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“I don’t want young people to change country,
I want young people to change the country.”
(Rinaldo Sidoli)

ARC Research Centre of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, Alliance for Social Generativity, with the support of Fondazione Cattolica are looking for 50 young leaders to share ideas and energies and become the real engine of our country, through Social Generativity.

On 30 September in Vicenza, participate in 50xcento, a free training and activation experience on the theme of Social Generativity, a new paradigm for the development of a territory and its community, aimed at a heterogeneous group of 50 young people from the Vicenza area.


But what is Social Generativity?

Social generativity is a new way of thinking and acting, both personal and collective, which describes the possibility of a type of socially oriented, creative, connective, productive and responsible action, capable of having a positive impact on the forms of producing, innovating, living, caring, organising and investing, by injecting new life.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE – who are the young contribution leaders

50 young people aged 20 to 40 years, resident and/or domiciled in the territory of Vicenza and its Province, who wish to take up the challenge of the “50xcento” and share the logic of contribution, to be active protagonists of a new season of development, local and national, with people at the centre, starting from the spaces and opportunities for growth offered and present in the territory of Vicenza.

Together to be the real engine of Italian development, through Social Generativity

HOW – Learning by doing: theory at the service of practice.

Overall, the 50xcento day can be thought of as an articulated collective performance, which begins with a traditional conference setting and evolves progressively, in a crescendo.

Through the use of different and integrated languages, making the most of the performative aspects in the group work, the participants will be presented with the theme and the pillars of Social Generativity and proposed a performative action:

1st Pillar – Desire: Reflection and dialogue on the following questions: What is blocking the future today? What prevents us from looking beyond? What inhibits desire in my area?

2nd Pillar – Bringing into the world: constructing and generating elements that are considered to be positive for one’s own city, future and society  

3rd Pillar – Taking care: having lunch together to underline the importance of conviviality as a value for building sustainable and productive social dynamics.

4th Pillar – Letting go: the performative action to be carried out involves leaving the elements built in the second pillar in a point considered significant in one’s own territory, and taking a photo.

At the end of the training day, the young participants in the 50xcento will have the opportunity to participate in the presentation of the European project CAP- PERI (CAP – Peer Education Resources in Italy), co-funded by the European Union Programme IMCAP, in which the following organisations participate ALDA – Association of Local Democracy Agencies (Vicenza), IRS – Institute for Social Research (Milan), Replay Network (Rome), ISBEM – Euro Mediterranean Biomedical Scientific Institute (Mesagne) and CESIE – European Centre of Studies and Initiatives (Palermo).

Join the free training! Fill in the form

SKILLS AND SKILLS – The 50xcento for my growth

Through this initiative, participants will acquire various soft skills that will enable them to generate and seize opportunities for development and change in their local contexts and become cultural promoters around social generativity, initiating supra-local relations and networks of exchange of reflections and generative practices with other territories.

Participation in the CAP-PERI conference offers a concrete example of the development of a project idea and also provides an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with experienced organisations and to draw inspiration, stimuli and ideas.

REGISTRATION FORM AND DEADLINE

To join the free training please fill in the form

Deadline to apply: 20 SEPTEMBER 2021

INFORMATION

Membership of the event is free of charge, there is no cost to participate.
Lunch is included.
Timetable: 9.00 – 18.00
Venue: ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy – Viale Milano 36 – Vicenza

Contact: Nadia Di Iulio (ALDA) nadia@alda-europe.eu  or (+39) 324 6257381

***

50Xcento is promoted by ARC, the Research Centre of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, and by the Alliance for Social Generativity, a constantly expanding national project born from a movement developed within ARC, which brings together different organisations, especially enterprises, promoting generative culture in the country.
50xcento is sponsored by Fondazione Cattolica

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Recently ALDA colleagues, Giulia and Lea from Middle East and Africa Department joined the DEVOTE meeting in Zonguldak, Turkey. Yet, what was it about?

Teams from the 6 partner organizations attended a hybrid transnational meeting on September 15th and 16th in Zonguldak, Turkey and through the Zoom platform online. It was the occasion to finally meet in person, but also to discuss the progress made after one year of project’s implementation and to talk about the future steps to be taken.

Zonguldak was the occasion to finally meet in person, but also to discuss the progress made

What we achieved so far:

  • The publication of our report of primary research and literature review outlining the current situation of the integration of students with migrant backgrounds into schools.

The very next step:

  • The publication of the Educational content translated in all 6 languages of our partner organizations – coming soon

DEVOTE – Developing the Competencies of Teachers to Integrate Students from Migrant Background into European Schools, is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and implemented by a consortium of 6 organizations from France, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece, Italy and Belgium.

The aim of the project? Equipping teachers and educators with skills and tools to strengthen the inclusion of students with migrant backgrounds and to improve their success in education.

With great enthusiasm, the DEVOTE project is making great steps forward, and this meeting Zonguldak, Turkey, encouraged once more partners and people involved in keeping on with this initiative, supporting students and teachers in Europe and beyond!

***

Check DEVOTE’s website, subscribe to its newsletter and follow the project on social medias if you want to know more:

Facebook account

LinkedIn profile 

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ALDA colleague Morgane Egerton has been participating in the event “European Meetings on Participation – Inventing together the democracy of tomorrow”

The five day event, which took place all over the city of Amiens (France) for the first three days and held online for the last two, was a sizable gathering of many different people. Every day was filled with various activities, like workshops, tours and talks, that functioned as learning experiences as well as moments to socialise and network, all in the name of citizen participation. Participants were encouraged to choose from an array of possibilities to fill their day with as many informative and constructive opportunities as they wished.

In Amiens, inventing together the democracy of tomorrow

The main focus that brought everyone together was the one sentence at the heart of the event  «Imaginer ensemble la démocratie de demain».

During the three days of in-person debates on citizen participation, many speakers – coming from different structures – were able to share their ideas, opinions on different topics linked to the main focus, and thus provided an opportunity for all participants to reflect on their own practices, learn and share new and more effective ones and then bring that knowledge home.

Thanks to Morgane’s participation in this event, ALDA is certain that learning about this amazing experience from her will be greatly beneficial to our cause and future plans concerning citizen participation.

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The city of Ravenna recently celebrated the 700th anniversary of the death of the epic poet and father of the Italian Language, Dante Alighieri. With this major event passing by and in the occasion of the third transnational meeting, participants of the VALID project took the days of September 10-13 to visit the culturally monumental city and engage in various cultural exchanges and activities, alongside partners of the event presenting their own delegations of the project. Participants included representatives of partner municipalities, local authorities of Ravenna, youth and culture groups, NGOs, artists, and interested citizens.

Looking at the activities that those involved participated in, they had plenty of opportunities to exchange amongst one another experiences such as what their respective groups are involved in and do, and special attention was paid to the theatrical and artistic side of Ravenna. The delegations had the opportunity to hear about several initiatives that the Municipality of Ravenna supports.

The “Teatro delle Albe” theater group, which is a partner of the city, presented multiple performances done by the youth of Ravenna such as plays, and the final results of a Rap Lab. This all tied further into the topic of Dante and what he means to the people of Italy. The aim of the theater troupe is to promote the local culture and bring the people of Ravenna together, and they took the time to share how they have gone about that and helped further promote the local cultural abundance. Part of the program is delegated towards the inclusion of migrants through theater, in particular, a group from Senegal, and showing that despite our differences, we can all find a shared heritage to unite us.

The participants experienced the rich culture of Ravenna

The participants experienced the rich culture of Ravenna, and explored around the city, seeing the art, and major landmarks, many preserved for hundreds of years, such as the San Francesco Basilica. Functioning as both a library and a museum, the ancient site is a piece of history in the present and houses art related to Dante and the Divine Comedy.

As part of the celebration the Valid project partners took part in the traditional reading of the Devine Comedy in front of Dante’s tomb. Several event participants read part of the Divine Comedy to the Tomb in their respective languages, with the event being livestreamed. The spectators were able to hear the lines of the famous poem in Slovenian, Macedonian, Albanian, Bosnian and Italian. It is part of a daily happening in which anyone can sign up to read part of the Divine Comedy to the tomb, restarting on a yearly basis, as the city’s gift to Dante.

Now back at home, all delegations are organizing their own local paths and working with their communities after this event to identify various community art forms and facilitate their own dialogue and exchanges for phase 2 of this third transnational meeting.

***
The VALID project is a bottom-up level project centered around building a strong network of towns to foster intercultural exchange and encourage intercultural dialogue and active local participation. It takes place across a period of around 2 years and involves the organization of several international events across multiple countries, this being one of the major stops. Ravenna is a very culturally rich city, and all the partners involved were able to experience that firsthand.

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ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida will be among the keynote speakers at the Webinar “Public Administration as a Green Leader” that will take place on 23 September 2021, via Facebook Live.

In light of the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report the focus of governance should shift in order to reflect the needs of citizens concerned about climate change and its consequences. One way to do this is to “turn public administration green”. But what does that mean? “Turning public administration green means formulating a vision to be shared with and by the population and upholding a commitment to sacrifice short-term (economic) interests to ensure long-term sustainability.”

Turning public administration green means formulating a vision to be shared with and by the population

The webinar will also showcase best practices to make office buildings more environmentally sustainable, minimise the impacts of meetings and events, promote sustainable commuting and business travel etc.

It will be moderated by the Head of the Department of Democracy and Governance, Dan Popescu, and the other speakers are: 

  • Maja Marincek, Undersecretary, Public Procurement Directorate, Ministry of Public Administration, Slovenia;
  • Marion Rumpl, Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement at the Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany;
  • Gerhard Weiner, Head of the Service Center of the Sustainable Public Procurement Action Plan in Austria

ALDA is glad to be part of the event, and sharing its experience and knowledge with other international realities, together for a greener Europe and world!

***
Read more at the following link

Check ALDA’s calendar

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ALDA is pleased to announce that the next webinar in the ALDATalks series has been officially scheduled for September the 24th 2021, at 2 pm CEST.

The event is open exclusively to Members of ALDA, and it will be held online in English, with the possibility of French simultaneous translation.

The Conference for the Future of Europe (CoFoE)  represents a crucial occasion for the European Parliament, Council of Europe and European Commission to listen and collect citizens’ ideas and opinions on the future of the European Union. 

ALDA is organising various activities within the conference, which you are warmly invited to join, but this webinar specifically is a chance to share with members new tools and opportunities to understand how you and your organisation/s can contribute ideas, clarify any doubts and answer every question.

If you are a Member check your email and get the link to register!

Join ALDA’s active participation in the Conference and you too can give a meaningful contribution to the identification of the next European challenges and priorities! 

AGENDA 

  • Explanation of the concept and main objectives behind the CoFoE. By Antonella Valmorbida – General Secretary of ALDA and member of the Steering Committee of the Civil Society Convention
  • Presentation the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe, a joint declaration which ensures the effective involvement of citizens. By Ruth-Marie Henckes – Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at EPD – European Partnership for Democracy 
  • Explanation of how the  CoFoE platforms work and how you can contribute with your ideas, comments and suggestions By Sofia Gatteri – Communication Officer at ALDA 

ALDA invites its members to register at the following link!

#TheFutureIsYours

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What is the best way to learn?  Playing of course!

The “Game to EMbrace INtercultural education” – GEM IN project builds on this incentive to promote intercultural education by using non-formal and playful approaches, enhancing the acquisition of social and civic competences to young people.

The purpose of the project is to support intercultural education at school and in non-formal youth environments as a vehicle to foster social inclusion, cross-cultural dialogue and active citizenship by promoting European values.

At the same time, the project intends to provide inputs and policy recommendations for intervention strategies to promote intercultural education and active citizenship through an innovative educational framework.

What is the best way to learn?  Playing of course with GEM IN!

The educational framework’s aim is to be a guide for all the teachers, educators, project managers and people using the game as an educational resource thanks to its complete explanation of all the steps that were taken to create the game and its contents, keeping in mind the values and the methodology promoted through the whole project GEM IN

For example, during the piloting phase of the project in Cyprus, children had the opportunity to learn about another culture and what inclusion means through the game developed by GEM IN; and not even the covid-19 pandemic could stop this learning (by playing) experience when students were able to play and interact with the game online, as well as offering insightful and constructive feedback.

For more information, you can visit the project website.

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It is with great sorrow and profound sadness that we inform you that our colleague, Victor Cotruta, in charge of projects in Eastern Europe with our team in Chisinau, passed away yesterday, September 14th.

Victor will remain in our memory as a great colleague, motivated and committed to its work which he’s always carried on with a rare enthusiasm. But Victor was even a better person, goodhearted, helpful, and a real friend of many of us also outside work.

Victor had an experience of over 25 years working in the field of project management and coordination, with a particular focus on environment, participation and education.

He held a PhD in statistics and was Professor at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, but his passion was the third sector, thus since 2009 when the Eastern Partnership (EaP) was launched, he was deeply involved in activities related to the promotion of the initiative, managing projects implemented in Moldova and in other EaP partner countries.

Before joining the team, he was already a partner of ALDA, through his own organisation in Moldova, working together with ALDA for the establishment of the Civil Society Forum for Eastern Partnership, where Victor and Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, were members of the Steering Committee for the first years.

We all were lucky enough to work with Victor and got a chance to see what a great man he was. We will terribly miss him.

Our Secretary General will attend the funerals in Chisinau with our colleagues, tomorrow.

In his memory, ALDA is announcing a day of mourning, on Monday September 20th, when all offices will be closed for a time of reflection in our network, with a moment of commemoration. More information will be sent to all colleagues, friends, and partners.

Our deepest sympathies to its family, his close colleagues in our Chisinau office, friends and to all who knew and loved him.

From 

Oriano Otocan, President of ALDA; 

Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA; 

The whole Staff of ALDA; 

the Governing Board of ALDA 

The colleagues Delegates of the LDAs

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“It was an interesting trip and thank you very much for this project” – here is the comment of a young participant during the final conference of the project JOURNEY.

JOURNEY – Joint Organization to Unite Rural Networks of Entrepreneurial, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, was implemented by a consortium of 8 organizations from 5 countries: Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The online event was attended by a great number of participants and by several stakeholders, among which:

  • Mr Christelle Philips, Project officer of EACEA- European Education and Culture Executive Agency from the European Commission,
  • Mr Petro Krainik, National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine,
  • Ms Olha Oliinyk, Lead Coordinator of Journey Project and Deputy Head of the Secretariat Head of the Center for Сommunications, Еxternal relations and Fundraising of Vinnytsia Regional Association of Local Self Government Bodies

During its two years of implementation, JOURNEY worked to reduce youth unemployment in the countries of the Eastern Partnership by increasing the entrepreneurship competencies of youth living in rural areas. In this vein, the experts from the Associations “Microfinanza e Sviluppo ONLUS” Mr Matteo Solivo, “DYPALL Network” Mr Mateusz Hoffmann, and “Sustainable development solutions” Ms Silvia Bivol, shared their experience and knowledge in the field of the Erasmus for young entrepreneurs, the involvement of young people in rural entrepreneurship and skills of entrepreneurship.

Check the platform JOURNEY and discover the free online courses

The teams from Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, both mentors and trainees, expressed their positive experience and acquired knowledge and information within the programme.

Coming to the project achievement, JOURNEY proudly achieved all the planned results and objectives:
– 21 mentors trained;
– 1 course of 10 modules in 4 languages for rural youth;
– 9 online trainings (27 hours) for 3 target countries;
– the new web platform “JOURNEY”;
– 3 Stakeholders Committees to discuss about the main problems youth faced and the ways to support them;
– 10 Clubs of Young Entrepreneurs (6 local+1 central Club – in Ukraine, 2 – in Georgia and 1 – in Azerbaijan);
– 3 Follow-up workshops gathered 90 youngsters in Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan (face-to-face!);
– 1 digital Youth Exchange

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“Believe and invest in every single citizen” – with these words ALDA Secretary General – Antonella Valmorbida commented on the key role that democracy plays in our society. Yet, since its very beginning, the Association has been committed to spread democracy as a shared value, as well as a living condition. In light of that, on the occasion of Democracy Week 2021, ALDA is happy to celebrate this anniversary inviting everyone to play an active role! 

Yet, how to, and how is ALDA turning this complex idea into concrete actions? Check out these three examples on how the Association is making democracy a real fact!

1) Democracy is Choice, Freedom, Participation. 

Building conditions that allow people to live freely, to choose freely are among the milestones of Europe, as well as ALDA’s mission. Yet, making this possible is a daily exercise that requires the participation of different actors, and players. Having that in mind, it comes with itself that ALDA not only stimulates civic engagement, and citizens’ involvement; but it is also a crucial player in creating bridges between people and institutions. Thus, since the beginning of the 2021, ALDA is fully engaged in the Civil Society Convention on the Conference on the Future of Europe, having Ms. Valmorbida as elected member of the Steering Committee. Furthermore, the Association is actively promoting several events on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) platform, and it will be glad to see many of its members, partners and friends online too, shaping the Future of Europe together.

2)Democracy is Synergy and Dialogue. 

Based on these two aspects as well as a multi-stakeholder approach, ALDA is committed to reach common goals together with its great network. Counting on more than 350 members, be they Local Authorities, Civil Society Organisations, and thanks to the 15 Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs), the Association is still investing in the development of a network composed of actors and representatives coming from the different components of communities. Thus, the idea is to support the development of democracy in Europe and beyond, as clearly explained within the ALDA flagship initiative ”European Support to Local Democracy” a valuable manual with concrete examples and tools on how to make democracy a reality.

3)Democracy is Glocal.
By supporting local democracy and citizens engagement in Europe, the Neighbourhood and beyond, ALDA is a strategic partner when it comes to localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Hence, when developing its projects, ALDA has the 17 SDGs in mind and designs its activities in order to not only raise awareness on them, but also to stimulate a change and promote concrete actions for their success. As testified by its projects, ALDA is able to turn international goals into a daily and local attitude, which calls on every citizen to join. 

Finally, democracy, as the origin of the word suggests [demos = people], is integral to the society and to its people. Hence, ALDA is very much committed, as demonstrated in more than 20 years of activities, to support citizens, organisations and bodies that are willing to make the difference and work for the implementation of it in Europe and beyond. 

Happy Democracy Week 2021 from ALDA!

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Actions to reform the media sector in Kyrgyzstan are going on, as never before… with Media Dialogue!

On one side, a campaign against hate speech – #ChallengeHate – has been launched on September 6th, by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Institute of Civic Development. Such a campaign comes right during the run up to the country’s Parliamentary elections… and that’s not the fate! Indeed, Media Dialogue wants to harness the power of the media in safeguarding conflict-free elections.

For this reason, last Wednesday September 8th, Alexandru Coica, ALDA Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe and Central Asia held a series of monitoring visits with the beneficiaries of the grants, aimed at stimulating a bigger impact at the local and national level.

The actions implemented allowed to test alternative business development strategies in the media sector

These grantees have implemented projects in the field of media entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan and the actions implemented allowed to test alternative business development strategies in the media sector and thus demonstrate their efficiency.

The meetings were attended by several organizations, as “TV Academy”, LLC “Tentek”, LLC “Bakai Nur Mega” (Next TV), PF “New Media” (Temirov Live).

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On September 17th 2021, ALDA is organising a special conference meeting to welcome the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021.

The event will start at 12pm and will take place in hybrid form, with some participants and speakers in Novo Mesto and others connected online. Organised within the framework of the Week of Culture of Novo Mesto, the Conference will be launched by Antonella Valmorbida – Secretary General of ALDA and Steering Committee member of the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe. Ms Valmorbida will give participants a comprehensive overview of the significance and importance of the Conference as a unique opportunity for citizens from all over Europe to freely express opinions and suggestions that will shape European policies in the years to come.

Keeping in mind that in 2021 Slovenia is also celebrating 30 years of independence, the conference aims at offering an exchange platform for a fertile discussion on the recent history of the European Union, its past challenges and future perspectives, taking into consideration the key role of citizens in shaping the future of the Union.

A discussion on the recent history of the European Union, its past, challenges and future perspectives

The first project in the spotlight, the project DESIRE, funded by the Europe for Citizens programme, focuses on the importance of the Schumann Declaration for the constitution of the European Union;  follows the project PERCEPTIONS which is working to identifying and understanding the narratives and (mis)perceptions of the European Union in non-EU countries.  Finally, we will talk about DEVOTE, a project aiming to strengthen the integration of students with migrant background in schools, prevent early school leaving and improve their success in education by providing training, coaching and guidance to teachers.

To join the conference online, register through this link

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With great enthusiasm LDA Kairouan Tunisia organized an art and theatre show – performed by 30 young people with disabilities. Performers, aged between 8 and 30 years old, had different disabilities ranging from mental disability and autism to motor disability and deafness. Yet, this is exactly the plus that made this initiative a touching and great moment.

Resulting from a consistent and committed work of 8-month theatre workshops, the show presented variety of artistic performances from poetry and singing to theatre and dancing. The delight and excitement of participants, their energetic and dynamic movements on stage, and their embodiment of the characters they played echoed the success of the show.

The young performers belonged to three specialized rehabilitation centers for people with disabilities: Association for Supporting the Hearing Impaired (ASDA), The General Association for The Physically Impaired (AGIM), and The National Union for The Mentally Impaired (UTAIM).

Inclusivity is the keyword to social theatre!
“Theatre is for everyone” – Tunisia

More about the show!

Youth with autism and mental disabilities performed choreographies, by wearing traditional outfits. Their vivid and harmonious dancing, inspired by Tunisian folklore, sparked joy and excitement.

Moreover, participants with deafness disabilities performed an amusing theatrical piece based on mime, tackling social and humanitarian issues revolving around justice, perseverance, love, and kindness. Thrilling music accompanied the performers who relied on their expressive facial expressions and agile body movements.

Yet, this in not everything! Wearing white outfits, actors with physical disabilities performed a piece of theatre that addressed discrimination and unemployment as a form of self-advocacy. The story, unfolded in an imaginary land, was located between life and death. Some of the characters yearned for life while others disagreed as they found death the path to salvation from their hardships.

Inclusivity is the keyword to the social theatre!

The objective was to provide a platform for inclusion, personal growth, and soft skills training. The social theatre was a great source of learning through its dramatic games, inclusivity, encouraging expression, and openness to self and others. Indeed, educators and theatre operators noticed the stunning development in the participants’ linguistic, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. Driven by passion and joy, pupils learned a set of new competencies and best practices from their teachers and also from each other.

Awareness about worldwide humanitarian issues

Youth actively contributed to the scenario by providing their visions and suggestions about themes, plot, and characters. They also came up with the idea of giving tribute to Palestinian children who lost their lives during the last attack on Gaza. Through their action, they proved that they do not live in a small bubble but are also interested in global and humanitarian issues.

The project aims to promote the rights of people with disabilities and to create a culture of inclusion through theatre. Indeed, the success of this activity is the outcome of the supervision and effort of the whole partners, and also thanks to the unwavering trust of parents and the youth in the importance of their participation and belief in their capacities.

***

This activity is part of the project “Ricomincio Da Te” (Starting from You) co-financed by the Italian Agency of Cooperation for Development (AICs), in partnership with COPE Italy, LDA Tunisia, Kairouan municipality, Social Affairs Tunisian ministry, and the rehabilitation centers in Kairouan ASDA, AGIM, UTAIM.

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On September 2nd and 3rd, at Hotel Continental in the City of Skopje in North Macedonia, the Regional Best Practice Fair was held, organized by the Balkan Network for Local Democracy. The nature of the event was a hybrid meeting, with participants and presenters both in person and through the zoom platform online. 30 participants joined the event, together with the speakers. The latter, thanks to interpreters were able to speak their respective languages, giving to the initiative a great international atmosphere.

Presentations and discussions on data related to several matters, be they: self-government, participation, CSOs, were on the agenda. Moreover, various case studies of individual community practices in the Western Balkan 6 Countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and among 9 communities regarding topics such as active citizenship, decision-making. Besides, the overall initiative culminated in a digital activity in which participants voted through their phones, while sharing their ideas through the Slido app.

Progress has been made, as clearly demonstrated during the fair

In addition, findings presented by the researchers will be used on a national and regional level as a basis for further development of civil society; as well as advocation for the interests of citizens among the Western Balkans. Hence, getting citizens, especially youth, more involved and informed with local self-government is among the goals of this initiatives. Many examples of mobilization and promotion of values of active citizenship, such as:

  • Youth podcast,
  • An initiative to get local elections back in the city of Mostar,
  • Promotional videos,
  • Spreading of environmental consciousness though a booklet

were among the individual municipality cases presented. Overall, this event showed that there are still ways to considerer, regarding the enrichment of local democracy, but progress has been made, as clearly demonstrated during the Fair. Hence, many best practices were highlighted, and many more are still to be done.

***
This event is part of the project “CSOs Networking for Better Local Democracy in the Balkans”, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA),and implemented by the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN). It included participants from various groups such as CSOs, youth groups, BNLD members, certain national stakeholders, etc.

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In the afternoon of Monday 6 September was held, at the Council Chamber of the Town Hall of Thiene, a training event on the Conference on the Future of Europe and the annexed presentation of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, organised by SEI – European Intermunicipal Service with the collaboration of ALDA+, ALDA’s Benefit Company, which has been working for over 20 years in favour of local realities in Italy and across Europe, promoting the active participation of citizens and helping administrations and associations to access the funding tools offered by the European Union, and beyond.

After the welcome by the local authorities, the meeting opened with a speech by Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA on the Conference on the Future of Europe. Valmorbida offered participants a comprehensive overview not only of the meaning and importance of the Conference as a unique opportunity for citizens from all over Europe to freely express opinions and suggestions that will shape European policies in the coming years. More importantly, the Secretary General of ALDA offered a practical demonstration on the use of the online platform that allows citizens to interact, showing them how to register, write their ideas and discuss those of others, search for events in their surroundings.

Since its foundation, ALDA+ supports municipalities in accessing EU and non EU funding for the good of local communities

The conference continued on a European note with the presentation of the New Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union, by Marco Boaria, Director of Programmes & Development Department of ALDA and CEO of ALDA+. This investment plan sets out the budget and priorities on which the European Union wants to invest from now until 2027 – explained Boaria – adding that it is an unprecedented economic investment plan, which together with the 750 billion euro “Next Generation EU” recovery tool, should represent a valuable instrument for the recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

Finally, Marco Boaria presented the new funding programmes, which municipalities will be able to try to access and obtain precious funds for the realisation of works useful to the territory and citizens.

The meeting was addressed – among others – to the municipalities of the upper Vicenza area active in SEI, the Intermunicipal European Service coordinated by the Municipality of Thiene and involving Breganze, Marano Vicentino, Villaverla and Zugliano – as well as to the Municipality of Malo, interested in actively cooperating with SEI in the near future. The seminar was an opportunity to get informed about the news related to the new programming, in order to plan the SEI’s project activities in the coming months.

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ALDA+ has always been able to provide valuable and professional courses on several topics, and this time is glad to present a new course!

Developed in collaboration with Progetto Sud – Trade Union Institute for International Cooperation promoted by UIL – the labour trade union –   this training will have a strong focus on “Development cooperation: design and management techniques and methodologies”.

The training will start with two sessions on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th of October, for a total of 5 modules.

Save your spot and register now!

Experts and professional will be at your disposal during the course, whose agenda will develop as follows:

  • module 1 – International development cooperation: actors, actions, themes
  • module 2 – Techniques, methodologies and tools for drafting development cooperation projects: a path to generate change
  • module 3 – EU Project management techniques: the management of a development cooperation project for lasting, sustainable and measurable change
  • module 4 – Financial reporting of projects: aspects, criteria and tools
  • module 5 – Working on a project proposal: reflection, analysis, processing and evaluation of the project idea

Check the AGENDA for more details and contact us by email for further info, at eleonora.bertin@alda-europe.eu

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As ALDA’s engagement in Turkey has becoming more and more intense, a new project focused on gender equality and women participation has just seen its official opening on Monday, September 6th, 2021.

Empowering women in local authorities: here is the title of this ambitious project, funded by the Sabanci Foundation in frame of the Social Change Grant Program and led by KA.DER – Association for Supporting of Women Candidates, the Municipality of Edremit and ALDA.

The project Empowering Women in Local Authorities will encourage women in joining participation mechanisms while mainstreaming gender equality at the local level. Moreover, it foresees the active involvement of 14 pilot provinces or district municipalities from every regions of Turkey, which will work to strengthen gender equality during the 12-month project period, under the guidance of the CEMR’s “European Charter of Equality in Local Life”.

As main goal, the project wants to empower the pilot municipalities for the establishment of Local Equality Action Plans and the implementation of the necessary strategies for including women into urban life and local decision-making processes. It also aims at establishing Gender Equality offices in the targeted municipalities, transferring the Turkish law od 6284 “Protect family and prevent violence against women” and the Istanbul Convention to the citizens, fulfilling gender-based budgeting techniques and designing permanent monitoring and evaluation mechanisms based on these results.

12 months, 1 goal: encourage women in joining participation mechanisms while mainstreaming gender equality at the local level

During this first online meeting all partners and donor were present and virtually met each. The conference started with opening speeches of Nuray Karaoglu, representing KA.DER Association, Selman Hasan Arslan and Tamer Acar for the Edremit Municipality and Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA. 

Ms Valmorbida highlighted “the crucial importance this project has not only for the empowerment of the democratic functioning of the targeted local authorities, but as well for the empowerment of citizens, especially  women, to be part of such democratic process”. “Indeed – continued Ms Valmorbida – women engagement and empowerment is not yet acquainted and need to be consolidated“. 

The meeting then went on with the presentation of the project structures and main milestones and expected outcomes, for which the involvement of all project partners is required, reason why the session was followed by a space for questions in order to clarify all remaining doubts on the next steps and procedures.

This project is actually another great opportunity to cooperate with the Municipality of Edremit, which is already a member of ALDA and a partner for other projects. This cooperation is particularly significant because it is a beautiful consolidation of the connection between ALDA and Edremit because the process to open a brand new Local Democracy Agency there is coming to a close. This comes at a moment in time where the importance of  ALDA’s mission – its founding principles and promotion of active citizenship and democratisation – is particularly relevant for the country.

DOCUMENTS

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From the 24th to the 26th of September 2021, the municipality of Lavarone will welcome European partners of the project DESIRE and the Rude Awakening. These 2 projects have similarities and differences that make them interesting. The first one is focusing on raising youth awareness on what the EU means and around the Schuman Declaration. This is done through a co-creative methodology by using art to speak about the EU.  The second one aims to make the museums more attractive for the younger generation. With this aim, a video game on the topic of WW1 has been created. The trailer has been released. (Find it out here)

It will be the first meeting in person for both projects which have started during the COVID19 pandemia. This meeting is a great opportunity to network, exchange best practices and create links between the partners. Lavarone and its peaceful nature is the right place for that. The ambition of the event is above all to start a strong-enlarged network of active and committed realities, linked together by past, present and future projects.

This meeting is a great opportunity to network, exchange best practices and create links between the partners

It will be a pleasure to share what we have done. So, stay tuned to discover what’s happened during the meeting!

→ About the DESIRE project

DEclaration of Schuman: Initiative for Revitalizing Europe (DESIRE) is a Europe for Citizens funded project. The project aims to raise people and especially youth’s awareness on the historical importance and the meaning of the Declaration of Schuman for the EU. The objective is to actively involve youth in approaching history in a proactive way. Through the co-creation of artistic tools, as videos, theatre, games, audio narratives, partners will accompany groups of youth citizens in re-discovering history and in debating on EU values as intercultural dialogue, peace and solidarity. The consortium is leading by Comune di Lavarone (Italy) and composed by Fondazione Belvedere-Gschwent (Italy), Union of bulgarian black sea local authorities (Bulgaria), Municipio de Valongo (Portugal), Danube 1245 (Serbia), Zdruzenie Institut za razvoj na zaednicata (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Administration Communale de Grez-Doiceau (Belgium), Fundacio de la Comunitat Valencia de Patrimoni Insdustrial i (Spain), Kulturni centar Osijek (Croatia), ALDA (France).

→ About “The Rude Awakening” project

“The Rude Awakening – a multimedia journey in the footsteps of frontline soldiers’ everyday life”, is a European project that aims to raise the awareness and interest of younger generations (between 13 to 20 years old) on the topic of war and peace. With the support of digital and audiovisual contents based on the stories of WWI soldiers, “The Rude Awakening” wants to lead a new educational and emotional perspective on war and peace, whereby visitors will learn by doing as they fill the shoes of a soldier all along the museum visit, thus better understanding war memories and soldier life thanks to technology. It’s a co-funded project by the European Union MEDIA programme, a sub-programme of Creative Europe, which gathered Fondazione Belvedere-Gschwent as the lead partner, and as project partners: Comune di Lavarone, ALDA, 101 Percento, Mémoire pour la vie, Gornjesavski Muzej Jesenice, Danube Connect, World of NGOs and the Macedonian Center of Photography. 

For more information on the project and how to join it, please contact the artistic Director, Mr Renzo Carbonera: progetti@fortebelvedere.org

ALDA looks forward to this great event, which serves as a great occasion to discuss together about our common past and history.