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The ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2023 will not only be characterised by relevant topics, stimulating discussions and experienced speakers. This year, ALDA will have the honour of hosting a very special guest: Ms. Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission, who will open the ALDA General Assembly on 8 June 2023 at the Municipal Hall in Etterbeek (Belgium).

Entitled “Local democracy will Save Democracy“, the 2023 event will focus mainly on the power of local democracy as a promoter of equality, freedom, peace, rule of law and human rights. Founding values of the European Union that ALDA and its network deeply believe in and pursue on a daily basis.

Given the importance of this topic, there is no more suitable person than Ms. Šuica to discuss the future of democracy and kick off the ALDA General Assembly.

Commissioner Dubravka Šuica opens the ALDA General Assembly 2023

Commissioner for Democracy and Demography, previously in charge of the Conference on the Future of Europe, Ms. Šuica’s work embodies the above-mentioned values and is constantly aimed at promoting and supporting democracy, stimulating the participation of those who represent the very pillars of the European project: us, the citizens.

As stated by Ms. Šuica during the closing statement of the Conference on the Future of Europe “We will hear your views, citizens’ views. The most important participants in this process, the citizens.” Highlighting the fundamental role of the population, that with a bottom-up approach contributes to building a strong local democracy, for a resilient and thriving global one.  

We therefore look forward to the start of this ALDA Festival and General Assembly to be held in Etterbeek from 6 to 9 June 2023, which will be characterised by important discussions, exchanges of ideas and valuable insights. Come and join us! 

Discover the full programme by clicking here.

Register here and join us!

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Local Democracy will Save Democracy – ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2023

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Launched in March 2020 in spite of the difficult situation, the Kyrgyzstan-based Media Dialogue project is relentlessly proceeding with its implementation; July 3rd 2020 marked another crucial step towards the project goals, as an online event was organized to officially sign grant agreements with the four pre-selected grant winners, i.e.

  1. The www.24.kg news agency
  2. Radio Salam Kyrgyzstan (Daanazat)
  3. Promedia Plus
  4. The TV1KG TV channel.

Beating 23 other applications that ALDA had received as part of the call for proposals it launched in April, in fact, each of these four finalist organizations will now receive up to 30,000 euro, as stipulated with this official signing of the grant agreements.

“We are glad that we started to explore the region with Kyrgyzstan because, despite all the recent challenges, it remains one of the most democratic country in this part of the world”, stated ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida referring to the project being the first for ALDA in Central Asia. Indeed, in the past few years Kyrgyzstan experienced a good amount of political turmoil, going through revolutions in 2005 and 2010 that led to changes in the country’s leadership and to ethnic violence in the south, eventually culminating in a constitutional referendum in 2010 that reduced presidential powers and established a parliamentary system.

As expressed by Eastern Partnership & Central Asia Coordinator Alexandru Coica, “It is truly inspiring for us to see such interest [the 27 applications for the grants] because we know how challenging the current situation is for media institutions. Apart from the global pandemic situation, the local media are also affected by recent legislative initiatives that tend to negatively affect freedom of expression, access to information and media independence“.

Indeed, Media Dialogue effectively wants to provide conflict prevention and mitigation tools ahead of the 2020 elections to avoid the repetition of past crises, and aims to do so by strengthening the capacity and responsibility of media actors to operate as drivers of democracy. To reach this goal, on the one hand the project wants to improve the legal environment affecting the media sector in Kyrgyzstan, so that the environment abides by international freedom of expression standards; on the other hand, it will help media actors play a stabilisation role as reliable relays of information and democratic watchdogs during the 2020 electoral cycle.

Hopefully, Dr. Valmorbida added, this will be just the beginning of a fruitful cooperation with an increasing number of local partners: “ALDA is interested not only in establishing working relationships with its grantees, but also a truly constructive and long-term partnership”. Best of luck, Media Dialogue!

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Programme & objectives:

THE:PLACE is a collaborative exchange programme designed to establish enduring networks between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Türkiye and the European Union. Managed by ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy and MAD – Mekanda Adalet Derneği and supported by the Mercator Foundation, the programme aims to empower CSOs and Local Authorities(LAs) as crucial actors in local development.

The programme aims to enhance CSOs’ capacity to make a significant impact in their respective work areas, by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and cooperation among those working on local issues. It also encourages collaboration with local authorities through quadrilateral partnerships. The programme provides targeted capacity building, peer learning, and subgrant support on joint partnership projects.

THE:PLACE will last from November 2021 to October 2025, supporting two rounds of beneficiaries (the first from February 2022 to October 2023 and the second from September 2023 to September 2025).

Who is THE:PLACE for?

We are seeking CSOs which: 

  • adopt human rights or development based approach (İnsan hakları veya kalkınma temelli yaklaşım) 
  • are non-for-profit NGOs and Foundations (Türkiye için dernek, vakıf ve kar-amacı-gütmeyen kooperatifler); 
  • are based in Türkiye or the European Union 
  • are interested in engaging in an international exchange process coupled with an enhanced engagement with a local authority at the city level (either municipalities or metropolitan municipalities/district municipalities and metropolitan municipalities in Türkiye) 
  • have an experience in project management and sufficient stability as an organisation (for example, a minimum of 3 permanent staff members for both EU and TR CSOs and preferably a maximum of 10 permanent staff members for TR, 20 for EU);

The call for participants will be open until July 7, 2023

What will we work on at THE:PLACE?

The program doesn’t have restrictions on topics in which participating CSOs would like to enhance their capacity or work on the joint project they would like to develop later as long as they align with the general framework of the Human Rights Based Approach and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And, of course, CSOs are expetected to be motivated to collaborate with local authorities and actively engage in international exchange with their counterparts through those topics.

In light of the recent earthquake disaster in Türkiye and the growing climate crisis worldwide, we believe it is crucial to incorporate a disaster resilience perspective into our works of any kind. Therefore, the program will look for participating CSOs to integrate this perspective into the projects they develop and implement later within the program.

How to apply?

Read the full call for proposals to have all the information about the call and how to apply!

The call will be open from until 7 July 2023.

All the questions related to the present call for participants and the participation modalities have to be addressed to the following email address: info@theplaceprogramme.org 

An info-session of the Call for participants will take place on June 19, 2023 from 10:30 to 11:30 (CEST). Register here.

🇬🇧 Read the call for participants

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ALDA took part in the two-day Civil Society Organisation Governance Community of practice regional meeting, organised by EU TACSO 3 in Belgrade (Serbia) on 11 and 12 May 2023.

The objective of the meeting was to bring together key stakeholders from the Western Balkans region and Türkiye to share best regional and EU experiences on CSO governance and create a community of practice on governance.

The aim of the meeting was to create a community of practice on governance

At this working meeting, Milena Dimitrovska-Zurovska, ALDA Skopje project developer, shared the Association’s European and regional experiences with CSO governance, challenges and approaches to transformation. Ms. Dimitrovska-Zurovska spoke about the development of the network, the activities and different approaches adopted by ALDA during its work in the region and how these have helped the network to grow outside its original borders in the Western Balkans.

ALDA will continue to work with professionals in the region and build partnerships to ensure the development of the Western Balkans and Türkiye on its path towards the EU.

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In February 2022, ALDA launched a call for proposals to fund ALDA members willing to support participatory actions in the field of sustainability.

In order to promote good governance and citizen participation at the local level in Europe and beyond, ALDA leads a wide range of actions supporting local, national and international stakeholders in achieving their goals in the fields of European integration, decentralisation, human rights, social inclusion, sustainable development, civic initiatives and much more. As its core element, ALDA supports citizens and groups of citizens in their initiatives aimed at improving their local context, building bridges with local authorities in order to make the change real. In this framework, ALDA works through a participatory approach and the method of multilateral decentralised cooperation, always focusing on strong partnerships between local authorities and civil society organisations.

ALDA works with and for local resilient communities, to address the future challenges from a democratic, environmental, social and economic point of view. The call was aimed at supporting local and grass-root initiatives in the field of EU rights and values, in order to promote both a sense of belonging to the EU in view of the 2024 EU elections, and a sense of “local ownership” and engagement in the local community. This way the funded projects were able to pave the way for further activities in this sense and ensure the capitalisation of the results.

“Respond Locally to Global Issues” call for proposals: results are out!

The call was addressed to ALDA members based in the EU which presented their own projects focused on increasing public knowledge, awareness and interest about the EU key policies and strategies.

ALDA received many interesting and qualitative applications. After the evaluation carried out by an appointed  Evaluation Committee (EC), 15 organisations from 8 different countries were selected.

These organizations will implement different strategies at local level targeting different vulnerable groups in areas such as: education, health, climate action, gender equality among others.

Click here to discover the 15 beneficiaries of the regranting programme!

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On April 18th and 19th, 2023, a new Interreg Central Europe project has kicked off in the Italian city of Trento.

Public-private-partnership for Social and Solidarity Economy (3P4SSE) – this is the project’s title – aims at filling Central Europe regional gaps in addressing weak economic sectors (with low added value) and disadvantaged people, by promoting the territorial clusterisation of Social and Solidarity Economies, creating a multilevel networks scheme at European and regional scales, based on Public-Private Partnership and a strategic EU cooperation.

Lasting 36 months, the project involves 11 partners from central Europe, led by the Autonomous Province of Trento, namely ALDA+, the National Foundation for Civil Society Development (Croatia), the Regional Development Agency ARLEG (Poland), Prizma Foundation (Slovenia), FAB – Vocational Support Association (Austria), Pannon Business Network Association (Hungary), Links Foundation (Italy), Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor (Slovenia), Trentino Federation of Cooperation (Italy), Lower Silesian Centre for Social Policy (Poland) and Split – Dalmatia County (Croatia).

Increasing citizen participation and the democratic level in different local Western Balkans realities is the key point at the basis of the partnership between ALDA and CEI, that are currently cooperating and joining forces to give concrete support to the building of a strong local good governance expertise. 

3P4SSE aims at filling Central Europe regional gaps in addressing weak economic sectors and disadvantaged people, by promoting the territorial clusterisation of Social and Solidarity Economies

The Kick-off meeting took place over two days dedicated to deepening the mutual knowledge of project partners, setting-up an action plan for the following months and discovering Solidarity Economy experiences in the Region of Trento.

Indeed, the first day a field visit was organised at the Centre for Solidarity Economy, in Trento (Italy) where project partners could discover this interesting and inspiring reality and have an introduction of the Trentino Solidarity Economy System. The following day was mainly focused on getting organised for the months to come, defining an action plan for future activities and discussing some key technical elements of the project.

In the following weeks and months the first project’s activities will start locally and all social media and information channels, included the project’s website, will be fully available.

Stay tuned!

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ALDA is one of partners of the MIICT project – ICT Enabled Services for Migration, which has recently released the Joint Migration Policy Whitepaper “Towards ICT-Enabled Integration of Migrants”. The paper, recently published, has been written by six EU-funded projects MIICT, REBUILD, NADINE, MICADO, EASYRIGHTS and WELCOME which aim to better integrate migrants and refugees in European societies by developing ICT-enabled solutions and toolkits for the implementation of inclusion policies by public administrations and the civil society.

The Paper is the result of the Joint Migration Policy Roundtables, organised among the six projects, which took place from the 14th to the 16th October 2021. The idea of the Roundtable was to reflect and respond on how to better integrate migrants in European societies using ICT solutions.

ICT tools and digitalisation of public services related to the migration sector could ease migrants’ integration into their host societies

Therefore, this paper identifies several priorities and defines specific recommendations regarding co-creation and participatory design, multi-stakeholders collaboration and ICT tools and digital services for supporting integration.

The European Commission considers the Joint Migration Policy Whitepaper as an important strategic input to improve migrants and refugees’ integration. Indeed, ICT tools and digitalisation of public services related to the migration sector could ease migrants’ integration into their host societies.

What are the next steps? The European Commission will take the recommendations of the Joint Migration Policy Paper into consideration in the policy-making process of the EU digital government policy in the area of migration. Indeed, in the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027, the European Commission announced it will work on an inclusive EU e-government action plan, promoting human-centric digital public services for citizens, including migrants.

Being involved within MIICT project underlines the commitment that ALDA has in promoting social inclusion while working for  the decrease of discrimination.

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After more than 3 years of hard work, the partners of EPIC will finally have the opportunity to gather together for the Final events of the project, which will take place on the 6th and 7th June in Brussels. 

On the 6th of June, there will be the International networking path, which wants to be an opportunity to bring together public and private representatives to exchange in an interactive way on migrants’ integration, starting by looking at the project’s results and through different thematics (education, employment, legal and administrative support, housing, health, narrative, civic engagement and policy making). Marketplace space and focus groups on the above mentioned topics will be organised, to build synergies with other participating organisations. In this context, we do believe that your contribution will bring interesting and fruitful insights to the knowledge and experience exchange and stimulate the networking, given your expertise on the topics.

The focus is to to discuss and reflect on the challenges around the reception and integration of people with migration background

The following day, the final conference, named “Challenges of the integration of migrants: get inspired from the experiences of Cities and NGOs”, will take place from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. in Brussels, organised in the framework of the European project EPIC of which ALDA is coordinator, The event wants to be an opportunity to bring together public and private representatives to discuss and reflect on the challenges around the reception and integration of people with migration background, starting from the sharing of the project results.

The events are part of ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2023, named Local Democracy will Save Democracy! The festival will include participants from the EU countries and the neighbourhood, where colleagues, members and partners of ALDA will come together for fruitful exchanges on key EU priorities, sharing knowledge and best practices on themes such as migration, inclusion, gender equality, environmental protection, sustainable development and human rights

Here you can find the agenda of the events!If you wish to attend, please register at the following link.

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Within the framework of the project “Milan Sport United”, PlayMore! – leader of the initiative –  together with ALDA, are glad to announce the open call for participation in the “SPORT FOR ALL” event which will take place from 8 to 10 June 2023 in Milan, Italy.

The purpose of the project is to use sport as a medium to encourage integration and social inclusion.

⛹🏽The project consortium is looking for:

  • An NGO committed to issues of inclusion through sport, practising training and tournaments in a multicultural environment.
  • EU Member 

⛹🏽The project consortium is inviting:

 An amateur multi-sports team that can travel to Italy consisting of:

  • at least 50 % asylum seekers, refugees and holders of international protection;
  • volunteers and local athletes;
  • 1-2 instructors/educators  as accompanying persons.

(ideal composition: 1 instructor, 1 educator, 4 local athletes, 4 refugees; mixed genders)

Invited players can choose which sport activity to join among; running, futsal, soccer, basketball and beach volley. It is possible to choose multiple options.

The event “Sport for All” is thought for you!

Through different sport activities refugees, together with citizens and local stakeholders will set up more inclusive communities. 

⛹🏽When and Where?

The event will take place from Thursday 8 June until Saturday 10 June 2023 at the PlayMore! Sport centre, in Via della Moscova, 26 – Milan, Italy.  

⛹🏽How to participate:

If you are interested fill the form accessible here by 26 May 2023!

Participation in the event is FREE.

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On 15 May 2023, ALDA and the Central European Initiative (CEI) met in Trieste (🇮🇹) to identify further possibilities for cooperation on the basis of the MoU – Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 in order to formalise the framework of the partnership that combines the work in the Western Balkans. The signature of the MoU represented an official and crucial moment of institutional bond between ALDA and CEI as it has been the outcome of a longstanding fil rouge that combines the ongoing commitment of the two organisations in the area. 

ALDA Governing Board Member and Representative of the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Mr. Alessandro Perelli, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida together with the Director of Programmes and Corporate Strategy, Mr. Marco Boaria, met with CEI Secretary General, Mr. Roberto Antonione, and CEI Senior Officer, Mr. Ugo Poli, to discuss the next steps to undertake and strengthen the cooperation. 

Increasing citizen participation and the democratic level in different local Western Balkans realities is the key point at the basis of the partnership between ALDA and CEI, that are currently cooperating and joining forces to give concrete support to the building of a strong local good governance expertise. 

Increasing citizen participation and the democratic level in different Western Balkans realities is the key point at the basis of the partnership between ALDA and CEI

The plan foresees a key event in Skopje (North Macedonia) together with ALDA Skopje in 2023 and the presentation of the flagship initiative in Ukraine: the aim is to continue to expand LDAs range of action and strengthen their work. ALDA represents CEI’s key partner for its work in the Western Balkans: CEI Moldova representatives will also take part in ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2023 as an opportunity to further enhance this collaboration. 

hese events will be marked by a festive atmosphere as 2023 is the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of the first Local Democracy Agency Subotica in the Balkans: we look forward to celebrating the everyday activity of the LDAs and their delegates, the achievements of ALDA and the LDAs through the years, with the collaboration of our closest partners.

The choice of Trieste, regional capital of the “Friuli Venezia Giulia” Autonomous Region (🇮🇹) as the host of the meeting is symbolic as it remarks the formalisation of this long-lasting collaboration between the Region, ALDA and CEI. 

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Are you a Local Authority, Youth Civil Society Organisation or Association who is sensitive to sustainable food production and consumption patterns and wants to work with young people? You have a chance to get your activity funded by the Food Wave Project!

What is the main objective of the call for proposals?

The Food Wave Project – co-funded by the EU under the Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme (DEAR) and promoted by the Municipality of Milan together with ActionAid Italia, ACRA, Mani Tese Onlus and 25 project partners in 16 countries, including ALDA – will support grass-root initiatives in the field of climate-friendly food consumption behaviors and involve smaller youth organisations interested in joining the action but lacking the necessary means to do so.

The first call for proposals of the Food Wave Project was launched and directed to youth-led small Civil Society Organisations promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns to fight climate change, while the second call was addressed to Cities and Municipalities. Now it is time for the third call addressed to Local Authorities, Youth Civil Society Organisations or Associations to support grass-root initiatives in the field of climate-friendly food consumption behaviours!

Don’t miss your chance to participate, as at least 5 projects will be funded!

What is the main objective of the call of proposal?

The project will support actions developed by a partnership of Local Authorities, Youth Civil Society Organisations or Associations dealing with the topic of sustainable food consumption and production and targeting young people (15-35 years old).

Any submitted proposal must be of max 15.000 EUR. Each applicant will benefit from a financing of 75% of the total of the action up to a maximum of 11.250,00 € Eur. The budget presented by any submitted proposal must be of max 15.000 EUR (financing of the action up to a maximum of 11.250,00 € Eur) and min 9.600 EUR (financing up to a maximum of 7.200,00 € Eur).

The remaining 25% of the action will be provided by each applicant as co-funding. The financing and co-financing % always remain the same even if the overall cost of the proposed action is lower than 15.000 EUR. The general action carried out by the Applicant can be higher than 15.000 EUR, but in this case the remaining budget of the overall costs of the proposal will be covered with The Applicant’s own financial resources.

Which is the thematic focus of the call?

Each proposed action needs to address the nexus between food and climate change! Different types of activities can be eligible for the sub grant: activities with schools, communication activities, promotion and dissemination activities, awareness raising activities, training, art projects and initiatives, initiatives against food waste etc.

The FOOD WAVE call for proposals will be open until June 16, 2023

When and where can the project be implemented?

The implementation phase will be included between the 1st of July 2023 and the 30th of October 2023. Activities must take place in one of the following EU Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.

Who can apply?

The project proposals can be presented by a partnership of minimum 2 Local Authorities, Youth Civil Society Organisations or Associations that will work together to build a joint proposal. The small network of organisations will choose a project “leader” that is the one that will send the application.

How to apply?

Read the full call for proposals to have all the information about the call and how to apply!

The call will be open from 13 May to 16 June.

The election for the International Evaluation Committee will take place from 16 June to 29 June.

Here is the link to send your application.

The applicants will receive support by the Food Wave team during the proposal writing process. All the questions related to the present call for proposals and the participation modalities have to be addressed to the following email address: catchthewave@alda-europe.eu 

Follow Food Wave Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated!

#CatchTheWave and Lead the Change!

🇬🇧 Read the call for proposals

🇬🇧 Annex II – Declaration of Honour

🇬🇧 Memorandum of Understanding

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The presence of ALDA in Ukraine dates back to 2012 and counts two Local Democracy Agencies in the country: LDA Dnipro established in 2015, followed two years later by the opening of LDA Mariupol. 

Even before the start of this terrible war that has been going on for more than a year now, ALDA had the intention of strengthening its connection with Ukraine by opening other Local Democracy Agencies to work alongside the existing ones.

The attack on the country and its people in February 2022 has accelerated this process and made it inevitable to have instruments in Ukraine that promote values such as democracy, peace, freedom and citizens participation.

It is also for this reason that, during the first week of May, an ALDA team travelled to Ukraine to meet with representatives of the cities where two Local Democracy Agencies are scheduled to open soon: Odesa and Vinnytsia…and it didn’t end here

ALDA’s presence in Ukraine dates back to 2012, and to date, the connection with the nation and its people has grown stronger day by day

On May 9, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida and the Consultant for LDAs development in Ukraine, Mr. Bartlomiej Andrzej Ostrowski, met online with the Head of the Regional Council in Rivne, Mr. Andriy Karaush, and with the Deputy of the Regional Council, Ms. Svitlana Bohatyrchuk-Kryvko, in order to open an additional Local Democracy Agency in Rivne. 

As highlighted during the meeting by Mr. Karaush, the opportunities for cooperation are endless and range from vocational education to tourism and the enhancement and conservation of architectural monuments. 

ALDA’s connection with Ukraine and its population grows stronger day by day, as the will to help the Ukrainian people rebuild their beautiful country. 

 “Our presence in Ukraine dates back to 2012. Our Local Democracy Agencies are working in Mariupol and Dnipro. (..) ALDA wants to open another seven LDAs in the country, and we are interested in doing so also in Rivne and thus establish a strong and resilient cooperation with the city” – stated Mrs. Valmorbida. 

On a day as important as Europe Day, it is crucial to promote and support entities, such as Local Democracy Agencies, that promote values of equality, human rights and democracy on which the European project is based. 

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The “E–VOICE: A Voice for Europe”,  project partners and a delegation of Italian youngsters, met in Mioveni (Romania) from 19 to 21 April, where it was discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle and education of young people.

During the three days, the representatives of 6 countries discussed with students and teachers of the two high schools in Mioveni (Liceul Teoretic “Iulia Zamfirescu” and Liceul Tecnologic Construcții de Mașini Mioveni), as well as the director of Mioveni’s social assistance department, the aftermath of COVID-19 on education, mental health and social dynamics.

The youngsters had the chance to find out, beyond figures, institutional and scientific analyses, public policies and crisis measures, what was the human, emotional, cultural and social reaction of their peers to the pandemic both in their local community and in other countries. The discussions were focused on education and the unpredictable impact of the pandemic on young minds, on the way children and adolescents perceive themselves in a society where everyday certainties have been suddenly relativised.

The three-day event gave to the project consortium the opportunity to discuss youth inclusion in the post-pandemic period

The consortium had the chance to visit Mioveni City Hospital, where they discussed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system, how doctors had to adapt day by day to the challenges brought by COVID-19 in order to help those suffering from the disease as efficiently as possible, and how they successfully treated more than 2000 patients.

The next sites visited were the Orthodox Cathedral “Saints Peter and Paul”, the Mioveni Technological High School for Machine Building and the Golești Museum of Viticulture and Pomiculture.

The project, under the “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV)” programme, is carried out by a partnership of 7 countries – Italy (Gazzo), Romania (Mioveni), Croatia (Sibenik), Bulgaria (Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities – UBBSLA), Spain (Fondo Andaluz de Municipios para la Solidariadad Internacional- FAMSI), Belgium (Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management- ACR+) and France (ALDA – The European Association for Local Democracy).

The next phase of the project will take place in Sibenik (Croatia) in September. Stay tuned for further updates!

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On the very first day of ALDA Festival and General Assembly, June 7, the Association’s Thematic Hub “Youth empowerment and education”, working on enhancing youth participation and on fostering education and learning opportunities for youngsters, will organise two captivating events in the framework of the TALE and the P-CUBE projects at Maison Hap, Brussels (Belgium). 

Within the TALE project, funded by the European Parliament and focused on the 2024 EU elections, and on young citizens and changemakers’ engagement, the TALE World Café will be held on June 7 at 2pm (CEST). 

Moderated by European Capital of Democracy, this event will represent the opportunity to share relevant information on the upcoming 2024 EU elections with stakeholders and citizens, raising awareness on the EU key priorities, values and institutions, and actively involving them in the democratic process.

Join us for the ALDA Festival and General Assembly to discuss important topics such as Youth and Digitalisation!

Thus, each cluster has produced a coherent and representative sheet to be submitted to key policymakers to ensure that the voice of CSOs is heated and taken into consideration for the elaboration of policies and plans.

In addition to this, ALDA’s Thematic Hub “Youth empowerment and education” will also conduct “Education becomes digital” – the international Final Conference of the P-CUBE project, which will take place on June 7 from 4pm to 5.30pm (CEST). 

This event will focus on digital education, with particular attention to 2023 as “European Year of Skills”, and to “digitalisation” as one of the pillars of the Erasmus+ programme. This topic will be introduced by Ms. Marta Markowska, Policy Officer for Digital Education in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture (DG EAC) – European Commission. 

Afterwards, a roundtable discussion will present three concrete case studies from Longlife Learning Platform, ALL DIGITAL, Science for Democracy, and ALDA, related to digital skills, digital education and gaming, offering a specific focus on the P-CUBE game. 

Read the whole programme of the ALDA Festival and General Assembly by clicking here.  

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The first week of May was a hectic time for ALDA, with part of the Association on a mission to Ukraine and another part leaving for Georgia.

From 1 to 4 May 2023, ALDA Governing Board member and representative of Società Cooperativa Sociale Studio Progetto, Mr. Andrea Rilievo, together with the Head of the Development Department of ALDA, Mr. Marco Boaria, flew to Georgia for a trip aimed at strengthening their partnership ties in the country, while getting a taste of the nation’s beautiful culture. 

On May 2 the ALDA team arrived in Kutaisi (Georgia), welcomed by the Executive Director of the Local Democracy Agency Georgia, Ms. Nino Khukhua, who immediately introduced them to the Georgian traditions by having them participate in the Kutaisoba (or Gviriloba) festival. 

The Kutaisoba Festival, or ‘Day of the chamomile’ is held on 2 May each year in the city of Kutaisi. It was established in the early 20th century and commemorates the tradition of schoolgirls in Kutaisi, who sold chamomile tea to passers-by and donated the proceeds to leprosy patients. Hundreds of people arrive in the city from the entire Imereti region of Kutaisi to take part in the celebrations. The programme includes competitions, contests, concerts, flower and handicraft exhibitions in the city centre, while regional gastronomic specialities are served in the area set up near the Mukhnari forest, about one kilometre from Kutaisi.

ALDA’s journey to Georgia was aimed at strengthening its partnership ties in the country, while getting a taste of the nation’s beautiful culture 

The official opening ceremony of the event was held by the entire city administration, among which the Mayor of Kutaisi, Mr. Ioseb Khakhaleishvili, (ALDA member) who warmly received the Association representatives and with whom he discussed future activities and goals to be achieved together, working hand in hand. 

After taking part in this beautiful tradition, the ALDA team met with the entire staff of the LDA Georgia to talk about the organisation’s activities and achieved results, as well as its objectives.

The day after, on May 3, Mr. Rilievo and Mr. Boaria left for the city of Zugdidi (Georgia) where they met the Mayor of the Municipality of Zugdidi (ALDA member), Mr. Mamuka Tsotseria, together with his first deputy, Mr. Konstantine Kakava.

Mr. Tsotseria highlighted how the cooperation between the municipality itself and the Association, established in 2018, has grown considerably and strengthened over time. 

Afterwards, the ALDA representatives had a meeting with Mr. Giga Parulava, Chairman of Zugdidi City Council, and took the opportunity to discuss the cooperation strategy for the future, which includes strengthening self-government, increasing citizen involvement in decision-making, and capacity building of civil servants for the effective functioning of self-government units.

Before returning home, the ALDA delegation had a Masterclass on EU funds opportunities especially concerning the Eastern Partnership area, which saw the participation of 30 persons. 

The Association team returned after three fruitful and very intense days, having consolidated the already strong networks in the country and enriched their cultural and personal baggage, which made the experience in Georgia truly unforgettable.

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As a fulfillment of three years of activities, the last conference of the DEAR project Climate Of Change kicked off on March 27, 2023. The event entitled Change Talks: Civil Society Dialogues on Social and Climate Justice, brought together academics, policymakers, grassroots activists from the Global South and youth representatives to discuss the great human and social challenges posed by the climate crisis.

The conference included two main panels. The first debate on Climate change-induced migration started by reassessing the phenomenon from the results of  the research conducted by the team of the University of Bologna during the 1st year of project implementation. It highlighted how despite the fact that climate change is, and will be, a major cause of migrations around the world, there is still no specific protection status for climate migrants and refugees, according to the Geneva Pact. 

The second round table focused instead on The rights-based road towards a sustainable economic system. Here the researcher Lukas Warning from OxFam Germany clearly highlighted the dangers and vices of the capitalist society we live in. While Karin Schönpflug, economist specialising in gender and economy, emphasized how climate change is more than just an environmental crisis and reflects the bias of economic paradigms that grant the unaccounted exploitation of natural resources around the world.

Watch the video of the Final Conference by clicking here!

As a great moment to act together against the climate crisis, ALDA not only actively participated in organising the conference but also forwarded the invitation to the event to its members. Four ALDA members were involved and could enjoy the discussions sparkled during the conference: 1) Marcelo Gerlach, Trainee in Climate Change from CRISP- Crisis Simulation for Peace, Germany, 2) Konstantine Kakava, Deputy Mayor from Zugdidi Municipality City Hall, Georgia; 3) Nazlıcan Akcı, Training and Projects Expert from Marmara Municipalities Union, Türkiye; and 4) Sevket Kaan Ediz, Officer in the Directorate of Research and Development from Konak Municipality, Türkiye.

The event culminated with the handling of the Climate of Change petition to Clara De La Torre (European Commission’s Deputy Director for Climate Action) by the campaign youth ambassadors. As the petition was signed by more than 100’000 EU citizens, it asks for a number of actions for climate justice that can be summarised in three main points. 1) Keeping global warming under 1.5°C by achieving climate neutrality by 2040, 2) shifting towards a socially and ecologically positive economy, 3) protecting climate change-induced migrants through human-rights and enabling youth participation in these matters.

Watch the video by clicking here.

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ALDA’s commitment to Ukraine and its people has continued unceasingly since that tremendous day when Russia attacked the country. 

More than a year after the beginning of the war, a team from ALDA decided to leave for Ukraine for a 5-day mission, which took place at the beginning of May, with the aim of increasing this ongoing commitment to the nation, strengthening the links already established and creating new ones. 

The support to Ukraine involves the Association in its entirety, by starting from ALDA Governing Board members, an expert Board made of 15 members from 9 countries representing local, regional authorities and civil society organisations which will guide ALDA until 2024.

The support to Ukraine involves the Association in its entirety, by starting from ALDA Governing Board members

As a demonstration of this, Mr. Emir Coric, ALDA Governing Board member and representative of the Municipality of Centar (North Macedonia), took part in this mission, playing a key role for the Association and its partners in the country. 

Participating on behalf of Skopje Centre but also as advisor of the Minister of Local Government of Northern Macedonia, Mr. Coric took part in the mission with the main purpose of involving the municipalities of Northern Macedonia in the ALDA flagship initiative in support of Ukraine. An initiative aimed at establishing collaborations to support ALDA’s work in the country and to become partners of the two new Ukrainian Local Democracy Agencies which will soon be created in Odesa and Vinnytsia. 

In this regard, Mr. Coric’s involvement and useful insights shared during the meetings in the two cities, proved to be fundamental for this purpose. 

“The work done during this mission in Ukraine is essential for ALDA. According to my experience in the Western Balkans the Local Democracy Agencies are an excellent instrument of cooperation in difficult times, both for the reconstruction of the country and the restoration of peace” – stated Mr. Coric. 

Mr. Coric’s presence in Ukraine strengthened even more the already very active role of the Western Balkans in supporting the country and its population. 

Given the geographical proximity of Ukraine and the very similar history between the two areas, the actions of the Governing Board Member were not only dictated by his valuable experience, but also by his deep emotional involvement. 

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Learn more about the mission in Ukraine by clicking here.

DOCUMENTS

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ALDA Governing Board met last 28 April for a special online session that marked some great improvements on the process to become an ALDA Member. While beforehand the procedure to admit new members in ALDA was based only on the analysis of the documents submitted by each new entity applying, ALDA has recently decided to adopt a method more aimed at dialogue and direct acquaintance with potential new members. 

Indeed, started in early 2023, local authorities or civil society organisations wishing to enter the network of ALDA as members are invited to introduce themselves and their motivations to become an ALDA member directly to the Governing Board during a dedicated online meeting taking place regularly during the year.

The reasons for this change are to be found in the ever-increasing importance and value that ALDA places on its members as an integral part of the Association and driver of change in local communities.

The Governing Board gathered specifically to discuss the application of several potential new members

Thus, on April 28th, 2023,  the Governing Board gathered specifically to discuss and give feedback about the application of several potential new members: 

  • Dnipro University, Ukraine
  • Municipality of Karpos, North Macedonia 
  • Municipality of Hani i Elezit, Kosovo 
  • Municipality of Shtime, Kosovo
  • Center for Legal Civic Initiatives – CLCI, Albania

One after another, potential members took the floor and presented their local reality, strategies and challenges to improve local democracy and citizens’ participation, including examples of present and past good practices they implemented in these fields.

As a conclusion to this special Governing Board session, all members presented have been welcome as new members of ALDA.

Thus, we give a warm welcome to all news Members of our network and cannot wait to begin to work side by side in order to keep enhancing local democracy around Europe and its Neighborhood! 

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To learn more about the ALDA membership and its benefits, check out the Membership Infopack and/or contact us to membership@alda-europe.eu