People of all ages, ethnic origins and social backgrounds were invited to bake bread in groups and send photos of their actions, making a concrete contribution to the promotion of a peaceful and solidary community in the Danube region and in Europe.

In 2024, young and older people from the Danube countries came together—both digitally and in person—to discuss current social issues. Through two international online workshops and one in-person workshop, participants received input on various social, economic, and political topics. The aim was to foster controversial yet respectful dialogue, which is essential for a vibrant democracy. Note: This participatory activity is transferable.

Presentation on the topic: what does democracy mean to you? with the participation of students; you can make a board, with a drawing, like the one in the photo (which I used for another project – about bullying) and have students write their opinion about what democracy means to them. For the presentation, invite a sociology teacher and or a politician.

In November 2013, people from across the Danube region crochet a simple woolen handmade band, aiming to make it as long as the Danube River itself. This initiative was intended as a symbol of a desired Danube community, demonstrating unity and solidarity among the countries along the danube river. The band was created in several stages and ultimately transformed into an art object, which was presented at the Danube Festival on July 13, 2014, at the cathedral square (Münsterplatz) in Ulm. Note: This participatory activity is transferable.

More organizations in informal initiative groups such as Inelul Verde Metropolitan, Someșul nostru, Clubul de Cicloturism Napoca, Umbrela Verde, Natura Transilvaniei and Alergători începători Cluj have organized regular walks ( marches) and guided tours in the internationally renowned Hoia-Baciu forest. These were events that gathered around them people concerned and eager to protect this famous forest and the surrounding meadows. At the same time, on these occasions, a wide-ranging approach was made, namely the transformation of this area into a natural protected area, despite the increase in monitored traffic. And about our endeavors, I was overjoyed when I received an e-mail from the Cluj N City Hall informing me about the outcome of our requests related to the protection of the Hoia Baciu forest, which I present in the following lines: “Regarding your proposal to allocate in the 2025 budget a sum of money for the protection of the Hoia-Cheile Baciului area, as part of a future metropolitan green ring, we inform you that the Local Council meeting of March 27, 2025 voted the budget of Cluj-Napoca Municipality for 2025, and the amount of 1. 000.000.000 lei.” In conclusion, it is important to get involved in solving problems in our community, even if our effort is like a drop of water in an ocean. So even small drops ultimately contribute to change for the better.

The Stolpersteine (Stumbling Blocks) are 10x10x10 cm in size. The artist Gunter Demnig launched the Stumbling Blocks project in 1992 by laying the first stone. It was intended to cherish the memory of all the victims of the Nazi regime: Jews, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, those politically persecuted, Jehovah’s Witnesses and euthanasia victims. The names on the Stumbling Blocks were meant to return personality and dignity to the people who had been reduced to numbers. A conscious pause at the Block with the inscription is a “stumbling with the head and the heart”. Today, the Stumbling Blocks are held in high esteem. 75 000 have already been laid in Germany and in 25 other European countries. They form the world’s largest decentralised memorial, increasingly becoming a community issue in cities and towns. Every year on the 9th of November, the date of the Kristallnacht of 1938, people gather to clean and polish the metal plaques so that the names of the victims of National Socialism remain legible. It is a reminder in the present times, when new signs of violence, contempt for humanity and anti- Semitism are reappearing.