Funder2024–2025
Digital Education & AI Training Hub
Fundația Orange
A training hub for digital education and artificial intelligence for children and young people in Vrancea.
Digital education & AI →Digital education and environment NGO · Vrancea, Romania
· UNESCO ID 407Give a Bit of Oxygen.
Every bit of help counts, however small. A lab notebook, a nature expedition or a Marty robot for a village school: you choose what to support. For Vrancea’s children, everything has been free since 2021.
National and international recognition
Trust earned in Romania and worldwide.
All partners and recognition →
InternationalUNESCO King Hamad Prize 2026 nomination ↗
NationalEuropa FM “Green Medal”, 2025
EuropeanOfficial DigiEduHack 2025 event, supported by the European Commission
Euro-MediterraneanMember organization of the Anna Lindh Foundation Romania, 2026- FunderFundația Orange · Digital Education & AI Training Hub, 2024–2025
CurriculumCurriculum with 11 international distinctions
See the map →
Impact · 2021–2026
560+ young people trained since 2021.
Our home base, the Vrancea localities and activities with young people from Bacău, Bucharest and Sinaia, on one map, with the figures from our 2021–2026 activity reports. In yellow: the 2021–2026 online courses for schools in Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Sibiu, Brașov, Baia Mare, Constanța, Timișoara, Arad and Oradea (from the association’s records).
- 560+young people in our Vrancea programmes, 2021–2026
- 38+partner schools and clubs, in 11 localities
- 4counties: Vrancea, Bacău, Prahova, Bucharest
- 1,600+young people in 18+ schools across 9 cities, online courses 2021–2026 · association records
560+young people trained · 2021–2026
38+partner schools & clubs
55%girls in the tech cohorts
100%funded by grants and donations — families pay nothing, since 2021
3grants won in 2025 · 11 localities
New project · nationwide · 2026–2045
Education for All: a teacher for every child who needs one.
Many children fail Romania’s National Assessment or Baccalaureate not for lack of ability, but because their family cannot afford private tutoring. We bring the two together: the pupil who needs support and the teacher who can give it.
- Grades 5–12
- Any county
- 100% online
- Vetted teachers
15.5%of young people in Romania leave school too earlyEU average: 9.1% · Eurostat
45.1%of people in rural Romania are at risk of poverty or social exclusionin cities: 18.5% · Eurostat, 2023
The goal
Every pupil in grades 5–12, from any county, has a subject teacher preparing them online until exam day.
Where a child was born and how much their family earns should not decide an exam that can change their path.
Who can get involved
Four roles, one aim: a child ready for the exam.
- Pupils and parents
Get a teacher
- A personal plan after an initial test
- Homework and mock exams marked to the official scheme
- Teachers
Adopt a pupil
- A few hours a week, online, from anywhere
- Volunteer contract and certificate (Law 78/2014)
- Companies · CSR
Invest in a grade
- Adopt a pupil or a group in your community
- Impact report for CSR and ESG
- Schools, councils, NGOs
Bring it to your community
- Refer pupils who need help, with family consent
- Cooperation protocol at no cost
- 1The requestTwo minutes: grade, subjects, exam.
- 2A conversationWe get in touch within two working days.
- 3The teacherA subject teacher adopts the pupil.
- 4Until the examHomework, mock exams and progress both can see.
A programme of Asociația Grupul Verde. The website is in Romanian. Priority for pupils in difficult situations; family circumstances stay confidential.
International network · 2026–2027
Part of Funding Fairer Futures, the European initiative for climate justice.
SubgranteeCAN Europe · WECF · European Commission
Grupul Verde delivers the GreenCode for Fairer Futures project in Vrancea, supported through Funding Fairer Futures: the initiative led by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and co-funded by the European Commission. Alongside more than 50 organisations selected across Europe, we bring European models of climate, environmental, technology and inclusion education home.
- TrainingCapacity building for the organisation, to European Commission standards.
- NetworkPeer learning and exchange with organisations across Europe.
- Just transitionSupport for campaigning and advocacy for a fair climate transition.
The CAN Europe network
The initiative is led by CAN Europe, Europe’s largest coalition of climate organisations. Among the network’s members:
Belgrade Open SchoolSerbia
Climate AnalyticsGermany
Italian Climate NetworkItaly
European Grandparents for ClimateEurope
Youth for Climate NLNetherlands
The logos belong to members of the CAN Europe network and identify the network; they are not direct partners of the association.
Everything Asociația Grupul Verde does
What we have done, what we do now and what comes next.
All our work, in short: what we have already finished, the programmes children and young people can join right now, the projects we are preparing for the years ahead, and ideas that worked well elsewhere in Europe that we want to bring to Vrancea. Pick what interests you: environment, technology, villages, girls in tech.
ProgrammeActive since 2021Digital education & AICode.org, Marty robotics, AI literacy and technology built by young people.Technology & AIEducation→
ProgrammeActiveEnvironment & biodiversitySensors built by young people and expeditions in the Subcarpathians.EnvironmentEducation→
ProgrammeActiveYouth, gender & activism55% girls in the tech cohorts, climate justice.Youth & genderTechnology & AI→
ProgrammeActiveRural communities38+ schools and 11 localities in Vrancea.RuralEducation→
ProgrammeDirection 2026–2027Civic and legal educationConstitutional rights and active citizenship.CivicEducation→
ProgrammeDirection 2026–2027Agentic AIAI assistants for citizens and ethical research.Technology & AICivic→
ProgrammeDirection 2026–2027Active ageingDigital independence and an intergenerational network.All agesTechnology & AI→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Vrancea ReadyEuropean model: A digital twin of the locality.EnvironmentAll agesTechnology & AI→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Nature RestoredEuropean model: Listen to the Forest — AI acoustic stations.EnvironmentTechnology & AI→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Clean Energy for VillagesEuropean model: The thermal imaging walk.EnvironmentRural→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Media & DemocracyEuropean model: Journalists in the classroom.CivicAll agesTechnology & AI→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Second ChanceEuropean model: The production school.EducationYouth & genderTechnology & AI→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027Inclusion for Every ChildEuropean model: One-to-one mentoring, for a whole year.EducationRuralAll ages→
Green Innovation HubLaunching 2027First StepsEuropean model: The book suitcase for babies.EducationAll agesEnvironment→
Project 2026–2035OngoingMobile LabTechnology comes to the village, no 100 km journey needed.RuralTechnology & AI→
Project 2026–2035OngoingCode & ClimateClimate solutions written in code by young people.EnvironmentTechnology & AI→
Project 2026–2035PilotSensors in Protected AreasIoT sensors in Natura 2000 sites.EnvironmentTechnology & AI→
Project 2026–2035Launched 2026AI in RomaniaUnderstanding AI, not just using it.Technology & AIEducation→
Project 2026–2035Pilot 2026Citizenship & RightsRights, learnt through real cases.CivicEducation→
Project 2026–2035Pilot 2026Intergenerational NetworkYoung people and seniors, mutual mentoring.All agesTechnology & AI→
Project 2026–2035Concept · 2035R&D HubResearch and prototyping built by young people.Technology & AI→
Project 2026–2035ConceptYoung Innovators IncubatorFrom idea to product, with mentors.Technology & AIYouth & gender→
Project 2026–2035ConceptDigital InclusionAccessible programming for every child.Technology & AIEducation→
Project 2026–2035In preparation · 2030Green Case-Law ObservatoryLaw and data, on nature’s side.CivicEnvironment→
Project 2026–2035Concept · 2035Resilient CommunitiesCommunities that decide together.CivicRural→
Funded projectCompleted 2024–2025Digital Education & AI Training HubOur largest cohort: 360+ beneficiaries, with the Orange Foundation.Technology & AIAll ages→
Funded projectCompleted 2023–2026TechWomen Empowerment HubDigital training for women and girls at the Orange Digital Center.Youth & genderTechnology & AI→
Funded projectCompleted 2023–2025Youth Code AcademyScratch, Marty and Code.org for children aged 7–14.Technology & AIEducation→
Funded projectCompleted 2024Eco Tech Kids100 young people built air, water and soil sensors.EnvironmentTechnology & AI→
Funded projectCompleted 2025EduHackOur first civic hackathon, registered with DigiEduHack.CivicTechnology & AI→
Funded projectOngoing 2026–2027GreenCode for Fairer Futures80 young people, at least 55% girls, climate justice.Youth & genderEnvironment→
Funded projectNominated 2026Green FuturesNominated for the UNESCO King Hamad Prize 2026, through CNR-UNESCO.EnvironmentTechnology & AI→
Funded projectUnder evaluation 2026GreenCode Creative LabDigital creativity and community art.Youth & genderTechnology & AI→The people beside us · 2021–2026
Together with those who believed in Vrancea’s children.
None of what you see here would have happened without them: the foundations and companies that supported our programmes, the teachers who opened their classrooms, the local authority that supported our educational centre, and the European networks we learn from. Thank you.
01
Funders & sponsors
They put resources behind our programmes: grants, sponsorships, equipment.
4 partners
Partner2026–2027GreenCode for Fairer Futures
WECF
Technology and climate justice for young people, with the international Women Engage for a Common Future network.
Youth, gender & activism →
Sponsor2022–2023Generația Tech
JYSK
Sponsor of the programme that trained 100 young people from Vrancea in IT.
Digital education & AI →
Sponsor2022–2023Generația Tech
Luxoft
Sponsor of the programme that trained 100 young people from Vrancea in IT.
Digital education & AI →
02
Education & technology
Partners who bring clubs, curriculum and robots into the classroom.
3 partners
Partnersince 2024CODE Kids coding club
Fundația Progress · CODE Kids
A coding club for children, part of Fundația Progress’s CODE Kids network.
Digital education & AI →
Partner2022–2023IT training for 100 young people
Generația Tech
Digital and IT skills courses for young people starting out towards a career in tech.
Digital education & AI →
Partnersince 2022Educational robotics with Marty the Robot
Robotical · Marty the Robot
Children learn coding and logical thinking by building and programming Marty the Robot.
Digital education & AI →
03
European networks
They connect us to European education and conservation communities.
3 partners
MemberBotanic Gardens Conservation International
BGCI
The global network of botanic gardens: plant conservation and education for biodiversity.
Environment & biodiversity →- Organiser2025
Official EduHack event
DigiEduHack
An education innovation hackathon, supported by the European Commission, where young people pitch digital solutions.
Digital education & AI → 
Partner2022The #SustainCityHack hackathon
French Institute in Romania · French Embassy
A 36-hour online hackathon for sustainable cities: urban mobility, regeneration and planning.
Digital education & AI →
04
Recognition
Institutions that publicly recognised the association’s work.
2 partners- Recognition2026 · ID 407
UNESCO King Hamad Prize nomination ↗
CNR-UNESCO
UNESCO’s prize for the use of technology in education; the association was nominated in 2026.
Digital education & AI → - Recognition2025
Europa FM “Green Medal”
Europa FM
A national distinction awarded to the association in 2025 by the Europa FM radio station.
Environment & biodiversity →
We only show organisations we have actually worked with. Logos are used with each partner’s agreement.
We build programmes for young people in Vrancea together — companies, foundations, schools and institutions.
Find us elsewhere · external proof
You don’t have to take our word for it.
Here is where Asociația Grupul Verde appears on other institutions’ and publications’ websites. Each card opens the original source.
Only public sources checked on 16 October 2026 are listed. Items marked “promo” appeared in the newspaper’s promotional section. Sources are in Romanian.
- International institutionFrench Institute
#SustainCityHack partner, April 2022
The association is listed under “Partners” on the official page of the hackathon co-organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute in Romania.
Open source ↗institutfrancais.ro - National mediaEuropa FM
“Green Medal”, 7 February 2025
A feature on how the association teaches children to use technology to protect the environment.
Open source ↗europafm.ro - Local media · promoZVZiarul de Vrancea
Digital weekend, 22–23 March 2025
Children from Vrancea and Bucharest discovered technology over a weekend of workshops. Published in the “Brand voice” section.
Open source ↗ziaruldevrancea.ro - Local media · promoZVZiarul de Vrancea
Educational event, Bacău and Vrancea
A photo report from the association’s educational event for children from Bacău and Vrancea. Published in the “Brand voice” section.
Open source ↗ziaruldevrancea.ro - CertificationsCRCredly
The programme director’s certifications
Verifiable digital badges of Marian Dumitru, the association’s director of education programmes.
Open source ↗credly.com
2021–2026 · Results, year by year
Five years of results, recognised in Romania and in Europe.
- 560+young people trained in Vrancea
- 38+partner schools and clubs
- 1,600+young people online, 9 cities
- 2021The start
The first club
The first Scratch club for children aged 7–14 and the first online courses for schools in 9 cities.
- 9cities with online courses
- 7–14years old, first learners
Grupul VerdeProgramme: Digital education & AI → - 2022Sponsors · partners
Generația Tech and #SustainCityHack
IT training for 100 young people, backed by JYSK and Luxoft. Partner of the #SustainCityHack hackathon, organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute in Romania. The local authority starts co-funding.
- 100young people trained in IT
- 36 hhackathon for sustainable cities
Programme: Digital education & AI → - 2023First grant
Robots, sensors and girls in tech
Youth Code Academy, Marty and Arduino robots in class and the TechWomen Empowerment Hub, aiming for 55% girls in every cohort.
- 293direct beneficiaries
- 15partner schools
- 1grant won
Programme: Youth, gender & activism → - 2024Funder
The flagship project
Digital Education & AI Training Hub, funded by Fundația Orange: our largest cohort yet and 100 young people who built their own sensors.
- 360+beneficiaries
- ×2partner schools: 30
- 8localities
Programme: Digital education & AI → - 2025National recognition
Green Medal and the first hackathon
Europa FM’s “Green Medal” and EduHack, an official DigiEduHack event supported by the European Commission. Young people use technology for their town.
- 443beneficiaries
- 38+partner schools
- 52volunteers
- 3grants
Programme: Environment & biodiversity → - 2026International
UNESCO nomination
The “Green Futures” file is nominated for the UNESCO King Hamad Prize (ID 407). GreenCode for Fairer Futures starts with WECF.
- ID 407UNESCO King Hamad Prize
- 560+young people trained since 2021
Programme: Youth, gender & activism →
11
Internationally awarded curriculum
Our coding and AI workshops use an international partner’s curriculum, awarded and certified for its teaching quality. The distinctions below belong to that partner, not to the association.
2Awards won
- Digital Education Awards 2022
- EFF Award 2022 · Gold
3International finalist
- Bett Awards 2023
Global Franchise Awards 2023
Global Franchise Awards 2025
2Certified teaching quality
- Education Alliance Finland
EdTech Impact 2025
4Networks and partnerships
EtonX partner
ITU Telecom World
IFA member
Hungarian Franchise Association
Our projects · 13
Children, teachers and grandparents, at the same table.
The photos are from our workshops: robots, sensors, code and plenty of questions. Each image leads to a project. Some are already running, others we are preparing now. Scroll through and see where you would like to get involved.
AI literacy, from children to seniors
Climate solutions coded by young people
IoT sensors for protected areas
The Mobile Lab, from village to village
Accessible technology for everyone
GreenCode: green code for a fairer future
Rights can be learnt at any age
Law and data, on nature’s side
Strong communities, from children to grandparents
A civic hackathon for real problems
From idea to product, with adult mentors
Research and innovation for green solutions
Children and adults at the same workbench
Every image is a real activity, with young people, teachers and seniors from Vrancea.
A story from Vrancea
“I came for the games. I stayed for who I became.”
73%of participants return for a second year — voluntarily, with no obligation
52active volunteers in 2025, many of them former participants
Our team
The people behind the programmes.
A director of programmes, an IT trainer, 52 volunteers and teachers from more than 38 partner schools in Vrancea, Romania.
Marian DumitruDirector of Education Programmes
Certified trainer in AI and digital education. He leads our digital, AI and environmental education programmes and the 2026–2027 European portfolio.
Marian’s profile →
Elena-MădălinaIT Trainer
Coding and robotics workshops, digital training, youth mentoring and project communication.
Elena-Mădălina’s profile →Young people, students, parents and teachers who take our workshops further, into schools across Vrancea.
Volunteer with us →Programme · Digital education & AI
Hour of AI in Vrancea’s schools.
We bring Hour of AI to Vrancea: the global initiative by Code.org and CSforALL that shows children, in their very first hour of artificial intelligence, how AI works and how to use it responsibly. Lessons come at no cost to families, in Romanian, at school or at our centre.
- One hour of AI, no expensive computer and no prior experience needed
- For grades 1–12, with ready-to-use materials for teachers
No feesfor schools and families in Vrancea, for the whole programme
Delivered in Vrancea
Hour of AI campaign partners
Microsoft, KPMG and Samsung support the Hour of AI campaign. Logos belong to their owners and identify the programme; they do not indicate a direct partnership with the association.
Want to help?
You can stand with us in three ways.
With a donation, a few hours of your time, or as a partner in a project. Choose what suits you: every kind of help reaches the children and young people of Vrancea.
01 · Donate
Donate now.
A notebook, a biodiversity expedition or a Marty robot in a school. You choose what to support, and your donation goes to the programme you picked. You can see the results on the programme’s page and in our annual impact report.
Donate — choose the amount →02 · Volunteering 2h / weekGive your time.
Coding mentor, Arduino instructor, Natura 2000 expedition guide, translator, graphic designer. Tell us what you can do — we’ll find the right role.
Join the team →03 · PartnershipBuild with us.
Funder, Erasmus+ organisation, school, European NGO, public institution, equipment sponsor — we have a proven track record and projects under way.
Funding & partnerships →Vrancea · Europe · Since 2021
Turning pixels into oxygen.
Code, environment, rights and digital dignity — from a town of 16,000, free, for every child. Because the place you were born should not decide the future you build.
Portfolio 2026–2027
What we build next, with young people.
This page is part of the 2026–2027 portfolio of Asociația Grupul Verde: 43 programme lines in which young people build technology for nature, protected species, climate and democracy, with partners from Romania and the EU through Horizon Europe, LIFE, Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and CERV.
Technology, AI and resilience
AI for local climate resilience
AI models trained by young people on local data (temperature, rainfall, soil) that tell a community what to prepare before a heatwave summer.
Target programme: Horizon Europe · Adaptation Mission
Linked to: Agentic AI, Vrancea Ready
Open science and research
European Researchers’ Night + Researchers at Schools
Researchers in classrooms and an open evening where young people show their prototypes: robots, sensors, apps for nature.
Target programme: Horizon Europe · MSCA
Linked to: R&D Hub — Research & Innovation, Young Innovators Incubator
Living labs for nature and climate
Climate education and communities (Central and Eastern Europe)
Climate lessons that start in your own village, shared with schools across Central and Eastern Europe. Young people write the code that visualises them.
Target programme: EUKI (European Climate Initiative, Germany)
Linked to: Code & Climate, Environment & biodiversity
Democracy, memory and citizenship
Town twinning
Citizens’ meetings between twinned towns, where young people present the technical solutions they built for their own town.
Target programme: CERV
Linked to: Civic and legal education, Partners & UNESCO
Erasmus+ and mobility
Small-scale partnership: AI literacy, robotics, environmental education
A partnership with 2–3 organisations in which young people create an open lesson kit: AI, Marty the Robot and outdoor learning.
Target programme: Erasmus+
Linked to: Digital education & AI, Environment & biodiversity
European Solidarity Corps
International volunteering teams (waste, recycling, inclusion)
Mixed teams of young people from several countries who clean up, sort and measure waste with an app they built.
Target programme: European Solidarity Corps (EACEA)
Linked to: Environment & biodiversity, Inclusion for Every Child