Between June 11 and 15, 2024, Constanța hosted a transnational meeting as part of the Erasmus+ project “TELL Youth: Train Environmental Lifelong Learning for Youth,” uniting partners from France, Greece, and Romania. The meeting focused on quality checks and next steps for the two project outputs, “The Virtual Herbarium,” a digital collection created by young participants, and “The Environmental Stewards Book,” featuring artistic representations of local plants from each partner country.
The consortium includes the Constanța County Cultural Center “Teodor T. Burada,” House of Education and Innovation (HEI) – Constanța, Ovidius University of Constanța, Social Youth Development Civil Nonprofit Society and Kentro Perivalontikis Ekpaidefsis Kalamatas from Greece, and Maison de l’Europe de Nîmes and Syndicat mixte des gorges du Gardon from France.
During the meeting, participants engaged in fruitful discussions about the project’s progress, at the Multifunctional Educational Center for Youth “Jean Constantin” and explored the cultural and natural heritage of Dobrogea. They visited the “Teodor T. Burada” Cultural Center, enjoying traditional Romanian music and dance performed by the Professional Folklore Ensemble “Brâulețul.” Field trips included a guided tour of the “Allah Bair” (God’s Hill) Nature Reserve near Crucea, where they learned about local flora such as yarrow and wild garlic.
Dr. Ștefania-Laura Abibula-Stroe, director of the Constanța County Cultural Center, emphasized the importance of connecting youth with culture and folklore, blending tradition with technology to create intergenerational bridges. She noted that the TELL Youth project focuses on protecting and promoting local and European cultural and natural heritage.
This meeting fostered international collaboration, providing participants with a comprehensive Dobrogean experience through traditional music, local cuisine, and exposure to the region’s rich cultural and natural landscapes.
