Increasing of participation of youth from rural territories of EECA region and Europe in international youth programs

PUBLIC PROJECT REPORT

Fulfilled with the financial support of

European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

Nizhny Novgorod regional Government

CONTACT INFORMATION

“SFERA” movement

Piskunova st. 27

603005 Nizhny Novgorod,

Russia

Tel: 0078314304703, 4304740

Fax: 0078314304913

www.dobrovolets.ru


The project aimed improvement of the capacities of youth from rural territories and youth with disadvantaged background to participate in international youth programs on the European level.

The objectives are:

·  raising of interest of European youth organizations working with disadvantaged youth to co-operate with such organizations from EECA region;

·  identification of common problems in youth work on rural territories among European and EECA organizations and design of plan of common work for solving this problems;

·  working off the structure of support of international youth work on rural territories and inside disadvantaged groups of community from local government, NGOs, public bodies, international, national and regional youth support structures.

The main mechanism of the project was organizing and conducting in Nizhny Novgorod at April 20-26, 2009 International Youth Forum “Youth actions – step by step to the future”.

41 participants of the event came from EECA countries and EU youth organizations, which are interested in development of work with disadvantaged background.

The Forum has included different methods of work:

·  organizational exhibition,

·  workshops on project management and evaluation,

·  master-classes,

·  training on intercultural understanding,

·  training on creation teams and tandems for further project work,

·  practice of work with disadvantaged youth in Russia,

·  presentation of resources of support for youth organizations working on rural territories or with disadvantaged youth,

·  bilateral meetings for projects planning.

As the result of the Forum participants raised their level of expertise of making youth projects in co-operation with EECA region, created a list of recommendations on work with youth on rural territories and with disadvantaged youth, and worked off concrete projects for the future co-operation: 3 youth exchanges and a training course on intercultural understanding for youth from rural territories.

The main conclusions of the participants were:

·  the problems of work with youth from rural territories and disadvantaged youth are similar in EECA and EU, but in EU there are more possibilities for social inclusion;

·  we have very narrow and actually wrong attitudes about EECA culture and specific and have to make a lot of activities for intercultural understanding and cultural education;

·  the best way for involvement of disadvantaged youth into international youth non-formal education field is initiating of youth exchanges as a way to give them a chance to meet new cultures and other societies;

·  the most effective way of development co-operation between EECA and EU region is making common voluntary events like we have realized during the Forum.

So, "western" organizations can meet realities of work with youth in EECA and feel actuality of this work Forum's participants have realized 3 mini-projects of intercultural learning and non-formal education for 60 young people living in Nizhniy Novgorod region:

·  day of intercultural friendship at the orphanage #3

·  non-speaking communication day for death youth from Piano theatre

·  youth projects initiating day at the school #61 of N.Novgorod.

All the materials worked off during the Forum are included into final brochure of the project.

After the Forum organizers made the evaluation meetings with 3 target groups where mini-projects were realized by the participants and discussed influence of those mini-projects for the future development of institutions and youth participated.

All the participants marked the relevance of the project to their needs to clarify possibilities for co-operation between EECA region and EU youth organizations in the field of work with disadvantaged youth. They especially underlined necessity of including into Forum practical elements where participants can already practice co-operation in mini-projects. Participants expressed a wish to participate in large-scale project for trying different techniques of work with disadvantaged groups of youth in co-operation between EECA and EU and for creation of the Handbook on such work.

The topic was addressed to all youth organizations want to work with EECA region, because there all “non-capital” cities can be evaluated as rural territories in comparing with EU because of the level of the social development, public isolation and youth policy. But participants still want to discover more about work with villages and work with village youth, so new projects have to be initiated in the nearest future.

Youth organizations form EECA highly concerned to co-operate with EU youth organizations, but only some EU organizations have potential interest to co-operate because of the lack of information and administrative barriers (like visa procedures). Participated organizations after the Forum have a high motivation to work together. As for the disadvantaged youth, young people strongly motivated to meet with European community, but because of the lack of information and social policy they have a rare chance to do it.

The project gave a possibility for the participants to see the community of outlining districts of Nizhniy Novgorod and to understand how still close they are to foreigners and even aggressive sometimes. Also English language is more exclusion than something normal for people what makes huge barriers in communication. There was also a chance to meet people (participants) from rural areas and to see they are motivated to discover other communities but don’t have enough skills to do it. The Forum gave a chance to meet different disadvantaged groups of youth: orphans, disabled youth, outline district youth what was actually great to face.

There are still a strong necessity to develop large-scale projects for the development of EECA region, some concrete events which can change the life of the society here. Also informational campaigns have to take a lot of space, and participants are ready to co-operate for realizing of such projects.

For the follow-up SFERA will consult participants in the process of creation and realization of further projects. For 3 initiated projects Sfera will be a partner organization, for one of them – hosting organization. SFERA’s staff will be also invited as trainers for educational activities of participants.

All participants are included into news subscribe of SFERA and will get a permanent access to information about new projects, changes etc. Participants also included into databases of foreign organizations want to co-operate development with EECA, so EECA organization can apply to participants for realizing of common projects.

On the bases of realized mini-projects international youth initiatives will be developed: at Piano theatre staff decided to initiate youth exchanges, at the orphanage youth made pen-friendship with orphanages from other countries and would like to organize pilot projects for future development of international initiatives, at the school youth decided to host a workcamp to organize a promotional campaign about European youth organizations and support programs.

It is planned to stimulate Russian government for development of support program for youth like Council of Europe does it, on the principles of openness and democracy. Right after the training a meeting with mayor of Nizhniy Novgorod had taken place and, for the beginning, already decided to make an informational campaign on European youth programs in Nizhniy Novgorod in 2009 with financial support of the municipality.

The project helped SFERA to develop a partnership with the local Government, which financially helped to organize this event and provided us with experts. Actually, there was a first international Forum of youth NGOs organized in Nizhniy Novgorod.

After this event representatives of the Public Chamber of Russian Federation had contacted SFERA as well with the matter of creation federal projects in the nearest future. SFERA also got a financial support of the National Council of Youth and Children organizations of Russia for the project of Russian-Estonian youth exchange.


Att. 1 Program of the Forum

Date/time / Day 1st
April, 20th / Day 2nd
April, 21st / Day 3rd
April, 22nd / Day 4th
April, 23th / Day 5th
April, 24th / Day 6th
April, 25th / Day 7th
April, 26th
10.00 – 11.30 / Day of arrival / Introduction
session / Work with disadvantaged groups of youth / Working off mini-projects EU-EECA / Evaluation / Presentation of support programs for youth initiatives / Day of departure
11.30 – 12.00 / Coffee break / Coffee break / Coffee break / Coffee break / Coffee break
12.00 – 13.30 / Team building
activities / Cultural aspects of co-operation EU-EECA / Realization of mini-projects / Open space technique / Planning of future initiatives
13.30 – 14.30 / Lunch / Lunch / Lunch / Lunch / Lunch
14.30 – 16.00 / City tour / Team building - continuation / Youth projects management / Open space technique / Planning of future initiatives
16.00 – 16.30 / Coffee break / Coffee break / Coffee break / Coffee break
16.30 – 18.00 / Hunting for expertise / Working off mini-projects EU-EECA / Presentation of the results of Open Space / Projects
fair
18.00 – 19.00 / Dinner / Dinner / Dinner / City dinner / Dinner / Dinner
Night activities / Ice breaker / Quest Disadvantaged / Intercultural evening / Night city tour / Organizational bazaar / Farewell party

Att. 2 List of participants

# / Name / Nationality / Sex / Organization / tel / e-mail
1.  / Adnrij Pavlovych / Poland / M / SALTO EECA / +48 22 621 62 67 /
2.  / Anahit Babayan / Armenia / F / HUJ / (37410) 399428 /
3.  / Anna Magyar / Hungary / F / Multikultura / +36 1 343 24 32 /
4.  / Areg Karapetyan / Armenia / M / HUJ / 0037410 551957 /
5.  / Artur Szwedo / Polan / M / Stowarzyszenie POLITES / 0048 91 450 11 46 /
6.  / Beliakov Dmitriy / Russia / M / Nizhny Novgorod Youth Parlament / +79519014945 /
7.  / Blokhina Olga / Russia / F / Charitable foundation “Sviatogor” / +7920051 0040 /
8.  / Christopher Johnston / UK (Scotland) / M / International Voluntary Service GB / 00 39 327709816 /
9.  / David Preece / UK (Scotland) / M / Profilantrop organization / +37126371628 /
10.  / Edmon Marukyan / Armenia / M / “Youth Center for Democratic Initiatives” NGO / +374-322-23313 /
11.  / Elvin Musayev / Azerbaijan / M / Azerbaijan Volunteers Public Union / +994 12 430 56 20 /
12.  / Grabovenko Marina / Russia / F / Your Friends / +79200431801 /
13.  / Ivana Maras / Montenegro / F / Adp-Zid / 0038269971596 /
14.  / Jeyhun Hajiyev / Azerbaijan / M / AEGEE-Baki(European Students forum-Baki) / 0099412 4963155 /
15.  / Josefin Lindgren / Sweden / F / Internationella Arbetslag (IAL) - Swedish branch of SCI / 004670-5566506 /
16.  / Kalmpourtzis George / Greece / M / Elix- Conservation Volunteers Greece / 0030-2109936505, /
17.  / Katarzyna Masłowska / Poland / F / ELEOS / +48 85 732 12 98 /
18.  / Katerina Zolotarova / Ukraine / F / «SVIT-Ukraine» / +380634896833 /
19.  / Klushenkova Katerina / Russia / F / Nizhny Novgorod Student council / +79200139875 /
20.  / Kutanov Alexander / Russia / M / Nizhniy Novgorod Voluntary Service / +7831430-48-21 /
21.  / Magdalena Wiśniewska / Poland / F / Asotation of Impossible Initiatives MOTYKA / +48 56 655 50 22 /
22.  / Maria Chalari / Greece / F / Elix- Conservation Volunteers Greece / 0030-2109936505 /
23.  / Marie Lambert / Belgium / F / VIA / 0032 472 96 13 45 /
24.  / Mishin Slava / Russia / M / Bor Youth Concil / +7 83159 92024 /
25.  / Natalia Chardymova / Russia / M / Movement “SFERA” / +7 (831) 430-47-03 /
26.  / Nikitina Natalia / Russia / F / Movement “SFERA” / +7 (831) 430-47-03 /
27.  / Oganyan Eduard / Russia / M / Movement “SFERA” / +7 (831) 430-47-03 /
28.  / Oktay Kuru / Turkey / M / Halk Eğitim Merkezi - ASO / +90-368-2613525, 0539-3287809(моб) /
29.  / Olga Tarasova / Russia / F / “Opora” Republic of Mari El Youth Social Organization / +7(8362) 64-90-98 /
30.  / Pershin Artur / Russia / M / Charitable foundation “Sviatogor” / +7831430 49 09
31.  / Remco de Jong / Netherlands / M / Tripin-Мultiversum / +31643015461 /
32.  / Samvel Avetyan / Armenia / M / HUJ / 0037410 273129 /
33.  / Sergeev Andrey / Russia / M / Movement “SFERA” / +7 (831) 430-47-03 /
34.  / Shabanova Roksana / Russia / F / Nizhniy Novgorod Voluntary Service / +7831430-48-21 /
35.  / Shurgalina Tatyana / Russia / M / Movement “SFERA” / +7 (831) 430-47-03 /
36.  / Sorin Catalin Buruiana / Romania / M / League for Education, Culture and Sport / +4 0721 249 965 /
37.  / Tatyana Klepachevskaya / Russia / f / Nizhny Novgorod Youth Parlament / +79202998572 /
38.  / Tokareva Katerina / Russia / F / Nizhny Novgorod Student council / +79043942472 /
39.  / Tomasz Bratek / Poland / M / SALTO / +48 22 46 31 460 /
40.  / Zharkova Elena / Russia / F / Charitable foundation “Land - Nizhniy Novgorod” / +79056634059 /
41.  / Zhiltsov Adnrey / Russia / M / Nizhniy Novgorod Voluntary Service / +7831430-48-21 /


Att. 3 Forum photo galleries