The image of a community in which local authorities, locals and companies work side by side for the good of the city – this was the thought behind the formation of the Sibiu Community Foundation. In 2012, the first events were organized in which the local community discovered the values of the foundation: encouraging social change and cultivating philanthropy.
“We get involved everywhere, in various forms. Whether we’re raising funds for a project, or supporting initiative groups, or we obtain a 2% tax deduction form for an NGO… we get involved, and that’s exactly what everyone should do. But, more than anything, we try to find the people who can and want to get involved. For example, there are people who have special skills in different areas, but they only use these skills for their employers. They could very well be used for community projects, too. Involvement is necessary and we try to find those people who are also eager to do this”, stated for the local press Ciprian Ciocan, executive director of the Foundation.
The Foundation started its journey with the organization of the 2012 Half Marathon, whereby it wanted to create a fund to support projects dedicated to the local community. Also in the first year of operation, the Foundation established the YouthBank program, the first team consisting of 15 students.
The second edition of the Half Marathon organized in Sibiu mobilized even more people. Thanks to them, 23 causes were supported by 460 runners and over 1,200 donors. The YouthBank program also grew in 2013, with the team reaching 17 members, and 11,100 lei being mobilized for the eight projects submitted that year.
The Half Marathon became the biggest philanthropic sports event in Romania, and at its sixth edition, which took place on 27 May 2017, it became the Sibiu International Marathon, when the 42 km full marathon race was also introduced. It brought together 3,300 people, each running for a cause they believed in, being supported by over 4,000 donors. Together they have managed to raise approximately 475,000 lei, funds that will give life to 21 projects of the Sibiu community.
“It’s an event where the natives of Sibiu came from far and wide and reunite at home to enjoy all that their city has to offer: nature, history, sport and especially the community. It is the feeling that, through ourselves, Sibiu maintains its status as the most beautiful and proactive city in Romania”, said Nicolae Ștefănuță, a member of the foundation board and one of the runners.
The first six editions of the fundraising event (until 2017) helped 121 causes with 1.572.372 lei, raised from 14.688 suporters and donors.
Over the past three years, the Foundation has continued to work for the development of the Sibiu community. New programs such as the Științescu Fund or Innovation Labs have been implemented. Științescu is a financing program for non-formal educational projects, which encourage the passion for science and technology of children and youth aged 6 to 19. The first edition, in 2015, provided funding of 121,317 lei to 15 educational projects and had almost 1,900 direct beneficiaries.
“First of all, we wanted to start a quality conversation about education in the community. Let us bring education back to the community, bring together educators, companies, institutions, students, parents, or just people passionate about science and education. We launched a challenge: are you passionate about science, engineering, technology or mathematics? If the answer is yes, give your passion further! And fortunately, we have found some extraordinary people who responded to our call and proved once again how essential passion is in everything we do”, says Ciprian Ciocan.
The fund grew the following year, the team launched the Științescu Junior section – for projects proposed and implemented by high school students – and in July 2016 the Științescu Hub was created, a space for STEAM education where children and young people aged 5 to 20 can discover a variety of non-formal workshops in the world of science.
At the 2017 edition, the team set out to address the Smart City concept and the digital technologies that drive it, contributing to the growth of generations of citizens who understand how cities develop and have the potential to contribute to shaping them.
In 2016 and 2017, the Foundation joined Innovation Labs, which is developed in other Romanian cities, too. Innovation Labs is the largest pre-accelerator program for technical startups and is aimed at young people who want to go through the startup experience, developing it with top mentors, ICT and business entrepreneurs and specialists. The Sibiu program was organized by Tech Lounge and the Sibiu Community Foundation, with “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu as academic partner.
Also in 2016, the foundation launched www.sibiulverde.ro. The idea was born at the November 2016 Hackathon, attended by approximately 30 young professionals from Sibiu, who considered that indignation is only the first step towards change. Green Sibiu is a local community communication platform, which aims to bring together all relevant information for selective recycling in Sibiu.
The Foundation's commitment to helping the community to adapt to new technologies took the form of a new program, launched in 2018: CitySense. Powered by a partnership with a private company, CitySense is a financing program that supports the creation of prototypes of Smart City solutions, which, by using technology, contribute to improving the quality of life in Sibiu.
“One does not have to claim to solve the great problems of humanity”, said Ciocan for DOR magazine. “Sometimes it’s just about one’s natural need to be with likeminded people.”