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The highly anticipated kick-off meeting for the USE IPM (Up-Skilling Researchers for Sustainable Entrepreneurship based on Innovation Process Management) project commenced this July 13, at the Faculty of Economics in Niš, Serbia. 

The partners, representing more than 12 european institutions met to introduce their universities and associations, while outlining their respective roles and contributions within the cooperation.

The USE IPM (Up-Skilling Researchers for Sustainable Entrepreneurship based on Innovation Process Management) project aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of researchers in widening countries, empowering them to thrive in the fields of research, innovation, and technology transfer. 

With a focus on sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation process management, the project aims to create a network of valuable partnerships and drive the development of innovative solutions with lasting positive effects.

Looking forward to the next meeting!

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On June 24 2023, Mr. Marco Boaria, ALDA Director of Programs and Corporate Strategy, participated in the “Forum delle Acque” (water forum), which took place in Terni (Italy). 

The “Forum delle Acque” is a moment of study and discussion on good practices for the protection and regeneration of the water resource: a meeting ground for knowledge, ideas, projects, organisations and people active on this issue, and a laboratory for sustainable and circular solutions in the interaction between mankind and nature, which aims to create a space for experimentation, information and reflection.

The forum aims to contribute to the creation of a new ‘Water Culture’ by approaching the topic from different aspects, which correspond to the various focuses presented; creating training and discussion for public and private decision-makers; investigating new relationships between art, technology, popularisation and science; developing new educational models oriented towards awareness and sustainability; implementing cultural enhancement of landscape and community systems; improving water management in the face of increasingly critical changes; proposing experiences in the territory directly related to water.

Reaching its second edition, the four-day long Forum was attended by numerous speakers who, through their expertise and knowledge, provided interesting and insightful information on the topics mentioned above. 

Guidelines, good practices and coordination policies on water issues were presented to stakeholders

Specifically, the day on 24 June focused on the valorisation of the cultural and natural landscape through Water Ecomuseums. The lecturers discussed the presentation of the best national experiences in order to outline guidelines, good practices and coordination policies on the matter. 

Mr. Boaria participated in a roundtable discussion on the Water Ecomuseum of the Marmore waterfall, called “Le Terre di Hydra”, an ecomuseum that aims to increase the attractiveness of the area, rediscovering values and adding meaning to the tourist’s visit: a gateway to the area, its history and its many points of interest.

The participation in the Forum acquires a very important meaning for the Association. ALDA, as well as ALDA+ and ALDA Italia Aps, through the implementation of European, national and local projects, have always been committed to the valorisation of the territory and the use of digital and technological tools to safeguard it and increase its attractiveness. ALDA is particularly interested in the experiences of eco-museums mainly because of the strong ‘participatory’ background on which eco-museums are based, and therefore on this common value we look forward to future cooperations between the Association and the network of eco-museums. 

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ALDA is beyond excited to welcome the selected Leverage for Initiating Volunteers in Europe and Surrounding (EU LIVES) volunteers, who will join ALDA for the following 11 months.  Meet Lorenzo, Michele, Alessia and Kauan Juliano, joining in Brussels (Belgium); Annalisa, Martina and Amal, working in Strasbourg (France); and Francesco and Giorgia, volunteering at the ALDA Office in Skopje (North Macedonia). They will actively work on different projects and initiatives within different departments, among which the project implementation and development sections and the communication one. 

The nine EU LIVES volunteers attended a two-day long training on the different activities of ALDA, introduced by the ALDA staff in Cremona (Italy). Afterwards, volunteers took off to their respective new roles and destinations: they are now moving their first steps in the ALDA offices, supported and encouraged by the whole ALDA Staff who is looking forward to working with young, proactive and determined volunteers. 

On a general perspective, the EU LIVES project, developed together with the Municipality of Cremona within the Italian “Universal Civil Service” Programme, aims at involving young people in mobility paths that favor their personal growth: on the one hand in view of their professional future, on the other in relation to their role of citizens of local communities and of a wider European community. Hence, the volunteers will follow the general target of the project by implementing ALDA’s daily tasks and while being part of ALDA’s big community. 

ALDA knows that each of them has a lot of potential to convey and wants to wish them a great year ahead: welcome to the team!

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In a world grappling with the urgent challenges of climate change, the EU24 Engage for the Planet project emerges as a sign of empowerment. Spanning five European countries – Sweden, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, and France – this ambitious initiative will bring together domestic and mobile union citizens to foster dialogue and action in the realms of climate justice, climate change, and sustainability. 

Over the course of 20 months, gender long as balanced blended exchange events will serve as catalysts for democratic engagement and bridge the participation gap among young citizens, individuals from diverse backgrounds, and mobile union citizens.

Within this initiative, ALDA is organising a poster competition to link all the events together through climate-related themes. This competition is a key dissemination and inclusion element throughout the project: an unique opportunity for artists, designers and passionate individuals from all backgrounds to showcase their creative talent while raising awareness about challenges and issues of the climate crisis.

Let your creativity flow and create a visual masterpiece that inspires change and engages our communities

As a result, this initiative will enable participants to link local issues of climate change, climate justice and sustainability to larger debating events. It will also stimulate a gender-balanced & diversity-oriented participation of citizens from diverse backgrounds through a participative and creative format. 

Moreover, by participating in the EU24 Poster Competition, candidates will have the chance to make a meaningful impact while friendly competing to win exciting prizes. Indeed, winners will be invited to the EU24 Engage for the Planet final event in Brussels (🇧🇪), on June 2024. Imagine showcasing your artwork and contributing to the collective effort to tackle climate change!

The first deadline for the mobility art poster submission is on September 1, 2023. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your artwork seen by everyone: best posters will be selected and displayed at the Mobility Event in Strasbourg (🇫🇷) on September 28, 2023, to reward winners’ talent and commitment towards sustainability.

Please complete the form to ensure your participation: let your artistic voice be heard! 

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From June 25 to July 2, 2023, twenty youth workers gathered in Vicenza (Italy) on the occasion of the Training of Trainers of the ReCAP project.

Coordinated by La Piccionaia, the Training of Trainers represented a crucial moment for the project. After having identified and proposed different artistic and cultural tools to be collected in the Art and Cultural Toolbox for Youth workers, the involved participants from the ten partner organisations had the chance to present and test the targeted techniques. These techniques will be then used to involve youngsters with fewer opportunities at local level and help them reintegrate in their communities in the post-pandemic context. 

The overall goal of the ReCAP Training of Trainers was to share the expertise and knowledge of the partners with colleagues from all the partner countries, and identify strengths and weaknesses of the selected tools based on different artistic methods, such as dance, theatre, painting, poetry, and use of pictures.

The techniques discussed will be used to involve youngsters with fewer opportunities at local level and help them reintegrate in their communities in the post-pandemic context

The team building activities held at the beginning of the training by Mr. Carlo Presotto, the Artistic Director of La Piccionaia, were essential to create a safe environment for the participants to freely express themselves and feel involved in the process of co-creation of the tools.

Then, throughout the 8-day intense training, the enthusiastic participants created great synergies and a strong collaboration in their group, and they actively participated in the daily sessions, highly contributing to the success of this Training of Trainers.

This fruitful experience created the base for the youth workers to define their local paths, through which they will replicate and use some of the tools in their local contexts. In the upcoming months, each couple of youth workers based in each partner country will be working with selected groups of young people in vulnerability, with the aim of promoting social inclusion and active participation among them.

In the meantime, a comprehensive toolbox collecting all artistic and cultural tools is going to be finalised by La Piccionaia, and will be published soon as the second project result. 

Read more about the ReCAP project here. 

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In a world grappling with the urgent challenges of climate change, the EU24 Engage for the Planet project emerges as a sign of empowerment. Spanning five European countries – Sweden, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, and France – this ambitious initiative will bring together domestic and mobile union citizens to foster dialogue and action in the realms of climate justice, climate change, and sustainability. 

Over the course of 20 months, gender long as balanced blended exchange events will serve as catalysts for democratic engagement and bridge the participation gap among young citizens, individuals from diverse backgrounds, and mobile union citizens.

Within this initiative, ALDA is organising a poster competition to link all the events together through climate-related themes. This competition is a key dissemination and inclusion element throughout the project: an unique opportunity for artists, designers and passionate individuals from all backgrounds to showcase their creative talent while raising awareness about challenges and issues of the climate crisis.

Let your creativity flow and create a visual masterpiece that inspires change and engages communities

As a result, this initiative will enable participants to link local issues of climate change, climate justice and sustainability to larger debating events. It will also stimulate a gender-balanced & diversity-oriented participation of citizens from diverse backgrounds through a participative and creative format. 

Moreover, by participating in the EU24 Poster Competition, candidates will have the chance to make a meaningful impact while friendly competing to win exciting prizes. Indeed, winners will be invited to the EU24 Engage for the Planet final event in Brussels (Belgium), on June 2024. Imagine showcasing your artwork and contributing to the collective effort to tackle climate change!

The first deadline for the mobility art poster submission is on September 1, 2023. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your artwork seen by everyone: best posters will be selected and displayed at the Mobility Event in Strasbourg (France) on September 28, 2023, to reward winners’ talent and commitment towards sustainability.

Please complete the form to ensure your participation: let your artistic voice be heard! 

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From 4 to 7 July, 2023 the 2030 Youth Vision project partners met in Rome (Italy) for the second transnational partners meeting, hosted by Fondazione Mondo Digitale – FMD. The meeting represented a key moment to explore the work undertaken so far by the six partners and to define together the next steps of the project. During the meeting, the ALDA and CREAS presented the collection of 24 good practices carried out in Europe regarding youth participation in the production of local strategies and activities. DRPDNM presented the information and awareness material addressed to young people to be used, together with the good practices, in the Local Labs that will be set up in September in Catadau (Spain), Lousada (Portugal), Novo Mesto (Slovenia) and Rome (Italy).

In parallel with the partner meeting, a training activity for youth workers and local agents was held by some FMD, CREAS and ALDA experts. The aim of the training was to provide youth workers and local agents with tools to support the inclusion of youth in the local strategic planning process.

Through different methodologies, the partners trained participants about SDGs, Agenda 2030, participatory processes and strategic planning

The training has been fondamental for participants in order to be prepared in setting up the Local Labs that will focus on the co-design of a participatory process together with youngsters. 

In conclusion, the second transnational partners meeting was an intense and fruitful opportunity, both for the partners to prepare for the next phases of the project, and for the training participants who acquired news skills and knowledge.

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The commitment of ALDA in support of Ukraine and its population continues unceasingly since the very beginning of the war, in February 2022. On Thursday 6th July, the ALDA team met in Brussels (Belgium) with a delegation of the Ukrainian Parliament, supported by the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform (CPLR).

The meeting was an occasion to present the Association’s Flagship initiative in Ukraine to a delegation made of Members of the Parliament of Ukraine, representatives from the ministries and representatives from national associations of cities.

The meeting has been a valuable opportunity to present initiatives that ALDA is implementing in Ukraine to the Central Government and to the Parliament, as Local Democracy Agencies are working in the current national institutional context. 

The Association successfully introduced the Local Democracy Agencies, their past and future activities, as instruments to support local good governance and multi-stakeholders cooperation in Ukraine.

The meeting has been a valuable opportunity to present initiatives that ALDA is implementing in Ukraine

The president of the Working Group on Ukraine in the European Committee of the Regions, Ms. Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, also city mayor of Gdańsk (Poland), delivered an introductory speech to the delegation.

Other associations presented their work in the area, such as Assembly of European Regions (AER) AER and the International Center for Migration and Policy.

Afterwards, some of the people present took the floor, expressing interest in ALDA’s work and in the future opening of the Ukrainian LDAs, such as Mr. Oleksandr Aliksiychuk, Member of Parliament from Rivne Oblast and Head of the subcommittee on the cooperation of territorial communities and regions of Verkhovna Rada, who expressed his willingness to support LDA Rivne. 

Mr. Oleksandr Kachura, Member of Parliament from Sumy Oblast, Deputy Head of the Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning also expressed his interest and support to the initiative. 

Likewise, Mr. Ihor Vasiliev, Member of Parliament from Sumy Oblast; Mr. Viacheslav Rubliov, Member of Parliament from Volyn Oblast; Ms. Larysa Bilozir, Member of Parliament from Vinnytsia Oblast demonstrated willingness to cooperate with ALDA and support the LDAs in their respective electoral districts. The particular interest to work on rural development echoed the Association’s narrative on subsidiarity and the possibilities to work with ALDA’s partners on this specific aspect. 

ALDA also had the chance to exchange with representatives from the All-Ukrainian Association of Hromadas and the Association of amalgamated territorial communities interested in the association’s membership and in joining the Flagship initiative.The meeting represented a fruitful moment of exchange where ALDA could meet Ukrainians MEPs and introduce its work in Ukraine, creating chances for future collaboration, continuing to support the country and its population.

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ALDA is a proud partner of BUILDSPACE, a 3-year Horizon project that gathers together 14 partners from 8 different countries.

Funded by the European Union, BUILDSPACE aims to develop a platform and innovative applications that will enhance the sustainability and resilience of buildings and cities in the face of climate change,  shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for our urban environments. To this end, the project will organize a series of co-creation sessions, actively involving stakeholders to understand their needs and tailor the service offering based on current issues.

Join the first co-creation session to revolutionize the way urban environments are understood and developed

Through co-creation sessions, the project consortium seeks to collect insights and inputs from diverse stakeholders, crossing boundaries between disciplines and cultures. By joining the session, you will have the opportunity to define and design applications in energy-efficient buildings and climate-resilient cities. 

These sessions aim to involve stakeholders not only in the final output of the project, but also during its different activities, to create a strong community of interest concretely engaged  in the sustainability of our buildings and cities, able to take actively into account the environment  in decision-making processes.

On July 14, join the online session to co-create the future of energy-efficient cities!

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Politeia, the initiative aimed at promoting youth engagement and democratic participation in the Western Balkans region and funded by the European Union, has launched its much-anticipated week-long Regional School for Youth Participation on July 6 in Niš (🇷🇸), welcoming this year’s students from Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

The first POLITEIA School for Civil Society took place in 1997 where youth gained valuable knowledge of democratic and European values. Since then, hundreds of young people were taught and motivated to actively participate in social and political processes. POLITEIA is recognized as one of the leading non-formal educative programs because of its various choice of lecturers, interactive methodology as well as choosing qualified participants. 

Vice-President of ALDA and Secretary General of the Center for Democracy Foundation, Nataša Vučković, took the floor to introduce to young participants all the stimulating opportunities that the institute introduced this year: to mention one, students will be involved in actively developing a project, based entirely on their inputs and ideas. Afterwards, she emphasized the importance of engaging youngsters in concretely learning and exchanging, to maintain the debate always open to  reflections that will empower youth to build a better and more prosperous future of the Western Balkans.

ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida encouraged youngsters to take concrete actions in their local contexts

ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida also addressed participants by highlighting Politeia’s tireless effort in engaging youngsters in the Western Balkans. She brought ALDA’s experience as local key actor in the Western Balkans, as the activities of LDAs have focused on citizen participation in public life and in the decision-making process, decreasing the gap between citizens and institutions, and creating an active and proactive civil society.

Antonella Valmorbida stated the significance of building strong connections among the participants from the region while encouraging them to get concretely involved in their local communities to be active actors of their local context. “Politeia teaches how to do democracy by understanding the added value of freedom, exchanges and mediation. We encourage and value the change that you are willing to make in the world” – she concluded. 

Welcoming notes were also delivered by Deputy Head of the EU Delegation  Plamena Halacheva; Minister of European Integration, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Tanja Miščević; Project Manager, Regional Cooperation Council – RCC Sarajevo Ognjen Marković; and Local Program Officer, Regional Youth Cooperation Office – RYCO  Đorđo Cvijović.

ALDA wish to all students a fruitful learning experience!

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Are you a Small Medium Enterprise (SME) willing to be more sustainable? A Local Authority willing to help empower the enterprises in your territory? Or simply a person interested in the methods foreseen by the EU to make products and processes more “green”?

On July 14, join the online webinar to learn about the PEF and OEF methods from 9:00 to 13:00 CEST

In the framework of the European Commission Tender “Capacity Building and Information on Environmental Footprint,” ALDA, in collaboration with Studio Fieschi and CBRE, it’s helding an unique webinar to give enterprises the expertise to position themselves as environmentally conscious players in the market.

The objective of the webinar is to enhance the capacities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) but also of local authorities, NGOs working on the environment, and associations of SMEs, about Product and Organization Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF) methods, whose goal is to enable to reduce the environmental impacts of goods, services, and organizations This initiative is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the PEF and OEF methods, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement sustainability practices. Our expert speakers will cover the correct steps for implementation, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with these methods.

Targeting individuals and organizations aspiring to position themselves as environmentally conscious enterprises, regardless of their size, this event offers invaluable guidance on adopting the right approach.

Whether enterprises are taking their first steps towards sustainability or seeking to refine existing practices, this training experience will equip stakeholders with practical knowledge and insights.

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On June 12-13-14-15, 2023 at the premises of Moltivolti Co-Working and the magnificent Palazzo Cutò and Bocs in Bagheria, Palermo (🇮🇹), ALDA participated at the third Transnational Partner Meeting within the Includate – Educating for Inclusion project: funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and led by the German organization Comparative Research Network, the project aims directly at the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities, specifically migrants. 

The Includate project identifies the need for capacity building to enable migrant associations to be involved in inclusion and diversity strategies, starting with a careful analysis of the needs of the communities involved.
Its main focus is to enhance the inclusion of individuals with limited opportunities, especially migrants who often face intersectional marginalisation due to factors like ethnic discrimination and socio-economic deprivation.

During the meeting, which took place on June 12, partners finally welcomed in person the new partner Konkáv from Hungary (🇭🇺). Moreover, the event has also been an opportunity to coordinate the work among partners and prepare for the projects’ next steps and challenges. 

The event has been an opportunity to coordinate the work among partners and prepare for the projects’ next steps and challenges. 

In the following days the Training was held at palazzo Cutò and Bocs, in Bagheria (🇮🇹), specifically on June 13-14 and 15, 2023.

During the first part, the training was entirely focused on strategy-making processes as well as the LogFrame Approach (LFA) for the action plan building process. This approach is a systematic, visual approach to designing, executing and assessing projects which encourages users to consider the relationships between available resources, planned activities, and desired changes or results.

The second day of the training was aimed at analysing EU policies within the framework of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, while using the Problem Tree method. This method helps to find solutions by mapping out the anatomy of cause and effect around an issue in a similar way to a Mind map, but with more structure. 

On the third and last day, partners had the opportunity to discuss and reflect alternative methods for the action plan building process: some practical examples are the Theory of Change, Impact Pathways, Kanva.

The event ended with the “Through my eyes” Tour in Ballarò (🇮🇹), held by a  young man from Gambia, Mr. Malick; afterwards, partners participated to a storytelling event organised by ALDA in collaboration with the organisation CESIE. 

Partners look forward to gathering again at the end of November for the next Transnational Partner Meeting and Multiplier Event in Strasbourg (🇫🇷).

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During the month of June, within the STAND-UP project framework, Italy hosted three trainings aimed at giving practical tools to stand up against hate in the European Union.  Meetings took place in the beautiful setting of the cities of Venice, Milan and Rimini (🇮🇹).

Trainings were organized by Agenfor, a member of the STAND-UP consortium, while ALDA took part as trainer during the ones held in Venice and Rimini (🇮🇹).
The coaching sessions’ targets were members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs),  Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Public Authorities, associations or communities affected by hate crime or hate speech.
The teaching aimed to improve competences and technological skills to concretely fight hate crimes/hate speech: as violence attributed to these behaviours has increased worldwide, societies confronting the trend must deal with questions of free speech and censorship on widely used tech platforms and beyond.

The teaching aimed to improve competences and technological skills to concretely fight hate crimes/hate speech

The STAND-UP project strives to create a comprehensive and holistic counter-hate crime framework that covers all components of the counter-hate process (reporting-investigating-prosecution-prevention (RIPP), embedded within a framework of victim support. In this way, the project ensures the complementarity of the work of different actors, leading to a streamlined and more efficient RIPP cycle, better victim support and higher levels of trust between CSOs, law enforcement, judiciary, and victims.

The courses focused on a more theoretical part concerning the European legislation, hate crimes/hate speech and the need for strong cooperation between public and private actors. The Victim Support Handbook and its victim-centered approach produced by ALDA within the project framework have also been object of further analysis.
The second part of the trainings aimed at teaching how to successfully manage the OSINT and Falkor software and Virtual Reality simulations in order to monitor hate speech consequences within society. 

Partners look forward to applying the knowledge acquired in the field and work actively on the pilot to take stock of the results and share them within the Final Event taking place in January in Brussels (🇧🇪).

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As promoter of the Scintilla Group and partner of the project V.A.N.G.A. – Vicenza per l’Ambiente. Nuove Generazioni in Azione, in June 2023 ALDA organised two events in Vicenza (🇮🇹) and its surroundings, aimed at engaging citizens on urban regeneration initiatives around the city. 

The first event took place in the beautiful setting of the Inclusive Pampas garden, where three important initiatives and projects related to urban regeneration, eco-sustainability, active citizenship and urban greenery were presented. The event was launched by Elia Pizzolato, Councillor of the Vicenza Municipality, who reiterated the municipal administration’s willingness to support initiatives to redevelop the quadrilateral area, notably the district of Viale Milano. 

The V.A.N.G.A. project was one of the main focuses of the meeting. Presented by Gloria Marini of La Piccionaia – Centro di Produzione Teatrale and financed by the Cariverona Foundation, the project aims to promote environmental education among youngsters through the use of innovative pedagogical tools, notably performing arts and languages. The introduction of this initiative in schools as a way to enhance youth engagement was also discussed.

Afterwards, ALDA EU Project Coordinator Nadia di Iulio and Pampas President Francesca Volpiana stated the fruitful experience of the Scintilla Group: both active in Viale Milano, the two associations’ meeting of minds gave birth in 2019 to this wonderful initiative which works to enhance dialogue among citizens of the quadrilateral Via Torino/Florence/Naples and Viale Milano (Vicenza), with the aim of involving civil society in reviving the area.

Laboratorio Spazi Rurali e Boschi Urbani representative, Davide Primucci concluded the evening by introducing to the audience the makeover of the breathing heart of Vicenza: Cascina Carpaneda and its Urban Forest. This natural park has been subjected to a regeneration and planting process by the municipal administration since 2009, which has transformed it into a place rich in biodiversity. 

The Carpaneda Urban Forest was precisely the destination of the second initiative set up by ALDA on June 16th, 2023 on the occasion of the opening of the Carpaneda Ecofestival. Held from 16 to 18 June, the 3-days manifestation proposed many engaging activities for adults and children in the beautiful frame of Vicenza’s green countryside, located in the rural peri-urban area of Carpaneda.

Both events were conceived as a way to actively involve the local community and provide it with knowledgeable information on the local area to promote its relaunch

On June 16th, 2023, as part of the Ecofestival ‘Towards Carpaneda, a travelling conversation’, EQuiStiamo and Laboratorio Spazi Rurali e Boschi Urbani representatives Mirco Corato and Davide Primucci together with ALDA Project Manager Alessia Marzotto accompanied participants from the centre of Vicenza to the Carpaneda wood. While walking throughout an itinerary of exploration, live thematic contributions were delivered through wireless headphones: each participant had the opportunity to learn about food production and distribution models, land consumption and urban regeneration in Vicenza and its neighbourhoods, notably Viale Milano. The aim of the walk was to make participants live an experience characterised by the slow and symbolic approach to the rural peri-urban context of Carpaneda. The final destination of the walk was 100orti farm where the inauguration of Carpaneda Ecofestival took place at 6 pm.

Both events were conceived as a way to actively involve the local community and provide it with knowledgeable information on the local area to promote its relaunch. ALDA and the Scintilla Group have passionately dedicated themselves to the organisation of these initiatives as to raising awareness on environmental preservation and the promotion of sustainable development in the Vicenza area.

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WE ACT: Women Empowerment and Action in Politics and Media is a project financed by the European Union. Officially initiated in January 2023, it aims to strengthen the representation and participation of women in the political sphere at the local level in Türkiye, acting transversally in the 7 regions. To reach its final goal, the project is articulated through different strands of actions over a period of 30 months: the objective is to empower women running for the 2024 local elections by providing them with capacity building, training and coaching to prepare and run effectively an electoral campaign, but also to perform a good local, inclusive and participatory governance, if elected.

WE ACT wants to provide concrete support to the Turkish civil society associations working for women and/or LGBTIQ+ communities, in order to strengthen their empowerment and advocacy efforts towards policy making. The fight against stereotypes is another main priority of the project, which is also engaged in supporting media actors to ensure greater visibility for women politicians while countering and reducing sexist discourses in the media.

The project consortium is composed of 3 partners: Ka.Der, an organisation actively working from 1997 to increase the number of women in politics and in decision making positions as to achieve gender equality in Turkish politics. Ka.Der also trains and guides women throughout their candidacy journey. The second partner is Daktilo1984, a non-profit organisation acting as an essential platform where Turkish intellectuals can exchange their ideas and opinions and give media training to women candidates; and ALDA.

WE ACT concretely reinforces women’s participation in the political sphere at the local level in Türkiye

The Launching Event of the WE ACT Project took place on June 22, 2023 at the Postane Hol, İstanbul. The event began with the warm welcome of ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida and ALDA’s Project Coordinator, Ms. Apolline Bonfils together with Ka.Der President Ms. Nuray Karaoğlu and Daktilo1984 Administrative Affairs and Projects Director Ms. Derya Özkaynak Suer, who kicked off the informative session about the project. Relevant guests were also present, among which the EU Delegation to Türkiye that is actively supporting the WE ACT project. The highlight of the event was the panel discussion during which our esteemed guests shared their experiences stating the importance of women’s participation in local governance. Moderated by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Platform Director, Dr. Şengül Altan Arslan and joined by the Mayor of Doğubayazıt Municipality, Mr. Yıldız Acar together with the Former Mayor of Urla Municipality, Mr. Sibel UYAR, the panel was full of inspirational insights demonstrating their concrete engagement against the challenges that women politicians have to face in the role of mayors of the westernmost and easternmost areas of Türkiye. The networking cocktail at the end was the ideal opportunity for participants to connect, share ideas about women’s representation in local government and build valuable relationships. 

ALDA wishes to the whole team of WE ACT a good job while working to raise women’s voices and contribute to a more democratic and inclusive society in Türkiye.

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In June and July, 2023, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida and the Head of ALDA Middle East & Africa Unit, Ms. Giulia Sostero, were respectively in Zambia (Africa) and in Tanzania (Africa) for the Southern Africa National Level Multi-Stakeholder dialogues, organised by Democracy Works Foundation within the framework of the Charter Project Africa. 

The Charter Project Africa is aimed at supporting the African Union member states fulfilling their commitments as outlined in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). It builds connections between citizens and civic society, analysing the ACDEG’s role in achieving positive change.

The project, led by the European Partnership for Democracy, encourages the use of civic technology to boost citizen voices, particularly those of underrepresented groups. To achieve this, the project offers both financial and technical resources in the form of grants, expertise, and networks to initiatives in democracy at national level in 11 countries, as well as at the regional and continental levels.

Charter Project Africa encourages the use of civic technology to boost citizen voices, particularly those of underrepresented groups

The Southern Africa National Level Multi-Stakeholder dialogues which took place in Zambia and Tanzania are part of a series of events that aim to bring together stakeholders from civil society, government, private sector, regional institutions and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) to reflect on the urgency of adhering to the AU’s shared values instruments, in particularly the ACDEG, and facilitate dialogue, cooperation and synergies among stakeholders.

As a member of the EPD, ALDA participated in two training sessions. The first one took place in Zambia on June 29 & 30, 2023, and was attended by ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Valmorbida, while the second was carried out in Tanzania on 5 & 6 July, 2023 and saw the participation of Ms. Sostero. 

Mrs. Valmorbida and Ms. Sostero discussed the added value of citizens participation at the local level, answering key questions related to the main topics of the project. Additionally, they delivered training for trainers on developing effective advocacy and engagement strategies for democratic governance which consisted in knowing the actors active in the continent, mapping the civil society actors and their respective capacities and mapping the public sector capacities.

The two national multi-stakeholder dialogues represented an excellent opportunity to better understand the situation and the challenges in the continent and to start a path of cooperation to promote and strengthen democracy in Africa. 

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On the 26th and 27th of June 2023, the 5th Civil Society Forum for Sustainability: Shaping the European Green Deal was co-organised by SOLIDAR, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and SDG Watch Europe within the framework of the REAL DEAL project. ALDA participated in the event as a partner of the project’s consortium.

The first day the REAL DEAL consortium and the Civil Society Organisations met at the European Parliament in Brussels to attend a conference on the EU Voluntary Review, Europe’s UN progress report on SDGs published by the European Commission in May.

The conference was introduced by Marta Iglesias López, Board Member of SOLIDAR & SOLIDAR Foundation and moderated by Patrizia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General at European Environmental Bureau. 

Petros Kokkalis and Udo Bullmann, MEP SDG Alliance, took the floor as they presented remarks on the European Parliament SDG Report. Afterwards, Petra Petan, Cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni at the European Commission, based her intervention on the Remarks on the European Voluntary Review. At the end, Julie Rosenkilde, REAL DEAL representative of Nyt Europa and part of the steering group of SDG Watch Europe, presented the Civil Society Spotlight Report.

After the Conference at the European Parliament, the SDG Watch Europe Annual General Assembly took place at Mundo Madou. SDG Watch members from all over Europe met with more than 60 CSOs working on just transition, participation, social justice, and climate environmental sustainability to deliberate on the future of the European Green Deal and on the Agenda 2030. On this occasion, the elections of the SDG Watch Europe Steering groups took place. Three members of the Steering Group completed their terms as three new people were elected as new members. 

This in-person Civil Society Forum meeting had the objective to focus on the future of the European Green Deal and its transformative potential

The following day, the CSO Forum took place at Mundo Madou. 

After a brief presentation by Jeffrey Moxom (EEB) and Hilmi Tekoglu (Solidar), Imme Scholz, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Co-Chair of the Group of Independent Scientists presented the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2023, explaining how the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is proceeding, which are the difficulties regarding its application and how to follow-up on the call to actions contained in the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) at the European level. 

Afterwards, Jeffrey Moxom, SDG Watch Europe Coordinator introduced to the audience the European Green Deal, presenting other relevant documents such as the REAL DEAL Gap Analysis Report and Pact for Our Common Future. Then, Patrizia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General and Director for EU Governance and Sustainability and Global Policies presented how to act towards an EGD 2.0 with a focus on risks, the circular economy, air and water pollution, the climate crisis, sustainable food systems, and the importance of the EU elections 2024 in order to have the certainty to continue the ecological transition and to have the possibility to realise an upcoming EGD 2.0 

The Forum continued with the Civil Society Organisations Panel Discussion “The next European Green Deal: The global, economic, social, environmental (climate), and participatory dimensions of the EGD”,  moderated by Barbara Caracciolo from SOLIDAR. The Speakers were: 

  • Eric Ponthieu from Fair Trade Advocacy Office for the global dimension. 
  • Laura de Bonfils, from Social Platform for the social and economic dimensions. 
  • Adrien Licha from ALDA for the participatory dimension. 
  • Silvia Valentini, from CAN Europe for the environmental dimension. 

The panel discussion was followed by two working group sessions and participants were split into five groups corresponding to each EGD dimension. REAL DEAL partners facilitated discussions and activities and reported the inputs and suggestions that emerged from each group.

Last session was dedicated to the panel discussion “Policy Dialogue with EU Level Policy Makers – Looking ahead”, moderated by Rose Heffernan, WECF. The audience had the opportunity to listen to relevant policymakers, such as:

  • Margarida Marques, Member of the European Parliament (S&D). 
  • Thaís GONÇALVES, Policy Officer of DG EMPL. 
  • Aurelie Godefroy, Deputy head of unit INTPA F2 – Environment, Sustainable Natural Resources. 
  • Tanja Buzek, coordinator for the Domestic Advisory groups in trade agreements of EESC.

This in-person Civil Society Forum meeting had the objective to focus on the future of the European Green Deal and its transformative potential, tackling all the dimensions of the EGD with CSOs, citizens, policymakers, and experts. Indeed, it represented a fruitful opportunity to express concerns as to exchange knowledgeable information while sharing experiences and views on the topic.

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Challenges and adaptation have become the norm in democratic processes in Europe and all around the world. Although we live in an increasingly advanced world in many respects, there is a constant and growing need to act in defence of democracy and democrats.

This was the starting point behind the EPD’s Annual Conference and 15th Anniversary, which took place on June 20th 2023, at the Hotel Comet in Brussels.

The Conference saw the participation of brilliant keynote speakers who nurtured the discussion, notably the Vice-President of the Commission, Ms Dubravka Šuica who gave an inspiring speech on the future of democratic participation in Europe.

“We continue our work on building an innovative democratic ecosystem that is the basis for a democracy fit for the future. Both on- and off-line. – Stated Ms Šuica – In a democracy, our greatest, most precious asset is our citizens. It may sound obvious, but I must emphasise that there is no democracy without citizens. (…). We really need to improve how we communicate with our #citizens and the best way to do this is starting at the grassroots with local democracy actors”.
[Read the full speech here]

In the wake of the welcome speech Ms Šuica gave at the opening ceremony of ALDA General Assembly, for ALDA it is always extremely motivating and inspiring to note the Commission’s proximity and direct support in our joint efforts in favour of local democracy and citizen participation in Europe and beyond, acting as strong partners pursuing the same mission.

“We need to improve how we communicate with our citizens and the best way to do this is starting at the grassroots with local democracy actors” – Ms Dubravka Šuica

Ms Šuica then mentioned all successful and innovative participative practices introduced thanks to the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as the importance of the more recent Defence of Democracy Package, to which ALDA itself had the opportunity to include specific recommendations.

This intervention paved the way for a panel exploring initiatives to increase participation across Europe. Moderated by Richard Youngs, Carnegie Europe, the panel was animated by:

  • Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law and HEC Paris and founder at The Good Lobby
  • Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet of Vice President Dubavka Šuica, European Commission
  • Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy
  • Anthony Zacharzewski, President of The Democratic Society