Interdisciplinary study on young people’s needs and opportunities assessment in Cluj-Napoca Dear readers, The following pages are summarizing main domains: health, learning, agency the findings of the project titled “Inter­ and enabling environment. disciplinary study on young people’s needs and opportunities assessment The COVID-19 pandemic has brought in Cluj-Napoca”. The project has been significant challenges for the whole of implemented between January and our society. When the pandemic start­ August 2020 by a team composed of ed, our project was already underway, the Departments of Public Health and and it had to be adjusted in order to ad­ Political Science within the Faculty dress the challenges imposed by lock­ of Political, Administrative and Com­ down measures. Almost half a year into munication Sciences (FSPAC) of the the pandemic, we are realizing how Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Na­ important wellbeing is for us all – the poca, Romania, Cluj Cultural Centre more so for adolescents and youth. and PONT Group. The report presents actionable items, in The project originated in the initial the form of policy proposals, activities discussions that the Fondation Bot­ and initiatives, and it is our hope that nar have catalysed in Cluj-Napoca they will be taken forward to imple­ on the topics of health and wellbeing mentation by all relevant stakeholders for young people in the second half in the Cluj Metropolitan Area. of 2019. In the meantime, the involve­ ment of the Fondation Botnar for the Such a complex effort would not have adolescents and youth in the Cluj Met­ been possible without the great deal of ropolitan Area has matured and is now support from many people and insti­ branded as OurCluj. tutions. We are grateful to the Fonda­ tion Botnar for providing the funding The objective of LEAP has been to for such an endeavour, as well as the conduct a comprehensive, multi- and continued support during project im­ inter-disciplinary assessment of the plementation. Our gratitude also goes needs and opportunities for young peo­ to the – literally – thousands of people ple in the Cluj Metropolitan Area, guid­ who have contributed to the project with ed by an ecosystem view and oriented their input and guidance: participants towards future initiatives stemming in the qualitative and quantitative re­ from the results of the assessment. search, and stakeholder consultations, as well as members of the Project Ad­ What you will read in this report sum­ visory Board. marizes a compendium of knowledge on the needs of adolescents and youth We hope that our work will contribute in the Cluj Metropolitan Area, as result­ to advancing the OurCluj initiative, and ed from stakeholder mapping, quali­ we are looking forward to seeing the tative and quantitative research and contributions that a healthy, active, en­ stakeholder consultations, as well as gaged, and empowered youth will have policy recommendations which could for the Cluj Metropolitan Area in the be implemented in order to address the coming months and years. identified challenges. To facilitate im­ plementation, we grouped them in four The LEAP Team 2 The study A.process The LEAP project unfolded during January 27 – August 30, 2020 and used a rapid participatory assessment methodology to identify needs, gaps and opportunities of the young population (10-24 years old) living in the Cluj Metropolitan Area. Context The Cluj Metropolitan Area. The Cluj Metropol­ to several growing independent initiatives tar­ itan Area (CMA) is one of the eight largest met­ geting young people (such as the European ropolitan areas from Romania and has a popula­ Youth Capital in 2015). tion of 411.379 inhabitants out of which 324.276 live in Cluj-Napoca and the rest in 17 communes Young population living in the Cluj Metropolitan surrounding the city. Cluj county encapsulat­ Area. Out of the total number of people living in ing this metropolitan area ranks, among the 41 Romania, the those aged 10-24 represent 16% of Romanian counties, as the eighth in population the total population, more precisely 3.28 million, density and as the third county in urban pop­ 48.4% being represented by young men and 51.6% ulation density. During the past recent years, by young women. In Cluj, in 2016, the reported Cluj-Napoca has been a place of experimen­ number of adolescents aged 10 to 14 was 31959 tation and innovative approaches, setting the (16403 boys and 15556 girls), with 19823 living in trends regionally and nationally in the areas of urban areas and 12136 living in rural ones. For the youth engagement and urban innovation with a age group 15 to 19, a number of 31336 adolescents focus on young people. The CMA, together with was reported (15939 boys and 15397 girls), their other 7 Romanian metropolitan areas, account distribution being more accentuated in the urban for over 70% of the firm profit of the country, 70% area 18560, compared to the rural area (12776). For of the GDP, while they concentrate 50% of the the 20 – 24 age group, the report mentioned a total country’s population and generate new jobs and of 34830 youths (17705 male and 17125 female), a registers the fastest rates in population growth. big proportion having an urban residence 21628, Cluj-Napoca – and, by large, the CMA – is home compared to 13202. 3 Overall approach The main goal of the LEAP project was to collect the widest possible array of perceptions vis-à-vis youth development in the Cluj Metropolitan Area, through different methods. The research design focused on assuring the highest possible participation of all stakeholders, while maintaining an interdisciplinary approach. To answer the project objectives the project design included eight activities: Reviewing international, national, Systemic gaps identification, a fa ci- and local scientific literature, to litated process based on the preli mi nary 1. identify and define priority areas in the 5. results of the needs and oppor tunities field of adolescent and youth wellbeing. assessment conducted in the pre vious The end result is a set of four defined stages of the project, that resulted in a list priority areas – Health, Learning, Agency, of systemic gaps, illustrating the main Enabling Environment – that should be structural problems affecting adolescents targeted in local initiatives addressing and youth. wellbeing of youth living in the Cluj Metropolitan Area. Stakeholders engagement took place at various stages within the project and Stakeholder mapping of all actors 6. consisted in (1) an online survey explo- engaged in activities with and for the ring the view of institutional actors on 2. youth. The end result is a database allowing the needs and opportunities of youth (53 easy access to detailed information about respondents - from 39 NGOs dealing with all organizations implementing youth adolescents and youth, 12 from public programs in Cluj Metropolitan Area; a institutions, 2 private companies), (2) a report that provides an overview of the series of online consultations focusing data base development process which on identifying measures to systemic contains information about stakeholders gaps, conducted in four thematic groups in the Cluj metropolitan area, respectively and engaging 55 stakeholders and (3) an presents the database and the main online poll (40 participants) to enable results drawn from the analysis of the the prioritization of policy and action information collected. proposals. A quantitative study consisting of 4 Policy analysis looking at existing surveys on adolescents, youth, parents and strategic frameworks at local, regional, 3. teachers totalling 1127 respondents (out 7. national, European and global level of which 125 were adolescents – 10 to 17 in the field of youth and in the field of years old, 531 youth – 18 to 24 years old, 371 health, learning, agency and enabling parents and 100 teachers). The end result environment with a special effect on is a detailed report on how adolescents, youth but also study cases about practical youth, parents and teachers perceive va- solutions adopted by cities with similar rious issues connected to the 4 main topics profiles. of the study: health, learning, agency and enabling environment. The databases are Policy recommendations were for mu­ also available for further analysis. lated by a group of experts based on the 150 8. identified necessary mea sures addressing A qualitative study consisting of systemic gaps that stakeholders proposed online individual written interviews with with du ring consultations. The result 4. adolescents aged 10 to 14 (N=63), online is a report proposing policy actions and focus group discussions and online World interventions within the four areas of cafe discussion with adolescents aged 15 Health, Learning, Agency and Enabling to 17 (N=28) and with youths aged 18 to Environment, including a list of policy 24 (N=36). The end result is an in-depth and action priorities, and recommended analysis of adolescents’ and youths’ actions for the main categories of perceptions of wellbeing, of the problems stakeholders. they face, of the solutions they envision and of the actors they consider relevant for their wellbeing. 4 The leap quadrant LEAP considers this research from the perspective of the wellbeing of young people, or how an urban and metropolitan area can enable the personal health, learning process, and having agency in a B.supportive urban environment for youth. OBJECTIVE WELLBEING ENABLING HEALTH LEARNING AGENCY ENVIRONMENT Individual and social Academic