The official newsflash of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NF 98 (June 2009)

News from the network - News from the partners - European Youth Forum

Calls & public information - Picture of the month

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

Erasmus internship

Over the past months the international secretariat has been working on opening the international secretariat for European students as part of the Erasmus programme. We have currently 2 universities which are interested in cooperating with us. The earliest we could accept interns would be from February 2010. We'll keep you updated on the process.

A.B. meeting

On the 1st of July the international secretariat will host the Summer meeting of the Administrative Body.

2 Projects submitted to the EACEA

For the first time we have submitted project applications directly to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (in other terms the European Agency for Youth in Action applications). the projects submitted before the 1st of June deadline are a seminar on Youth Advocacy and or STEP 2 training course on project management for next year. As we all have put a lot of effort in these applications we hope both of them will be granted.

NEWS FROM THE PARTNERS

Aksanti - presentation of volunteers (Czech Republic - SADBA)

On Saturday, 13/6/2009 at 7:30 p.m. a program called AKSANTI (= „thank you" in swahili) will take place in the Salesian provincial house in Prague, Czech Republic. The new missionary volunteers will present their voluntary places, we will have the possibility to talk with our present volunteer in Sudan and many former volunteers in Bulgaria, India, Congo, Zambia and other countries. The guests will get the opportunity to taste the African, Bulgarian, Indian and Mexican food, try an Indian sari or an Mexican sombrero and win some interesting things in a competition. The program will be moderated by Leonardo Teca from Angola.

More info: http://www.donboscoyouth.net/node/552 [2]

Seminar on young immigrants (Italy - Federazione SCS)

The Federazione SCS/CNOS has promoted a seminar on the theme of the social integration of the young immigrants. The seminar was realized the 21st of May 2009 in Rome and its subject was the development of the active citizenship of the immigrants that must not be passive beneficiaries of the public policies. Several workshops, carried out by experts, were realized during the seminar.

More info: http://www.federazionescs.org/node/302 [3]

EVS in SKALA

Skala ("The Rock") is part of Salesianum institution and is working on "Youth street education". Program is ment for children and youngsters between ages 7 and 18, who spend most of their time on the street, for different reasons. Significant for those youngsters is that they have less life opportunities. As a consenquence they deal with behavioral and social problems, family problems, problems at school and within society (learning problems, psychophysical problems, troubles in socialization, violence, addictions, crime...). 

Activities take place in parts of Ljubljana (Fužine and Nove Jarše): Street work - with a mobile youth centre (Bus of joy), activities within Youth centre Skala, sport activities, help with learning, singing and dancing group, cooking lessons, personal follow-up of youngsters with more problems, camps, holiday program, program for families, creative workshops, sport-social-cultural events...

Staff of Skala is combination of employed workers with profile of social work and volunteers, which are mostly students; approximately 20 per year, of wich one or two are EVS volunteers.

More info: Contact Polona Dominik, skala@salve.si [4], +38631 358025

EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM

YFJ elects a new secretary general

The European Youth Forum's Council of Members (COMEM) took place on May 8-9 in Brussels. The delegates of more than 90 youth organisations gathered to discuss the interests of young people in Europe and shape the future activity of the platform. The YFJ adopted an Opinion Paper on Internships calling for more quality internships for young Europeans and elected a new Secretary General, Giuseppe Porcaro (30, Italian).

More info: http://www.youthforum.org/en/node/833 [5]

YFJ approach to Youth in Action

The Bureau adopted in the March Bureau meeting the YFJ approach to YIA. This document is based on the extensive consultation among the members in 2008 and contains the main demands for improvement for the current Youth in Action Programme. It is also the basis, together with the COMEM resolution, for the current advocacy work towards the commission and the Executive Agency.

More info: http://www.youthforum.org/Downloads/Courier/2009/may/0171-09_YiA_approach.pdf [6]

A new notion for media?

Young people are increasingly engaged with new media and new communications technologies. Moreover, the constant developments in the Information Society bring new opportunities and new challenges for media and communication policy. In this context, it is increasingly important that the voice of young people, as important stakeholders in society, is taken into account when discussing policies in these fields.

"It is essential to provide young people with the possibility to exercise their fundamental rights and especially freedom of speech and expression," said Tine Radinja, President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ), "while at the same time ensuring that they are well aware of the responsibilities that come with these rights." Following an invitation from the DG for Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, the European Youth Forum organised a Youth Event prior to the Ministerial Conference on Media and New Communication Services, gathering around 40 young people from all over Europe to discuss a new notion of media.

More info: http://www.youthforum.org/en/node/989 [7]

2010: EU Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

2010 will be the EU Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion The European Youth Forum is, together with other European Social NGOs, joining forces to prepare activities as well as to prepare a common message. YFJ is also part of the consultative stakholders' committee on 2010 EU Year, close to the European Commission. In order to help us prepare our actions at European level, please let us know whether you are planning to develop or engage in activities at National level and/or if your organisation already foresaw some actions. We would like to ask you as well to let us know what is/would be the main message for the European Year for combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Please send you inputs to the international secretariat of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. We will collect all DBYN's members contributions and forward it to the YFJ secretariat. The final deadline for applications is the 21st of June, which means that the international secretariat needs your contributions a few days before.

CALLS & PUBLIC INFORMATION

Call for Applications - Forum on Human Rights Education

The Council of Europe is organising its second Forum on Human Rights Education in October (15-17). The main focus will be on discussing and providing new guidelines about the objectives, approaches and methods to be pursued in the coming decade by the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe and its non-governmental and governmental partners.

More info: http://courses.opencontent.it/Forum-on-Human-Rights-Education [8]

JIVE project

A contact making seminar is being organised within the project "JiVE. Youth Work International - Experiencing Diversity", that will take place in Berlin on October 2 -5, 2009. This project is part of a longer term project aiming at improving the integration of young people with a migration background into and through international youth work. The contact making seminar itself aims at creating viable international partnerships between organisations that are active in the field of international youth work and/or in the field of migration-related youth work. Moreover it is to impart necessary basic skills for planning and carrying out international projects.

More info: http://www.jive-international.de/en/events/International%20Contact-Making%20Seminar/ [9]

Be the Change! Programme - Small Scale grants for Youth-led Projects

Be the Change! Programme - Small Scale grants for Youth-led Projects, support young people to get involved in local community action and development projects. They aim to encourage young people to BE THE CHANGE they want to see in their communities and to make it possible we created a small scale grant programme for youth-led projects. The next application deadline for funding projects is 31 October 2009.

More info: http://www.peacechild.org/www/pci/index.php?id=72 [10]

UBUNTU International Youth Voluntary Service Award

UBUNTU is an exciting new initiative which champions international volunteering by young people from Africa and Europe. The UBUNTU Award is the first award of its kind giving recognition to sending and hosting organisations across Africa and Europe highlighting good practice in the field of international voluntary service. Applicants will be judged by a jury of ten young people on the basis of different criteria including co-operation, coherence, sustainability, and youth empowerment.

More info: http://www.ubuntuaward.eu/ [11]

Youthpass available for Action 3.1

Youthpass, a tool for recognition and validation of non-formal education within the Youth in Action Programme, has become available also for Youth Exchanges and Training Courses under Action 3.1. In addition to the upcoming projects, certificates can also be created retroactively for all Youth Exchanges and Training Courses approved after 1.1.2007. Youthpass certificates can be created online (www.youthpass.eu [12] ) by using the project number provided by the National Agency / Education, Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency granting the project. Beneficiaries are also encouraged to read the Youthpass guide, which contains information on the background and development of the Youthpass, as well as technical information on how to create the certificates.

More info: http://www.youthpass.eu/en/youthpass/guide/ [13]

ATOQ: Advanced Training on Quality (6-11 October 2009 - Lithuania)

The training course is for voluntary and professional youth workers, working directly with youngsters. The applicants should have organised and/or participated as a team-member in at least one international YOUTH exchange (which is completed) and plan to organise another within the frame of the YOUTH IN ACTION program. The ATOQ is built on the past experiences of participants and is interspersed with workshops, info-sessions, activities to improve group dynamics and ends with an evaluation. At the end of this information, you'll find a global overview of the programme.

More info: http://www.salto-youth.net/find-a-training/1550.html?&search=ATOQ&termin_von=2009-05-01&termin_bis=2011-04-31&partcountries=&pagerCurrentOffset=1 [14]

Win a trip to Africa

The Development Youth Prize is a school competition focusing on development cooperation in Africa and open to 16 -18 years old European students. The winners will be rewarded with a trip to Africa.

More info: http://www.dyp2008.org [15]

The Intercultural Communication Resource Pack is now available online!

This publication is an outcome from the Intercultural Communication training course that took place in September 2008. This Resource Pack is meant to be a practical toolkit for youth work in the context of intercultural communication. It contains a set of tools and methods for youth activities, some personal insights of other youth workers involved in intercultural communication projects as well as theoretical inputs and references for further work in this area.

More info: http://www.salto-youth.net/intercombooklet [16]

Youth in Action & The Roma Community - Inclusion of Diversity booklet

A booklet that showcases some of the work that has been done within the Youth in Action programme with and for Roma communities in Europe. It is aimed at youth leaders and promoters of the programme to raise awareness of the possibilities through non-formal education for greater inclusion of this important minority.

More info: http://www.salto-youth.net/romabooklet [17]

Toolfair - Portugal, 10-15 November 2009

Young people, youth workers, youth leaders, youth trainers... you are active in youth field, you have a tool of high quality experienced within a youth project and you want to SHARE your experience with others? The Tool Fair is the event you have to be in! The Tool Fair is a "showroom" for the huge variety and richness of tools developed and used under the YOUTH IN ACTION programme, a place to experiment with methods and exercises used within the different actions (youth exchanges, EVS, youth initiatives, training) and based on different themes (cultural diversity, inclusion, cooperation with partner countries, etc...).

More info: http:// www.salto-youth.net/toolfair2009/ [18]

2011 to be the European Year of Volunteering

The European Commission has decided today to propose that 2011 be designated as the "European Year of Volunteering". The Council and the European Parliament are expected to endorse this proposal by the beginning of next year.

More info: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/862&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en [19].

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

The picture of the month is this years logo for the LUMEN festival, which took place in Slovakia a few weeks ago. We will publish a report of the festival on our website at a later stage. Click on the logo to go to the LUMEN 2009 homepage.