Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.

Global Youth Service Day was celebrated in Chisinau on April 25 in the Riskanovka Park next to Institutul Muncii, the place where locals usually spent time barbequing and also the place where FLEX EFL takes place every year. FLEX, UGRAD, MUSKIE alumni, FLEX babies and Business for Youth participants chose that place so they can get it ready for the upcoming summer events. The 30 volunteers have divided into teams to clean different areas in the park and to compete for the team that gathers more trash bags. The volunteers have cleaned the park for 2 hours and gathered around 50 big trash bags.

U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center small grants has financed making GYSD t-shirts for all the 7 regional teams of alumni in Moldova. The yellow “Go Green” alumni team had 2 approaches in celebrating the event: cleaning up and raising the awareness for environmental issues. A part of the volunteers have joined the design team. The design team has decorated the trees with green ribbons and has made small GYSD ribbons for the volunteers. The beautiful green ribbons represented a sign of protecting the trees and the environment itself. At the end the volunteers have painted and decorated 10 wood boards with “Go Green” slogans and hanged them on the trees.

The event was a blast both because the team had a creative approach in celebrating this day and communicating to everyone about it. Seven other alumni teams have organized clean ups in Soroca, Ceadir Lunga, Balti, Edinet, Cahul, and Ungheni to celebrate the Global Youth Service Day.

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