We talked about attachments and collective disappointments in the run-up to the May presidential election.
We saw people around us crying, threatening, yelling, screaming, or even resorting to violence over political disputes. People who turned their political preferences into a key aspect of their identity. We wondered about the mechanisms behind the political radicalization we have witnessed over the past few years and tried to understand the risks of the current tense political climate continuing or deepening.
On March 27, from 19:00, at Impact Hub University, psychologist Alin Sava, professor at the West University of Timisoara, was in dialogue with journalist Vlad Petreanu to provide answers to these questions.
In February, we organized a new edition of Rethink Talks, in a novel format – a dialogue between the Minister of Education, Daniel David, and two students from Avenor College, Matei Ghiță and Alexandra Pop.
We talked about Future via education. In an ever-changing world, we tried to find out how we can face the challenges of the future and whether, through a high-performing education system, we can turn them into opportunities.
We enjoyed the enthusiasm of those present and the energy of the debate on Wednesday, February 26 at Impact Hub Bucharest. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
After the recent elections, we witnessed an intense debate about Romania’s external orientation and Romanian values. During Rethink Talks, Elena Calistru and Barbu Mateescu analyzed the results of the report “Romania between national and European in the era of misinformation”, conducted by INSCOP Research commissioned by Funky Citizens. The study showed that 77% of Romanians believe that our country should turn towards the West (EU, USA, NATO), a significant increase from 71.7% in January 2022. At the same time, 80.4% of Romanians perceive the US and the EU as having a positive influence on Romania, compared to 61.8% in September 2021. At the same time, 69.1% would vote for a nationalist party or candidate that promotes religious values and supports the traditional family, which highlights an interesting dynamic – the desire for political alignment with the West, but also a more traditionalist direction in domestic politics. Thanks to everyone who joined us on January 29 at the Impact Hub for this relevant discussion about Romania’s political future!
Last fall we opened the Rethink Talks series with a debate about Romanian culture and how we can give it a stronger voice. Together with our friends from Believe in Romania, we had the honor to listen to UBB Rector Daniel David, Professor Valeriu Stoica, Minister of Culture Raluca Turcan, and Sever Voinescu, editor-in-chief of Dilema Veche. The discussion, moderated by Justin Anghel, founding member of Cred în România, took place on September 19 at ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni and brought valuable insights into the future of Romanian culture. Thanks to all those who joined us!
On Monday, June 17, we had the honor of hosting another edition of Rethink Talks – “Communities in the Making. The mental health of children and young people”. Joining us were Simona Baciu (founder and president of InIm Institute and Transylvania College), Mihai Copăceanu (psychologist, PhD) and Nadia Tătaru (director and co-founder of Itsy Bitsy, president of the Association of Smart Parents). The discussion was insightful and relevant, addressing the growing challenges facing children and young people and the role of communities in supporting them. Thanks to all participants and partners who contributed to this essential dialog!
On April 22, Rethink Talks took on an international dimension with an inspiring dialogue with Ron Kaufman at the Elvira Popescu Cinema of the French Institute in Bucharest. The discussion was dedicated to the changes in mentalities and approaches needed to build a country project relevant for the 21st century. We were impressed by Ron Kaufman’s perspective on how the transformation of Singapore’s service culture has strengthened the city-state’s position as a global hub in areas such as finance, logistics, hospitality and tourism. Thank you to everyone who joined us at this special event and helped shape valuable ideas for the future of Romania!
On March 18, we kicked off the Rethink Talks 2024 series with an engaging conversation about rethinking urban life at the French Institute in Bucharest. We were delighted to have Ovidiu Șandor joined by Tatian Diaconu and Bogdan Suditu in a dialog about the challenges and opportunities of modern cities. We explored the impact of urban life on demographics, education, careers and mental health, trying to understand how we can build more sustainable and people-friendly cities. Thanks to everyone who joined us and contributed to this important debate!