A.L.E.G. Summer Camp – Learning, creativity and involvement
Between July 28-31, 2026, in Gura Râului, the A.L.E.G. Camp 2026 took place, a space for learning, reflection and creation dedicated to young people interested in human rights, gender equality and social change through theatre.
During the four days, participants had the opportunity to learn, debate, create and work together to create a forum theatre play that will be presented at the 2026 Gender Equality Festival.
The first day was about knowledge, trust and the courage to talk about fears, expectations and experiences. Through knowledge games and interactive activities carried out outdoors, participants discussed the expectations and fears they came to the camp with and began to build relationships based on trust and mutual support.
Their messages at the end of the day showed how important such a framework is:
💬“I learned that others have the same fears.”
💬“I learned that we are not alone.”
💬“I learned that it is okay to make mistakes.”
💬“I learned that our actions matter.”
Day two of the A.L.E.G. Summer Camp was about challenging ideas, inspiring examples, and the courage to dare.
We discussed privilege, stereotypes, and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), debated different perspectives, and practiced how we can have dialogues even when we disagree with each other.
A pleasant moment of the day was the visit of Giovanna, a former A.L.E.G. participant and volunteer, who returned to the camp in a new role. Together with Andreea, they initiated the Purple Boxes project – an initiative through which they installed boxes with free menstrual products in several schools in Sibiu County. They showed the participants that a good idea can become reality when you have the courage to take the first step and get involved in what you believe in.
In the evening, our colleague Tetiana, ESD (Empowerment through Self-Defense) instructor, held an introductory self-defense workshop, in which participants discovered that safety begins with trusting one’s own resources and establishing personal boundaries.
The third day was dedicated to discovering forum theater. Guided by Doriana Tăut, they discovered what forum theater means, how it can become an instrument for social change, and how a correctly presented story can open conversations about topics that concern us all.
They worked in teams, exchanged ideas, improvised, wrote, rewrote, and together built the script of the forum theater play that they will stage during the festival. At the end of the day, they arrived at a final version of the script.
The day ended in a relaxed atmosphere, around a campfire, with baked marshmallows and stories.
💬”What I liked the most was the people. They seemed very warm and open to me.”
💬”I liked that we had a fairly relaxed, but also very productive program. Each workshop taught me something or helped me become aware of things.”
💬”I liked the open conversations in which we normalized topics that society still talks about too little.”
💬”What I liked the most was the new perspectives that I discovered.”
💬”I can’t wait for the next camp.”
