News

We are very happy to announce that this year our Short Term Summer Fun ESC volunteering project will take place for the fifth time. This is a special year for us, as our program celebrates its anniversary — for five years now we have been working to create unforgettable summers for children and to have a positive impact on the local community.

How did it start?

Five years ago, we started with a simple yet important dream: we wanted to provide amazing summer experiences for children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend a summer camp.

Since then, our project has grown year by year and has made a summer full of learning and experiences accessible to more and more children.

The essence of the project

Our program focuses on the local community. International volunteers come to join us and work with the children through creative workshops, games, and non-formal learning methods.

Participants can:

• improve their English skills in a playful way

• gain new experiences

• create lasting memories

Our results in numbers

Over the past years:

• more than 50 volunteers have participated in the project

• more than 40 camps have been organized

• nearly 1000 children have enjoyed the camp experiences

• countless shared moments and memories have been created

The 2026 project

This year we are once again organizing the Short Term Summer Fun ESC project, which provides summer camp experiences and development opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

📍 Location: Szekelykeresztur area, Transylvania – in the heart of Romania
📅 Dates: July 13 – September 9, 2026
⏳ Duration: 59 days (excluding arrival and departure days)

📌 Application deadline: April 6, 2026

Be part of it!

We are looking for young people aged 18–30 who:

• enjoy working in a team but can also work independently

• like working with children

• are creative, energetic and open to new ideas

What we offer

For the participants we provide:

• pocket money and food allowance for the entire duration of the project

• travel reimbursement

• health insurance

• accommodation in a well-equipped apartment at the ATA Youth House

• a summer full of experiences and valuable learning opportunities

Application

Read the information package at the link below, then send your application to:

📧 office.ata@gmail.com

Required documents:

• English CV with photo

• short motivation letter

• completed Google application form –
  https://forms.gle/o7vfeQMfiVRwHPWE7

Check the Information Package here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hP8y_NjWgDDtVCUqkcaYHRBtXdxsO6IH/view?usp=drive_link

If you would like to get a glimpse of the project atmosphere, watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=xJ7W2XvBQ5s  

✨ We look forward to your application — and maybe this year you will also be part of a truly special summer!

News

Do you remember Cristuru without the ATA House? Honestly… neither do we.

It has already become a place where young people can simply drop by, spend time together, organize activities, share ideas, or just enjoy a cup of tea after school. But creating a youth center is only the beginning. The real challenge starts afterwards: How do you keep it alive? How do you make it a place that young people genuinely want to return to? 

These are exactly the questions we want to explore during our upcoming Seminar on Managing Youth Centers. From 24–30 March, we will welcome youth workers, youth center managers, NGO representatives, and passionate community builders from across Europe to Cristuru Secuiesc. Throughout the week, we will learn from each other’s experiences, exchange practical ideas, and work together on creating youth centers that are welcoming, inclusive, sustainable, and truly shaped by young people.

During the seminar, we will dive into some of the biggest challenges youth centers face today. Together we will explore how to design activities that not only attract young people but also keep them engaged in the long run. We will discuss what to do when participation starts dropping, how to prevent volunteer and staff burnout, how to deal with conflicts, and how to create safe spaces where everyone feels welcome.

We will also look beyond the walls of the youth center. A successful youth center is more than a building, it can become a real community hub, working together with schools, local authorities, organizations, and community members while still keeping young people at the center of everything it does.

And of course, just like in all our Erasmus+ projects, there will be plenty of opportunities for networking, sharing experiences, developing new project ideas, and creating future partnerships. Some of the best ideas often come during a coffee break, an intercultural evening, or an Open Space discussion, and we cannot wait to see what this week will bring.

For us, this seminar is especially meaningful because the ATA House is still growing. Every event, every mistake, every successful activity teaches us something new. Hosting youth workers who face similar challenges in their own communities is a great opportunity to reflect on our work, discover fresh perspectives, and collect practical tools that we can apply here in Cristuru.

We are excited to welcome everyone, fill the ATA House with new ideas and inspiring conversations, and spend a week learning together.

The coffee is almost ready. See you soon in the ATA House!