Together for Change – CERV Town Twinning in Plăieșii de Jos

About the Project

The initiative includes three town twinning events, all hosted in Plăieșii de Jos, Romania, and focuses on strengthening civic engagement, promoting equality, and supporting intercultural dialogue.

Event 1 – August 2025: First twinning event brought together 25 international participants form Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia to discuss shared challenges and set priorities.
Event 2 – February 2026: A large citizen forum with 86 international and hundreds of local participants including workshops, debates, and cultural programs on democracy, equality, and participation.
Event 3 – May 2026: A closing meeting to design a two-year strategic action plan for cooperation, with a strong focus on youth, women, and minority inclusion.

The project’s main objectives are to:

Increase youth engagement in civic life at local and European levels.
Support women’s leadership and participation in community development.
Foster inclusion of ethnic minorities and underrepresented groups.
Build sustainable cooperation between partner towns through shared values and culture.

The First Twinning Event – August 2025

The first event took place on 8–9 August 2025, with delegations from Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia joining local participants in Plăieșii de Jos. In total, 60 participants attended, including young people, educators, women’s representatives, minority group members, and local leaders.

Activities of the First Twinning Event

Over the course of two days, the program combined cultural discovery, workshops, and community activities, giving participants a full experience of both learning and exchange.

Cultural heritage visits: the event began with a guided tour of the Ethnographic Museum of Plăieșii de Jos, where participants learned about the history, traditions, and everyday life of the local community. This was followed by visits to local military exhibitions in the Casin region, which included artefacts from the First and Second World Wars. These visits highlighted the region’s role in major European conflicts and helped participants connect with the shared history that continues to shape the community’s identity today.

Workshop on equal opportunities and leadership: an interactive session titled “You Were Born to Be a Leader” was hosted by the local informal women’s group and facilitated by Dr. Kádár Beáta, a university lecturer. The workshop focused on developing leadership skills, encouraging women to become more active in community life, and opening discussions about equal opportunities. Participants took part in group exercises and role plays, making the workshop both practical and inspiring.

Regional guided tour: participants joined a day-long tour to explore the wider region, including remote Csángó villages, the Nyergestető memorial site—a place of historical importance for the Hungarian community—and the Úz Valley cemetery, which commemorates soldiers who fought and died in the area during the world wars. The tour helped participants understand the cultural diversity of the region, as well as the sacrifices made in its history, linking local heritage to the broader European story.

Youth workshop on civic participation: local young people, together with youth representatives from partner towns, shared their Erasmus+ success stories, highlighting how international exchanges and mobility opportunities can open doors for personal growth, friendship, and active citizenship. This workshop gave young participants a chance to speak about their own experiences, while inspiring others to seek out similar opportunities.

Inter-municipal roundtable dialogue: the mayors and local representatives of the partner towns came together for the first roundtable discussion. This meeting was particularly significant because, while Plăieșii de Jos and its Hungarian partner already had a long-standing twinning relationship, this was the very first occasion for representatives from Slovakia and Serbia to join. The session included interactive presentations (with Canva slides and videos) and concluded with a feedback survey to gather input from all participants. The meeting laid the groundwork for deeper cooperation in the next two events.

Sports and community programs: the event also reached out to the wider local community. More than 80 people joined the mini-football tournament, and around 50 took part in the table tennis competition, with winners receiving prizes on the main stage. Alongside sports, families enjoyed children’s programs such as puppet theatre, concerts, traditional games, face painting, street drawing, a bouncy castle, and a mini-train ride. Local artisans also presented their work at a traditional crafts exhibition, where visitors could try weaving, embroidery, or pottery basics.

Cultural performances and concerts: the evenings celebrated the community’s cultural richness. The program included performances by the Őszirózsa Pensioners’ Club, talented young classical musicians, and local, regional, and international folk dance groups, which highlighted minority traditions. A local folk music ensemble also performed, and the event concluded with two pop-rock concerts, creating a lively and inclusive atmosphere.

Results and Impact

The first twinning event in Plăieșii de Jos brought together people from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia, creating real connections between communities. In total, 60 participants took part in the workshops, discussions, and cultural programs, while more than 300 residents joined the open activities, concerts, sports competitions, and children’s programs.

One of the main results of the event was that participants managed to agree on a list of shared priorities. These included encouraging young people to get more involved in community life, supporting women to take on leadership roles, and finding better ways to include minority groups. These ideas will now be carried forward to the big citizens’ forum in February 2026.

The event also marked an important step in building new friendships between partner towns. While Hungary and Romania already had a long-standing twinning connection, this was the very first time that representatives from Serbia and Slovakia joined the table. During the roundtable meeting, mayors, NGO leaders and other representatives introduced their towns, shared their challenges and strengths, and began shaping ideas for future cooperation.

At the same time, the program reached beyond the official delegates. The community got involved through football and table tennis tournaments, cultural performances, and children’s activities, making the event festive and inclusive. Families, young people and elderly citizens all had their own way of taking part, which gave the project strong visibility and created a real sense of belonging.

Another achievement was that the event helped raise awareness of European values in a very down-to-earth way. Discussions on democracy and participation were linked with visits to local heritage sites and cultural performances, showing how European identity and local traditions go hand in hand. Many young participants said they left the event feeling more motivated to join in community life and to explore opportunities through EU programs like Erasmus+.

All in all, the first event succeeded in its goal: it opened up dialogue, built trust between communities, and gave citizens the confidence to see themselves as active contributors, both locally and in a wider European context. It was a strong first step that now sets the stage for the next two events of the project.

Testimonials from our partners:

Representative of Ipolybalog, Slovakia:
“On behalf of the delegation from Ipolybalog, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the many unforgettable experiences, the warm welcome, and the care we received. We returned home all sharing the same feeling: that we would be glad to return to you at any time.”

Mayor of Kispiac, Serbia:
“We are grateful for the opportunity to spend three days in the Kászon Valley. We experienced moments that filled our hearts with love, kindness, and positivity, and we met people we will never forget. We are proud that we could come here and be with you.”