European Net Work : Les lieux du possible in English

OKC Abrasevic, from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
www.okcabrasevic.org

The youth center “Abrasevic” constitutes an open space and the resources for all young people that wish to use their potential and to realize individual or group initiatives in the domain of culture and civil society. The purpose of “Abrasevic” is to be a part of development of sustainable civil society and cultural scene and infrastructure for the work of individuals, youth organizations and projects that wish to take part in the creation of their own living environment.

OKC “Abrasevic” is a resource NGO that was created in July 2003 by a collective of different NGOs, informal groups and individuals from Mostar who joined together their own ideas, people, means and energy under one roof. After several years of working together, Mostar youth associations and groups (MIFOC, Alternativni Institut, Skart, Mladi Most, Suncana Strana, Teatar SIRA, MoDjs Union) have launched a campaign for getting a youth space from the city. After several months of search for a suitable working space, the collective decided to ask for the ruined building of former workers cultural center (RKUD) “Abrasevic”.
In May 2007, non-government organisation OKC Abrasevic, won the property court case against the City administration, and since, Abrasevic property (2 buildings and a courtyard) belong permanently to the association and its members. Since 2003, several investments were made for the reconstruction of Abrasevic and today, one Abrasevic building-performance hall and club- are completely reconstructed and equipped.

The activities of Abrasevic today include:
-    regular cultural program (concerts, theatre performances, film screenings)
-    festival (Mostar Intercultural festival, Short film festival, BETON)
-    exchanges and work camps (artistic and civic exchanges, trainings and study visits, international volunteer work camps)
-    Eco and sports group (klub istrazivaca- climbing, trekking)
-    Non-formal education (peer education in local school on sexual and reproductive health, thematic trainings and seminars for student population; trainings for capacity building of NGOs)
-    Media center (radio shows, internet radio, media campaigns, round tables, program exchange)
-    Campains and actions of civil society (youth council, youth and cultural policies; public spaces and urbanism; campaign for rights of Roma population; campaign for rights to sexual determination; commission on improvement of relations between the authorities and NGOs; donor conferences; campaign for non profit radio station).
-    Spaces for artistic expression (art room, creative production atelier, music rehersal room, dark room, video editing room)
-    Club (book and CD libraries, bar, club program (exhibitions, poetry evenings, small concerts…)
-    Information point
-    Reconstruction (through workshops and work camps)
-    Regional, national and international cooperation (on cultural, political, media and social field).
Abrasevic is built on the principles of cooperation, solidarity and humanity. It promotes an environment in which youth will be able to create, think and realize their ideas, as well as build positions and reactions on important social issues.


Civic Initiatives
Beograd, Serbia
http://www.gradjanske.org/eng/index.php
Civic Initiatives, Citizens’ Association for Democracy and Civic Education has been founded in May 1996 by a group of prominent NGO activists that were involved in the anti-war movement and non-nationalist democratic opposition since 1990. Civic Initiatives’ founders analysed and evaluated the relative failure of democratic movements against Milosevic regime. A great need was recognized to create social, civil base that could sustain democratic changes by educating citizens about their rights, democracy, civil society and how to be active citizens in order to decide about own lives.
CI strategy is that only by breaking down regional, national, ethnic, religious, gender and social barriers it is possible to build a stronger, more effective, and potentially more sustainable NGO community and thus to contribute to the development of the society in general. We try to overcome fear and isolation inherited from the past and increased by the Milosevic regime, by putting in contact people who otherwise wouldn’t meet each other and this encourages cooperation, joint activities, exchange ideas, learning from each other.
That is why CI focuses its activities on non-Belgrade NGOs, reaching out to smaller cities and rural localities throughout Serbia and Montenegro, but not to exclusion, believing that it is important to connect local groups with those in the capital. We decided not to open branch offices of CI, but to base our work on cooperation with strong and independent local partners.
Youth program
Youth program started in the year of 2000. Its goal was to stimulate youth to become active citizens and to be included in the process of creating positive changes in Serbia.
In order to achieve this gaol, we developed several projects: Becoming a Citizen, Social activism of youth, Capacity building of youth NGOs in Serbia, Youth Enterpreneurship, Info Canter, Youth policy, Exchange programmes, Young women promote peace, equality and difference. Along with that we are organizing debates and public speaking on different topics in relation with youth.

National Youth Resource Center (NYRC)
Chisinau, Moldavia
www.youth.md

National Youth Resource Center (NYRC) is a national youth NGO registered at the Ministry of Justice of republic of Moldova on may 2003. NYRC has the mission to support young people and non governmental youth sector participation in the development of a sustainable civil society in Moldova.
NYRC coordinates the activity of National Network of Youth Resource Centers and the National Network of Local Youth Councils which are local youth representative structures. By now, more than 280 Local Youth Councils were supported to appear and build their capacities.


RAI (Recursos d’Animacio Intercultural)
Barcelona, Spain
www.pangea.org/rai

Rai Recursos d’Animacio Intercultural is a non-profit making youth organisation whose aim is to promote intercultural work among the young. It is and independent, assembly-run association in existence since 1993, when it took over the role of the old Bruixola association, Co-ordination Centre for Youth Initiatives. The aim of Rai is to promote participation, comprehension, tolerance and solidarity as well as the personal enrichment of the young people to form it, through voluntary and socially-active participation. It is an association of and for young people working in the intercultural field and bases in action in carrying out projects to do with education, research, participation, dissemination and/or awarness-arousal.

Through the Mur project we work promoting the participation of people of disadvantaged areas in the European programs and through them, raise the youth projects in these areas.
Ahlan project, work with second-generation, under-privileged immigrant young people in our neighbourhood. Rai created in 1996 the Stromboli center of young and cultural resources of the Mediterranean which collect and disseminate information about the frame of associations with the intention to increase projects. On the other hand, it is involved with the Barcelona Council in the Youth Mediterranean Biennale.

Rai is member of:
UNITED (antiracismo), A SEED (ecologia and solidaridad); CBJ (conseil de la Joventut de Barcelona), and CJNC (conseil ancional de la Joventut de Catalunya), MIFOC (Mostar Intercultural Festival), EUROBALKANLINK, Alliance, Biennale, ENOA.


Arciragazzi Liguria
Genoa, Italia
www.arciragazzi.it

Arciragazzi Liguria is a volunteer association, established in 1998 in order to coordinate the local Arciragazzi associations (in Italian “circoli”, clubs or branches). Today it has over 700 members and volunteers. The main aims and objectives of Arciragazzi Liguria are:
-    To coordinate the activities of local Arciragazzi associations in the region Liguria
-    To promote and implement the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
-    To promote partnerships with associations and institutions active in the files of : human and children rights, diversity, human rights, participation
-    To promote children and youth participation at all levels
-    To reinforce the existing Arciragazzi branches in Liguria and to promote the creation of new branches.
Among Arciragazzi Liguria activities for and with young people, we quote:
-    training activities for volunteer associations and young volunteers on themes as human rights, children’s rights, participation, the right to play as tool for diversity
-    Initiatives on the rights of the child and on human rights with young people, from educational activities to leisure time activities for different groups of young people, with a particular interest in developing projects for disadvantaged young people.
-    Coordination of the Arciragazzi branches activities with young people
-    Projects in the frame of the YOUTH and YOUTH IN ACTION programme
-    Leisure time centres for young people, whose main beneficiaries are disadvantaged young people living in Genoa and immigrants
-    Educational activities with young people in schools and in out-door initiatives
-    Training courses on various themes connected to young people: diversity and tolerance, animation, human rights.
Arciragazzi collaborates with: CELIVO-Liguria Centre for Volunteering, Region Liguria Administration, Municipality of Genoa, UNICEF, ARCI, volunteer association, non-formal youth groups.


Feedback
The association for social integration and environmental protection
Brasov, Romania
www.feedback.lx.ro
The association for Social Integration and Environmental Protection Feed-Back is a NGO from Romania. The association was created in 2004. One of our principal goals is to organize a strong volunteer structure in order to help socially disadvantaged people, to get them involved in environment protection and to contribute at the development of the civil society.