DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project aims at strengthening the capacity of Moldovan local authorities to perform a transparent and participatory governance in their Communities, with a specific reference to the policy making process related to the upcoming Decentralisation reform. It intends to build capacities of Local Authorities (LAs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to plan and implement their activities in close cooperation with local communities, and other stakeholders involving them into planning and implementation and, thus strengthening capacity to respond to challenges, reinforcing dialogue and trust in local communities. On the other hand, it will promote a multi-level governance dialogue between the national government and the local authorities.
A capacity building phase plus the implementation of participatory and multi-stakeholders’ local governance initiatives will particularly strengthen LAs’ willingness to involve local communities in the decision-making process, at the local level, while it will also lead to development of a set of recommendations to improve and promote a new decentralisation reform.
The rationale behind the project approach is to build upon the necessity to establishing a better dialogue between local authorities and national government regarding the decentralisation reform, and more concretely to let local authorities feel more involved in the process of re-organisation of the role of LAs in Moldova.

OBJECTIVES

  • strengthening the capacity of Moldovan local authorities to perform a transparent and participatory governance in their Communities
  • policy making process related to the upcoming Decentralisation reform
  • build capacities of Local Authorities (LAs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to plan and implement their activities in close cooperation with local communities, and other stakeholders involving them into planning and implementation
  • strengthening capacity to respond to challenges
  • reinforcing dialogue and trust in local communities
  • promote a multi-level governance dialogue between the national government and the local authorities
  • implementation of participatory and multi-stakeholders’ local governance initiatives
  • strengthen LAs’ willingness to involve local communities in the decision-making process, at the local level
  • development of recommendations to improve and promote a new decentralisation reform

ACTIVITIES

  • Analysis on the current state of art of the decentralised reform
  • Participatory local governance capacity building for LAs, elected staff and CSOs (Implementation of training sessions, webinars and training sessions online)
  • Piloting participatory and multi-stakeholders local governance consultation on the decentralised reform for LAs
  • Re-granting scheme for implementation of piloting actions
  • Publication of recommendations for local authorities
  • National multi-stakeholders dialogue on the roadmap for decentralisation
  • Communication and dissemination (Development of printing materials, Production of digital information and access to relevant materials)

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

On the economic level, women in Morocco often suffer from a lack of economic opportunities and self-confidence to initiate income-generating activities and make their voices heard in their communities. Women’s work is generally informal and without social protection. In addition, women suffer from a lack of skills and know-how due to low educational attainment and high levels of illiteracy, which in turn are explained by the persistence of socio-cultural stereotypes and patriarchal patterns of women’s role in society, leading to their economic dependence on men in the family but also to their marginaliSation from public life. The participation of women as candidates, voters and especially as citizens often depends on the goodwill of the men in the family, who often believe that women should give priority to their homes. The lack of capacity and sometimes willingness of local authorities to integrate women into public life and to systematically take into account and integrate their needs and interests in the planning and implementation of local policies and programmes are additional reasons, explaining in particular the low representation of Moroccan women in local public life, thereby preventing their interests and needs from being adequately taken into account.

OBJECTIVES

“Gender Equality in Local Action” (EGAL) project aims to continue ALDA’s efforts to promote women’s rights in Morocco, and is implemented in the province of Tétouan, where most women face gender-related socio-economic difficulties as heavy family tasks, low levels of women’s education, lack of access to information, etc.

The overall objective of the project is to improve the conditions of women in the province of Tétouan, Morocco. In particular, it aims to carry out a detailed analytical study on the political, economic and social situation of women in the province of Tétouan, and to strengthen both women and local authorities’ capacities in the field of inclusive and participatory democracy, by taking into account the gender dimension.

ACTIVITIES

The project is divided into several phases.

First, it will collect recent information and data on women and their level of education, access to the local market, medical care, community and political involvement in order to highlight inequalities in Tétouan province and assess the urgent needs on which municipalities can focus. This diagnosis will also provide details on women’s organisations in the municipalities, their number, activities and relations with the territorial municipalities.

It will finally focus on the competences of the municipal councils, the current public decision-making mechanisms and the gender policies of the various municipalities of Tétouan. It will therefore allow identifying local issues and concerned stakeholders.

Carried out by a local expert, the results of the study will be presented at a public event aiming at informing and raising awareness among women, representatives of territorial municipalities and the local population about the situation and needs of women in Tétouan province.

Then, using the diagnosis as a basis, 30 beneficiaries from 5 of the most disadvantaged municipalities will be identified and will benefit from an awareness session on civic participation in decision-making processes and on the integration of the gender dimension in public policies. The aim will be to set up a pilot training course over several days bringing together 10 representatives of the 5 territorial municipalities and 20 leaders and representatives of civil society and in particular women’s organisations working on a daily basis to promote and defend women’s rights in these same municipalities.

The intended objective is to strengthen the capacities of women’s associations (or active in the defence of women’s rights) and municipalities in order to promote the integration of the gender dimension into all local actions and the social and political inclusion of women from the 5 municipalities. It will therefore be a question of equipping local actors to guarantee the implementation of the principle of equality in local governance in the province of Tétouan.
At the end of the training, the beneficiaries will be awarded a grant that will enable them to carry out an awareness-raising activity in each of their municipalities. This will allow promoting the capitalisation and appropriation of the results of the diagnosis and training.

The action described is a pilot project. The training offered at the end of the diagnosis will be evaluated in order to be adapted and replicated later to other municipalities in the province of Tétouan.

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

The project aims at promoting the swift integration of young Third Country Nationals -TCNs, (aged 18-29) in the labour market, by fostering the application of the “Cluster” methodology at local level all over Europe. Special attention is paid to the fight against obstacles to the TCNs access to qualifying vocational training and qualifies jobs, including language barriers.
“Migrants Economic Integration Cluster-MEIC” is an innovative, integrated and highly participatory approach, based on the definition of a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership engaged in a common long-term strategy enabling context-sensitive solutions.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at:

  • Improving the effectiveness of local initiatives for labour market integration of TCNs through the development and testing of the MEIC methodology in Italy and in Spain;
  • Mobilising key actors to apply the MEIC model all over Europe;

ACTIVITIES

The core of the project are the two pilot actions, to be implemented in two relevant local contexts in Italy and Spain, under which the methodology is developed and tested. They foresee activities aimed at consolidating a strategic and operational collaboration among socio-economic key actors (associations of employers, vocational training providers, employment services, local authorities, companies, CoCs) within a “Migrants Economic Integration Cluster – MEIC” with the main purpose of increasing the effectiveness of existing labour market integration policies and tools by adapting them to TCNs needs. 100 young migrants directly benefit in terms of increased employability and economic inclusion through accelerated and tailored trainings, labour market integration plans for apprenticeships and self-employment, coaching and post-placement support. While local stakeholders benefit in terms of innovative management schemes and tools for facilitating the labour market integration of TCNs.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Since 1999, ALDA has been working to promote and encourage civic engagement as a key in the creation of a democratic and participatory reality. It is guided by its Governing Board, whose role is to define the future steps and path of the association.

In light of its great engagement both at local as well as at international level, ALDA has now launched a call for expression of interests, addressed to members, partners and external experts. This call consists of identifying and selecting five candidates to form the Board of Advisors. The role of the latter is to directly support the Governing Board, by giving technical advice and by sharing professional knowledge.

The Advisory Board will focus on the following specific areas, in accordance with ALDA’s main themes:

  • Citizens engagement 
  • Environment & climate 
  • Gender, Inclusion & Human rights 
  • Youth empowerment & Education 
  • Migration 
  • Digital & innovation 
  • Territorial and local development

The Advisory Board will be approved by the Governing Board in its session early March 2023 and possible interviews and exchanges could take place in this occasion. The candidates will be selected based on their experience and field of interest. They will be considered on their personal capacity. Their participation is pro bono while their costs will be reimbursed in case of meetings and travels. The Advisory Board meetings will be in English or French only.

Please note that the call is not addressed only to members of ALDA, but it is open to anyone interested in the position and in contributing to the mission of ALDA.

To get more information, read the call for Interest  and apply by March 31st, 2023.

For any further enquiries, please write to: alda@alda-europe.eu

🇫🇷READ THE CALL IN FRENCH🇫🇷

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Members’ participation and their active involvement are two cornerstones of ALDA’s work and the basis of our strength and added value.
As you can read in our Strategic Plan, the importance of sharing and exchanging knowledge and expertise with professionals is crystal clear, as well as the importance of boosting the democratic and participatory life of our association.

Thus, we are going to create five Working Groups  which will be focused on the main areas of interests for ALDA and its members, as reported below:

  1. Local governance and participatory democracy 
  2. Social inclusion
  3. Digitalisation
  4. Environment and local development
  5. Civil society and community empowerment

More in detail, while each group will be animated and supported by a staff coordinator, the objective is to set up a fruitful exchange among the members involved to turn the five selected areas into events, meetings, and of course exchange opinions, cooperation, projects, and expertise on that.

Please note that in order to facilitate the taking place of the meetings, they will be mostly happening online.

🔶 Each Working Group will be supported by the ALDA Staff in charge of the relevant Thematic Hub. Further information on the latter will be provided on the website in January 2023 🔶

If you want to join one of the Working Group, and contribute to a deeper level to the mission of ALDA, as well as share or acquire important knowledge useful for your own activity, apply by January 31st, 2023.

To get more information, read the call for Interest

Please note in case you are still interested in joining a Working Group, you can contact us even after the deadline by email: membership@alda-europe.eu

If you are interested in the call but you are not a member, you can get the membership here

🇫🇷 READ THE CALL IN FRENCH 🇫🇷

🇮🇹 READ THE CALL IN ITALIAN 🇮🇹

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DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

PARFAIT aims at increasing women participation at local level by giving them the means to fully access the public sphere – as voters and candidates, but also as empowered, informed and involved citizens in order to make the implementation of the decentralisation process a success for every citizen. The project specifically targets six Tunisian governorates: Gasfa, Kairouan, Grand Tunis, Jendouba, Kebili and Mahdia.

OBJECTIVES

  • Increasing women’s participation in the local governance process in Tunisia.
  • Contribute to the improvement of women’s participation to the decision-making processes in the targeted governorates;
  • Promote the integration of the gender dimension by local authorities in all their actions;
  • Promote a shared vision of the place of women in local and regional public life through the opening of spaces for dialogue and collective learning.

OUTCOMES

The principal outcomes of the project are:

  • Capacity building for 180 women (30 per governorate) trained to be actors of change within their local community;
  • Support and coaching for women running for local elections;
  • Creation of a political and media stage less hostile towards women;
  • Increased voter turnout in the targeted governorates;
  • Improved women’s participation in decision-making at local level and better use by women of the local democracy tools;
  • Implementation of local policies taking into account the gender dimension.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project aim is to create a favorable environment for adaptation and integration of IDPs into local communities, thus contributing to cohesion in society and stability in the Dnipropetrovsk region by minimising the possibility of both conflicts onset and IDPs marginalisation. The specific goals of the project are to provide young IDPs with skills necessary to be integrated into the hosting community and to establish contact and cooperation with young people from the hosting communities, in order to raise awareness and mobilise any relevant local actors for action on these topics.

Armed conflict began in 2014 in Eastern Ukraine with annexation of Crimea that caused mass displacement both within the country and across the borders. The fighting continues even at the current stage, a factor that keeps rising the number of Internally Displaced People. According to the most recent data (June 2016), there are around 1.8 million officially registered Internal Displaced People (IDPs) in Ukraine, of which approximately 1.1 are women and 700.000 are men. Due to geographic proximity and cultural similarities, the vast majority of them is currently settled down in the Eastern region of the country (Luhansk, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts’). The Dnipropetrovsk region, where the activities of the project will take place, reportedly accepted approximately 86000 IDPs, an influx which is stretching the capacity of administrative and social services, communities and local labour markets.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of the project is to create favourable environment for adaptation and integration of IDPs into local communities, thus contributing to cohesion in the affected communities and to stability in the region, which should minimize the possibility of conflict onset and IDPs marginalisation.

The specific objective of the project is to provide young IDP people with skills necessary to integrate into the hosting society environment and establish contact and cooperation with young people from the hosting society, while raising awareness and mobilization of local actors for action.

ACTIVITIES

The project will provide a multi stakeholder approach in its management by attracting 5 organisations into the process, including the main facilitator – ALDA.
IDPs and local residents will be invited to participate into training activities. The first phase of the trainings will target only IDP participants with the following components: a) communication skills; b) building trust relationships; c) networking competences, d) psychological and strategic abilities; e) further general competences (creativity, patience etc).

During the second phase young IDPs will be joined by youth from hosting communities. The trainings will focus on such skills as a) communication skills at organisational level; b) managing time and self-organisation; c) understanding and managing stress; d) project drafting. For building trust and ensuring effective communication the project will be organised in the forms of thematic workshops, role plays, simulation games, individual and group activities.

After these sessions, young people will develop proposals for their mini projects involving the whole community. 6 of them (2 per community) will be awarded mini grants. The winners will be selected by project partners. During the preparation of the proposal young people will be assisted by facilitator and expert on project drafting.

Local stakeholders will be involved into discussion and preparation of the Roadmap for actions at local level. The emphasis will be put on searching for the durable solution of local integration at the area of displacement putting in synergy the efforts of NGOs, Local Governments, private sector and civil society activists. 2 Roundtables will be organised in each community (with 1-month distance for drafting a Roadmap) and 1 Final conference presenting the results at Regional level to decision-makers.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

November 22, 2022, marked a milestone for the the implementation of the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) in Croatia, North Macedonia and Kosovo*. 

On this date the Award Ceremony of ELoGE took place in Skopje (North Macedonia), and with all the activities and evaluations finalised, ALDA presented the label to the achieving municipalities on behalf of the Council of Europe. 

The crystal dodecahedron engraved with the 12 principles of Good Democratic Governance was presented to 9 municipalities from North Macedonia, 6 from Kosovo, and 3 from Croatia who earned the label and will hold it for one year.

65 mayors and representatives from the various participating municipalities attended the event. The ceremony was opened by a speech from Risto Penov, the Minister of Local Self-Government of North Macedonia, Elbert Krasniqi, the Minister of Local Self-Government of Kosovo, Oriano Otocan, President of ALDA, and Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General. 

The event continued with an in-depth discussion on the importance of the European Label of Governance Excellence, led by Niall Sheerin of the Center of Expertise for Good Governance. It was followed by brief interventions on the ELoGE experience from the representatives of each participating country and it concluded with the handover of the awards. 

The success of the ELoGE implementation is mostly due to the fundamental cooperation and partnership between ALDA and its members

The success of the ELoGE implementation is mostly due to the fundamental cooperation and partnership between ALDA and its members. 

The Municipality of Novaci, a long-term partner and member of ALDA, took part in the project and successfully finalised the ELoGE process. The municipality showed a high level of good governance and Stevce Stevanovski, Mayor of Novaci, received the crystal dodecahedron during the award ceremony. ALDA’s partnership with Novaci stays strong, and will continue to further nourish in the future. 

Another member which was directly involved in the project was the Association of financial officers (AFO) from Veles. Their director, Zoran Jankulovski, was a valuable member of the Evaluation Committee and assessed the dossiers of Macedonian municipalities. AFO’s experience in cooperation with local authorities proved to be fundamental in the process. 

In addition, the Municipality of Gjilan took part in the implementation of the European Label of Governance Excellence in Kosovo. After showing a strong level of good governance it was awarded with the label. The Mayor of Gjilan, Alban Hyseni, received the crystal dodecahedron during the ceremony.  

The ELoGE project represented a great opportunity to further enhance the cooperation between ALDA and its members and contributed to the strengthening of democracy and good governance in all cities involved in the process.

***

Read more about the ELoGE programme

ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony
ELoGE Award Ceremony

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

ALDA Summer University “Remembrance and intercultural dialogue” by ALDA Skopje, in co-operation with the University FON from Skopje, from 17 to 22 July 2017. Total number of expected participants is 30 coming from Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and France.
This project contributes towards mutual learning and experience gaining in the topic of remembrance and intercultural dialog among the participants in order to provide an opportunity for the young participants to reflect on the past, to discuss the current challenges and moreover to develop competencies needed to build future democratic Europe.
Young generation of Europe, especially young people in the Western Balkans, faces in today’s world many challenges including political and economic instability, growing extremism and radicalism among youth. It is significantly important to provide young people an opportunity to develop competencies enabling them not to just deal with these challenges but moreover to get fully involved in decision making processes in their communities and societies and to contribute to building inclusive and democratic Europe.

The project is supported by the Central European Initiative and the Normandy Region

OBJECTIVES

  • Reinforcing the role of young people in the process of building future Europe;
  • Overcoming youth passivity and dealing with youth extremisms and radicalism;
  • Developing competencies of young people (their skills, knowledge and attitudes) needed to take active part in the process of creating democratic and inclusive Europe;
  • Opportunity to interact with young people coming from local community and to learn from each other experiences.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The one-year project “For a sustainable and shared mobility in Kairouan”, launched in October 2016 in Kairouan, proposes the setting up and sharing of technical and methodological tools allowing to develop a global and coherent vision of mobility in the city. The citizens of Kairouan are key in the successful development and implementation of the project, which counts on the involvement and participation of the city’s population.
The project is a response to Kairouan’s major traffic congestion problems, which have repercussions in terms of road safety, pollution and economic activity, in a city considered by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Outcomes:
The principal outcome of the project will be the improvement of urban mobility and the quality of life of the citizens of Kairouan.

ACTIVITIES

The global objective of the project is to propose a multimodal strategy related to urban mobility and implemented taking into account other aspects or urban life such as urban planning, economy and the improvement of the living conditions.

In particular it envisages to achieve the following:

  • Contribution to the development of the City of Kairouan through a global, transversal and coherent mobility policy.
  • Promotion of the tools and methods of citizen participation within the framework of the local approach to mobility management in Kairouan.
  • Participation of the population of Kairouan, especially young people, during the elaboration and implementation phase of the project through consultation.
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) aims to open new Local Democracy Agencies in Ukraine and Moldova
Starting the year 2017, ALDA will use Endowment support to open new offices in Odessa (Ukraine) and Cimislia (Moldova), and foster their cooperation and networking with the Dnipro office, as well as other ALDA-related offices in Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and in the EU. ALDA will work with its local partners to design a one-year program, which will outline plans for establishing local and international partnerships and launching reform-oriented initiatives, including regional programs involving LDA offices in Armenia and Georgia. Based on consultations with local governments, at least two new local government partners will be identified for each location, with which memoranda of understanding will be signed.
The principal outcome of the project will be to develop establish and increase in cooperation with local authorities and various local and international partners who will also indicate that the program is successful. The program will also succeed if there are positive changes in how the targeted communities are administrated and in the ways in which local citizens participate in local governance that can be linked to this project.
Platform for cooperation, dialogue, and exchange of experiences in the areas of cultural, social, and economic development, between local authorities and civil society will be created.

The principal objectives of project will be:

  • To foster local reforms in Ukraine and Moldova. The successful launch of new LDAs followed by the successful development and implementation of their one-year programs, will serve as the primary indicators of success.
  • To strengthen networking and cooperation.
  • Establishing local and international partnerships
  • Launching reform-oriented initiatives

ACTIVITIES

The future Odessa office has already confirmed a partnership with the city of Gdansk (Poland), and is planning to establish partnerships with Genova (Italy), and Varna (Bulgaria). Similarly, the future Cimislia office has already started cooperating with Gdansk and the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region in Poland. These partnerships will help to ensure the financial sustainability of the offices as well as the closer integration of these regions into decentralized cooperation with EU municipalities.

Capacity building activities will be organised for new delegates for Local Democracy Agencies, as well as Series of study visits and coordination activities will be carried out.

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project objective to promote the idea of democratisation of society, democratic participation of citizens in the process of administrative reform and decision making at the level of local governments. It has a strong research component.
The project was kicked off with a press conference attended by representatives of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council – deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Mher Kuyumchan, Head of the development of local government and decentralisation department of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Olexiy Tishkin. Delegate of the Local Democracy Agency in Dnipropetrovsk region (LDA) Kirill Batalov presented the activities of the LDA, as well as the activities and purposes of NED. Project Manager, Sergiy Ivanchenko, announced the Action Plan and the mission of the project and presented the main objectives for which the activities of the project are directed. The public expressed strong support to the project, and so did the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council.

The project is led by the LDA of the Dnipropetrovks Region with the financial assistance of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and runs from May 2016 to April 2017.

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

This project aims to contribute to conflict prevention through organisation of public awareness activities with high schools around the geopolitical reasoning behind the First World War, the British contribution to First World War battles in the Republic of Macedonia, and the lessons learned from this conflict.
This project will give an opportunity for youth to explore conflict through educational activities and research on the topic of the First World War. Series of events will showcase the contribution of several countries First World War effort, and raise awareness on the importance of peacekeeping and conflict prevention through Remembrance of the First World War.
30 high school students will participate in the project activities and will learn about this topic through research on the field, non-formal interactive educational activities and video and photographic materials. The students will work on group projects: a photo collage/ info graphic on the field in Dojran about the “Consequences of the First World War and how to use them in order to raise awareness on conflict-prevention”. The group works will be presented through an exhibition on the closing event.

The project is coordinated by ALDA Skopje and experts in the field of History, Youth and reconciliation, Archaeology and Photography.

OBJECTIVES

To contribute to conflict prevention trough organisation of public awareness activities in high schools about the geopolitical reasoning behind the WW1, the British contribution to WW1 battles in North Macedonia, and the lessons learned from this conflict.

ACTIVITIES

  • Exploring the First World War battlefield in Dojran;
  • Interactive workshops around video and photographic materials on the topic of the First World War;
  • Students group projects: creating a photo collage/ info graphic on the field in Dojran and an interactive map of events;
  • Final event: Exhibition of photo collage
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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

“PALE.DE.” is a project of technical assistance and international partnership funded by the Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region and focused to the improvement of the institutional capabilities for having access to European Union Instrument Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) funds. The project aims to transform the Info Point in Kavadarci into a real and vivid youth aggregation centre of active participation effectively integrated into the local reality. The Info point is opened with the purpose for youth to learn more about the instrument of democratic participation represented by the Social Observatory of Casale della Delizia, that two Macedonian professionals in the youth work field visited last January.

The relationship between the partners has been initiated thanks to the European project “W.O. SO. COOP” (Work on Social Cooperation) funded by the Agenzia Nazionale Giovani to the Consorzio Leonardo under the Erasmus Plus Programme. “W.O.SO. COOP.” also provided the framework for the visit to Casarsa that took place last January, which involved 36 professionals in the youth work field coming from 15 European countries and, among them, the representatives of ALDA and of the Macedonian Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA.

OBJECTIVES

  • To promote democratic participation and inter-ethnic dialogue;
  • To set up a youth aggregation centre;
  • To strengthen Casarsa’s international networks of cooperation and to reinforce the “Social Observatory”.

ACTIVITIES

  • Activation of a Control Room together with the project partners;
  • Opening of an Info Point for young people in Kavadarci;
  • Management of the Kavadarci Info Point for young people on issues related to jobs, school, education and training, free time management, European youth programmes;
  • Meetings to present the participatory model of Casarsa’s Social Observatory (direct meetings when missions take place or through videoconferences, Skype, social networks, etc.);
  • Participation at the seminar in Skopje with the partners from Casarsa and visit to the Kavadarci youth Info Point;
  • Participation at laboratories on active citizenship, volunteering, cooperation and different modes of cooperation, citizens’ rights and duties, with a particular focus on minors and young people);
  • Participation at the seminar in Casarsa with partners from Macedonia and visit to Progetto Giovani in Casarsa;
  • Shooting of videos and creation of other informative materials;
  • Training of two operators for the management of the Kavadarci youth Info Point;
  • Final conference in Casarsa.

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DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The two-day international Seminar WELCOMING focused on migration management, will gather 27 partners from 11 countries in Skopje, Macedonia. This project aims at sharing best practices and exchanging know how with multipliers in the area of migration management, with a special emphasis on towns and villages in the Western Balkans and in Central Europe.
Experts in the migration field observed insufficient amount of information, knowledge and practice in migration management especially at local level. To tackle this issue, it is necessary to extend human and financial resources, and to develop precise skills in the area of intercultural communication, management of human and other resources. Therefore, this Seminar proposes a comprehensive approach through key methods of coordination, good practice sharing and intercultural education.
Participants will be representatives of municipalities, local associations, CSOs, police officers, officers in charge for reception and registration of migrants and other relevant structures coming from all around Europe, but especially from Western Balkans and Central Europe. The seminar will be led by professionals in the area of humanitarian relief, cultural mediation, local governance and active citizenship.

This project is co-financed by the Central European Initiative (CEI), the financial assistance of EU, the DecentraliSed cooperation Normandy – Macedonia and the International Institute for human rights and peace in Caen.

ACTIVITIES

1 – International Seminar in Skopje during two days
Experts and key note speakers will be addressing 5 key areas:

  • Migration management – migrants’ reception arrangements, addressing the needs of vulnerable groups;
  • Local policies managing diversity – potential migration-related risks mitigation;
  • Immigration as an opportunity for local development creating socially inclusive environment, promoting effective intercultural communication and integration programmes through pro-active local leadership and resources-oriented approach;
  • Creating socially inclusive environment as a tool to prevent tension and xenophobia: the role of citizens and media
  • Networking component: partnership for inclusive and resilient communities.

2 – Follow up phase
The conclusions and recommendations developed during the seminar will be promoted and put into practice in all the targeted countries by each partner of the project.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

On 1st and 2nd of December 2022 partners of CAMELOT project gathered in Stuttgart for the last event of the program. The 2 days event included presentations of Stuttgart Region and of the international relations department of Stuttgart municipality, a field visit of one of Stuttgart Region flagship initiatives, and a conference on citizens participation in local and metropolitan governance. 

After a journey of very fruitful exchanges, partners had the chance to review and discuss their respective experience while implementing the project and exploring the possibilities to further strengthen citizens’ participation in Metropolitan areas. 

The example provided by the Stuttgart 21 project was particularly inspiring. This project, which was initiated in 1994, allowed project partners to learn how a major mobility project should take into account citizens. 

Stuttgart 21 is a railway and urban development project in Stuttgart, Germany. It is a part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway and the Main Line for Europe (Paris—Vienna) within the framework of the Trans-European Networks. Its core is a renewed Stuttgart train station. It was officially announced in April 1994, with construction works starting in February 2010 and a delivery expected for 2025. With a total cost officially estimated at €9.15 billion, it created intense debates and citizens’ opposition on a broad range of issues, including the relative costs and benefits, geological and environmental concerns, as well as performance issues. 

The field visit took CAMELOT project partners through 30 years of history of Stuttgart urban development and political life.

 Along with the discovery of an impressive architectural prowess, this visit with CAMELOT brought a frank exchange on challenges and opportunities linked to structural projects that are at the core of metropolitan areas responsibilities. 

The conference that took place on 2nd December gathered Fabienne Keller, Quaestor and Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the Urban Intergroup, Dr. Alexandra Zoller, Head of Department for EU Politics, State Representation in Brussels and cross-border cooperation, State Ministry Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Bernd Vöhringer, Lord Mayor, City of Sindelfingen, President of the local chamber of the Congress of the Council of Europe and Xavi Tiana, Head of Department for International Relations, Barcelona Metropolitan Area. 

They discussed the importance of the role of cities in connecting European citizens to the institutions of the European Union. Fabienne Keller reminded that the EU started with an economic project and grew to address the most pressing challenges. She mentioned the Health Strategy developed after the COVID crisis, but also the Cohesion policy (ERDF) that was designed to support both infrastructure projects and exchange of good practices in city networks. 

Reminding that in the 21st century we cannot develop policies without involving citizens, as they play a big part in the success of these policies, Ms Keller expressed her admiration for the CAMELOT project (funded by Europe for Citizens), as it has been instrumental in developing the use of participatory processes in strategic planning.

For the Vice-President of the interurban group, the local level is essential; it is the level where citizens can feel that they are heard. But it is complicated as EU policy goes through the central state level. We also have to explain better how to take advantage of EU fundings. 

A Representative from Baden Württemberg agreed and emphasized that regional and local levels are the place to work with civil society in order to gain more resilience. 

Bernd Vörhinger stressed that the local level is always at the front line. To illustrate his purpose, he referred to COVID and to the impact of the war in Ukraine. He also underlined the importance of local governments for peace and stability. 

After this inspirational exchange, CAMELOT partners presented their good practices in terms of citizens engagement and urban development. 

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DOCUMENTS

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Despite its end, thanks to the results produced (and available for free on the project website) PIECE project still has the potential to impact not only existing community workers and communities, but also to help people create community spaces and activities.

Yet, how partners have been able to achieve this result? Let’s see the latest step undertaken

On September 16th, 2022, the PIECE’s partners have met in Seville for the Final Transnational Meeting. On this occasion, the consortium had the change to discuss the development of the project’s activities and results, exchanging views on the situation in their respective home countries and talking together about the finalisation of intellectual outputs. This event has set the tone for the finalization of the activities and the end the project in the most positive way.

Hence, during the final two months all the partners have been busy in the organization of multiplier events, piloting actions and dissemination activities. Moreover, in this last period all the Intellectual Outputs (IOs) have been completed and translated in all partners’ languages.

“Not just a project: thanks to PIECE I have been able to exchange with other community workers from other countries, thus improving my skills”

Many great achievements have been accomplished. The people who took part in the project and benefited from the IOs of the project not only have improved their skills and employability; but also they have fostered the latter as well the degree social inclusion of the people they have trained. Furthermore, the project provoked a positive spillover effect, involving participants into activities and networking moments, thus creating a virtuous circle of empowerment. “Not just a project: thanks to PIECE I have been able to exchange with other community workers from other countries, thus improving my skills” said a participant at the end of a training.

Overall, partners are proud of the achievements, and glad to have shared with many people knowledge, best practices and questions related to the world of community workers, promotion of active and constructive dialogue on the challenges of community life and local engagement.

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DOCUMENTS

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After more than two years of hard work, the SMELT project – Skilling Marginalised people to Enter the Labour markeT – is coming to an end. 

The SMELT project is financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and it aims at facing the paradox of business sectors experiencing workforce shortage and the high number of vulnerable people unemployed, by supporting marginalised people in acquiring and developing key competencies strategical for the labour market. During this event, organised by Cooperativa Samarcanda Onlus, leader of the project, you will discover more about the project itself and its results, among which: 

  • The ‘Easy Handbook’ –  a manual containing practical guidelines for the social and labour market inclusion of vulnerable people. It is aimed at social workers, educators, youth workers and other professionals involved in promoting the employability of NEET, migrants, refugees and more; 
  • The ‘Training Manual’ –  a manual for the implementation of a vocational training course for welders, aimed at vulnerable people;
  • Various projects to support the so-called ‘people on the move’, those people who are living in refugee camps or in situations of severe precariousness and poverty.

Join the Closing Event of the SMELT project!

When? The Closing Event will take place on January 16, 2023, from 2pm to 4pm, within the framework of the SMELT Transnational Partners Meeting. 

Where? Megahub, Fablab e coworking  – Via Paraiso 60, Schio (VI), Italy.

The event is addressed to policy entrepreneurs, social workers and VET institutions. 

If you want to participate, send an email to: smelt@samarcandaonlus.it.