The official newsflash of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NF 87/88 (July & August 2008)

News from the network [2] - News from the partners [3] - European Youth Forum [4]

[4]Calls & public information [5] - Picture of the month [6]

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

Newsflash lay-out

Like announced last Newsflash … we have released our new website. The newsflashes and Newsletters from now on will be send from the new website. Because of that, we had to make some minor changes in the lay-out of both publications.

A window to Europe

The last week of July, our German partner organisation is hosting the STEP 1 training course from DBYNs training cycle. The youth exchange ‘A window to Europe’ focuses on intercultural learning through youth work. To prepare this week, the group leaders and trainers have done an Advanced Planning visit past weekend. Here they made the last practical and content agreement, to enable them to prepare their groups 100%.

Meeting of the Administrative Body

On the 25th and 26th of July the members of DBYN’s Administrative Body are meeting in Germany. As part of the programme is the drafting of the new Master Plan 2009 – 2011 and a new mission statement. Like always, after the meeting a report will be available on request from the international secretariat.

Holiday international secretariat

The international secretariat will be closed from the 21st of July until the 21st of August. For urgent matters you can contact our president via email jrgdbyn@gmail.com [7].

NEWS FROM THE PARTNERS

Urgent call for animators

The summer exchange programme has just started, and we got a call for even more volunteers. They still have a few places open for international volunteers in the Netherlands. Let me summarize the information for you:

• Week 1a, July 19 to 26, age kids 10 to 12
• Week 1a will be on a camping in tents.
• For all weeks, children and volunteers will be there all week, including the nights.
• Refund of 70% of the travel expenses and all the stay-costs
• Right now, we're with 18 kids and 5 dutch leaders
• See the flyer the full information
• Contact information: youthnet@donbosco.nl [8]

EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM

Workplan 2009-2010

The European Youth forum works in periods of 2 years. Every 2 years a new bureau is elected and every two years a work plan is put together. The work plan determines the actions the YFJ will undertake for that period. Actually, together with the strategic priorities, this is the core of the YFJ. Because it is so important the YFJ always sets up a development process of the work plan, where it consults its member organisations on what they want in it. This process has just started up. The Administrative Body will follow up on it. The work plan itself will be adopted on YFJ’s General Assembly in November.

Sunshine Report on Non-Formal Education

The process of recognition of non-formal education (NFE) has progressed a lot over the last years, thanks to the continuous effort of YFJ and the Member Organisations. However, the YFJ does not have a compendium of good practices on NFE. YFJ is often asked to give good examples of NFE on issues such as citizenship, skills, employability, etc. These exist in the Member Organisations but the YFJ is not always aware of them. Secondly, Europe is very diverse and the situation of NFE and its recognition is different in every country. An overview of how NFE is developing in the different countries in Europe would greatly enhance our advocacy capacity. This publication should also serve as a promotion tool, giving a glimpse of the reality of NFE and making NFE understandable for the too many stakeholders and actors that do not know NFE yet.

The European Youth Forum would like to receive the contributions back on July 25th in order to get the whole publication ready before the General Assembly (12-14 November 2008). After submitting you will be contacted by the YFJ for possible further info and feedback. The full call text is added as attachment. Contact for all question and comments: maarten.coertjens@youthforum.org [9]

INFO & PUBLIC CALLS

Training course: Positive Image Building for Inclusion Groups

Would you like to improve the 'image' or reputation of the inclusion groups of young people with fewer opportunities that you are working with? How to make most of working with the press/media, setting up public awareness raising actions, doing positive marketing & promo for your groups or lobbying the key people in your field of work? … All these questions will find an answer at the "TC Image".

The SALTO TC Image aims to train youth workers to use (inter)national (Youth in Action [10]) youth projects to build a positive image for the groups of "young people with fewer opportunities" they are working with:

• There are 25 available places
• Application via the SALTO online application form [11].
• DEADLINE for Applications for participants is 1 AUGUST 2008.
• Participants from Youth in Action programme country
• A participation fee of 50 Euro is payable to SALTO Inclusion
• Programme costs, local travel (airport-venue), food and accommodation
• Working Language: (international) English
• Youth workers from minority or inclusion groups or with a disability are encouraged to apply!
• For more information: ask Tony Geudens tony@salto-youth.net [12]
• Full course info TC Positive ImageBuilding for Inclusion Groups [13]

Good practice brochure

The youth department of the EU has published a brochure presenting projects aiming at enhancing the participation of young people with fewer opportunities. The brochure is the outcome of a cooperation process where European policy makers and practitioners have learnt from each other through direct contact and practical cooperation. All EU Member States were represented in this so-called peer-learning exercise.

In addition to meetings between governmental representatives, more than 100 international, regional and local NGOs were involved in a conference with the same theme in March 2008, and around 150 young members of European youth associations were consulted at the Youth event organised by the Slovenian Presidency. The results of the whole exercise are presented in the brochure "Good practice in the youth field". [14]

Boosting cross-border volunteering in Europe

On 3 July the European Commission launched an initiative to create more opportunities for young people to volunteer across Europe. Young Europeans are increasingly interested in volunteering, and the benefits of participating in voluntary activities are becoming gradually more recognised. However, demand for notably cross-border volunteering opportunities exceeds supply by a considerable margin. With its proposal, the Commission strives for a solution which respects the diversity of existing volunteering schemes but also facilitates their inter-operability and makes them more available to volunteers from other EU countries.

This initiative, which has the format of a proposal for a Council Recommendation, is addressed to young people in the European Union under 30 years of age who wish to volunteer in a country other than their own. Its scope covers voluntary activities conducted abroad during a limited period of time, typically several months in areas such as civil protection, social inclusion, cultural preservation, regional development and environment.

The proposal for is part of the EU's "Renewed Social Agenda: Opportunities, Access and Solidarity in 21st century Europe". [15] It contributes to the agenda's objectives by opening up access to new opportunities for mobility, non-formal education and solidarity across borders.

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

Two of our Dutch volunteers made a road trip through Europe for 5 weeks. During those weeks Johfra and Maarten went to visit other volunteers everywhere their car would bring them: Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, France, Spain and Belgium. The picture of the month is the roadmap they used during this heroic trip !