27/12/2010 Hemisferios brings to the public attention Gender Violence
"Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as we can not claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace. "- Kofi Annan
Once again Hemisferios is there to prove us that art does not have only an aestetic purpose, but a social once too, as they joined the international campaign “16 days against gender violence” 25 November – 10th December. Coimbra’s windy autumn days were shook by the project “Alert Art Against Violence” raising awareness and fomenting discussion on gender violence, a topic too often ignored and minimalised, but which has disastrous effects and an underestimated breach of the most basic human rights. Hemisferios bravely chose to place in the town centre a shocking art installation (see picture) done together with social work students at Coimbra university. Moreover this was an interesting mix of interaction between Non Formal Education and Formal Education, between Civil Society and Educational Establishment, between Miguel Torga University and Hemisferios Solidarios, as social work students, finding creative ways to express both problems and solutions, while at the same time using art as a tool of self-reflection, and fun. Together with Christmas decorations over this period the citizens could witness over 25 “Art-Scarecrows” across the city centre.27/12/2010 The Italian Revolution for unification is about to restart
As next year Italy is going to celebrate 150 years of unification, now more than ever the values that brought together youngsters from all over the country to rise up for freedom and unity seem to belong to a distant past limited only to history books and few televised fictions. Associazione Culturale Il Monastero, with 5 fellow Civil Society partners from all over Italy, are planning to leave the big cities and work with youth in small rural and coastal communities, using non formal education methods and tools to talk about the past, the present and the future, to discuss active citizenship and what it means in today’s Europe and globalised word to be Italian, talking as well about local identity, participation and citizenship. Foreseeing a youth exchange between the different regions of Italy, a mock-parliament session, a series of actions and workshops in local schools and municipalities, and finally meeting with the real parliament to tell decision-makers, “this is what we want for our future.”27/12/2010 Adagio and Veloce a Tempo di Marcia in Brezice
Three ingredients for an explosive unforgettable cocktail, youthNET partners Brezice Mlkadinski Centr, Environmentally Responsible Action and Traditional Culture and Sustainable Development met in Slovenia in an intercultural exchange using the universal language of dance and music. Disocovering how sounds and movement can let us understand more about other cultures, others ways of life, other values and identities. After days of workshops and practice the different “languages” were harmonised into one, by opening the mind of the participating youths into creating together new dances and music, starting by jamming, and ending up creating one joint performance, bringing on stage the richness of cultural diversity.
20/09/2010 Viennese Waltz Through the Caucasus
Austrian partner Interkulturelles Zentrum definitely knows its way around the Caucaus region, 30/31st October 2010 youthNET partners IZ and Stepanavan Youth Centre are going to implement a two day mobile phone video workshop in Vanadzor, Armenia. Young people will learn how to use their last generation mobile phones to their maximum potential by learning that, actually yes, mobile phone camera can be a tool for youth work and youth promotion by shooting short films. Is that all? of course it isn't, this workshop is but a pebble in a pond of activities initiated by IZ in the Caucasus, in the framework of the project Transkaukazja, a multidisciplinary festival involving youths from Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Armenia and Georgia, for more information you can always check the website www.transkaukazja.eu . And we are so much looking forward hosting some of those videos here on our blog. Lets put some pressure on the authors this november to allow our readers to have a glimpse.
20/09/2010 Monastero's Two Worlds
A very busy summer for Il Monastero this year, as on one side the Italian National Agency financed the short term training course Pax Europea on social conflict transformation which occurred in Kobuleti, Georgia, with over 24 participants from 12 countries from EU, Turkey, and Eastern Europe and Caucasus. 8 days spent building skills, knowledge and attitudes in participants through non formal education methods, in order to create local and international peacebuilding activities. That would be the first world that of Il Monastero's international activities. The second world is that of this organisation's local activities, or rather national activities, since after a one year experimenting partnerships and sharing projects with 3 fellow italian organisations, finally the time has come to agree that yes the partnerships work, and that it is time that they get their heads together to do some concrete youth policy at national level, coincidentally together with the celebrations of 140 years of the birth of the Italian Nation. Those would be "Going to Europe" NGO from Modena, Young European Reformists from Rome, Agenzia Promozione Giovani, Salerno. From South to North to the Centre, youth organisations involved in youth information and empowerment activities join forces, lets wait for what are the next concrete steps, as until now this is just gossip.
20/09/2010 Binario Uno tackles Gender Differences from East to West
Lets stay in Italy and congratulate youthNET partner Binario Uno in succesfully completing a youth exchange in Venice together with partners from European Union, Turkey and East Europe and Caucasus, tackling the controversial and hard topic of gender and its importance for young people in Europe today.
20/09/2010 How do you say Euphoria in Slovenian?
Talking of youth exchanges, we could not go without mentioning the succesfull youth exchange implemented by Brezice Mladinski Centr in Slovenia, a project that indeed had its loud echo throughout youthNET, making many of our partners bite their knuckles wishing they could attend such a high success event. sustainable art through recycled materials, jamming sessions, concerts, dances...Euphoria so loud to shake Slovenia and all the other EU and South East Europe countries taking part in this marvellous exchange. And here is our request Brezice, send us some pictures and some videos of this projects, our readers want it, and we all agree that there is nothing wrong with bragging and showing off when the credit is well deserved.
