“Teimplici.ro”
The first corporate awareness-raising referendum platform was launched in Romania in June.
România Internațional, 06.07.2014, 13:50
“ They say Romanians believe this and that. They say Romanian want this or that particular thing to happen. Statistics are being used to make decisions. Don’t let statistics tell what Romanians actually believe in or what kind of projects with a significant social impact they want for themselves. It’s about time you felt at home with the figures that cause changes. “ It is the message which has been used in Romania in early June to launch the first corporate awareness-raising referendum-platform, enabling Romanians to vote for and set the areas they think are of interest for themselves. The label for the platform was “Te implici” (You get involved), and has been designed to underpin an online community created for all those interested in the future of the society they live in. Be they non-profit organizations, initiative groups, or citizens with civic spirit, they all have received an invitation to cast their vote for the directions they think are a priority and which can be taken further, under the form of specific projects.
Aliana Adochitei is the representative of the company that launched the platform. She will now be telling us all exactly HOW things work, to that effect.
“ Every day, the decisions we make are based on statistics and figures. And yet we want to see beyond all that, we want to see who the people getting involved in society are, what their opinion is, we want to listen to their opinion as well and to implement what they want. Each company should listen to its clients to give them what they want, not only in commercial terms, but also in terns of sustainable development capabilities. Non-governmental organizations or imitative groups, or even citizens with civic spirit access te implici.ro (you get involved) and click the “sustin” (“I support”) or “ma implic” (I get involved) button. Our involvement areas are education, healthcare, social protection, the environment, development, and innovation. “
Some of the projects which were proposed for financial support are roof gardens, mass sports, equipping hospitals, connecting isolated communities to telephony lines or to the Internet, tele-medicine, and facilitating the public’s access to culture. So far, education is the area users have been interested in most, and the area boasts no less than 12 projects which have been enlisted, ranging from nutrition education in schools and kindergartens, to providing lifelong education and providing technology for the instruction process. Allina Adochitei told us.
” The most successful is the project supporting the award of excellence scholarships to young people with top grades in school. I for one, think companies should embrace innovation to a greater extent, since that is what helps us all make progress, that is what will help young people have a fine upbringing, so that we can have an environment with sustainable development. Innovation is the field where all should make more effort.”
The platform was launched on June 3rd, andits first stage will soon draw to a close, the one targeting areas of interest for a wide portion of society. However, the online community that has been created as an outcome of the first stage of the project will continue to play a key role in how the project ”teimplici.ro” ( you get involved) will unfold.
” We have been trying to get as many users as possible to join the platform, we also have the backing of the media and bloggers, we try to bring in as many as we can, so that the outcome of the referendum can be valid. Right after the final stage of the project has been implemented, we want to support the underprivileged, those who really need our help. The community will also be gaining ground even after the results of the referendum are posted, that is, after June 30, 2014. Taking users’ options into account, the platform is about to enter a new stage, that of collecting projects that can be further developed and supported by the private sector. The community will play a key role in the selection process for the most relevant and compelling projects, as well as in the promotion of those projects for which they can get financing. We have also been trying to get financing from the other leading actors in the economic environment we have been active in. We have targeted any company wishing to get actively involved in the community they work in, anyone is welcome, mainly those who want to invest in the progress of our society.”
Among the active members of the community, there are such organizations as the Children’s Telephone Association — offering a toll free number children can call to get advice whenever they have problems at home. Then there’s the Greener Association, an a association advocating an eco life, FuturePlus — the Sustainable Development Association, as well as the PAVFI Association, dealing with children with cancer. And the list stays open, any organization can join the “Te implici” (“You get involved” ) community, provided they can offer support for the topics that are relevant for their activity. This has been Inside Romania.