External research and evaluation provides Fundatia Noi Orizonturi important information and on-going feedback about the effectiveness of its programs. In 2002, Dr. Cay Anderson Hanley, licensed Psychologist and Research Assistant at Skidmore College, performed a extensive study on the Viata Program. They have been specifically focusing on the potential for such a 5 day experience to impact the character development of these youth. Dr Anderson writes, "Preliminary results suggest that there is a significant impact on the development of trust in others, sense of responsibility, fairness, and caring for others."

Dr. Gabriel Badescu, a renowned Social Capital scholar at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Diana Certan, a Community Development Masters student, created performance metrics to evaluate the Viata program's effectiveness in developing youth social capital and civic competencies. On-going data collection through questionnaires, interviews, and weekly reports provides for continuous evaluation of Viata's ability to develop interpersonal trust and cooperation (social capital), tolerance, and empowerment of youth to achieve our motto: developing caring citizens who feel empowered to act! Longitudinal studies will help to track whether our programs have a lasting effect on individual participants.

Dr. Tincu Cretu serves on the Faculty of Psychology of Development, University of Bucharest. The University of Bucharest is using instruments to test improvements in the strength of relationships, the values which guide one's behavior, the initial and final degree of one's sociability, and interest in self-development. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews of program participants in July 2003 and will be used to assess how the Viata program influences the development of teenagers' sociability.

To see how we've achieved these results, click here to read about a typical week in the Viata Program.