DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

It’s difficult for EU to take into account the point of view of thousand of municipalities. European citizens feel closer to local authorities. In fact, they participate more in the local level than in another one. Democratic participation is weaker as we move further away: less in the national level and even less in the European level. At the same time, we will like to reinforce the importance of local administrations in Europe following the subsidiary principle. As the partnership of this project is formed by representatives of local authorities, we can assure more than another institution to attract into the project citizens in general.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of BANDIAR project is to raise awareness about participation of woman in political life in the local level. European Union needs also to be built from a bottom-up perspective, involving local authorities. We would like to stress this point as a way to make local civil servants, local politicians and public in general to feel part of the EU. BANDIAR project pretends to put a wide range of ideas, experiences and modalities about gender issues in common to stimulate their active participation in the processes of representative democracy at local, national and even international level. It works in a European perspective, rooted in the diversity of local realities.

ACTIVITIES

That is why BANDIAR project relies in an interactive dialogue through citizens panels in each region involved, a methodology that we will like to consolidate. Target group will be woman, making a balance between urbal and rural areas. Topic debate will be the participation of women in public life. Political woman at local level (the closest politicians for women) will encourage others to participate. For these which continue in silence we will use ICT (through e-participation) to allow them to express themselves. We want to give the floor to women. 
These citizens panels will converge in a final International seminar in Brussels, which aim is to transition into a European Level. This seminar will count on the participation of several political woman that collaborate in BANDIAR in order to adress directly the conclusions of the citizens panel. The objetive of this metodology is to provide decision-makers and researches with an opinion and a supplementary decision-making tool about gender equallity.
We will conclude BANDIAR project with a set of recommendations about gender equality in all levels of administration. Moreover, we will use the dissemination of Good Practices of Equal Opportunities and the conclusions in the International Seminar in Brussels as one of the main activities to produce a Change of Mentality in favour of the values promoted by the European Union. In this way, participants will receive a feed back of their contribution to the construction of the European Union: this material could be one of the best ways to arise-awareness of European citizenship.

The kick-off meeting of the BANDIAR project took place on the 2-3 March 2009 in Vicenza. The partners involved in the project presented their roles and analyzed all the apects of the implementation of the activities. Each partner will organize an event in its country related to the participation of women in political life at the local level using the « Citizen’s panels » methodology. The event has to be realized before the elections for the European Parliament.

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DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

The need to build the future Europe with the full contribution of its citizens, by promoting their involvement from the local level, has become one of the main priorities of the European Union.

It is a common belief that Europe should promote the participative democracy as one of its characterising values and should offer its citizens and civil society instruments to exchange ideas on the future of the European Union. The promotion of trans-national projects and trainings can undoubtedly contribute to get Europe closer to its citizens.

ALL.4.EU is a project consisting in the setting-up of citizens’ panels (groups of ordinary citizens, not spontaneously involved in European issues) in 7 different places in Europe. This specific methodology is used to give the opportunity to people to be involved and play an active role in the construction of Europe.

OBJECTIVES

The main overall objectives of the project are:

  • to encourage the participation of European citizens in the construction of Europe and in the debate about the further integration of Europe;
  • to enhance the relation between European citizens and EU institutions;
  • to promote a « two-way process » (information and feedback) between EU Institutions and citizens;
  • to encourage a bottom up approach to allow citizens to express their views;
  • to develop innovative methods to enhance participation.

The specific objectives of the project are :

  • to create and support citizens’ panels to promote active European Citizenship at the local level;
  • to collect the opinion of citizens on some key European challenges for the future, focusing mainly on active European Citizenship and new institutional developments;
  • to consolidate and improve, starting from the pilot project developed by ALDA, a method for stimulating active interaction and discussion between citizens on their participation at the European level;
  • to create mechanisms that enable European citizens to develop civic competences, to formulate their views and opinions on the role of citizens and civil society in Europe in the form of recommendations for policy makers at European level;
  • to encourage the dialogue between European citizens and the institutions of the EU, empowering citizens as regards EU policies and their impact, and ensuring appropriate follow up of citizens’ opinions by the EU institutions.

TARGET GROUPS

Direct target groups:

  • Citizens, especially those who would not have spontaneously participated in projects of a European nature, paying attention to involve people of different demographic, social and professional background;
  • Specific target groups: young people;
  • Local authorities;
  • Civil Society

Indirect target groups:

  • The whole network of ALDA, to promote the creation of « citizens panels » in other countries;
  • Local communities in Europe belonging to networks or platforms which partners belong to;
  • National and Regional Governments.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Joining the panel on the « Reconstruction of Ukraine »

Localisation and decentralised cooperation represent a key turning point and positive approach within the democratic process in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. Yet, considering the ongoing invasion of Ukraine; the pressure that Moldova is facing also in terms of energy supply, or the war that Armenia had to face – just to mention a few – how would it be possible to overcome these challenges?

Starting a process of reconstruction, based on the resilience of Local Authorities, municipalities and citizens not only is a necessary condition but it also the path to follow when facing a crisis. Therefore, envisaging the role of each player involved in the reconstruction process firstly, and in the democratic one secondly, is essential to understand the current situation in the EaP region.

Right the day after the 11th annual meeting of the CORLEAP, the “Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic” organised an international conference aimed at building bridges and connecting municipalities from the EU with those in the Eastern Partnership countries.  As recalled by Petr Gandalovič, Director of Department of Development Aid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Czech Republic, and moderator of the II Panel on the “Reconstruction of Ukraine”, “the four levels of the reconstruction have been represented: the international one; the national one; the one of the local municipalities and that of citizens”.

Reconstruction will take place locally, requiring a multistakeholder and multilevel approach

From a general perspective, the tremendous war and inhuman conditions that Ukraine is now facing, has to be understood in a broader context: “this is not only a regional war” – explained  Jaroslav Kurfürst, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Issues. Hence, what is now happening has a spillover effect, involving different actors, from the Eastern Partnership, to the European Union, and the entire global system.  

In addition, as recalled by Georg Ziegler, European Commission DG NEAR, the candidate status, as well as the financial stability have to be taken into account: Ukraine needs support so that to avoid inflation and any threat posed by an unstable financial situation.

If both at international and national levels authorities and governments are making a step forward, the local level has to be equally considered. “Ukraine made its choice” – stated Anatoliy Fedoruk, Bucha City Mayor, who together with Yana Litvinova, mayor of Starobilsk in the Luhansk Region, represented two municipalities of Ukraine. Exactly from the will of people, and the role that they play with municipalities that the reconstruction process has to begin. “I believe in our common, and I stress common, victory” concluded Mr. Fedoruk, emphasising the close involvement and support of the EU in this situation.

Finally, this vision was also shared by Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, who, recalling Maidan, stressed the importance of citizens as “drivers of the story”. Moreover, based on the successful examples of the Local Democracy Agencies, starting from those established right at the end of the war in the Balkans, Ms. Valmorbida advocated that “reconstruction will take place locally, requiring a multistakeholder and multilevel approach; working together for a common effort”. 

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The Panel took place in Liberec, Czech Republic on 4 November 2022. See the full agenda here

🇦🇲 Read the news in Armenian

🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian

🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian

🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

The TACEP project aims at providing capacity building to Croatian civil society organizations in order to promote their role as « active citizens » in the enlargement process and to provide them new information, knowledge and competencies in the field of active citizenship. The main idea is to train « multipliers » to be engaged at the local and regional level in the promotion of new and innovative actions in the field of active citizenship, taking into consideration the forthcoming status of EU Member State of Croatia.

METHODOLOGY

Within the project, at least 57 civil society organisations representatives and citizens, including 15 EU participants, will be trained through a training session lasting 7 days in each LDA (Sisak, Osijek, Verteneglio) between January and March 2009. Then, regional meetings of these « multipliers » will be held to foster their cooperation and invite them to elaborate projects for further action in the field of active citizenship. Finally, on the 9th May 2009, the « Day of Europe », information points on the programme ‘Europe for citizens’ will be open by each LDAs. The projects results will be gathered in a final publication and a CD-ROM.
Due to its large experience both in the Balkans and in the field of active citizenship, ALDA has been naturally willing to support and assist its LDAs in Croatia in applying for the first time to the European Commission programme « Europe for citizens », Croatia being fully eligible since November 2007.
Thanks to this first project within the ‘Europe for citizens’ programme in Croatia, ALDA intends to mobilise its past experience in the field and in the region and to share it with the LDAs and the Croatian citizens, to support them in their way to the EU. ALDA will also invite the Croatian civil society not only to learn from these trainings, but also to actively contribute to the reflection on the European active citizenship and the building of a European identity.

USEFUL RESOURCES

EACEA website : http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/citizenship/index_en.htm
Video of LDA Sisak on the Europe Day, watch HERE

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DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

The Council of Europe has financed the ALDA project « Empowering the role of young people in Kosovo », that aims at empowering young people living in Kosovo in order to foster their capacities to play the role of « active citizens » in their local community
The main specific objectives of the project are the following:

  • To provide capacity building to young people and youth workers through trainings on project development and management and on active citizenship;
  • To develop and consolidate networks and partnerships, both at the local and at the international level, in order to strengthen cooperation in the field of youth
  • To create the basis for a long-lasting fruitful engagement of young people in the life of the local community through the « youth ambassadors » groups.

ACTIVITIES

  • Seminar on the participation of Youth in Local Life in Gjilan/Gnjilane: EN
  • European Local Democracy Week in Gjilan: EN , SQ, FR
  • Invitation to the Local Democracy week in Gjilan: EN
  • Seminar on the participation of Youth in Local Life in Gjilan: EN , FR
  • Bullettin – Association of Kosovo Municipalities n° 36, January – March 2008
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DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

Climate change is a problem which does not stop on national borders and thus requires transnational solutions. The European Union showed itself ready to assume global leadership in tackling climate change, in facing the challenge of secure, sustainable and competitive energy production and in making European economy a model for sustainable development in the XXI century.
However, successful tackling of climate change needs an additional bottom up approach, involving young people, civil society organizations and local authorities.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the eCLAU project is, to raise the awareness of young people of the European Union’s action in the field of environment and hence, to bring the EU closer to the youth and improve their role within the democratic system of the EU in strengthening their participation. The inclusion of young people in the process of tackling climate change is of utmost importance for its success, as young people care about sustainable development and environmental protection. Thus, young people give the necessity for action a strong voice. Furthermore the eCLAU project wishes to build upon the youth’s strong capacities in IC technologies and to promote the use of them to broaden and deepen political participation.
The added value of the project consists of focusing on both of these potentials of young people and helping them via the provision of necessary information to make use of their potentials to become active citizens in fighting climate change.

METHODOLOGY

Most of the young people are not aware of the policies of the European Union in the field of environment and of the central role it plays to face these challenges. The European Union on the other hand has difficulties to reach young people and ensure their active participation as young people feel closer to their local authorities than to the European Union.
The eCLAU project basis on this fact and fosters to reinforce the role of local authorities, civil society organiSations in the field of youth to promote European cooperation in the field of environment. Hence, the project focuses on civil servants of the various local authorities, local decision makers in the field of youth, members of association and nonprofit organizations, youth associations, academics and the general young public.
The central tool of the project will be the creation of a website, which provides information about the project, relevant information on climate change and according actions of the EU and serves above all at the promotion of e-participation. Hosting links to youth blogs, a forum for discussion, opinion polls, questionnaires the website will encourage young people to participate in discussions, networking activities and in local action and will thus strengthen their role in fighting climate change and in the political process on local level.
To ensure an active use of the website, the eCLAU project organises local workshops in each participating countries, to inform the invited experts of the above mentioned target groups about e-participation and the functioning of the eCLAU website.
With the publication of a magazine and diffusion campaigns on local level, the eCLAU projects fosters the dissemination of the results of the project and to inform a larger public about it.
These events are followed by an international meeting in Zaragoza which main aim is to analyze and spread the results of the project in the field of climate change and to provide room for reflection and debate among municipalities and participating associations to exchange opinions and flatten out differences. The international seminar will also give voice to the youngsters that have participated in the eCLAU project and elaborate a set of conclusions about the future of youth participation and IC technologies including new proposals in this field.

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

From April 2010, Municipality of Monfalcone (Italy), in partnership with ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, Local Democracy Agency (LDA) Georgia and Kutaisi Local Self-Government started implementation of the project “Platform for the development cooperation with Georgia”. Project is funded by the Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy).
The Municipality of Monfalcone, together with partners proposed an intervention in Imereti Region, to implement local development projects in terms of socio-educational support with the assistance of the LDA Georgia and the Municipality of Kutaisi. The project aims to support the revitalization and economic development of the Imereti Region, through trainings of youth the growth of clusters of enterprises and contacts with business partners in region Friuli Venezia Giulia, accompanied by an approach of democratic participation.
In first phase of project implementation, SWOT analyses of SMEs and local business sectors in Imereti Region were developed.
Main activities for second phase were trainings. According to research results business education program, for project beneficiaries were developed. 25 trainings were organized in Imereti Region municipalities and about 300 participants attended the event. Training modules mainly includes information about business start up; business planning and management.
Next step of project will be to create database of entrepreneurs’ proposals, which will be used during the business relationship with Italian business sectors representatives. Also economic promotion center will be established to support strengthening of business relations between Italian and Georgian SMEs.

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project aims at enhancing the promotion and visibility of the Youth programme in South East Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Montenegro and Serbia) and the Southern Caucasus (Georgia).The overall objective is to allow young people to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies, focusing on the training of multipliers and on the development of networks and partnerships. The proposal combines co-operation, training and information aspects, through the implementation of different actions: information seminars, the setting-up of specialised info-points, web-site and newsletters, youth ambassador groups, trainings of peer educators (multipliers), job shadowing, trainings on the European Volunteer Service, itinerant crossing youth fair and the setting-up of 4 different networks of stakeholders (networks of info-points, of youth ambassadors, of EVS organisations and network of peer educators-multipliers) working in the field of youth in SEE and in Georgia.

TARGET GROUPS

  • Young people, aged 15-25 (involving also people up to 30, according to the new guidelines of the forthcoming « Youth in Action »)
  • Youth leaders and youth workers
  • Youth organisations, NGOs
  • Local and Regional Authorities

The proposal can count on 20 partners, representing ten different countries in Western Europe, South-East Europe and the Southern Caucasus.

ACTIVITIES

Youth Centre in Nis – LDA CSS

Thanks to the programme YOUTH, the Right Direction, sponsored by the European Commission, a new group of news people set up an innovative and challenging Youth programme in Nis, in Central and Southern Serbia. They are fully equipped with skills and goodwill for the future.
One of the strategic priorities of LDA CSS in the next period will be work with the youth in Nis and development of numerous youth projects under the Youth Center Program. This program is a build-up of idea of opening Info Points under the Youth the Right Direction project.
Aims of this programme are:

  • youth education and development of various skills, (with acknowledging the principle of peer education, youth for youth learning)
  • membership networking and development of voluntarism
  • development and support of youth initiatives and campaigns
  • development of local cultural potentials and intercultural exchange
  • working on increasing the knowledge of youth about processes of involvement in EU processes, and encouraging them to take an active role in these processes

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International Youth Crossing Fair in Verteneglio/Brtonigla, Croatia

An international crossing fair organised by ALDA in the framework of its project Youth: the right direction started on Friday the 25th of July in Verteneglio/Brtonigla, Croatia. This fair aims at promoting the European Commission’s « Youth in Action » program and at deepening the mutual knowledge of the different youth contexts whilst promoting cooperation in the field of youth. The activity involves young people, from 7 different countries of the Balkans and European Union. They are travelling all together by bus from Croatia to Albania, passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, taking part in different activities such as workshops, cultural events, etc.

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Training in Kutaisi, Georgia, 24 – 28 June 2008

During 4 days, 20 people from Kutaisi (Georgia), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Nis (Serbia), Monfalcone (Italy), Osijek and Verteneglio (Croatia) have been trained in order to promote, employing a peer to peer methodology, the Youth programme at the local level, supporting the work of Youth National Agencies, Contact Points for Youth and SALTO resource centres.

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Training in Shkodra

During four days, 25 young people from South-East-Europe and EU countries including ten Albanian from Shkodra had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the « Youth in action » program and to draft project together.
Apart from the training the young people discovered the city of Shkodra and created real links among each other.

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Training on EVS in Montenegro, 10-11 December 2008

This pre-training on European Voluntary Service (EVS) is the first step of a project aiming at developing EVS projects and at setting-up a network of EVS organisations in the field which may grant multiplying effects, high quality projects, exchange of best practices, long-lasting commitment and cooperation.

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EVS training seminar in Kotor, Montenegro, 9-13 February 2009

The aim of the seminar was to complete the trainings for the youth officers about the European Voluntary Service within « Youth in action » programme. During the first day, the participants refreshed the knowledge on EVS from the previous trainings held in 2008 in Budva, Montenegro. A special focus was put on a role of the hosting and sending organisation and the other stakeholders, the tools for promotion of the programme as well as the financial part of on EVS project. Also, all the participants appreciated the nice walk in the old picturesque city of Kotor which surely contributed to the team building.

The second day was reserved for the accreditation of the LDAs for becoming hosting, sending and coordinating organizations for European volunteers. Thanks to the Salto SEE Resource centre, all the LDAs were accredited in the same place and time on the base of the Host expression of interest (HEI) they have previously provided. The LDAs benefited from the presence of the Salto accreditors for SEE to ask some questions and share some ideas of how to develop good EVS projects and to promote this programme among the youth on local level.
Finally, the last day was focused on the future cooperation by creation of EVS network that include all the LDAs and other European partners. The creation of this network is a result of the « Youth: the right direction » project that during the past 3 years has informed and trained many young people on the European programme « Youth in action ». These young people are now youth ambassadors among their peers and are willing to continue working in the youth field on local level.
By the creation of this network, the LDAs will have the possibility to develop high quality projects by straitening the cooperation with the other European Partners. The final beneficiaries will surely be the youth from the Region who will have a possibility to live and work as a volunteer in EU for 6 months as well as the youngsters from all around Europe that will come to discover the Balkans by working in one of the LDAs.

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New activity on the « Youth: the right direction » programme: Job shadowing

In the framework of the tree-year project « YOUTH: the right direction », ALDA is preparing the final activity: the job shadowing. Job shadowing is practical learning experience that consists of short stay in one partner organization in another country.

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

As time goes by, the catastrophes of the European history sink into oblivion for large numbers of European citizens. Sixty-five years after the end of World War II, witnesses who have lived that era of totalitarianism and violence are getting rare, memorial sites are largely left unattended and schools skip some of the main messages of the past to young generations.
Yet, it is crucial to remember what Europe has gone through before becoming what it is now. Having in mind the past enables us to fully appreciate our current peaceful and democratic systems and be watchful of any threat to democracy and human rights. That is what we mean by Active Remembrance as a tool for Active Citizenship.
The project E-FoR – Education for Remembrance targets these issues on European level.

OBJECTIVES

E-FoR aims at:

  • improving remembrance education: Today’s youth must be aware of the past. E-FoR unites professionals from different countries to think about how education can effectively foster this awareness.
  • increasing awareness on smaller historical sites: When citizens have a local notion of what happened (or not) in their backyards, they can put this into the broader perspective of happenings at a larger level (national, continental) in the past.
  • creating a sustainable network of memorials and organisations involved in remembrance education to foster the exchange of good practices and increase the partners’ capacities to convey messages and educate young and not so young interested individuals.

ACTIVITIES

In order to reach these goals, several activities are implemented:

  • An educational booklet created jointly by the project partners and disseminated among teaching professionals.
  • An international meeting at Jasenovac Memorial at the beginning of the project united professionals of remembrance education who shared their expertise with the partners.
  • Local events organised by several partners in their home towns involved a large number of citizens, increasing awareness on these sites and improving the partners’ organisational capacities at the same time. Read reports on these local events.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

This three-year co-operation project (EACEA Culture Unit/ Multi-annual Co-operation Projects) promotes culture as an effective and sustainable response in relation to social and economic crisis in contemporary Europe. Current economic crisis has its social and cultural dimension apparently capable of marginalising European wide local communities thus leaving them in the situation of lacking both the confidence and viable solutions to economic crisis.

OBJECTIVES

The project builds on the centuries’ long heritage of Community theatre, as a form of social-cultural intervention representing not only a possible alternative to the social standstill, but also a proof of the renewal that the crisis can encourage. In line with the Green Paper: Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries (COM(2010) 183 final), it has become important to support the contribution of cultural activities both in the economic development and social cohesion at the local but also regional EU level. Community theatre has been proven as one of the most effective and efficient ways to integrate, developand enhance the relations among the members of a community. In many ways, it is a unique theatric form seeing the whole community as the stage and protagonists in which the public are no longer mere audience/observers but a proactive part contributing to the realization of the performance. The community theatre is designed and developed by an interdisciplinary team with various competencies in the theatre and social-cultural fields whose work is characterized by specific modality of communication, complex relations and symbolic reconstruction of reality.

ACTIVITIES

Activities include four community theatre interventions in four selected locations (cities Torino, A Coruna, Holstebro, Sofia), Caravan theatre productions in at least 40 local communities in 11 countries on the tour connecting the cities mentioned with at least 50 performances. Creating of the 4 itinerary includes research process based on history of theatre, social – anthropological research, exploring the local social and territorial characteristics, contemporary research based on local priority themes, field research based on communication with local stakeholders.
In line with the European Agenda for Culture in a Globalizing World (COM 2007, 242 final), the Caravan project envisages international co-operation programmes in cultural area at European level through the methodology of community theatre, pursuing the mission of boosting the cultural and social empowerment of local communities in some symbolic places of crises and renascence. Its specific objectives include also:

  • To create experimental and innovative theatre and art activities originating from close contact with local communities and developed on wide involvement and participation
  • To circulate the artistic products in several European countries promoting dialogue and exchange between diverse cultural traditions and contexts
  • To create a network across Europe among cultural professionals and organizations to help improve reciprocal information and communication so as to facilitate transnational mobility of theatres, dance and music companies, artists and other cultural operators
  • To provide an opportunity for different regions and local communities to interact and contribute to the promotion of the European Union cultural values, richness and diversity.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

PEACE is a common initiative of memorial sites, NGOs and of one local authorities’ association under the overall coordination of a European umbrella organisation, active at large scale in the promotion of European citizenship and local democracy.

OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of PEACE is the creation of a network of structures working on Peace Education, Citizenship and Human rights in the intent to use 20th Century European History as a tool for Active Remembrance. These partners engage in peer-to-peer experience exchanges and reflections of how to improve teaching and work methodologies for achieving among the general population: the ownership of the European Union’s values, the understanding in dept of those reasons that made possible the creation of the Council of Europe and European Union, mutual understanding of cultural differences and sufferance thus assuring the preservation of un unbiased memory and the construction of a tighter-knit Europe.

ACTIVITIES

  • Six local events organised in: Jasenovac, Sisak (HR), Vichy (FR), Skopje (FYR of Macedonia), Londonderry (UK) and Gorizia (IT) in which partners will involve different groups of the local population and professionals on the subjects of teaching peace, review history with participants and understand how partners’ theoretical methods can improve through these field experiences
  • International conference in France, hosted by the Memorial Museum of Caen, with 3 sections on Schools, NGOs and Informal Education. Title of the conference: « Dealing with a past left unsaid – Challenges and opportunities for institutions and civil society actors »
  • Creation of a publication and a website

The partnership was built trusting that all of these actors have an input on the topic of remembrance, but most of all on the experience of the past common project Education for Remembrance (E-FoR) in which they expressed their desire to further work together in order to:

  • create a European forum for memory, debate and reflections
  • cooperate in creating an effective method of work at large scale but also local scale
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Six countries – be they Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – gathered together in 2009 to lay the foundation of the Eastern Partnership (EaP). The latter is thus aimed at strengthening the relations, both in terms of politics and socio-economic fields, with the European Union (EU).

Yet, how to unfold these thematic, and increase the bond among them? Strategies may be thousands, but surely enough, as also stress in the latest CORLEAP Report by rapporteur C. Cojocar; decentralisation or better explained “the decentralisation of power, from central governments to the people, including decentralisation from centralised governments to parliament and judiciary institutions” may represent a key turning point in the democratic process.

Within this framework the role of ALDA, especially the one carried out both by the ALDA office in Chișinău (Moldova) and by the Local Democracy Agencies (LDA) in Cimislia, Kutaisi, Gyumri Mariupol and Dnipro, acquires a unique and strategic value. Hence, the LDAs are a successful example of decentralised cooperation and a powerful tool to further contribute to the capacity of a society to commit themselves to democracy. Similarly, by engaging also with Local Authorities, the Agencies may stimulate a process of reforms and policy adjustment at institutional level.

LDAs are a successful example of decentralised cooperation in the Eastern Partnership

Moreover, the recents crises and wars, that the world population faces, underline – to some extent – the even more important role of Local Authorities and actors to ease, if not solve, people’s challenges. “EU4Accountability” represents one of the more recent initiatives launched in Moldova, among the EaP countries, by ALDA, in partnership with EPD and People in Need. 

In addition, considering the profound bond that the Association has with Ukraine, the Secretary General of ALDA – Antonella Valmorbida – will attend as keynote speaker, on 4 November 2022, within the CORLEAP 11th Annual Meeting, the panel entitled “Reconstruction of Ukraine” together with Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv;  Jaroslav Kurfürst, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Issues; and Anatoliy Fedoruk, Mayor of Bucha.  (Here the detailed agenda)

This series of initiatives and endless commitment clearly show the position of ALDA as a stakeholder in the Eastern Partnership region, and within CORLEAP.

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🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian

🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian

🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

Immigration and immigrants’ participation represent vivid issues at the EU level and affect citizen’s daily life throughout the continent.

The partners of the project are civil society organizations, local and regional authorities and associations of local authorities coming from 6 different countries – old and new EU Member States and pre-accession countries – where immigration represents one of the most vivid issues on the agenda.

OBJECTIVES

The project GOAL – Granting Opportunities for Active Learning, aims at promoting citizen participation in the construction of a tighter-knit, democratic, world-oriented and united Europe, tackling the challenge of immigration and emigration as opportunities to develop active citizenship and sense of ownership of the EU, whilst enhancing tolerance, solidarity and mutual understanding. The project presents a set of activities that grants citizens the chance to interact – both at the local and at the European level – and offers them the occasion to “work” together towards a common aim.

ACTIVITIES

GOAL specific aim is to further improve the methodology of “citizens’ panels” adding the component of immigration. These panels are groups of ordinary citizens who would not have spontaneously participated in projects of a European nature and paying attention to involve people of different demographic, social and professional background. These groups meet regularly throughout the project to discuss matters of migration and, eventually submit recommendations on this issue to relevant political actors at local and European level.

GOAL foresees 9 steps of activity, having an impact both at the local and at the European level:

  • Training for citizens’ panels activators
  • Set-up of local citizens’ panels
  • Local panels and workshops
  • International meeting of citizens’ panels (mid-term): Kastoria (Greece), June 17-19 2011
  • Open days at the local level
  • Production phase
  • International final workshop: Bucharest (Romania), November 2011
  • Final publication

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DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

STAND.UP aims at strengthening Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs) involvement in the overall framework of EU twinning in order of creating a better organised cooperation system between LA & CSOs and a more present Public-Private Partnership in the fight against economic and social crisis, in the promotion of mobility for democracy and the ownership of European identity.
Its focuses are Economic innovative initiatives, Local Development and Volunteering using 3 international workshops and 17 local preparatory meetings in which LA, economic stakeholders and CSOs but also citizens’ groups in a more dynamic evaluation of what cooperation can bring in the building of a developed Europe.
Topics were decided given the European thematic priorities (2010 Fighting poverty, 2011 Volunteering) and ALDA’s needs (that with the 12 LDAs and 300 partners is working now for years with EfC) in reassessing its network’s capacities in inducing real change in local development and active citizenship.
The focus area is Eastern Europe (from Northern countries to SEE and EuroMed) recognised as a weaker area in terms of citizens participation.
STAND.UP will involve more than 500 persons directly and many others through the website and the partners’ networks.
The project is intended to use networking agreements between LA as an inclusive agora in which citizens’ voice is heared and as basis for creating a reactive partnership in front on economic difficulties and development goals.
Several recommendations will be presented during the events and follow-up activities will be proposed in the partners’ areas of interest.
STAND.UP wishes to re-evaluate agreements between LA and cross-fertilised cooperation using as departure the results and needs identified during past/present projects.
Partnership is including 18 structures from 11 countries (EU, SEE) but also participants from the Maghreb.

OBJECTIVES

The project will foster citizens’ participation and interaction with local and EU institutions through debates on vivid EU related topics in the field of twinning.
It will raise awareness on EU common values such as democracy and participation, promoting thus Active European citizenship and European identity. By gathering together EU and pre accession countries, we will promote a shared identity in the wider Europe.
Making ordinary citizens aware of their responsibility and of the power that they can detain, we try to give them a greater sense of ownership of the EU.
Our proposal implies an intercultural dialogue, given the diversity of the participants. During the 3 thematic workshops, particular attention will be paid to multilinguism and cultural diversity.

ACTIVITIES

  • Management/coordination activities(2 steering committees)planned with delegates of the partners for defining in details the action and budgetary plan, inducing partners’ co-decision and co-responsibility
  • International workshop in Latvia on Fighting poverty and Promoting innovative Socio-economic activities involving a Private-Public Partnership with 39 international and 20 local participants
  • International workshop in Venice on Mobility and Volunteering in Town Twinning and how to create a human resources’ exchange methodology for LA&CSO (60 international participants &20 local ones will be present in Latvia representing EU and SEE countries)
  • International workshop in Malta on Social integration of vulnerable groups and Promoting Gender equality through a Good local governmental system involving exchanges in the EuroMed area with both European participants& participants from North African countries. 50 international participants (38 from eligible structures and at least 12 from the Maghreb) &20 local ones will be present at the 2days conference combined with an international brainstorming workshop
  • Local preparatory meetings and events (17) at which local stakeholders (including LA’s delegates) will be extracting from the local strategies the priorities in terms if citizen and civic participation. Each meeting will host 20 participants representing LA, associations of LA and CSO creating a recommendation paper of 5 pages on what should be done at local & international scale with the resources/experience of each partner for achieving this project’s objectives and improving citizens participation in twinning activities.
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AT A GLANCE

The project “Network for Community Development with Marginalised Social Groups”, part of the « Lifelong Learning Programme – GRUNDTVIG – Learning Partnership » , aims to facilitate the mutual learning of innovative tools of community development that tackle the problems of marginalised social groups in different regions of Europe. The main aim of the project will be sharing knowledge and experiences of the partner organisations gained from experimental, innovative, interdisciplinary community based methods effective in combating poverty that can be adopted in other countries, in different local contexts.
The aim is to bring methodological innovation cutting across professional boundaries, combining elements of community development and social work, for introducing new approaches of development in seriously marginalized, deprived, often ghettoised localities. The goal of each partner is to facilitate progress that does not only bring anti-poverty measures but also support social integration of different excluded groups.
The present partnership brings together organisations that deal with similar social issues with different methodologies of community development. The cooperation can lead to long –term collaboration based on learning about the different national contexts, methodological approaches and adaptable, good practices.
The mutual learning puts emphasis on gaining practical insight of adaptable initiatives. The project will be based, in a large extent, on collecting valuable experiences by fieldwork, by visiting actual projects dealing with community development of marginalised groups. Experiences will also be shared in workshops with the participation of the partner organisation.

OBJECTIVES

The project will improve the quality and accessibility of mobility throughout Europe of people involved in adult education and to increase its volume, so as to support the mobility of at least 7.000 of such individuals per year by 2013. It will improve the quality and increase the volume of co-operation between organisations involved in adult education throughout Europe. We will assist people from vulnerable social groups and marginal social contexts, in particular older people and those who have left education without basic qualifications, in order to give them alternative opportunities to access adult education.
Moreover dissemination and adaptation will be facilitated by compiling a practical guide on community development with marginalized social groups and by creating short films in the localities and projects visited.

ACTIVITIES

  1. Initial logistics and planning meeting to work out a detailed plan of implementation in Budapest organised by the lead partner.
  2. Workshop on multilateral decentralized cooperation and community development, introducing participants to ALDA’s networking methodology, to the concrete experience of the Municipality of Strasbourg and including a visit to the Council of Europe.
  3. Workshop on methodologies of citizens empowerment, participatory methodologies and community work, with field visit at a project at Barcelona City’s district.
  4. Workshop and learning exchange events with the European partner organisations at three different localities with different problems, showing alternative approaches of community building.
  5. Workshop on community work with disadvantaged groups and field visits with the European Partners to projects introducing community social work with people living in deep poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of Hungary.

Read the guide describing the overall learning from the partnership visits to Strasbourg (France) 1-2 March 2012, Glasgow (Scotland) 13-15 June 2012, Barcelona (Spain) 25-24 October 2012 and Budapest (Hungary) 9-12 April 2013.

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AT A GLANCE

This one year co-operation and capacity building action developed by the European House, Budapest, Hungary, include LDAs in the Western Balkans as 7 local contact points for promoting EU integration and regional networking actions for improved understanding and awareness of both enlargement and integration related issues.
The project is supported by the Prince programme of the European Commission.

OBJECTIVES

In particular, the project wishes to

  • provide factual, up-to-date information to the larger public of the 6 project participating countries on the enlargement process and candidate and potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans showing their contemporary reality;
  • “bridge-building” between the citizens of EU Member States and the candidate and potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans with the aim to promote tolerance, mutual understanding and trust;
  • raise public awareness and understanding about the importance of the European venture in general and the significance and impact of the enlargement process in particular through stimulating informal public debates and activities;
  • foster European identity in the region of the participating countries through cross-border actions.

ACTIVITIES

  • Internship Programme

7 CSO representatives from the Western Balkans region will spend an intensive 2-week period and assist the work of the project partners. This will include among others the distribution of a questionnaire on enlargement, preparation of the national citizens’ consultations and the bus tour with the Enlargement Labyrinth and participation at the mid-term evaluation event in Vienna. The 7 interns (one per Western Balkan country) will be identified locally.

  • « Civil Trust-building” bus tour visiting 5 participating countries with the Enlargement Labyrinth

The bus tour focuses to bring the idea of enlargement and citizens of the candidate and potential candidate countries to the everyday citizen of the EU member states. The tour will last 8 days. The bus will take place in mid-2012 and have stop-overs in those locations (Budapest-Bratislava-Klagenfurt-Ljubljana-Udine) where the Enlargement Labyrinth (a 100 sqm portable instalment made of plastic rods) will be installed to attract local people, collect reactions and video messages.

Other Activities:

  • kick-off event in Budapest (17-18 February 2012), mid-term evaluation event in Vienna (June 2012), final conference in Rome (November 2012)
  • national citizens’ consultation (one per project country)
  • enlargement information distributed on international trains in the regionThe project will last from 2011 to 2013.
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AT A GLANCE

VIT gathers 18 project partners and 9 associate partners from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and United Kingdom. Its main idea is to create a network of towns from Europe and its Neighbourhood involved in town-twinning relations with a focus on European priorities, such as volunteering, active ageeing and citizen participation.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at facilitating debate, action and reflexion between partners on how citizens may enhance governance in Europe and how town twinning can contribute to the dissemination of European Union values and the construction of a European identity. At the same time, the project wishes to revitalise existing town-twinning relations of the partner towns and initiate new twinning.

ACTIVITIES

The work-programme foresees the following main activities:

Three international conferences providing opportunities to exchange local experiences and develop networking and cooperation in the addressed fields:

  • Udine, Italy, 7-8th June 2012, two conferences: (1) “Empowering Citizens and strengthening local governance in neighbouring countries: Lessons learned and opportunities from East to South »
  • Udine, Italy: Conference “Active Ageing and Local Governance: How to involve elderly as active citizens in their local communities”

18 workshops organised by partners at local level to debate and exchange experiences on the addressed topics locally:

  • Valencia (Spain), March 2nd and 3rd, 2012, workshop « Volunteering in time of crisis » organised by RECREATURA. [Agenda]
  • Korydallos and Pireus (Greece), March 15th and 16th, 2012, workshop organised by KMOP. [Agenda]
  • Tirana (Albania), May 9th and 10th 2012, workshop « The role of the local government authorities units offering social services-ageing » organised by the Albanian Association of Municipalities. [Agenda]
  • Bucharest (Romania), May 17th and 18th 2012, workshop organised by the Association of Romanian Municipalities.
  • Nancy (France), May 24th and 25th, 2012, workshop « Town-twinning, a framework for volunteering and intergenerational dialogue-French/German perspectives » organised by the Association française du Conseil des Communes et Régions d’Europe (AFCCRE). [Agenda]
  • Gulbene (Latvia), June 4th and 5th, 2012, workshop « Promotion of youth volunteering and communication with public » organised by the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG). [Agenda]
  • Novo mesto (Slovenia), June 15th and 16th, 2012, workshop « Release the will power » organised by the Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo Mesto. [Agenda]
  • Kaunas (Lithuania), October 11th and 12th, 2012 organised by the Municipal Training Centre at Kaunas University of Technology.
  • Varnia (Bulgaria), October 11th and 12th, 2012, organised by the Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities (UBBSLA).
  • Wolverhampton (UK), October 18th and 19th, 2012 organised by Wolverhampton City Council.
  • Malta, Local Council Association, 22th June and 29th October
  • Veles (Macedonia), October 8th-10th, 2012 organised by the Municipality of Veles
  • Bydgoszsz (Poland), October 8th and 9th, 2012, organised by the Municipality of Bydgoszcz
  • Banska Bystrica (Slovakia), Center for Community Organizing (CCO),
  • Ireland, Donegal County Council, 19th and 20th November
  • Denmark, Vejle, date to be confirmed
  • Italy, ALDA
  • Croatia, Municipality of Novigrad- Cittanova, 7th and 8th December 2012

A methodological publication and a DVD collecting and disseminating the outcomes of the project at European and local levels.

EVENTS

(1) ALDA conference « Volunteering for Democracy », Bydgoszcz, 8 July 2011
(2) ALDA conference « Volunteering for Democracy » Working Group 1, Bydgoszcz, 8 July 2011
(3) International conference “Active ageing and local governance: how to involve elderly as active citizens in their local communities » – Udine, 8 June 2012

Local workshop:
(1) Workshop Recreatura, Valencia, 2-3 March 2012

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

Besides the project partners, VIT project benefits from the collaboration of the following associate partners:

• Consortium for Development of Polesine (Italy) – www.consvipo.it
• Local Democracy Agency Shkodra (Albania)
• Municipality of Monfalcone (Italy) – www.comune.monfalcone.go.it
• Municipality of Brindisi (Italy) – www.comune.brindisi.it
• Municipality of Reggio Emilia (Italy) www.municipio.re.it
• Province of Milano (Italy) www.provincia.milano.it
• Associazione Solo Uguali Diritti (S.U.D.) (Italy)
• National Forum Alternatives, Practice, Initiatives (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) www.apiplovdiv.tripod.com
• Balkan Assist Association (Bulgaria) www.balkanassist.bg

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AT A GLANCE

YEP gathers 7 partners from Bulgaria, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. Its main objective is to favour meeting between international young people, youth workers and experts in youth policies, in order to provide an opportunity for debate and build up of a structured dialogue on a transnational basis with reference to youth unemployment.

OBJECTIVES

This project’s ambition is to offer an opportunity for debate about the youth unemployment challenge, through networking and exchange of best practices. It is expected to generate new and innovative solutions, potential interventions and recommendations to be addressed to the local, national and international communities. As a cross cutting objective, it aims at the same time to transfer to participants some methods for the set up of a structured and efficient dialogue between youth and the decision makers in charge for youth policies.

ACTIVITIES

The work-programme foresees the following main activity:
A 5-day seminar in Strasbourg, France. About 42 participants from 6 different countries will attend several formal and non-formal activities such as: debates and discussion, structured dialogue workshops, sharing of best practices and intercultural activities. Transnational seminar within the project « Youth Employment and Participation » (YEP), 18 -22 February 2013
In the end of the seminar, a publication will gather the results of the work done by the participants.

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