Youth stories
Orlando
„I want to become an entrepreneur, but also follow my passion: the drums!”
He entered the child protection system at the age of 2 and learned to fend for himself. After losing his loved ones (his mother, brother and sister) he took refuge in music. The person who motivated him not to give up is his drum teacher, who made his attendance at lessons conditional on his results at school.
In the 2 years he has been part of The Social Incubator family he has learned a lot, says Oli, from how to write a CV to what teamwork is like, why prioritising tasks matters or how networking can help you.
He wants to become an entrepreneur because he can hold his own in extreme situations, and because he can talk to his employees not from the position of a boss, but of a fellow human being. In the future he hopes to have the chance to talk to young people about his life, from the TEDx stage.
Mihaela
„I want to become the best social worker.”
Mihaela was born in Bucharest and entered the protection system at 8 months old, when she was abandoned in the snow by her mother. At the age of 5 she moved to Huși, where she grew up in a foster family, as in a real family. She returned to the capital to attend the Faculty of Social Work, graduating with a Master’s degree and an average of 9.37, and she currently works as a social worker at a foundation that supports the elderly.
She is very happy that she met The Social Incubator team 4 years ago. She learned to trust herself, to speak in front of an audience, to be more open and more courageous.
Inspired by the social worker who handled her case, she wants to become the best social worker and help everyone in need. At the same time she wants to follow her passion for photography and even start a vlog.
Iulia
„I want to be a psychologist, to help as many people as possible!”
Iulia is 17 years old, in the 12th grade and lives in Vaslui, in a placement centre. She entered the child protection system at the age of 9 and even though it was not easy, every time she wanted to drop out of school she was supported by her case manager, whom she considers to be like her mother.
Meeting The Social Incubator helped her discover what she wants to do in the future, with the help of vocational counsellors. She learned to manage her budget at the financial education workshops and developed her communication and social skills within the professional development workshops.
Her greatest wish is to help as many people as possible, especially the children in the child protection system, so she has set out to become a psychologist.
Paul
„I don’t want to leave the country, I want to contribute to its development!”
Paul is an ambitious young man who grew up in a village in Vaslui county, with only his mother. Even though in the 8th grade he had to retake his maths exam, in high school he set his mind to it and won 1st place at the National Agriculture Olympiad. He is 20 years old and a second-year student at the Faculty of Agriculture in Iași.
He uses everything he learned at The Social Incubator workshops in his everyday life. After taking part in financial education workshops he began to study the stock market in greater depth and even to invest.
He wants to earn his PhD and teach students using the experimental method. He believes that young Romanians can innovate the agricultural field that the country needs so much. He hopes to become a researcher and be part of the Romanian Academy.
Iuliana
„My dream is to work in a food analysis laboratory”
Iuliana grew up in family placement, with her grandparents, and now, at 22, she has decided to take her life into her own hands and leave the child protection system, after graduating with a top grade of 10.
She joined The Social Incubator family during the pandemic. The emotional management and yoga workshops came in very handy during the lockdown period. She developed a friendship with her mentor, Cristina, whom she met in one of the mentoring programmes.
Her greatest wish, besides a career in nutrition, is to get her driving licence, build a rally car and take part in the rally race in Poiana Brașov.
Larisa
„I went to school for the first time at 12 and a half”
Larisa is 24 years old and entered the child protection system at the age of 12, when she also went to school for the first time. She is currently studying Economic Informatics at the Oil and Gas University of Ploiești and intends to go on to a master’s degree.
She believes she has grown a lot since joining The Social Incubator family 4 years ago, both personally and professionally.
The happiest moments in her life are linked to her educational achievements: passing the Baccalaureate exam and being admitted to university, and her greatest dream is to find a job she enjoys and build a career out of it.
Who we are
The Social Incubator Association was founded in April 2014 by a group of 5 friends, professionals in different fields, who, after getting involved together in numerous volunteering activities that took the form of one-off, short-term support for institutionalised young people, realised that the needs of these young people are far more complex and that, in order to bring about real and sustainable change in their lives, they need to be supported individually, over the long term.
What we do
In May 2014 the organisation’s main programme was launched, whose purpose is to support young people who have left – or are about to leave – the child protection system, aged between 16 and 26, to make the transition (otherwise very difficult and fraught with risks) to adult life in a way that makes the most of their abilities and ensures their independence.
Why we do it
More than 30 years after the Revolution, institutionalised young people who leave the protection system once they become adults are marginalised by society and exposed to a wide range of risks. As a result of the lack of integration, many of them end up on the streets and/or become victims of human or drug trafficking.
- Every year, around 3,900 young people leave the child protection system, unprepared for life on their own
- Only 1 in 40 young people who leave the child protection system finds legal employment
- Romania is #1 in the European Union in terms of the number of trafficked people
Once out of the system, these young people’s chances of truly integrating into society are very low, and the NGO and business sectors play an extremely important role in creating sustainable opportunities for them. For this reason, 5 years ago we set out to actively contribute to changing these statistics.
How we do it
Broadly speaking, the methods used within the programme are:
- vocational and psychological counselling
- non-formal education
- facilitating internships
- organising themed workshops
- organising exploratory visits
- mentoring
- tutoring
- support for finding paid employment, through partner companies or the social enterprises set up by the association itself
Organiser: The Social Incubator Association
Our impact over the 12 years
YOUNG PEOPLE benefiting from the Association’s projects and programmes
institutionalised YOUNG PEOPLE supported through comprehensive 360° interventions
PARTNERS alongside whom we build a safer future for YOUNG PEOPLE
PROJECTS and PROGRAMMES with real and lasting impact
*Figures updated – December 2025