Organizers of student events are calling for the authorities’ immediate intervention to create a clear legal framework to standardize and regulate all events known as Proms.
The purpose of the approach is to ensure the quality, safety and full transparency in the organization of these balls dedicated to young people, a segment of events that requires stricter regulation from the authorities, the organizers say, stating that they have already taken internal accountability measures and invite all other organizers of such events to adopt the same conduct, at the same time pleading for the intervention of the authorities in order to create specific regulations.
“We have already taken the measure of not selling alcohol and we want it to become a national standard for events dedicated to minors“, declared one of the organizers, specifying that “pchildren receive invitations and contestants are encouraged to come with their parents to cheer them on to prom“.
The request aims to protect the hundreds of thousands of students who participate in these festivities each year and eliminate a major problem: access to and consumption of alcohol in the venues where they are held.
The organizers point out that, although the Freshmen’s Ball targets a critical mass of students, estimated at approximately 130,000 – 150,000 freshmen annually, out of a total of approximately 560,000 high school students nationwide, the event is not directly regulated by the Ministry of Education or the County School Inspectorates (ISJ). “Organizers of events dedicated to minors carry an enormous responsibility. We need a legal framework that protects us all and, most importantly, the children who participate”say the event organizers.
The current regulatory framework focuses on general student safety and the regulation of official extracurricular activities, but does not cover Proms, which are considered, in most cases, private or student association events. The entrepreneurs, who have a cumulative experience of more than eight years in organizing events for young people, propose as a national standard the total elimination of alcohol: “It is an event where all children must be safe. This means that there must be absolutely no sale of alcoholic beverages in the locations where these events are held“, they say, specifying that access to the events is based on identity documents, the only adults accepted being teachers or family members as companions.
In addition, “cthose who leave the venue during the event are no longer allowed to re-enter the hall. Just to avoid it bringing alcoholic beverages or prohibited substances in the perimeter of the ball,” added Marian Niculae, noting that an anti-drug activation is provided in the smoking area. “Parents are a very important part of our events and we are constantly trying to find a way to integrate them as actively as possible,” noted Phillipe Christopher Mantu.
