11 years of DEIS - A Special Anniversary

Today we celebrate 11 years of DEIS and today we submitted the documents to register DEIS UK.

We tried at midnight, but apparently, the website crashed. At 9 am it was still not working, but we kept refreshing it patiently.

At 12.34 pm...

We will not get a response today because we didn’t apply before 11 am (for reasons that were completely out of our control). But the date on our documents is the 19th of August. So, we can officially say that it’s DEIS day everywhere in the world.

I have to admit that I’m shaking a bit. And only 10 minutes later I remembered to breathe too. And to drink some tea. We are at artFix in Greenwich, the place where we will have the Music in the Streets concert, a week from tomorrow.

A while ago I was saying that when I grow up, I want to be like Diana Sabo. I grew up. And I am now the Co-Founder and CEO of DEIS UK. And a youth worker, and this time next year I’ll be preparing for a Master’s in the subject if I will be accepted.

One day I’ll stay in my office too and listen to one song on repeat, and someone will sit in the Youth Centre and say ‘one day I want to stay in an office too and someone will sit in the Youth Centre and say “one day I want to stay in an office too...”’.

I wanted to say that I can’t believe this. The problem is that right now I can believe it. The moment I saw that ‘Application submitted’ I realised what we’ve done. We started DEIS UK. After 11 years of DEIS.

I am 21, and Jeanine will be 20 in a few weeks. We have our NGO. And we make projects for young people that are more valuable than those done by some organisations run by adults with dozens of years of experience. Can you understand how important it is to offer ALL young people equal and equitable opportunities? Can you understand how important it is for some teenagers to have support from youth workers from (almost) 16 years old? And then, for the latest period, since I’m in the UK, I had loads of other learning opportunities in which I got involved thanks to the experience that I built in DEIS. So, can you understand how important it is that an adult with experience and knowledge of loads of fields can see the potential in a young person and offer them the support they need?

As I said in the newspaper article that came out last week

DEIS is a laboratory where a young person can experiment and look for answers. The youth worker is by their side as an experienced friend, who guides them, offers them opportunities to discover and understand what is going on around them. And the young person has complete freedom and all the support they need.

I don’t know and under no circumstances do I want to imagine what my life would be like without DEIS now. But what I know and want to imagine is the future - hundreds of young people will come through our door in London or Baia Mare, dozens of projects designed and implemented by young people, a support network for young people in which you have youth workers, therapists, career coaches and many collaborating, in a huge youth centre with everything.

11 years of Development through Education, Information, and Support in Baia Mare.

Day 1 of Development through Education, Information, and Support in London.

Am I ready for this?

I don’t know. But I know that learning is a process that should never stop and I am ready to continue learning.

And I want to say something else. I don’t know why, but I feel that if I do it like it is will be easier for it to get where it should.

Look, Andrash, your lightning bolt tattoo has been the DEIS logo for a year, and it’s now in the UK too. Our motto is

keep on going

I find fascinating what an important role you play in my life as part of the DEIS family and as a youth worker, even though I never met you. Today, at 11 years of DEIS, on the day we submitted the documents to register DEIS UK, I want to thank you. I don’t know and I don’t understand how the Universe works and what happens to us later, but somehow you, through memories and the impact that you had, remained here with us, everywhere. And even though sometimes I’m afraid I’ll screw up, I remember to think about you and to ‘keep on going’.

Thank you!