A meeting between young people and decision-makers was held in Varna

by beactive | Apr 3, 2020 | Events, News

A meeting between young people and professionals was held in Varna over the past weekend on March 7-8.

Young people from the age of sixteen to thirty from all over Bulgaria attended to the event, including workers, students, and doctoral students.

All of them had the opportunity to exchange the information with the guest speaker, the executive director of Varna-European Youth Capital Sergey Petrov , and the Deputy Minister of Education Mr. P.Nikolov.

In a few words, the moderator of the discussion S.Petrov reminded the participants how important it is to overcome the distance between the young people and the decision-makers.

The participants got acquitted with the diagram of Tony Karrer-Four L Model, as well as the ladder of participation, where everyone determined exactly where is on it.

The Deputy Minister of Education shared more about civic education and answered the questions that interested the young people. The discussion then focused on what youngsters can be more active in.

According to all participants, at the end of the first day, it became clear that much higher activity is needed on their part.

During the second day of the workshop, the young people expressed the pros and cons on various topics related to the youth, authorities, stakeholders, and communities. They finished with reports on coping with the problems.

At the end of the day, they created a “bubble” symbolizing their belonging to the society they have created in recent days.

The meeting finished with thanks to the representatives of the municipality of Varna and The Ministry of Education and Science for the open dialogue.

The Meeting-discussion took place within the international project “Be Active, Shape Europe”, funded by “Europe for Citizens”.

Metting Agenda

National Workshop Date of Workshop: Monday February 3rd, 2020, Jacob Sakil and Nicholas Gunner (YMT)

by beactive | Feb 15, 2020 | Events, News, Workshops

For our second event, the National workshsop, for the Be Active – Shape Europe project our team in Lewisham created and facilitated a workshop for young people who live in the borough of Lewisham. The outcome was to youth participants an introduction to primary ideals of the European Union and to work with politicians and policy makers to influence change and be active citizens.

Workshop Outline^[1]

As part of the workshop we started with an introduction to the primary ideals of the European Union along with some icebreakers to start to give the youth participants an opportunity to explore what they already know and build a safe space to discuss individual thoughts and experiences based on the topic of what citizenship means and being a part of Europe.

Conversations & Debate

Going forward in the workshop with the young people we discussed what countries are a part of the European Union, facts about the EU and what it was set up to do and how that information filters into their daily lives both on a formal and informal level. Many of the young people had varying knowledge in terms of what they’ve been told, experienced versus facts such as policy making and their human rights and how that is observed both nationally and internationally.

Within our workshop we also delivered activities where the young people were able to brainstorm what it meant to them to be an ‘active citizen’ and how they have in the past taken part in regional and local programs that allowed them to be a part of civic life. Some young people have been active locally and others were keen to find out and talk to politicians and policy makers.

Throughout the workshop the youth participants took part in debates based on various statements relating to the overall workshop objective. This provided a space for young people to fact check and challenge biases whilst sharing good practices of youth participation based on personal experiences. Some examples were of young people who have been a part of Erasmus + exchanges and taking part in trips to the European council.

Conclusion

In the end the young people who participated all had a greater understanding both about what the European institutions are and what it means to them to be European. As well as being active in Lewisham and the UK it helped them understand how they can be active citizens in Europe and in the world. Many of the young people have parents and family who are part of the diaspora from the Caribbean or from west Africa, and also have family in other parts of Europe, it helped them to think about what is important about being European for them as individuals and as part of communities.

Brexit has obviously been a huge topic of discussion and speculation for young people trying to work out what it means for them and their families. So good debate was had but it is still difficult to draw conclusions as we all know it is an ongoing and very complex process. The young people now have a better fundamental understanding of the context and possibilities, which they can use to inform their decisions, discussions and actions in the future. As active citizens they are in a better place to interact and work with politicians and policy makers about the changes they would like to see locally, nationally and in Europe. Local politicians and policy makers are very supportive and have met with the young people to discuss their intereste, ideas and concerns

^[1]First slide from our presentation used to set the scene for the workshop.

BASE v gosteh na Prvi gimnaziji v Mariboru

by beactive | Feb 11, 2020 | Events, News, Workshops

2020, Be Active – Shape Europe

Na Prvi gimnaziji v Mariboru smo v sredo, 5. 2. 2020 izpeljali delavnico v sklopu projekta BASE, ki je financiran iz strani programa Evropa za državljane in spodbuja mlade k večji participaciji in razmisleku o varnosti v različnih kontekstih življenja mladih.

Na delavnici so dijaki 3. letnika razmišljali o tem, kako (ne)varen je njihov šolski prostor in kakšni so izzivi s katerimi se srečujejo v šoli na področju varnosti. Poiskali so tudi rešitve, kako bi njihov prostor lahko postal bolj varen.

Med bolj zanimive so uvrstili spoznavne tabore, da bi se jim bilo lažje vključiti v nov, srednješolski prostor, večje upoštevanje njihovih mnenj in dvig razumevanja njihovih težav s strani profesorjev, funkcionalno tutorstvo, bolj aktivnega varuha dijakovih pravic ter več splošne varnosti v šoli s poostrenejšim nadzorom varnostnikom in zaščitenih prostorov šole s kamerami, saj verjamejo, da bi s tem zmanjšali število vstopov naključnih, potencialno nevarnih obiskovalcev šole, zmanjšala pa bi se tudi fizično in psihično nasilje.

Dijaki so izpostavili pomembnost tega, da so slišani, da lahko sodelujejo o razpravah, ki se tičejo njihove varnosti ter da bi tovrstne delavnice morale postati bolj pogoste v njihovem šolskem prostoru.

Priprava in izvedba dogodka je potekala med 9:00 – 15:00

SANTA MARIA

On Wednesday, 5 February 2020, we held a workshop at the First Gymnasium in Maribor as part of the BASE project, which is funded by the Europe for Citizens program and encourages young people to participate more and reflect on safety in various contexts of young people’s lives.

by beactive | Feb 5, 2020 | Events, News, Workshops

At the workshop, 3rd year students thought about how (un) safe their school space is and what are the challenges they face in school in the field of safety. They also looked for solutions on how their space could become safer.

Among the more interesting were the learning camps to make it easier for them to integrate into the new, high school space, greater consideration of their opinions and increased understanding of their problems by professors, functional tutoring, more active ombudsman and more general security in school with tighter surveillance of security guards and protected areas of the school with cameras, as they believe that this would reduce the number of entries of random, potentially dangerous school visitors, as well as reduce physical and psychological violence.

Students stressed the importance of being heard, of being able to participate in discussions concerning their safety, and that such workshops should become more frequent in their school space.

WORKSHOP NAZIONALE A CHIAVENNA BE ACTIVE SHAPE EUROPE

by beactive | Nov 30, 2019 | Events, News, Workshops

Fra le giornate di venerdì 29 Novembre e domenica 1 Dicembre si è tenuto a Chiavenna il Workshop Residenziale del progetto “Be Active, Shape Europe”, che ha come obiettivo principale quello di avvicinare i giovani ed i decisori politici.

In occasione di questa seconda fase di progetto sono stati dedicati dei momenti per identificare alcune delle necessità e problematiche comuni fra i giovani della città di Cinisello Balsamo, che hanno portato ad una condivisione di idee e progetti sulla cittadinanza attiva con gli assessori Riccardo Visentin e Daniela Maggi.

Non è mancata l’occasione di presentare ai giovani le opportunità europee offerte dai programmi di Erasmus+ e Corpo Europeo di Solidarietà, che costituiscono un importante panoramica per futuri progetti da attuare sul nostro territorio

In particolare, il programma delle giornate si è articolato in:

Venerdì 29/11
h 17.00 Partenza da Cinisello Balsamo
h 21.00 Presentazione del progetto e attività di conoscenza

Sabato 30/11

h 9.30 – 10.00 Warm-up
h 10.00 – 13.00 Workshop e dibattiti:
cittadinanza attiva e opportunità di partecipazione
il coinvolgimento dei giovani nei processi decisionali
le buone pratiche a Cinisello Balsamo e in Europa
h 15.00 – 16.00 Le sfide per i giovani a livello locale
h 17.00 – 18.00 What’s next? Costruire un percorso partecipato a Cinisello Balsamo
h 18.00 – 18.30 Chiusura lavori e valutazione
h 19.30 Cena in Ostello

Domenica 01/12

h 8.30 – 9.30 Colazione in Ostello
h 9.30 – 10.00 Warm-up
h 10.00 – 12.30 Laboratorio di progettazione
h 12.30 – 13.00 Chiusura lavori e valutazione

Ringraziamo tutti i giovani partecipanti che hanno accolto quest’esperienza con entusiasmo ed i rappresentanti della giunta che si sono impegnati insieme a noi per promuovere queste importanti tematiche!

Workshop Nacional

by beactive | Nov 27, 2019 | Events, News, Workshops

No dia 26 de novembro de 2019 o segundo momento do projeto Be Active – Shape Europe, o Workshop Nacional, decorreu na incubadora In Europarque, em Santa Maria da Feira, das 17h30 às 19h30, envolvendo 29 participantes.

Esta sessão abordou a “Democracia Participativa”, um dos temas discutidos no diálogo estruturado de 11 de julho de 2019, e que os jovens decidiram aprofundar neste workshop.

A sessão contou com a participação de jovens de Santa Maria da Feira, jovens ex-membros do organismo de cidadania ativa ‘Assembleia de Crianças’, jovens ex-membros do organismo de cidadania participativa ‘Jovem Autarca’, jovens estrangeiros inscritos no Corpo Europeu de Solidariedade do nosso Concelho, convidados internacionais adultos (amigos de longa data de Lewisham, Reino Unido e Alingsas, Suécia), técnicos e legisladores de Santa Maria da Feira e Joué-Lès-Tours, França.

O workshop teve início com uma visita e breve apresentação dos serviços da incubadora In Europarque, especialmente dirigida a jovens empresários e a promoção do networking com a comunidade local e regional.

Posteriormente, foram realizadas apresentações e dinâmicas para quebrar o gelo pelos jovens presentes no workshop.

O workshop sobre democracia participativa iniciou-se com a apresentação do vídeo introdutório “O que é democracia” sobre o papel dos cidadãos e formas de intervenção na sociedade.

Dada a diversidade do assunto, os participantes optaram por se dividir em grupos focais sobre subtemas da democracia participativa, tais como:

Como promover uma cultura de democracia participativa?
Há democracia participativa na vossa cidade? Como seria a ideal?
Participação dos cidadãos: sim ou não?
Quais são os tipos / instrumentos de democracia participativa?
Que ferramentas (digitais ou outras) deveriam ser usadas para promover a democracia participativa em ambientes urbanos e rurais?

No final, os jovens chegaram às seguintes conclusões:

A educação é extremamente importante para a promoção e desenvolvimento de uma cultura de democracia participativa. O desenvolvimento da democracia deve basear-se nas necessidades dos cidadãos, e tal só é possível se estes estiverem ativamente envolvidos na vida local e na construção ativa da sociedade sob o lema da igualdade e da justiça. A educação e o envolvimento ativo dos cidadãos permitem-lhes ter consciência dos seus direitos e responsabilidades, incentivando assim a inclusão de todos os grupos sociais. A educação para a democracia participativa deve envolver todos os cidadãos, quer estejam nas escolas (ensinando, passando informações, incentivando a ação), nas organizações da sociedade civil (ensinando e aprendendo com a experiência / ação), nos meios de comunicação (aprendendo, estimulando o pensamento crítico sobre o quê se vê e lê (notícias falsas), nas famílias, nos movimentos políticos, nos partidos, nas universidades. Educar para a democracia participativa com foco na educação não formal na formação, oficinas, encontros e intercâmbios. O programa educacional deve incluir o seguinte: ensinar para a tolerância, ser ativo na sociedade, trabalhar em conjunto, ensinar a respeitar todos os cidadãos, aceitar as diferenças, negociar objetivos comuns, promover o Bem Comum.
Na minha cidade / país existe democracia representativa ao nível do parlamento nacional, dos governos locais e europeus. Ao nível da democracia participativa existem sindicatos, associações de direitos humanos, grupos religiosos, ONG, organizações de voluntariado, grupos de cidadãos, movimentos de defesa do consumidor. Estas organizações existem para criar mudanças, lutar por uma melhor qualidade de vida, denunciar injustiças, defender direitos e serviços, divulgar direitos humanos, utilizando locais como as ruas, comunidades, áreas metropolitanas, empresas, associações estudantis, conselhos juvenis. A democracia participativa ideal deve ser diversa, representativa, responsável, conhecida e aberta, confiável, transparente, disposta a trazer mudanças, preparada para o conflito, capaz de organizar e planejar. Uma democracia participativa que confia no Quem? e Como?, que representa os cidadãos, e que compartilha informações e possibilita a evolução da democracia.
A participação do cidadão é extremamente relevante, mas poderia ser melhor. Os jovens são o futuro, e mais jovens deveriam estar cientes do significado da democracia participativa. Achamos que é importante ouvir os mais velhos. Os idosos têm mais experiência de vida e mais conhecimento sobre como a sociedade funciona, pelo que podem desempenhar um papel fundamental na orientação dos jovens para que todos juntos possamos fazer escolhas melhores e mais informadas. Esta ligação intergeracional pode começar em escolas, escritórios de jovens ou associações de jovens. O projeto Jovem Autarca é um bom exemplo.
Os instrumentos de democracia participativa que existem hoje são o referendo para maiores de 18 anos; a consulta pública online; o voto para cidadãos maiores de 18 anos; conselhos e assembleias, para os cidadãos conscientes da sua existência. Destaca-se o papel das assembleias juvenis que dão voz aos jovens, assim como um projeto do tipo Jovem Autarca. Infelizmente, não há acesso a informação confiável / correta, por isso a educação política é cada vez mais indispensável.
No que diz respeito às ferramentas de democracia participativa, podemos destacar as associações de estudantes, a internet, conselhos de jovens, conselhos de seniores e conselhos de bairro. A ênfase deve ser colocada na formação dos jovens em atividades relacionadas com a vida política, bem como na divulgação de estruturas que estimulem a luta pela democracia. Provavelmente nem todos os cidadãos têm o mesmo acesso às ferramentas da democracia, seja porque vivem em áreas rurais, ou porque não dominam a Internet ou porque têm dificuldade em decifrar os conteúdos veiculados pelos meios de comunicação.

O dia terminou com um jantar animado com a presença do Presidente da Câmara de Santa Maria da Feira, Emídio Sousa, que ouviu dos jovens presentes as conclusões do workshop. De uma forma geral estes destacaram a importância da educação para a democracia, as dinâmicas de cidadania intergeracional, bem como os tipos e ferramentas da democracia participativa hoje.

On November 26, 2019 the second moment of the Be Active – Shape Europe project, the National Workshop, took place at the In Europarque incubator, in Santa Maria da Feira, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, involving 29 participants.

This session covered “Participatory Democracy”, one of the topics discussed in the structured dialogue of 11 July 2019, and which the young people decided to further explore in this workshop.

The session involved young people from Santa Maria da Feira, young ex-members of the active citizenship body ‘Assembleia de Crianças’, young ex-members of the participatory citizenship body ‘Jovem Autarca’, young foreigners undergoing the European Solidarity Corps in our Municipality, adult international guests (long-time friends from Lewisham, UK and Alingsas, Sweden), technicians, and policy makers from Santa Maria da Feira and Joué-Lès-Tours, France.

The workshop began with a visit and brief presentation of the In Europarque incubator services, especially aimed at young entrepreneurs and the promotion of networking with the local and regional community.

Subsequently, presentation and icebreaking dynamics were carried out by the young people present at the workshop.

The workshop on participatory democracy began with the presentation of the introductory video “What is democracy” on the role of citizens and forms of intervention in society.

Given the diversity of the subject, participants chose to split into focus groups on participatory democracy subthemes, such as:

How to promote a culture of participatory democracy?
Participatory democracy existing in your city? What will be the ideal one?
Citizens’ participation: yes or no?
What are the types /instruments of participatory democracy?
What tools (digital or others) should be used to promote participatory democracy in urban and rural environments?

At the end, the young people reached the following conclusions:

Education is extremely important for promoting and developing a culture of participatory democracy. The development of democracy must be based on the needs of citizens, and this is only possible if they are actively involved in local life and the active construction of society under the motto of equality and justice. The education and active involvement of citizens allows them to be aware of their rights and responsibilities, and thus encourages the inclusion of all social groups. Education for participatory democracy should involve all citizens, whether they are in schools (teaching, passing on information, encouraging action), in civil society organizations (teaching and learning from experience / action), in the media (learning, stimulating critical thinking about what one sees and reads (fake news), in families, in political movements, in parties, in universities. Educating for participatory democracy by focusing on non-formal education in training, workshops, meetings and exchanges. The educational program should include the following: teaching for tolerance, being active in society, working together, teaching to respect all citizens, accepting differences, negotiating common goals, promoting the Common Good.
In my city / country there is representative democracy at the level of the national parliament, local and European governments. At the level of participatory democracy there are trade unions, human rights associations, religious groups, NGOs, volunteering organizations, citizens’ groups, consumer protection movements. These organizations exist to create change, fight for a better quality of life, denounce injustice, defend rights and services, publicize human rights, using places such as the streets, communities, metropolitan areas, businesses, student associations, youth councils. The ideal participatory democracy should be diverse, representative, accountable, well-known and open, reliable, transparent, willing to bring about change, prepared for conflict, capable of organizing and planning. A participatory democracy that is confident in the Who? and How?, that represents the citizens, and that shares information and enables the evolution of democracy.
Citizen participation is extremely relevant but could be better. Young people are the future, and more young people should be aware of the meaning of participatory democracy. We think it is important to listen to our elders. Older people have more life experience and more knowledge about how society works, thus they can play a key role in mentoring young people so that all together we can make better and more informed choices. This intergenerational link can start in schools or youth offices or youth associations. The Jovem Autarca project is a good example.
The instruments of participatory democracy that exist today are the referendum for those over 18; the online public consultation; voting for citizens over 18 years old; councils and assemblies for citizens aware of their existence. The role of youth assemblies that give youth a voice should be highlighted, as well as a project of the Young Mayor type. Unfortunately, there is no access to reliable / correct information, so political education is increasingly indispensable.
Regarding participatory democracy tools we can highlight student associations, the internet, youth councils, senior councils, neighbourhood / neighbourhood councils. Emphasis should be placed on educating young people with activities related to political life, as well as making known structures that stimulate the struggle for democracy. Most likely not all citizens have the same access to the tools of democracy, either because they live in rural areas, or because they do not master the Internet or because they find it hard to decipher the content disseminated by the media.

The day ended with cheerful dinner with the presence of the Mayor of Santa Maria da Feira, Emídio Sousa, who heard the conclusions of the workshop from the young people present, who generally highlighted the importance of education for democracy, the dynamics of intergenerational citizenship, as well as the types and tools of participatory democracy today.

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