Andreeas Novacovici is one of the young people demonstrating, through his own life, that destiny is not a condemnation but a starting point. Growing up in Romania's child protection system, in an environment where deprivation, insecurity and trauma are everyday realities, he has turned vulnerability into strength and marginalization into a mission. Today, he is a third year PhD student in Social Work at the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Sciences of the West University of Timișoara, with a research focused on social justice and the integration of young people coming from the protection system, including refugees from Syria, Gaza and Ukraine.
But his story begins long before he became a social policy and child protection specialist. Born prematurely and abandoned shortly after birth, Andreeas spent his early years in an orphanage he describes as "worse than a prison", a place where the screams of the caretakers and the cries of abandoned children replaced the warm voice of a mother. Despite these early beginnings, the homeless and unsupported child decided to create his own future through education, involvement and determination.
Over the years, Andreeas has led organizations, represented Romania in European and international institutions and worked directly on the reform of child rights legislation. His professional background includes collaborations with the Council of Europe - Youth Division, Social Justice Policies, the Global Campaign No Hate Speech Movement, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. In parallel, she has contributed to projects of UN agencies UNICEF (Romania, New York and EMEA), UNHCR (Romania and Geneva), IOM Geneva, World Food Program Geneva, as well as to UN activities in New York, within the High Level Week 2018.
His impact in Romania is concrete and visible: he has proposed 58 amendments to law 272/2004 on child protection - all adopted by Parliament between 2019 and 2023 - and another 39 amendments to law 273/2004 on adoption, approved in 2021. Through expertise, perseverance and a deep knowledge of the needs of vulnerable children, Andreeas has become a key voice in modernizing the legislative framework protecting their rights.
All these results have led to the recognition of Andreeas Novacovici in the national campaign "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development", 2025 edition, run by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania - a program that highlights young people with real impact in society and who build, through their work, the future of Romania.
"I believe that Romania needs, more than ever, young people who not only dream of change, but make it a reality - step by step, through hard work, perseverance and faith every day. I believe in education and common sense, I believe in professional people, in working together and in the power of example, not just words. I am a man of action and strategic thinking in everything I do. The Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania, with its mission to support young people's excellence, provides exactly the framework we need to build a better future - together", says Andreeas.
Beyond the titles, positions and results, his story remains one of hope, fairness and the power to rebuild where life seemed to have left only emptiness. In 2025, Andreeas Novacovici's name will be added to the list of those who not only dream of a better Romania, but are building it every day with lucidity, compassion and courage.
