The official quarterly newsletter of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NL 31 (Autumn 2008)

Editorial - News from the network - News from the partners

Dossier - Little voices

EDITORIAL

By the end of this year we have completed the second master plan of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. After having build the network during the first, we focussed at strengthening the network during the period 2006-2008. One of the means to do this was to create structures and procedures for the network which support the working.

These structures and procedures are laid down in DBYN’s policy papers. Rather than being a collection of strict rules, these papers have the function to serve as a manual which guides the work and decisions of the network.

We have developed policy papers on our typical working style, operational planning for the international secretariat, on our training structure, on our communication structure, on our representation structure, ...

Gradually, the policy papers are taking effect. But looking ahead the implementation of all these policy papers will form one of the big challenges of the next master plan. If we manage we can look back at the past 6 years and conclude that the network is past its childhood and ready to take on the world.

Rein Meus,

General Secretary Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

Open doors at new offices

Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw moved to a new address: Naamsesteenweg 37, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium. We are sharing offices here together with our Belgian partner organisation Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw. These offices are an in-kind contribution by the North-Belgium province of the Salesians. We would like to express our gratitude for their confidence in the necessity of our international network.

On Wednesday the 3rd of September DBYN’s international secretariat together with Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw we held open doors at the new offices. Over 150 people showed up. We had several things for them in store: a tour of the new offices, an exhibition, a quiz, some food and drinks and an especially-dressed-for-the occasion staff welcoming them all.

Network meeting in October (23-26/10/2008)

From the 23rd till the 26th of October we will have our 6-montly network meeting in Munich. On the programme this time are some things to prepare our upcoming meeting of the General Executive Body (next March). We’ll work on our next master plan and work plan. Next to this there will be workshops on our communication structure and representation plan. To issues which will become more important in the future. There will be time available for our exchange market, where this time we will take a closer look how we can reapply our failed applications. Of course there will be the usual time available to have fun as well. We expect around 20 participants for this meeting.

Facebook

Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw has created a group on www.facebook.com. Being present on of one of the biggest social networks on the internet is a new tool for us to reach out to young people. At the moment we have 114 members. If you are interested in joining, come and look for us.

Meeting regional

On the 26th of September Fr. Stefan Turansky, Regional Councillor for North Europe of the Salesian congregation visited Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw and the international secretariat of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. As regional councillor Fr. Turansky is responsible for Salesian communities in 25 countries, many of which are also involved in Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. Fr. Turansky has only recently started his 6-year mandate. Therefore the purpose of the meeting was mainly getting to know each other well. We hope we will be able to work together in future to create a stronger network in the spirit of Don Bosco.

NEWS FROM THE PARTNERS

A window to Europe (Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern – Germany)

The youth exchange “A Window to Europe” brought together young people from 11 different European youth organisations together to get them acquainted with the way of doing youth work in different countries. Through different kind of sessions the participants actively exchanged experiences and information on how to deal with doing youth work in their countries. In this way they experienced how an exchange with a mixed group of European young people influences their lives. The project provided non-formal and informal learning opportunities with a European dimension for young people who start to get active in the international youth work.

To valorise the outcomes of the seminar the participants made a video report of the activity, which can be found on our YouTube channel. Next to that the participants brought together all the methods used during the week in a booklet. This booklet can be downloaded from our website’s toolbox.

Vakantiebos 2008 (Don Bosco Youthnet Nederland – The Netherlands)

Don Bosco Youth Centre at Rijswijk, Holland came alive August 9th 2008 with the commencing of the Vakantiebos 2008 (Holiday Camp 2008) and concluded on August 31st. The theme chosen this year was crossing the Borders through Creative Play.

Riding on the success of the previous camps and the enthusiastic response and fruit it bore, the Salesian Community at Rijswijk launched the project this year as well. This three week programme was aimed at bringing together the youth volunteers aged between 18 to 30 from eleven countries of Europe (Spain, Malta, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Netherlands, and Scotland) as well as children and youth of the locality.

This summer package included many leisure time activities of entertainment and recreation besides value education and international encounter of European Youth Volunteers. It was not “just” an exchange, but a group-EVS (European Voluntary Service), which is a depth investment with moments of social engagement and spiritual growth. Concrete examples were the training day and the daily good night moments (reflection on the day and oneself). The EVS is a Voluntary Service initiative for young Europeans promoted by the Salesian Organisation "Don Bosco Youth Net". "Vakantiebos 2008" is one of several projects in which the EVS Volunteers have been involved this summer.

Video report Summer Exchange in Belgium (SPY – Malta)

Benji and Matthew, two Maltese volunteers which took part in our Summer Exchange programme in Belgium posted a video report of their experience on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPdtbtDbtV4.

Training for youth ambassadors for MDGs (SMVS – Poland)

From 16th to 21st September the training for Youth Ambassadors for MDGs took place. 36 young people from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus arrived to the small city near Budapest to learn, exchange experiences, gain new working methods with MDGs.

„During those 5 days we were we had an opportunity to get to know more about MDGs but the most precious for me were the moments of discussions when we could see the point of view of people from different countries. We could also work out some new strategies and concrete plans for promotion of MDGs in our countries and we hope that we will manage to implement them after coming back home.” - says one of the Polish participants of the training.

The host of the training was the Hungarian Baptist Aid and the European Perspective from Greece was responsible for the essence of the training. Hopefully the enthusiasm and plenty of good, creative ideas will stay with our youth ambassadors long after coming back to their countries and will be transferred to the real MDG campaigns.

The training is implemented within the project “Youth Ambassadors for MDGs” coordinated by the SWM Youth for the World and financed by the European Commission.

West Africa Youth Leadership Programme (SPYS – Malta and Salesian Youth Ministry Office – Ireland)

8 September, 84 young people from different parts of West Africa gathered together in Sunyani–Odumase in Ghana with the aim of exploring what leadership is all about in the context of their own youth reality.

The young people came from our different Salesian houses in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, as well as from the Diocese of Sunyani and were representing their friends in the different centres. Their respective Salesian Youth Directors were also with them, participating fully in the programme.

The Youth Leadership programme was organized by Fr George Crisafulli SDB and facilitated by Fr Martin McCormack SDB, an Irish Salesian who has worked for a number of years in Africa and who was assisted by two Maltese volunteers from SPYS (Salesian Pastoral Youth Service) Ryan Bugeja and Keith Cassar. Fr. McCormack and the two Maltese volunteers are members of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw.

Supported by the Rector Major`s Office, the training programme challenged participants with new ways and methods of thinking and leading groups. Through the use of multimedia presentations, role play and simulation games, ice breaking exercises and energizers, participants were able to learn leadership skills with non formal methods which can in turn be used with other young people they work with. During the various sessions, the participants were also given space to reflect and discuss about their roles and responsibilities as leaders.

Time for sports activities and spiritual moments were also crucial to the holistic experience lived throughout the eight days of training, and even here, the participants were challenged and exposed to more creative methods of setting up such activities.

The Youth Gathering was visited by the Bishop of Sunyani Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi who presided at an opening Mass; the participants were also honoured by the presence of Fr Guillermo Basañes SDB, Regional Counsellor for Africa and Madagascar, who, following a creative Marian evening, answered questions from the young people present.

Important awards for 3 Austrian volunteer (Austria – Jugend Eine Welt)

On 26 September 3 young people former volunteers with the Austrian NGO “Jugend Eine Welt”, were given awards by the German Foundation “Filippas Engel”. Each year the Foundation belonging to the family of the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, gives awards to young people who have made a special contribution through their social commitment.

Reinhard Heiserer, Director of “Jugend Eine Welt”, says with great pride: “The three young men who received the awards - Peter, Thomas and George – are an example for everyone. After spending a year as volunteers in Salesian projects overseas, on their return to Austria they continue to support the Salesians and their youth projects for disadvantaged children and young people.”

Peter Rinderer devoted a year of his life to poor children in a Salesian centre in Tijuana, Mexico. This experience as a volunteer led him to begin a process of vocational discernment. Back in Austria he spent some time in an aspirantate in Vienna, and now he is making his novitiate in Pinerolo in order to become a Salesian.

George Urschitz and Thomas Strasser worked together for a year in a Vocational Training Centre at Sunyani in Ghana, giving computer courses to about 300 young people. With the help of these two volunteers the students were able to start a small business enterprise. With the money earned from repairing and assembling computers, the young Ghanese were able to finance their own studies and improve their standard of living.

Thomas Strasser, 22 years of age said: “I am very pleased to have received this award; I’ll invest the money for my next project. In October I’m going to work for a year in the Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi, to organise a course and other activities similar to those in Ghana”. George Urschitz, at present studying in Austria, also continues to support “Jugend Eine Welt” and the Salesians, organising presentations and collecting funds for the project in Ghana and holding meetings to get other young Austrians involved.

DOSSIER

Since 2004 Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). One of the main tasks of the YFJ is the development of policy paper on different key areas of youth work. In May 2008 the YFJ adopted a policy paper on Non-Formal Education: A framework for indicating and assuring quality. Because this issue is one of the targets of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw as well, we want to present this document in this edition of the Newsletter.

Non-Formal Education (NFE), and the increase in its recognition, is a top priority for the European Youth Forum (YFJ). That the recognition has not been sufficiently achieved is in part due to a lack of confidence in the quality of NFE within society and within youth organisations themselves. The YFJ believes that youth organisations can further the recognition of NFE by clearly ensuring the quality of NFE through the setting up of a framework to assure and communicate this quality. With this Policy Paper, the YFJ proposes a Quality Assurance Framework based on a solid understanding of quality and coming from the specific reality of NFE as provided by youth organisations.

The Policy Paper provides a comprehensive set of concepts based on the cornerstone definition: The quality of NFE in youth NGOs is the degree to which selected needs of society and of learners are reached and addressed.

Based on this definition Quality Assurance (QA) is the process designed with a dual purpose: of improving quality and of communicating clearly with stakeholders about it. The definition further differentiates between needs of learners and of society and proposes different approaches for both.

The understanding of quality and of the needs that NFE wants to address form the basis for the proposed QA Framework which is an agreement between all stakeholders in a certain field on how quality assurance in the NFE field will be organised. This Framework, consisting of an internal QA process, an external QA component and a set of Quality Indicators should be formalised by all stakeholders in a common Charter. The YFJ proposes to base the external component of QA on the innovative concept of ‘Peer Feedback’.

The development of a Quality Assurance Framework for NFE will be a long-term process. The European Youth Forum therefore proposes a Road Map with 2015 as a concrete deadline. Leading up to 2015 a political process, an expertise building process and a capacity building process need to be combined on the European, national and local levels.

Youth organisations provide quality education through their non-formal education programmes and the Quality Assurance Framework will provide the way for recognising this quality. With this Policy Paper the European Youth Forum therefore calls on all stakeholders to follow its lead in this process to assure and recognize the quality of NFE in Europe.

The full version of the policy paper can be downloaded from www.youthforum.org or by clicking here.

LITTLE VOICES

The mountains don’t reject the earth to attach it to them; it is thanks to the earth the mountains they are so high.

The big rivers don’t hold in contempt the creeks which end in them: it is thanks to the creeks the big rivers are so deep.

(Chinese proverb)