Valentina Ciobanu has been an activist for youth participation, youth rights, and democracy for more than 5 years, from the grassroots to the national and international level. In her current capacity as Vice President of the Romanian Youth Council, Valentina channels her energy towards advocating for the rights and interests of young people. She has developed the Manifesto for Increasing Youth Political Participation and the Youth Political Participation Ambassadors Programme, initiatives that bring together not only young individuals and NGOs but also decision makers, political organisations, public institutions and other relevant actors, aiming to educate and construct sustainable mechanisms and tools to facilitate meaningful youth participation in democratic processes and policy-making processes.