The Interethnisches Jugendbildungszentrum e. V.
Sighišoara (ibz, Centre for Interethnic Youth Education) was founded in 2000 and was regressively funded until 2003 by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V. Stuttgart (ifa, Institute for Foreign Relations) in the context of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. Since 2003 ibz has financed itself through the adjacent youth hostel, the so-called Burg-Hostel.
Sighišoara (ibz, Centre for Interethnic Youth Education) was founded in 2000 and was regressively funded until 2003 by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V. Stuttgart (ifa, Institute for Foreign Relations) in the context of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. Since 2003 ibz has financed itself through the adjacent youth hostel, the so-called Burg-Hostel.
The aim of the association is to promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue as well as social interaction and harmonic cohabitation of people from different ethnic backgrounds.
For this purpose we implement cultural and social projects using non-formal and artistic methods at the local, national and international level. At the moment, ibz is involved with five local projects:
1.) Radio One – a radio project in which students are given basic media training in radio technology and broadcasts are made during the school breaks.
2.) a social theatre project according to the method of forum theatre in which youth are motivated to make a stand for civil courage.
3.) German courses
4.) culture evenings with live music in the in-house Music Pub and
5.) Job training in hospitality services and career integration for socially-disadvantaged youth, especially for Roma.
At the national level, organising the interethnic festival ProEtnica is ibz’s most important project. Already in its 9th year, from 2001 to 2008, ProEtnica has made an impressive contribution to intercultural understanding which reaches far past the borders of Sighišoara and Romania and lasts long after the duration of the festival. Each year ProEtnica brings together hundreds of members of all Romania’s ethnic communities.
At the moment ibz is a partner in two European projects: Eule - Entwicklung und Leben in Europa (Development and Life in Europe) is a multi-year youth education project with partners from Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece and Romania and is sponsored by the EU’s Youth Programme
MELT - Migration in Europe and Local Traditions is a cultural project oriented towards music exchange sponsored in the framework of the EU’s Culture Programme 2007-20013. Project partners are from Birmingham, Genoa, Vienna, Istanbul and Munich.
