Osallisuus nyt! Participation now!

Training

Osallisuus nyt! Participation now!

Respecting Diversity, Discovering Equality, Celebrating Participation

 Turku | Finland 

21. May 2018 – 30. May 2018 

Within this theme we looked at the need for rethinking concepts for participation in the present political and economic climate and how the current youth work practice and conditions in local communities offer genuine participation in diversity for the empowerment of young people.

This activity was hosted by two Finnish e.p.a network partners from Turku; Turun ensi- ja turvakoti ry and Globaalinuoret ry.

The activity searched for ways to support youth and community initiatives in disadvantaged communities in their efforts to respect and include the participation needs of young people from different backgrounds by creating equal access, opportunities and welcoming climate.

This one-week seminar is a mix of theoretical, interactive and practical sessions, working with methods of playful non-formal learning and always in a spirit of intercultural learning and mutual understanding, stressing the contributions of young participants from 24 countries.

“All crazy – all equal” In an educational center “Kunstenniemi”, embraced by green forests and the blue Baltic Sea, a group of 30 youth activists and youth workers from 22 countries gather together for a workshop to learn about Human Rights and Participation. In the beginning of the workshop the participants receive a task to translate the sentence “all different, all equal” in their mother tongue. The slogan of the former Human Rights campaign of Council of Europe still brings together important aspects of the seminar topic “participation in diversity”. Now it is the turn of three Arabic-speaking participants to present their translation. Moad from Malta holds the paper in the air, Tasnim from Tunisia starts to read. Her reading soon changes over to laughing: ”We forgot one letter in the word “different”. Now it means “all crazy, all equal!”. Soon the slogan becomes the playful motto of the seminar.
Indeed, many of the participants often feel “crazy” when trying to continue their important projects under very challenging circumstances in their disadvantaged areas and regions. And exactly therefore the training week was so meaningful. It was a valuable opportunity to learn with and from each other and to be filled up with energy and motivation when seeing that there are people in other countries with similar visions of youth participation and of solidary civil society. “Maybe we are crazy but we are in a very good company,” Moad summarizes.
The intensive programme with interactive and playful workshops supported both the process of growing together as a group and the work on the topic “Participation, Diversity, Equality”. During the week these three big words from the project title became more and more connected as a lively concept. The question of “a part of what?” received a central role in this debate. We learnt that in some languages the word participation can be translated in two ways; as well as the meaning of being active and participate but also to belonging to and being a part of something. And this made sense for us! To increase and improve youth participation, young people need to be clear enough of what they are a part of – and feel sincerely respected in their efforts and belonging. This is where the work of youth and civil society organisations starts, by creating a climate and trust for this process.

 

download programme

21. February 2018

Interview with preparation team

Jonna from e.p.a. interviews the preparation team of the Finland Seminar in February in Turku

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network partners in this Training

Moorwiese

Berlin

Chance for Life

Bucharest

Combiwel

Amsterdam

Up4Change

Liverpool

Equal Opportunities

Sofia

e.p.a.

Hamburg

H52

Budapest

Handikos

Gjakova

NISMA ARSIS

Tirana

Spark 15

Valletta

Tarlabasi

Istanbul

Tuentu

Turku

Ulita

Bratislava

WPG

Pancevo

World without Borders

Feodosia

 

This project is funded by

the Council of Europe