Banca Transilvania received the Special Award for Sustained Commitment and Impact for the Clujul Are Suflet project at the Oameni pentru Oameni Gala, held on November 17, in Bucharest. This year, 270 projects by companies, organizations and individual donors from Romania were nominated. The event was organized by American Chamber of Commerce Romania and the Association for Community Relations.

Clujul Are Suflet is BT’s largest social engagement initiative. Since 2008, the foundation has run a day center in Cluj-Napoca dedicated to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds facing material, social or emotional hardship. Through its work, the foundation helps young people aged 14 to 20 stay in school, improve their grades, prepare for a trade and find a job. Each young person follows a tailored program that includes monitoring academic performance, tutoring in various subjects, activities to maintain motivation, academic or career guidance programs, as well as sports, social activities and opportunities to develop artistic skills.

Clujul Are Suflet’s results from more than 8 years of activity are:

• more than 1,800 young people have been helped to build a better life and continue their studies
• more than 600 teenagers at risk of school failure subsequently saw an improvement in their situation
• more than 150 teenagers passed the baccalaureate exams
• 111 teenagers went on to university, and another 14 to post-secondary schools
• more than 600 teenagers took part in academic and career guidance courses and were supported in choosing the schools or professions that suited them
• more than 2oo teenagers completed vocational qualification courses
• more than 300 young people were helped to find a job