Cap berriat, l'assocation
Why a European project of network?
We are proposing a project of exchange between such places. Our aim is to bring together these spaces, and, starting from the contexts of each one, to exchange on practices and tools of development of youth citizenship and participation, in order to improve and diversify these practices, but mainly to create concrete projects and partnerships between the different organisations.
This activity of building partnership is so a step in the construction of a European network of these places. The last step (on road) had permitted a prospect and a discovery of some of these experiences: we already visit some of the organisations and we are producing a video documentary, which will be used as introduction in our meetings. After it, the network will continue to act on the development of his practices, and it could be also a tool of European mobility for the youth from the local organisations. This network could also take positions at a European level on youth issues.
Partners with differences and diversity; but with common values
- Network of structures and organisations involved on youth initiatives field, but on different ways :
- With a specific place to host youth and youth organisations, or not.
- With an organised service of youth initiatives support, or not.
- Various contexts: existence of youth policies or not, local situations…
- Various methodologies and tools: for example, in the support of youth initiatives.
- More or less working on lobbying the institutions, trying to make them change their perception and/or pay attention on the youth abilities to be actors in their local life.
But a common basis of values and spirits, on which we can build our partnership :
- The idea of social changes, for all; with basis of solidarity and a place for anyone in the society.
- The wish to respect and develop the autonomy of the youth, as individuals but also in their own projects.
- A spirit of collective actions, common building.
- The idea that anybody should be able to take part in public life, public making-decisions process.
A network: which aims, topics can we share?
The following proposals are just examples, what we will work on will be defined collectively during the December seminar…
Exchanges on our contexts and practices, tools: on the first stages mainly. For example: to support youth initiatives directly; or/and to create the conditions permitting the born of youth initiatives? Youth: under 18, from 18 to 25 or more?
The work with the youth, to analyse and develop:
- How do we work to disseminate, develop, the self confidence of the youth on their own initiatives; to make them feel they can have the right/ the opportunity to develop their own initiatives/ to be active on public life?
- How do we support them?
The work with the local authorities: promotion of youth as entire actors in social, public life: How do we work to make these initiatives be recognize by local/national authorities; if we do? How the network can enforce us in our lobby work? (To be recognize, to find financial support….)
- A network: a space also for common projects; and not always with all the members. (Ex: youth exchanges, job shadowing from one to one…)
- A platform of sharing: information, projects …
Improve our perception of our own actions: how we define the impact we have on public life, the basis we have… example: links with participation, values, democracy, public life…
How can we involve our own youth public in the project of network?
What about our own practices of management, how the decisions are made in our organisation?
- Local and international activities :
The network to support, enforce local projects
The network to build more
To build concrete projects together: a first step…
We didn’t want to propose some already done projects, where partners just have to sign on the application file. If we share common values, we are also different: we need a common knowledge, meaning time to build concrete projects- even if we can have already ideas, wishes…
It is why we make the proposal to start to build a common network from a first step, through meetings and a tool to know better each other: a movie.... This idea lies within the frame of a project hopefully financed by our Region Council (Rhône-Alpes) which organise meetings in December, 2007 about participative Democracy. Some more explanations.....
Throughout the project, we suggest a work of identification of potential partners. In concrete terms, we want to identify 5 or 6 places in various countries. There, meetings will be planned and will give place to the realization of the video documentary on the practices of the places (position of the youth in the structure, the impact on the local life, relationship to the institutions, participation to the decision’s process,...).
We have identified 3 big stages in the realization of this action: a period of prospecting and meeting (until October 2007), a period of realizing the video (November), and the meeting organized by the Region (December 2007).
Prospecting and meetings (April - October 2007) :
In this first stage, we want to identify places, and submit to them the reasoning and the objectives of project. Then, according to their will of membership, we will meet them to collect their testimony about their practices, with the aim of the realization of the documentary.
These journeys will not be one-way. Some of the partner structures will be welcomed in Grenoble on the occasion of the 7th Meetings “du Monde aux Balkans”, organized by Drugi Most in November, 2007 on the subject of the youth initiatives; and all will be invited for the contact seminar on December. We also made a short movie on the project and actions of our own organization, Cap Berriat; as a basis to exchange with our partners.
The places we already visit to make the movie: OKC Abrasevic, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Civic Initiatives, Beograd, Serbia; RAI, Barcelona, Spain.
The place we plan to visit: ArciRagazzi Liguria, Genoa, Italia (end of October/ beginning of November).
Realization of the documentary (November 2007)
The technical work of exploitation of the collected elements during the meetings will be entrusted to professionals. The supervision of the work, the analysis and the stake in prospect (the message, the choice of the contents, the construction) will remain assured by Cap Berriat and Drugi Most.
To build the movie, we will have 3 main focuses:
1. What are the stakes for the organization in the development of the youth participation? Why does it support those initiatives? What is it looking for through that? (Political project, will of social change, will of change by the youth ...)
2. How does the organization work with the young people, how does it allow and facilitate the participation of young people? (Tools, actions, projects, methods... the youth place in the definition and evaluation of those tools...; the relationship to the institution in these tools)
3. What is the result? What are the participation, the citizenship, and projects of the Youth? What are the relationships to institutions? (which actions developed by the youth from the support of their initiatives , which developed skills, which involvement of the youth in the organization’s life, in the relationships to institutions, which evaluation of the impact of the organization’s work on the Youth.
Between the lines, there are the questions of the environment: what is the place of the youth, on the considered territory? What is its role, its "power"?
Contact seminar to build the network, and the world meeting (December 2007, 8-15)
Representatives of the identified places / structures will be invited by Cap Berriat to a contact seminar in Grenoble, France, in December this year. We choose this date to permit us to participate in a specific local event linked with our topic: the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council is organizing the World Meeting on the theme “Participatory democracy from the local to the global level: for what sort of development?” on 10-11-12 December 2007. Presentation: “the event will take place in Grenoble, Valence, Saint-Etienne and Lyon on December 10 and in Lyon on December 11 and 12. This initiative sets out to highlight the infinite variety of experiences in participatory democracy throughout the world and discuss development issues. Using the great diversity of experiences the world over, the idea is to start mapping out areas of convergence, a common meaning to all these experiences that are developing and taking root.”
(More information on: http://www.democratie2007.rhonealpes.fr/?lang=en)
The physical meeting of these partners can so put the first stone of the future collaboration, and by the same way of the network.
We hope to use the realized documentary, as a testimony and illustration of the Youth’s participation. But beyond, the work in common, the exchanges, and the analysis which can ensue, will be so many elements of consolidation and development of each experience. Those elements can also facilitate the emergence of new common actions following the same objectives.
Indeed, what we are looking for is sharing a space to build together our common projects and maybe constituting a European network of knowledge’s and practices’ exchange, of collaboration and of development, etc.
The partner organizations which will take part in the contact seminar in December:
OKC Abrasevic
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.
