build life and professional skills. They will explore their creativity and learn to create and design their own 3D virtual models, which will help them to be better prepared for the current and future requirements of jobs and the whole of society, which cannot be conceived without digitalization.

Children and young people will also be able to participate in thematic workshops focused on raising their awareness and strengthening their knowledge on gender-based violence, participation in decision-making, and child safety in sport. In this space, they will express freely their feelings, thoughts, and opinions. This work will be done with the support of peer groups, local organizations, private companies, and entrepreneurs that help them build confidence, discover their talents, as well as improve social and technical skills.

Classes for everyone

For professionals, some of the trainings will represent the innovative methods that Tdh has been using locally (Movement, Games, and Sports), while others will refer to child safeguarding or working with children. The parents will also be able to attend the classes of their children -in the case of robotics or 3D printing for example, for their own professional upgrading, and this is a unique approach for Romania!

Why a space?

Besides the urgent need for a real connection that we all feel,  a space can bring together various audiences, thus creating a sense of collaboration. So Terre des Hommes is actually building a community around the idea of supporting children in creating a future. Thus, young people, local NGOs, entrepreneurs, and authorities will come together virtually or physically, depending on the needs and the initiatives implemented.

With this hub and its launch, Terre des Hommes also hopes to bring the needs of children into the attention of the business community and of the decision makers. The voice of youth is very rarely heard in policymaking and on important issues such as discrimination and injustice, and young people need to be encouraged, listened to, and guided to integrate into the working world and become active members of society.

The initial activities have been funded by Hirschmann Stiftung (Switzerland), but the birth of the actual space needs to be supported with more funds, so private investors and other foundations are welcome to reach out for partnerships as soon as they can. 

Conclusions and goals:

• One space and a mobile FabLab for children from disadvantaged communities and in detention
• 400 children and young people will be supported
• 300  professionals working with children be trained

You can get in touch with Terre des Hommes Romania at rou.office@tdh.ch  and/or watch their activities on Facebook Terre des Hommes - Romania.

(p) - This article is an advertorial.