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After almost 3 years of hard work, the partners of GEM IN “ Game to EMbrace INtercultural education” – finally had the opportunity to gather together for the Final Conference of the project, which took place on May 5, 2022, in Strasbourg.

During this event, the partners underlined how GEM IN exceeded the purpose of providing operational policy recommendations in the field of education and training by fostering social inclusion, cross-cultural dialogue and active citizenship and by creating a space in the field of education where formality and informality go hand in hand.

In a period where education experienced a moment of closure, GEM IN created an educational community to share culture and promote critical thinking.

As a demonstration of this, the partners presented to the attendees the GEM IN game, a colorful pedagogical kit aimed at teachers/educators as much as youngsters, containing several questions on different topics, such as technology, Europe and social values. The aim of the game was to create an environment where knowledge could be built and accepted, and where the main goal “was not to know the answer, but to be open to understand the answer” as stated by Giovanni Barbieri, project manager at CESIE and coordinator of GEM IN.

GEM IN created an educational community to share culture and promote critical thinking

The conference continued with a presentation of partners’ experiences when conducting the pilots in their own country. They highlighted how during this phase, the sharing of ideas and the exchange of feedback among partners was constant and constructive, giving life to a whole community. This session was followed by a panel discussion on the benefits of the method “learning by playing”.

The event ended in a very emotional way, with the hope that the GEM IN game and its community will continue to live beyond the boundaries of the project.

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The project aims to promote, on the one hand, a greater citizen participation in local governance and a sustainable urban development. On the other, it fosters soft mobility especially by encouraging biking, in both Tunisian cities of Kairouan and Mahdia. Hence the project intent to improve their economic and tourist attractiveness as well as the daily lives of their citizens.

AT A GLANCE

The project addresses the challenges of sustainable urban mobility and planning in the Tunisian cities of Kairouan and Mahdia. To do so, the project works along the following main areas: capacity building by providing municipalities of both cities with training in the field of local governance; public space design and planning through several micro-projects (7 in Kairouan and 3 in Mahdia) to renovate and better develop both cities; mobilization and awareness-raising activities among citizens to help engage them in their city.

OBJECTIVES

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Citizens engagement, Environment & climate, Territorial & local development

RELATED NEWS

A biking revolution is on the way in Tunisia!

Kairouan – first bicycle parade of the project AUTREMENT

LDA Tunisia hosts the Multiplier Event, international workshop on environmental good practices

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The first week of May 2022 was the chance for EPIC partners to meet again, share their experience and their progresses on the project and participate in a side event on the Russian war to Ukraine.

On the 5^th of May, EPIC partners gathered in Strasbourg for the 7^th Steering committee of the project. The Steering committee (SC) was organised at the same time of the Strasbourg summit, a summit which anticipates the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) where NGOs, CSOs and citizens had the chance to share their expectations on the future of the EU.

During the steering committee partners discussed on the achievements of the project and on the future goals

The Steering committee of the EPIC project was a great chance for partners to meet again after 2 years of online meetings and events, however it was a hybrid event to allow everyone to participate. During the SC, partners discussed on the achievements of the project and on the future goals. Everyone shares their experience on how they are implementing the pilot projects and on how they will divulgate it to the local community, listening carefully to other partners’ opinions. Moreover, during the event partners discussed together on the strategies for the next activities and on how to advocate for more inclusive EU policies.

Eventually, the following day, within the framework of the ALDA General Assembly, the EPIC project, ALDA and the Young European Federalists (JEF) presented an event called “Solidarity with Ukraine: Testimonies of the war”, in which panelists talked about the current situation in Ukraine. Among them: Andriy Sadovi, the Mayor of Lviv, Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, and Marta Siciarek, representing the Gdansk metropolitan region, as well as member of EPIC.

The event was very powerful and emotional, and a good occasion for almost one hundred participants to listen to direct experiences.

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The Headquarters of the Region Grand Est in Strasbourg hosted the Governing Board (GB) meeting on May 5, 2022. Right before the General Assembly, and the Strasbourg Summit, all the members of the Board gathered together in Alsace to discuss several key aspects within which ALDA is involved.

It comes without saying that considering both the location and the time being, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and the situation in Ukraine are at the core of this Governing Board meeting.

Specifically, concerning the CoFoE, the GB delivered a position on the CoFoE in relation to the Western Balkans, while the Association has been fully engaged in a multitude of ways; such as: promoting and sharing events on the multi language platform; animating the Working Groups within its network; and joining the Civil Society Convention on the CoFoE. Once again, the Governing Board reaffirmed the role of ALDA as a bridge between civil society and institutions, working for the best of Europe.

Considering both the location and the time being, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and the situation in Ukraine are at the core of this Governing Board meeting.

Nowadays, being engaged in European dynamics, being committed to promote democracy and good governance also means to keep supporting Ukrainian citizens in safeguarding their democracy and freedom. Hence, as already expressed in the previous meeting, here in Strasbourg the Board stressed its willingness to provide concrete support to Ukrainian people, friends and colleagues.

Two Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs) within the ALDA’s network, in fact, are based in Ukraine and are now facing terrible and unjust pain. In light of this, the Governing Board, together with the Secretary General, and other delegates from the LDAs have already started to join forces to further help people and colleagues in Mariupol and Dnipro.

Overall, the Governing Board in Strasbourg was essential in order to highlight the key steps that the Association will follow, always for the best of democracy and people’s freedoms

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As part of the PART-Y project, ALDA has created a Toolkit to Build a Communication Campaign for a Young and Inclusive Placemaking. It provides guidance but also examples and ready-to-use templates.

It contains :

A handbook explaining how to involve young people in placemaking actions, whether you are a young person or a municipality
A toolbox, where you can find all the practical tools to make your own communication campaign.

ALDA has created a Toolkit to Build a Communication Campaign for a Young and Inclusive Placemaking

The Toolkit has been developed on the basis of both desk research and questionnaires filled in by young people during local activities in Trieste and Koper.

In order to make it more inclusive, we also created a handbook adapted for people with cognitive or visual impairment.

The Toolkit is available for free here

Do not miss the next activities of the PART-Y project by following us on social media

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Are you a French youth association who is sensitive to raising awareness on the effects of climate change and understanding the links with migration? We are looking for you! Lead the change and participate in our call for proposals with your project idea!

The Climate of Change project – co-funded by the EU under the Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme (DEAR) and promoted by the italian NGO WeWorld-GVC together with 16 project partners in 13 countries, including ALDA – will support grass-root initiatives in the field of raising awareness on youth role in fighting climate change and involve smaller youth organizations based in France interested in joining the action but lacking the necessary means to do so.

What is the main objective of the call of proposal?

The project will support actions developed by youth organisations in France committed in the field of environmental awareness raising, especially climate change induced migration, and targeting young people (15-35 years old).

What is the main objective of the call of proposal?

Any submitted proposal must be of max 5.000 EUR. Each applicant will benefit from a financing of 70% of the total of the action up to a maximum of 3.500 Eur. The remaining 30% of the action (a minimum of 1.500 Eur) will be provided by each applicant as co-funding. The financing and co-financing % always remain the same even if the overall cost of the proposed action is lower than 5.000 EUR. The general action carried out by the Applicant can be higher than 5.000 EUR, but in this case the remaining budget of the overall costs of the proposal will be covered with the Applicant’s own financial resources.

Subgranting call will be open until 12 June 2022

Which is the thematic focus?

Each proposed action needs to address the nexus between climate change and induced migration! Different types of activities can be eligible for the sub grant: communication activities, promotion and dissemination activities, awareness raising activities, training and learning-by-doing activities, art projects and initiatives, etc.

One activity will be compulsory which is the promotion of the Climate of Change petition in all organised activities by the applicant until the end of October 2022 (the end of the petition period).

Where can the project be implemented?

Activities must take place in France.

How to apply?

Read the full call for proposals to have more information about the call and how to apply! The call will be open from April 14th,2022 to June 12th ,2022.

Info: All the questions related to the present call for proposals and the participation modalities have to be addressed to the following email address: Célia C.

#ClimateOfChange!

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Call for proposals [UPDATED FRENCH]

Annex A – Application form

Annex B – Budget proposal

Annex C – Frequently asked questions

Annex D – Human economy report (English only)

Annex E – Campaign guide #ClimateOfChange (English only)

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Open government is a broad concept that involves multiple dimensions, and it is easily declined in a variety of definitions. The OECD defines it as “a culture of governance based on innovative and sustainable public policies and practices inspired by the principles of transparency, accountability, and participation that fosters democracy and inclusive growth”.

Generally speaking, new technologies and digital transformation are key aspects leading to open government, boosting data and information availability, while fostering new ways of shared decision making. In light of this, the AVATAR Project, a partnership between 12 medium and small size towns committed to open government, has been established to promote the culture of open-data and spread the use of digital public services among citizens. By overcoming the traditional administrative boundaries, the 24 month project has seen an intense collaboration among each municipality acting as a “smart community” aimed at fostering the digital culture for citizens, firms and civil society

Register to the international event: “Open Government and smart communities ” on 24-27 May in Schio (Italy)

ALDA, through its operative branch ALDA+ has participated in AVATAR organizing more than 100 events in the target area and coordinating the project in collaboration with local authorities, civil society organization and a variety of stakeholders from different sectors: school and education, ICT firms, and informal group of citizens.

Now it is time to bring AVATAR on another level: join the international event on 24-27 May in Schio (Italy), to learn, to share experiences and practices, hopefully leading to greater coordination and harmonization of activities and practices, while benefitting not only the implementation of the project per se, but also the involvement of citizens of small and medium sized cities.

Hence, partners think that AVATAR will gain great value with the contribution and commitment of EU

actors who believe in the powerful opportunity of digitalization as a mean to:

improve, reinforce and enlarge participation in local self-government;
promote a consistent, transparent and efficient relationship between citizens, civil society organization, local stakeholders and public administrations, according to the Council of Europe 12 principles of Good Governance.

Take a look at the 3-day agenda

Discover the International Conference’s agenda

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On 13th April, EPIC partners and external actors gathered together for the 3rd EPIC webinar “From emergency reception to an inclusive and sustainable response: the narrative of a human-based system to welcome refugees from Ukraine”. During the webinar, participants listened and talked to activists in a safe space, discussing the impact of harmful narratives and on the need for a sustainable reception.

Kateryna Rusetska, artist and activist from Dnipro, who works closely with our EPIC partner Kitev, talked about the importance of using the right word when discussing the current Ukrainian circumstances. Hence, she stressed the importance of calling this situation as what is is: As she said: “it’s not a conflict, it’s not Putin’s war, it is a real war”. She emotionally continued by expressing Ukrainians’ pain and suffering, alongside with anger.

Furthermore, Yulia Krichiv, Ukrainian activist living in Poland, focused as well on the choice of the right vocabulary. This war, she said, it’s an “imperial and colonial war”, as happened, she continued, to the so-called “post-soviet countries [that] are actually post-colonial countries”.

“We lack a narrative to feel powerful in peaceful times” – Hania Hakiel

Hania Hakiel, psychotherapist and supervisor working in the field of refugee trauma, closed the panelist round. According to her, we lack a narrative to feel powerful in peaceful times, thus we talk about refugees only through an emergency narrative. Furthermore, she analysed the psychological attitude of people helping refugees, and how they expected refugees to always be grateful, without realising that by so doing, an unbalanced bond among people may be created.

After the guests’ speeches, EPIC partners intervened explaining how they are managing the arrival of new comers, how states and institutions are lacking of cooperation and mutual support, thus leaving the management to private and no-profit organisations. In addition, they reflected on how Ukrainians have been promised to reach western Europe and easily access the labour market, while finding accommodations, and on how all this narrative became problematic to help them settling in a new country. Having that in mind, EPIC partners are constantly working to ensure that Ukrainians feel safe and have access to essential public services, but in order to do so, the right narrative is needed.

The webinar ended with a Q&A from the audience and from partners, while, as agreed, there was no conclusion on the matter, as it is impossible to have it at this moment. Nonetheless, this webinar further illustrated the importance of considering a more human-based system when it comes to welcoming refugees.

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Last month (March 2022) marked the conclusion of the TEAM4TEAM program supported by MitOst within the framework of the Civil Society Exchange Partnership Program 2020-2022. This program, implemented by ALDA and its Turkish partner MEDAR – Media Research Association aimed to foster a democratic discourse, to strengthen the capacity of grassroots media actors to function as drivers of democracy and to empower civil society in being actively engaged in public affairs and expressing/reporting their views.

To this end, 12 Turkish and European civil society organizations were selected to benefit from a series of training sessions on key topics that would allow them to strengthen their operating methods and learn from each other, as well as from a funding opportunity enabling each beneficiary organization to pair up with a European or Turkish counterpart to exchange best practices.

During this past year, the program has allowed a real bridging and bonding of these beneficiaries, who have worked together on topics such as fundraising for media and democracy projects, good governance, news verification, digital security, digitization, social media and third-party tools, data analysis and media, with the support of ALDA and MEDAR, and developed bilateral exchanges on this basis, resulting in the creation of a real community of mutual support and the development of new local practices while promoting EU-Turkish international cooperation.

Creation of a real community of mutual support and the development of new local practices while promoting EU-Turkish international cooperation

This community has finally been able to gather in person at the conclusion of the TEAM4TEAM programme in March 2022, with the last activity of the scheme: a Spring School which consisted of a week of face-to-face sessions to share new tools and experiences from the programme and was held with the support of the Erasmus+ programme through Youth News project. The Spring School brought together all the beneficiaries in Tarragona, Spain, as well as other international and local expert stakeholders, and was intended to be as interactive as possible. Keeping the focus on the previously addressed programme themes, the offline approach allowed for numerous games and simulations to further explore the topics in an engaging and innovative way.

On the agenda of the week were: games on local governance such as Electionville where participants had to set up their political party and confront others through the course of the political process through the guidance of Fabel, the game’s founding organization, the design of communication campaigns for participants to put themselves in the shoes of citizen journalists through workshops provided by MEDAR, the discovery of digital tools for participatory democracy such as the presentation of the Decidim platform developed by Platoniq in Barcelona, and citizen consultation simulations facilitated by ALDA where one had to play the role of either an elected official, a local lobby, an association or a citizen and debate a project at the local level.

Besides that, numerous intercommunity games were held, as well as the presentation of the exchange projects carried out bilaterally by the beneficiaries, and study visits to Tarragona, making this week extremely rich in exchanges and allowing the beneficiaries to get acquainted with new tools but also to finalize their action plans to build common ground for their future collaborations, one of the final objectives of the TEAM4TEAM programme.

If the expected results of the program are evaluated by the partners as more than fulfilled, this last week has had much higher results than expected in terms of networking, since a real community of mutual aid has emerged from this event. Great to have been part of this project on Turkish-European civil society!

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The project P-CUBE – Playing Public Policy is an educational digital game aimed at teaching students, professionals and public officials how decisions are taken in the public sphere by covering the individual elements of the policy making process.

The purpose of P-CUBE is to unveil the complexity of public policy making by teaching the players the elements that policy entrepreneurs must take into consideration in their planning, and the ways in which they can try to alter these elements in order to introduce the desired innovation.

The educational digital game includes 30 different missions in 4 domains, namely urban innovation, social inclusion, science & public policy and EU decision making.

The P-CUBE project is an educational digital game aimed at teaching the theory and practice of public policy!

The players are confronted with real life situations and by playing they develop the strategic thinking that is needed for accomplishing their mission, which is a successful change in policy. By the end of the game they learn how to shape public policy by successfully navigating the maze of complex decision-making processes.

So, are you ready to play public policy?!

Then, become one of the pilot communities that will test the digital game! Contact us at pcube@aldaintranet.org

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Useful links:

Follow the project on Linkedin and Twitter to get all updates

Subscribe to the P-CUBE newsletter to receive all the latest news on the project and the game!

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PERCEPTIONS project partners, the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection’s Center for Security Studies (KEMEA), Caritas Cyprus and the Cyprus-based technology company ADITESS, organised at the the beginning of this year a dedicated event entitled: ’Locked Out of Lockdown’: COVID-19 and Its Effects on Migration Narratives, Migrant Realities and Institutional Responses.

The event focused on the effects that the health crises had on people in movement towards Europe. Hence, what kind of challenges did migrants have to face in order to integrate into European societies?

‘Locked Out of Lockdown’: COVID-19 and Its Effects on Migration Narratives, Migrant Realities and Institutional Responses

Possible answers were discussed during the roundtable, paying special attention to the impact the pandemic has had on the perceptions that shape migration patterns, on the realities migrants faced during a public health emergency and the ways service-providers and first-line practitioners adapted their activities.

Overall, this event was part of the ongoing PERCEPTIONS Research and Innovation Project coordinated by SYNYO GmbH and funded by the European Commission under a Horizon 2020 grant.

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More information on Perception Website
[Video credits: Percpetion Project]

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The inclusive show entitled “Theatre for everyone”, organized by the LDA Tunisia took place on 30th March 2022, in the cultural center Chebika- Kairouan within the project “Je Repars de Toi”: Community-based Rehabilitation and Inclusive Social Theatre.

The programme of the show was rich in terms of performances and content: starting with Tunisian national anthem in the language of signs, moving then to a mime play, a play of fantasy, a song, and an inclusive rhythmic dance. The audience loved every bit of the show thanks to its smooth and vivacious performances.

The 33 performers, aged between 10 to 30 years old, belong to 3 different centers for rehabilitation and specialized education for people with disabilities:

Association Générale des Insuffisants Moteurs de (AGIM Kairouan)
Union Tunisienne d’Aide aux Insuffisants Mentaux (UTAIM Kairouan)
Association de Soutien Aux déficients auditifs (ASDA Kairouan)

Among them, there were also 4 participants without disabilities and enrolled in the public center for defense and social integration (CDIS)

The inclusive show entitled “Theatre for everyone”, organized by the LDA Tunisia took place on 30th March 2022, in the cultural center Chebika- Kairouan

The festival, held for the second year, results from 3 workshops for children with disabilities established in the aforementioned centers in October 2020. During the sessions, the participants received regular training that aimed to contribute to their inclusion in the society, to reinforce their capacities, while empowering their personalities. Indeed, the show echoed the success of these activities, showing the ability of the participants to move smoothly on stage and performing autonomously.

Generally speaking, the core of social theater is to create an environment of coexistence, tolerance, and acceptance within the community. Theater is for everyone: each of us is welcomed to join the training activities. The latter are adaptable and flexible according to the capacities of the participants. This concept has been turned into reality in the “Theatre for everyone” show. In addition, the audience was amazed by the skilled and dedicated performers who brought so much enthusiasm and passion to the scene, everything well presented also thanks to decoration, accessories, music and sound effects which were designed and selected with much care and attention.

Moreover, in the framework of the same project “Je Repars de Toi” financed by AICs and implemented with the collaboration of the LDA Tunisia, COPE Italy and associations of rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Furthermore, in light of a new collaboration children with disabilities from Italy will be able to visit Kairouan, joining the theater workshops, and prepare another inclusive show by the end of May, performed by Italian and Tunisian participants.

Finally, this great result was achieved thanks to the constant mobilization of the community and the contribution of different partners. Parents of people with disabilities, children, children and people with disabilities, representatives of local authorities, public and private administrations, and civil society organizations were among the audience. By the end of the show, the LDA Tunisia was approached by potential partners who encouraged the agency and provided promising ideas and recommendations for new collaborations.

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Mobilizing its network to provide greater support to Ukrainian colleagues and people. Knowing ALDA’s members’ actions to work together for one single aim: peace. This is why ALDA is glad to share “Youth4Ukraine” initiative, promoted by its member DYPALL Network

Located in Portugal, DYPALL is willing to promote youth participation at local level. Thus, the reason behind its action: gathering voices and thoughts of young people from all over Europe on the current situation in Ukraine. Overall, the action is aimed at make stakeholders and “people in power” aware of young people perspectives on this.

“Youth4Ukraine” gathers voices and thoughts of young people from all over Europe on the current situation in Ukraine

By launching this social media campaign, the Portuguese Network is inviting everyone, especially teens and youngsters to follow the Youth4Ukraine IG profile and:

Share their opinion in a video of a maximum of 1-minute (English or in your native language). Upload it on TikTok, Instagram or Twitter under #youth4Ukraine or send it directly to @Youth4Ukraine Instagram profile or
Send us a message with their name, age, country and a short message they want to share.

ALDA supports positive actions of its network to support the ongoing war. The Association is constantly in touch with colleagues and friends in the Country. #ALDAforUkraine

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Useful info:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youth4ukraine/

Email: youth4europe@dypall.com

Website: https://dypall.com/youth4ukraine

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As mentioned in our previous article, ALDA joined the “The Nature of Cities” (TNOC) Festival as partner of the 2022 edition.

Focusing on several transdisciplinary issues, be they environment or social justice; TNOC animated 3 days of Festival all over the world with countless events. Benefiting from the expertise of the Association, and the achievements reached through its projects, ALDA actively participated to TNOC with four different initiatives, namely: “Life BEWARE”, “Life FALKON”, “CAP-PERI” and “Climate of Change”.

Starting with “Life BEWARE”, the project joined the festival with two sessions dedicated to climate resilience and cities, namely: “Re-shaping cities – how urban areas can tackle climate change” and “Nature Based Solutions for a more resilient territory”. The former took place on March 29th from 16 to 17:30 CET.

The session focused on the topic of Cities’ resilience to Climate Change and, thanks to the contribution of four Life Projects projects, it highlighted various ways and best practices in which urban areas can successfully address this issue, in an innovative way. In addition, the involvement and collaboration of four Life Projects has been particularly relevant considering that this year is the 30th year anniversary of the Life Programme. What an occasion to deepen knowledge on the environment! Among the keynote speakers:

Giulio Pesenti – Life Beware; Valeria Fantini – ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy; Maria Rosaria Scoppettuolo and Valeria Guerrini – Gruppo CAP (LIFE METRO ADAPT project); Daniela Luise and Giovanni Vicentini from LIFE VENETO ADAPT –project and Andrea Paindelli, LIFE BAETULO project.

Scheduled on March 30th from 16:00 to 17:30, the second event, entitled “Nature Based Solutions for a more resilient territory – How can Municipalities better implement them?”, focused on promoting and encouraging the replicability of Nature Based Solutions. The workshop was held by Technicians and Professors of the Department of Territory and Agro-Forestal Systems (TESAF) of the University of Padua and was targeted to EU Municipalities. The goal of the workshop was to teach local administrators how to better implement these measures on their territories, starting from the experience and the best practices of the Life Beware Project. Several professionals joined, especially from the University of Padova Lucia Bortolini, Francesco Bettella, and Francesco Pagliacci were among the key experts at the event.

Focusing on several transdisciplinary issues, be they environment or biodiversity; TNOC animated 3 days of Festival all over the world with countless events

Moving on to “Life FALKON”, the events related to the projects tackled three main aspects, be thay: light pollution, urban development, human coexistence. Overall, the 2 LIFE FALKON workshop broadcasted within the Nature Cities Festival, aimed to raise awareness on the importance of planning more bird-friendly cities. More in detail, the first “WINGED CITIES 1 – Birds and the challenges of urban life, started at 11 AM on 30 March 2022. Participants listened to an overview of the challenges birds face in terms of coexistence within the urban environment especially in light of pollution and urbanization. Valuable information were provided thanks to the contributions of LIFE FALKON Coordinator Michelangelo Morganti from CNR-IRSA Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Juan Josè Negro from CSIC-EBD, Davide Dominoni from University of Glasgow, Dan Chamberlain from Turin University.

Moreover, the second “WINGED CITIES 2 – Practical issues for bird-friendly cities” revolved round the strategies and actions to actuate in order to foster a more bird-friendly. Some cases-study and best practices have been shared, starting from the conservation actions implemented by the life falkon project (focus on nesting boxes). As for the previous workshop, LIFE FALKON partners Roula Trigou and Nikos Tsiopelas from HOS/BirdLife – Hellenic Ornithological Society, Andrea Pirovano from Progetto Natura actively joined.

Shifting from fauna and biodiversity to agriculture, the “CAP-PERI” Project, aiming to increase citizens knowledge about the CAP and sustainability, presented 10 different sessions: five sessions with experts and five virtual field trips. The seminar “Theater and urban regeneration: the Silent Play” showed a participatory creative process that engages the local communities and their relationship with the territory; while “Skills and competencies for sustainability in agriculture” provided a reflection on the use of social research methodology to increase competencies and skills in sustainability. In addition, “Learning Bubbles” focused on a methodological system aimed at re-establish the students’ access to teaching.

Furthermore, EU initiatives and participants’ experiences were discussed at the dedicated session entitled “Tips for a more sustainable student lifestyle”. Finally “Organic farming and the importance of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases” closed the sessions. All in all, the field trips were an opportunity to discover urban gardens in Palermo, Rome and Mesagne and the participatory activities carried out at the South Milan Agricultural Park and in the periurban area of Carpaneda in Vicenza.

Finally, ALDA shared with participants the results of “Climate of Change” project, focusing on and the commitment to the environmental, and migration issues, while stressing the need of a coherent and unite action, as expressed in the micro-talks and a documentary projected, containing, among others, all the information about the project, the campaign and the petition.

In addition, interactive presentations on the project and two virtual visits to green spaces in Strasbourg and Brussels were presented, highlighting the importance of the connection among human beings and environment, with special emphasis on the importance of small and local actions.

Overall, this festival was an opportunity to share and deepen some of the central themes of ALDA’s projects, while allowing participants to explore a more sustainable type of urban planning; protect biodiversity, while fostering a new attitude as far as agriculture concerns. development of urban areas for a better environment!

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“Bored of Borders”: ACHIEVE (Awareness of Common History for Identifying and Extending the Values of Europe) project final event took place from the 4th to the 5th of April in Vicenza, Italy. Organised by Istituto Rezzara, the meeting was held in a hybrid mode allowing all the partners, 14 from 13 different countries, to join the event.

Councillor Francesco Faresin from Breganze Municipality, leader of the project, gave his opening speech, welcoming the partners to the event. The latter, after having discussed the financial reporting on the project, presented the last Local Path done by each organisation, together with the results achieved and the future objectives.

As stated by the partners, the activities carried out during the project have been an opportunity to increase awareness on the European identity, observe and evaluate people’s behaviour toward Euroscepticism, and provide the tools to fight its wide spread.

Moreover, in the afternoon a public event was held with the project presentation followed by each partner’s insight into their activities, values, and purposes. Then, Global Citizenship Map, launched by ALDA, collected all the materials (photos, videos, articles) related to the projects, recording all the the activities implemented .

“Bored of Borders”: an opportunity to confront and exchange ideas and perspectives

The first day of event ended with the workshop, entitled “Movement of people. Borders crossing in light of the recent crisis”. Specifically, the seminar focused on migration and Euroscepticism, it was coordinated by Professor Giuseppe Franco Pesavento and counted with the presence of Professor Vittorio Pontello and Khrystyna Kvartsiana, Programmes Development Officer of ALDA, that presented their reflections on the current crisis.

Hence, the workshop was a considerable opportunity to confront and exchange ideas and perspectives on the current Russian attack in Ukraine. It was especially meaningful given the fact that the participants belonged to different countries, some members of Europe and some neighbours. Khrystyna Kvartsiana shared her insights not only from her professional expertise, but also from her personal experience as an Ukranian citizen.

The second day focused on the project evaluation. The partners shared their points of view on the project’s development and its strongest and weakest aspects.

The day concluded with a visit to Vicenza city centre, the partners had an excellent guide,Silvia De Mori, from Istituto Rezzara, that shared with enthusiasm her knowledge on art history.

Finally, ALDA would like to thank Istituto Rezzara for the welcoming hospitality

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