The official quarterly newsletter of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NL 35 (Autumn 2009)

Editorial - News from the network - News from the partners

Dossier - Little voices

EDITORIAL

Another working year is coming to a close for Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. It has been a year full of challenges and opportunities. Next to our "fixed programme" we had 2 new initiative this year. We organised for the first time a youth congress in which young people from 26 organisations to part. The aim was to introduce and promote the concept of Human Rights Education inside the network. Next to this we organised for the first time a meeting specially for ex-volunteers, to motivate them to become more active as citizens in supporting their local community. You will find some short report on the activities in the newsletter.

The dossier this edition is focusing on interreligious dialogue. Another new project of DBYN is the reason for this. We published in the end of November our third training tool: HUJAMBO. As this publication will to support intercultural and interreligious dialogue within the network, we thought it could be interesting to focus the dossier on it, and offer an overview of other e-resources on this topic.

3 "new" projects in 2009, a big challenge in itself to get it all coordinated and organised. I'm happy to look back and see they all worked out successfully.

Enjoy reading,

Rein Meus, general secretary Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

Erasmus internship

In the beginning of September we had a meeting with the candidate Ms. Martina Finck at the Salesianum in Munich. On the basis of this meeting we set-up a training programme for her. This training programme was submitted to the College which she is attending, and passed all the commissions it needed to pass. If everything goes well, we can welcome our first intern at the DBYN office in February 2010.

Speaking up - Youth Advocacy as Tool for Active Citizenship

"Advocacy is speaking up, drawing a community's attention to an important issue, and directing decision-makers toward a solution. Advocacy is working with other people and organisations to make a difference". This definition of the concept "advocacy" is the starting point of the seminar Speaking up - Youth Advocacy as a Tool for Active Citizenship. The role of young people in local, national and European communities is a constant issue in the political debates (voting age, education, unemployment, drug & health issues, ...). However the voice of young people itself is not always equally represented in these debates. This seminar wants investigate through different methods how Youth Advocacy can serve as a tool for young people to become recognised as active citizens. The seminar, which takes place in Prague, will bring together around 26 participants (staff and volunteers) from 13 EU countries. If you are interested in taking part in this activity please consult with your local DBYN responsible.

More info: http://www.donboscoyouth.net/node/598 [2]

Empower and involve - STEP 2 training course 2010

"Empower and involve!" is a training course (TC) which focuses on training and empowering participants to work together in an international team to organise, lead and evaluate international youth activities through the Youth in Action programme. The TC takes place in Germany (Aktionszentrum), and will bring together 26 participants from 13 EU member states. There will be a special focus on how the participants can keep on being involved after the TC. The participants are mostly experienced volunteers youth leaders who are motivated to take responsibility in youth organisations or the organising of international youth initiatives. By the end of the TC the participants will plan activities which they will implement both locally and on a European level. In short, the TC empowers its participants by training their competences to organise own YiA-projects, and prepares them to get involved in their local organisation to realise them. If you are interested in taking part in this activity please consult with your local DBYN responsible.

More info: http://www.donboscoyouth.net/node/597 [3]

Intercultural Crossroads in Europe

"Intercultural Crossroads in Europe" is a multilateral youth exchange taking place in Krakow. The youth exchange is a 7-day programme focussing on the topics of Intercultural learning and European citizenship through a series of non-formal and creative sessions . Before leaving for the exchange the participants will prepare through a session in their local organisation (promoter). At the youth exchange the participants will create a promotional tool of the project, which they will disseminate after the exchange is over, motivating new young people to take part in future exchanges. In total this youth exchange will bring together 40 young people and 10 group leaders from 10 different European countries. This mixture of people and cultures is the basis for the learning experience. This youth exchange is part of the training strategy of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw, and want to give young people from its member organisations an incentive for becoming active as European citizens through European youth work. If you are interested in taking part in this activity please consult with your local DBYN responsible.

More info: http://www.donboscoyouth.net/node/599 [4] ?

NEWS FROM THE PARTNERS

You(th) can make a difference! (Jeugddienst Don Bosco, Belgium)

From the 15th until the 18th of October, Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw organised together with Don Bosco Youth-Net Ivzw a European Youth Congress in Brussels, Belgium. The "You(th) For Human Rights" congress was part of a larger youth democracy project which has been funded through the Youth in Action programme of the European Commission.

More info: http://blog.youthforhumanrights.eu/#post3 [5]

SPYS&Friends - Will the true you please step forward? (SPYS, Malta)

October's SPYS & Friends Session had a different feel as the team aimed to bring forward the topic of 'self-discovery'. The session named 'Will the true you please step forward?' consisted of several stages, through which the youth in attendance had the chance to explore more their inner-selfs & come more into contact with what makes them who they are. Each stage gave the attendees a chance for self-reflection using different mediums, mainly: music, colours, pictures & videos. The evening ended on a positive note as the message brought forward was that whoever we are we are precious and have purpose - "When we strive to become better than we are - everything around us becomes better too!"

More info: http://www.spysmalta.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4986 [6]

From Experience To...Action! - Meeting of Ex international Volunteers in Munich

From the 19th till the 22nd of November ex international volunteers from 9 European countires met in Munich to take part in the Seminar "From Experience to...Action". This seminar wanted to be a platform for experienced volunteers who want to keep on being active at local and international level. Through different activities like discussions about the meaning of active citizenship in our society and practical workshops on project development the participants could reflect on the contribution they can give through their experience to our society. The seminar took place in the Jugendwohneheim Salesianum in Munich.

More info: http://www.donboscoyouth.net/node/588 [7]

DOSSIER

Hujambo, a valuable game

With the release of the website www.hujambo.info [8], Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw presents its newest publication to the public. The website is home to the game HUJAMBO. This is an informative game which enables you to discuss with young people on values in their lives, and use this discussion as a method to work on intercultural and interreligious dialogue. The game aims at young people from 15 years of age upwards. It can be used in a youth movement, in a youth club, at international youth meetings, during youth retreats, in schools etc.

HUJAMBO contains 20 values; each value being approached in 2 different ways. In this way, it offers a wide range of methods and contains something for everybody. It is a open game which allows trainers to add and share their own values and methodology. For this reason we've included the option on the website to submit contributions to the game. Each trainer which develops extra game cards, can submit these to the website. After selection these will be included on the website as extension sets to the game.

HUJAMBO is produced with the financial support of the Council of Europe, through its European Youth Foundation. Surf to www.hujambo.info [8] to download the game for free.

One of the reasons for producing HUJAMBO was to create a method for youth leaders to work on intercultural dialogue, because there are not so many resources for this available for free. As a Christian organisation we consider the support of interreligious dialogue as part of our work. If you are interested in more resources, we include a (short) list of other websites where you can download useful materials to work on interreligious dialogue:

• The Faith-Based expert group of the European Youth Forum produced a manual for working on interreligious dialogue. The strength of this publication is that it was produce by international youth organisation all stemming from a different denominations. You can download the manual by clicking here. [9]
• The Presbyterian church of the US has developed an interfaith toolkit which gives you both theoretical information as well as practical methods to work on interreligious dialogue. You can access the website by clicking here [10].
• Learning to Live Together is the a manual of the worldwide ethics education initiative launched by the Arigatou Foundation and its Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC). Since its establishment, the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children has focused its work on the development of this resource material to nurture values needed to learn to live together in a plural society. The material has been developed in close cooperation with and endorsed by UNESCO and UNICEF. The 246-page manual can be downloaded by clicking here [11].
• Culture matters is a publication of the UNFPA (United Nations Populations Fund) on working with communities and faith-based organisations, with case studies from different denominations in different continents. To download the report click here [12].

LITTLE VOICES

Muslim, Jewish, Christian prayer for Peace.

O God, you are the source of life and peace.

Praised be your name forever.

We know it is you who turn

Our minds to thoughts of peace.

Hear our prayer in times of crisis

Your power changes hearts

Muslims, Christians and Jews remember,

And profoundly affirm,

That they are followers of the one God,

Children of Abraham, brothers and sisters;

Enemies begin to speak to one another:

Those who were estranged join hands in friendship;

Nations seek the way of peace together.

Strengthen our resolve to give witness to these

Truths by the way we live.

Give to us:

Understanding that puts an end to strife;

Mercy that quenches hatred, and

Forgiveness that overcomes vengeance.

Empower all people to live in your law of love.

Amen

(source Pax Christi: www.paxchristi.org.uk [13] )