A number of 21 UNITA students have discovered and explored the authentic beauty of rural and mountain territories in 4 different areas of Romania as mobility participants of the second call of UNITA Rural Mobility, 2022 edition.
#1: Armeniş, Carpathian Mountains, Romania
The mobilities took place in the rural community of Armeniş, Carpathian Mountains, Romania, and were organised in collaboration with the local partner WeWilder Association. UNITA students were involved in a series of engaging activities within the WeWilder Campus, an innovation and community development hub located in Armeniş, a wild pocket of nature in Europe.
#2: Cornești, Banat area, Romania
The rural community of Cornești, in the Banat area, Romania, in collaboration with the National Banat Museum, hosted mobilities with diverse activities centred around the Cornești Fortification, the biggest fortification from the Bronze Era in Europe. The scope of these internships was to offer a hands-on experience and also the opportunity to contribute to activities of scientific research (archaeological excavations, conservation and restoration actions etc.) in the largest prehistoric citadel that is known to archeologists so far.
#3: Potoc, Socolari and Ilidia, Caraș-Severin County, Romania
The internships took place in the rural communities of Potoc, Socolari and Ilidia, Caraș-Severin County, Romania, 100 km from Timișoara, in the Banat area. Organised together with the Timiș County Directorate for Culture as local partner, these internships helped UNITA students to familiarise themselves with actions meant to protect and promote the cultural and natural heritage in a nature reserve area with a series of protected historical sites.
#4: Saschiz, Carpathian Mountains, Romania
Initiated in association with ADEPT Transylvania Foundation, a series of UNITA rural mobilities were hosted in the rural community of Saschiz, Southern Transylvania, Carpathian Mountains, Romania. The scope of these internships was to inform the students on and involve them in various activities related to nature conservation and biodiversity preservation and enhancement such as flora and fauna monitoring and concrete grassland restoration activities, but also other types of activities mobilising the local rural communities - fairs, events, gatherings etc.
The duration of each UNITA rural mobility was of three weeks and the variety of activities which they implied embedded both the scientific and social dimensions of our Alliance. The participants were able to join their forces in community based projects with the aim of contributing to the development of the rural areas in which they were staying. While studying about industrial heritage directly at its core, being able to identify touristic signalistics and getting a glimpse of what circular economy looks like in real life, they also had a blast spending three weeks like a family, while also immersing themselves in the local language and culture.
Exploring the food culture of Romanian rural areas made quite an impression on the participants not only because of the unforgettable taste of sarmale* but also because in some cases the food was cooked and brought to them by the locals with whom they got the chance to interact. You may wonder how was that even possible, right? Through inter-comprehensible common words which have the same origin in all the languages spoken in UNITA: the Latin language.
Would you fancy a walk on the green fields of Romanian south-western Carpathians while following bison tracks? Are you curious about what Romanian rural culture has to offer? If the answer is yes stay tuned for the next UNITA Rural Mobility call and #ClimbYourFuture with UNITA!
Watch the video material which describes perfectly UNITA Rural Mobility 2022 and decide for yourself if you would join us next summer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UjRpaFyGSo
*Local and specific Romanian dish provided by the families inhabiting the village