With the idea of facilitating the representation of the regions in global forums, while working to create a network among them, Oru Fogar is committed to empower regions and enable them to become an active part in the decision making process on education, education, health and the construction of social infrastructures.
The centrality of regions is also crucial for this IV World Summit. Yet, before going into depth let’s take a step back to the previous editions. 2010 marked the beginning: Dakar (Senegal) hosted the Summit, during which an action programme for food and nutrition was launched. The Region of Lower Normandy was elected chair, while the Centre Region of Burkina Faso got the role of vice presidency.
Furthermore, more than 1400 participants, representing nearly 30 countries, gathered in Colombia, in 2012 for the II Summit; while Ecuador hosted the III one in 2018, thus stressing the great interest around the topic of food safety practices.
Specifically, the Côre Group of Food Sovereignty, born from an agreement between Oru Fogar and FAO back in 2008, is directed to promote regions’ capacity in terms of food security policy in its own territory; while increasing cooperation among regions.
In light of this, the IV Summit has to be understood as a further occasion to underline the necessity to concretely implement the SDG number two, and to work together to fight hunger.
Ideas, next steps, and the upcoming duties at the core of the EPIC project steering committee in Amadora (Portugal).
On Tuesday 27 September 2022, the Portuguese Municipality warmly welcomed the EPIC project partners, not only for the above-mentioned meeting, but also for field visits. The latter took place during the afternoon, and were targeted to illustrate two specific initiatives. Starting from “Project 12-15” which is addressing early school leaving. Specifically, this initiative is willing to decrease absenteeism among students aged between 11 and 16, thus fighting school dropout.
Similarly, partners had the opportunity to visit Pedro Arrupe Centre, directed by the Jesuits Refugee Service in Portugal, and aimed at easing migrants and homeless’ entrance into professional life. Partners were lucky enough to be able to dialogue and exchange impressions and ideas with those involved at the centre.
On the next day, Wednesday 28 September, the meeting evolved into the open event aimed at scrutinising how to develop a structural approach of reception and integration. Convicted as an international networking path (INP), it marked the occasion for partners and external stakeholders to discuss policy harmonisation, project integration and local-to-local cooperation.
Amadora hosted the international networking path to investigate how to develop a structural approach of reception and integration
Hence, the idea behind this INP was to contribute to provide a fruitful environment, allowing different stakeholders to reflect on European migrant issues and challenges with the possibility to take common positions and political statements addressed to the European Institutions.
Ms. Carla Tavares, Mayor of Amadora gave her opening speech, welcoming both guests and speakers while emphasising the municipality’s efforts and adopting mechanisms in terms of migrants’ structured integration.
Similarly, Ms. Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, provided an overview of the commitment of the Association within the field, after having summarised the initiatives undertaken within the project.
The meeting saw also the presence of Ms. Birgit Luus, Policy Officer DG HOME, European Commission and Ms. Jasmijn Slootjes, Migration Policy Institute Europe, who provided an overview on the legal aspects and the increasing role and recognition of cities as essential in creating resilient and ‘emergency-proof’ migrant integration systems; respectively.
As also expressed by many participants, listening to the testimonies of three people from Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan symbolised one of the most intense moments of the international meeting.
In the afternoon, a roundtable discussion with several stakeholders took place. The aim was to exchange on how to improve the reception system and how to strengthen the social cohesion of the migrant’s community through action both at national and local levels.
Overall, the international networking path in Amadora was an opportunity to also further discuss and analyse the objective of the meeting, starting by the different experiences participants had on inclusion/integration policies and practices; or by discussing the different faces of a multicultural society.
Signing ceremony of the Magna Charta for an International League of Democracy Cities
On September the 24th 2022, ALDA Secretary General, Antonella Valmorbida, took part in the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland. Being the largest gathering devoted to direct democracy worldwide, the forum welcomed participants from academic, political and civil society perspectives.
From a general standpoint, the goal of the initiative is to bring together people with different experiences and backgrounds, so as to give activists and organisations the opportunity to share their insights and connect with others working on the same issues. Thus, this forum stems from the fact that democracy is challenged on all political levels today, in the world as much as in the host country of this year’s Global Forum, Switzerland.
The Forum was coordinated by an international consortium under the leadership of the Swiss Democracy Foundation, chaired by Adrian Schmid, and Democracy International, where Global Manager for PR & Community Building Caroline Vernaillen brings together the threads from all over the world.
Within this context, ALDA Secretary General took the floor during the Concluding Plenary Panel on how to save Democracy, presented by SwissInfo Channel. The focus of this panel was on the big challenges and crises that democracy is facing in this era, such as authoritarianism, fake news, pandemics and war; particular relevance has been put on the need for deep inclusion, resilience and a just democracy.
As each year’s forum, also the GFMDD 22 ended with a final declaration drawn up and adopted by the participants, summarising the content of the conference and defining proposals for further cooperation.
Ms. Valmorbida signed the Magna Charta of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy on behalf of ALDA, with the mandate from the Governing Board
The first draft of the document was developed and agreed upon at the 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy in Rome, with the strong support of that city’s parliament and of representatives of cities across the globe. Since then, it has been the subject of extensive global discussion. In its current version, the Magna Charta identifies 20 different democracy dimensions at the local level — so that citizens and urban institutions can formulate an idea of where their own cities rank in terms of democracy development.
During the last day of the Forum, the signing ceremony of the Magna Charta for an International League of Democracy Cities took place. The Charter commits the signatories to implement policies on citizens engagement at the local level.
*** Apart from ALDA signing the Magna Charta, also representatives from 6 cities joined, namely Valongo (PT), Nancy (F), Lausanne (CH), León (ES), Amsterdam (NL), Bucharest (RO) and as well as from network organisations and projects like the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD), where Ms. Valmorbida is Chairwoman of the Experts’ Jury.
The Czech Presidency, as previously done by the other Countries, has set its guiding lights to be carried out during its mandate, for the second semester of 2022.
Following the “three R” of its motto: “Europe as a Task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower”, priorities can be unfolded as follow:
Managing the refugee crisis and Ukraine’s post-war recovery
Energy security
Strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities and cyber-space security
Strategic resilience of the European economy
Resilience of democratic institutions
These five pillars are also met and pursued by ALDA in its commitment to empower European citizens, and fostering the role of Europe as regional and international strategic actor.
ALDA’s strategies meet the Czech Republic Presidency priorities
Starting from the first priority, on Ukraine’s post war recovery, since the very beginning, back in February 2022, ALDA has launched not only a series of initiatives; but it has also concretely contributed to provide tangible support to the local communities. The “Call to open new LDAs” is among the latest.
At the same time, the Association is in line with Czech Presidency’s priority in terms of energy security. Thus, benefitting from the development and implementation of several projects, ALDA has been able to foster energy security by engaging with people. More specifically, by supporting local actions activities to fight climate change, while focusing on clean and renewable energy; great commitment has been devoted to sensitize citizens on this matter.
Ukraine has been experiencing an unjust and inhuman invasion from Russian troops since February 2022. Yet, the resistance and resilience of Ukrainian people is heroic and without precedent. It is for those people that are now living under the war, that the Association has strongly worked, as also demonstrated with the campaign #ALDAforUkraine.
Since the very beginning, ALDA has been active in Ukraine, with members and partners developing a series of initiatives aimed to improve people’s lives. Thus, thanks to the Local Democracy Agency Dnipro, established in 2014 with the support of Lower Silesia – Poland; andDemocracy Agency Mariupol (funded in 2017 with the support of Gdansk – Poland), the Association is a strategic player in the Country. Specifically, the two above-mentioned LDAs, based on the decentalised cooperation mechanism, work together with civil society to support peace, and community development.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, ALDA consolidated its efforts on international advocacy, support to LDAs in Ukraine, and fundraising for humanitarian projects.
As stated in our Flagship Initiative in Ukraine, ALDA has the goal and is opening more LDAs in Ukraine as instruments to promote peace and cohesion, helping to foster understanding, cooperation and ultimately a brighter future for all those affected by the ongoing crisis.
Indeed, on 17 November 2023, ALDA proudly declared the official opening of Local Democracy Agency Odesa in Ukraine, marking not only a historic milestone for Odesa but also coinciding with the celebration of 30 years of Local Democracy Agencies in the Balkans. This landmark event symbolises a significant stride in advancing ALDA’s vision of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities.
LDAs have been implementing several projects since the start of the full-scale invasion to support local communities and the IDPs.
For almost 10 years, ALDA has thus worked and built strong relations with local actors, and communities. After the General Assembly in 2022, ALDA’s commitment has turned into concrete actions. The “Donors Conference” held in July 2022 in Brussels showcased the needs of communities of four cities where ALDA is most active: Dnipro, Odesa, Vinnytsia, and Mariupol. The conference of Wroclaw in November 2022 identified 10 recommendations for local self-governments that would pave the way for more targeted support. The Secretary-General and some members of ALDA’s Governing Board visited Ukraine in May 2023, which was followed by the big “All-partners meeting of Ukraine LDAs” during the General Assembly in June 2023. In July 2023 the Ukraine Flagship Initiative was presented to the delegation of Verkhovna Rada Committee on Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning in Brussels. On 23-24 November 2023 ALDA organised the “International Conference on Decentralised Support for Ukrainian Communities” in Vicenza in cooperation with the Municipality of Vicenza and with the support of U-LEAD with Europe and the Central European Initiative. Italian, European and Ukrainian local authorities took part to discuss the role of medium-sized municipalities and the territorial approach.
ALDA actions in Ukraine are implemented by the Ukraine Task Force comprising teams based in Kyiv, Brussels, Wroclaw, Chisinau, and Vicenza.
In light of this, the Association is now willing to further encourage its network, partners and friends to also take part in this commitment to support people in Ukraine. How?
By asking for more information on the overall work of ALDA and the LDAs in Ukraine
By joining and becoming a partner of the LDAs, which soon are going to be open
September brings great news and opens up to new paths, not only at ALDA’s but internationally! With great enthusiasm, colleagues from Strasbourg, Vicenza, Skopje, Moldova and Tunis offices are happy to support the candidacy of Antonella Valmorbida for the position of Secretary General of the Congress.
Based on her previous experience not only as Secretary General of ALDA and President of EPD – European Partnership for Democracy; but also as Steering Committee member of the Civil society Convention for the Conference on the Future of Europe, and more recently as Chair of the Jury of the European Capital of Democracy, Ms. Valmorbida puts the value of democracy as guiding light in her daily work and commitment.
Antonella Valmorbida’s candidature: “for a stronger, more relevant and strategic” Congress
As further stressed in her manifesto “it will be necessary to identify and valorise the strong added value as a unique local democracy assembly, representing a large Europe”. Hence, the current ALDA SG has, since the very beginning, worked with local communities, starting from people’s needs and fighting for their rights.
The latter are also at the core of many trainings delivered by Ms.Valmorbida in different areas, from North Africa to Western Balkans and Caucasus, together with professionals and stakeholders such as UN Habitat and UNDP. Furthermore, with experts from the United Nations, Ms. Valmorbida has been fully involved in “participatory democracy” courses in Ukraine, thus having a deep and profound understanding of the local context.
Now, at ALDA’s everyone is thrilled for this new adventure that our Secretary General is undertaking. Each of us is supporting her, sure that her passion and expertise will be essential for the next year and the future of the Congress of the Council of Europe.
Members are a vital part of the Association. That is why ALDA is now presenting a five-day event specifically dedicated to its network!
From a general perspective, through this tailor-made meeting, ALDA is willing to provide participants with the latest news and updates not only on the activities of ALDA, but also to further illustrate the possibilities and benefits of joining the network. Furthermore, the event will be the perfect occasion to gain necessary knowledge and learn new tools necessary when operating within the field of citizens’ participation and EU Project Development.
Membership Days: to further engage the network, and to build stronger relations
Therefore, the agenda has been structured as follows:
4th October: Working Groups meeting – plan and debate about the topics and proposals that the WGs could work on
5th October: From European to local level – Training on local events and citizens’ engagement, with European Programme Manager of “Democracy International” Daniela Vancic
6th October: Training on EU funding and Project Cycle Management
Those attending will receive a certificate awarded by ALDA, strategic partner of the European Commission and of the Council of Europe!
Overall, since its first day, ALDA is stimulating and fostering exchange with its network, willing to promote and improve the exchange of best practices in the field of local governance and citizens’ active participation. Thanks to the variety of origins and the different field of actions of each member, the network is a multicultural professional group that enriches not only the Association, but the participants themselves.
*** For further information please email the Membership Officer through this link
ALDA took part in the International Democracy Day on the 15th September 2022, hosted by the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
The day was split between different sessions with a wide range of high-level speakers, international democracy advocates and activists from both sides of the Atlantic and the Global South, that addressed the challenges of the new world order for democracy. The focus was the mechanisms to protect and support democracy around the world.
The morning session tackled democracy in the era of geopolitics, and was hosted by International IDEA. It opened with the key speech by Rana Ayyub, an Indian journalist working for the Washington Post, who pointed out the situation in India, with particular reference to human rights violations in the largest democracy in the world.
The discussion then continued with exchanges with Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director of European Endowment for Democracy, and Christina Kokkinakis, Deputy Managing Director Global and Director for Values and Multilateral relations at the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The second panel focused on EU Presidencies and the EU External Democracy Agenda, with uninteresting input by Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin, Sweden’s ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law on how democracies do not wage war against each other, and Sweden’s commitment in the defense of democracy.
International Democracy Day 2022: ALDA present at the Committee of the Regions to share with other CSOs and Institutions
The day ended with a panel by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), network within which ALDA is an active member, on the political participation of young people, with interventions of different speakers, among whom Chiara Adamo, Acting Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace at the European Commission.
Thus, the democratic dimension is at the core of Association’s work and events such as the one held in Brussels are a good example of how to engage with others and exchange ideas on the status of democracy around the world, since 2021 was a year of further democratic backsliding in many countries worldwide. Hence, ALDA’s principles rely on the belief that a global democratic world can lay only on democratic local communities as also testified by the events and initiatives organised; among them the General Assembly 2022.
Finally, the ALDA team participated actively and had the chance to exchange views on the theme of democracy, its challenges and how to engage people in the political processes.
From 5 to 11 September 2022, ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida together with ALDA Trainer Anna Ditta delivered a course on “Promoting democracy through local authorities” with special focus on Libyan realities.
Taking place in the framework of the REBUILD project, funded by the European Commission and led by the Autonomous Province of Trento, this course, specifically called “training of trainers” (ToT), was addressed to 20 professors of 10 Universities dislocated in 10 different Libyan municipalities.
More in details, ToT tackled 3 different modules:
Transparency, accountability, ethics and good governance;
Crisis management;
Strategies and tools for inclusive civil participation in decision-making process.
Hence, participants have been guided in learning and debating about the features and principles of good local governance, according to the “European Charter for Local Self-government”; while working on crisis management and assessment of the risks.
“Training of trainers” was addressed to 20 professors of 10 Universities dislocated in 10 different Libyan municipalities
Moreover, the training marked the occasion also to go through the different steps of civil participation and learnt about the principles and tools useful to make it effective.
Overall, theory was combined with individual and working groups, role plays, presentation of both case-studies and field-visits. The 20 professors joining the ToT are now expected to deliver the training to their municipalities.
*** The training was delivered by ALDA, in cooperation with the International Cooperation Centre (Trento – Italy), and it took place in Kairouan (Tunisia)
ALDA participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in Namur and in “Le Village des Associations” in Strasbourg to raise awareness on Climate Change
Funded by the DEAR programme (Development Education and Awareness Raising) of the European Commission, “End Climate Change, Start Climate of Change” is an ambitious project that aims atraising awareness of climate change induced migration. The project addresses young EU citizens in order to empower them to understand the interconnections between climate change and global inequalities and become advocates of a more sustainable model of development that includes climate mitigation measures and protection schemes for climate migrants.
#ClimateOfChange involves 13 countries, 16 partners and 14.000 students. The project is supported by a far-reaching campaign that embraces presence both online and on the ground. Moreover, the #ClimateOfChange consortium has organised a petition to call for more concrete policy actions to tackle climate change and its impacts on migration. The petition will be handed over to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which will take place in Egypt in November 2022.
As one of the partner organisations, ALDA has taken part to the #ClimateOfChange campaign by joining fairs and festivals of the countries impacted by the project. At the end of August, ALDA colleagues participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in the Citadelle de Namur (Belgium) and on the 10th and 11th of September, ALDA Strasbourg office joined “LeVillage des Associations” festival in the Parc de la Citadelle in Strasbourg (France).
At the end of August, ALDA staff participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in the Citadelle de Namur (Belgium) and on the 10th and 11th of September, ALDA Strasbourg office joined “Le Village des Associations” festival in the Parc de la Citadelle in Strasbourg (France)
At the “Festival Les Solidarités” in Namur, ALDA had a stand to present the project and collect signatures for the petition. ALDA’s participation in the festival has been a great opportunity not only to promote the #ClimateOfChange campaign but also to engage with people and associations that share ALDA’s values. Even children wanted to contribute to the cause by symbolically signing the petition. In Namur, ALDA collected more than 450 signatures!
Two weeks later, ALDA took part in “Le Village des Assos” in Strasbourg with a stand in the “Education and training” sector of the festival. During the week-end, ALDA presented itself, its work and values while campaigning for #ClimateOfChange. In addition, the Strasbourg staff familiarised with several associations based in Strasbourg and operating in the same fields of ALDA.
Finally, on the one hand, both festivals have been an integral part of the role of ALDA as a partner of the #ClimateOfChange project and a demonstration of ALDA’s commitment to environmental awareness. On the other hand, these noteworthy events benefited ALDA’s visibility within the associative world.
*** Read more details on #ClimateOfChange project here
On the 9-10-11 September, in Ploeuc l’Hermitage, took place the Festival “Pomme de terre en fête”. Invited by Thibault Guignard, mayor of Ploeuc l’Hermitage and President of LEADER France, ALDA joined the event to promote and illustrate different possibilities, also in terms of European funding, aimed at safeguarding the environment, or the territory.
The latter not only celebrates the “resource of the territory”, such as the potato, but is also an exchange and sharing time, in which the importance of European and international cooperation within rural territories has been recalled by the mayor itself. This is the reason why the municipality welcomed different European delegations from Romania, Poland, and Czech Republic, within the framework of three projects supported by the town hall.
Democracy school, and climate protection at “Pomme de terre en fête” Festival in Ploeuc l’Hermitage
Part of ALDA’s team took part in this mission, which started on Friday the 9th September, with a training session on the European Funds and Programmes in the municipality, as before mentioned, and a mini-democracy school in the afternoon with more than 60 participants, from local high schools. Thanks to the use of interactive online platforms, ALDA colleagues were able to engage everybody with enthusiasm around European Union values and processes.
Furthermore, during the weekend ALDA had a stand in the Festival “Pomme de terre en fête”, where it was able to promote the petition for Climate Of Change and sensibilise the community on environmental issues, such as climate-induced migration, which is at the core of the project.
Overall, this occasion also represented a great opportunity to get in touch with people from different backgrounds, interested in European projects and in ALDA’s work and network.
DEVOTE project’s philosophy is “you never stop learning!”. This is why project’s partners have dedicated months of work to the development of an online course for teachers to enhance the integration of students with migrant backgrounds in schools.
Today, DEVOTE has reached its objective: the publication of our Massive Online Open Course directed to teachers, educators, parents and school personnel. Along with the MOOC, the Community of Educators, an interactive platform where the course participants can exchange ideas and best practices between themselves, has been designed.
More in details: to access both tools you can subscribe here (it’s free, and in seven languages – English, French, Italian, Dutch, Slovenian, Greek, Turkish): and just choose one or several modules that are most interesting to you:
The Whole School Approach
Assessing students with migrant backgrounds
National linguistic support
Parental involvement
Psycho-social support
Best practices for Intercultural Education.
The Forum proposes various sections where you can interact with your fellow educators and propose your own experiences and initiatives.
DEVOTE team is looking forward to your feedback on the platform, so do not hesitate to let them know about your experience through this form. ALDA hopes that thanks to the project, professionals will enjoy the course, and that they will share their own practices and experiences with us DEVOTE partners and fellow educators.
Do you want to know more? Have a look at the video:
ALDA participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in Namur and in “Le Village des Associations” in Strasbourg to raise awareness on Climate Change
Funded by the DEAR programme (Development Education and Awareness Raising) of the European Commission, “End Climate Change, Start Climate of Change” is an ambitious project that aims atraising awareness of climate change induced migration. The project addresses young EU citizens in order to empower them to understand the interconnections between climate change and global inequalities and become advocates of a more sustainable model of development that includes climate mitigation measures and protection schemes for climate migrants.
#ClimateOfChange involves 13 countries, 16 partners and 14.000 students. The project is supported by a far-reaching campaign that embraces presence both online and on the ground. Moreover, the #ClimateOfChange consortium has organised a petition to call for more concrete policy actions to tackle climate change and its impacts on migration. The petition will be handed over to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which will take place in Egypt in November 2022.
As one of the partner organisations, ALDA has taken part to the #ClimateOfChange campaign by joining fairs and festivals of the countries impacted by the project. At the end of August, ALDA colleagues participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in the Citadelle de Namur (Belgium) and on the 10th and 11th of September, ALDA Strasbourg office joined “LeVillage des Associations” festival in the Parc de la Citadelle in Strasbourg (France).
At the end of August, ALDA staff participated in the “Festival Les Solidarités” in the Citadelle de Namur (Belgium) and on the 10th and 11th of September, ALDA Strasbourg office joined “Le Village des Associations” festival in the Parc de la Citadelle in Strasbourg (France)
At the “Festival Les Solidarités” in Namur, ALDA had a stand to present the project and collect signatures for the petition. ALDA’s participation in the festival has been a great opportunity not only to promote the #ClimateOfChange campaign but also to engage with people and associations that share ALDA’s values. Even children wanted to contribute to the cause by symbolically signing the petition. In Namur, ALDA collected more than 450 signatures!
Two weeks later, ALDA took part in “Le Village des Assos” in Strasbourg with a stand in the “Education and training” sector of the festival. During the week-end, ALDA presented itself, its work and values while campaigning for #ClimateOfChange. In addition, the Strasbourg staff familiarised with several associations based in Strasbourg and operating in the same fields of ALDA.
Finally, on the one hand, both festivals have been an integral part of the role of ALDA as a partner of the #ClimateOfChange project and a demonstration of ALDA’s commitment to environmental awareness. On the other hand, these noteworthy events benefited ALDA’s visibility within the associative world.
The EPIC project partners, guided by ALDA, will gather on 28 September 2022 in Amadora (Portugal) to participate in the second International Networking Path.
The latter, organised by ALDA in collaboration with the municipality of Amadora, focuses on how to shift from humanitarian crises to a structural approach of reception and integration. Hence, it will be a chance for the partners of the project to meet and reflect on common paths, while sharing the outcomes of their projects and the counter-narrative campaigns they have previously developed in the territory.
EPIC second International Networking Path: how to shift from humanitarian crises to a structural approach of reception and integration
Several external stakeholders, from mayors to NGOs; and from local authorities representatives to academic figures, will discuss the contribution of territories and cities to this common challenge.
📆 The event will take place on 28 September 2022 from 9:30 AM to 5PM (WEST time) and it will be possible to attend both in Amadora and online.
The Water’s Experts project has started, with the kick-off meeting which took place in Oporto (Portugal) on 3 and 4 September 2022. The partner Geoclube – Associação Juvenil welcomed ALDA and the other project partners to their office in Rio Tinto, municipality of Gondomar. In addition, as President of the association “Paese dell’Acqua” and leader of the consortium, Mr. Iamiceli was present at the meeting, being also an ambassador of ALDA!
On the first day, some aspects of the project have been defined, among them the main objectives of the training courses; as well as the “communication and dissemination strategy”. The second day of the event was devoted to visiting the so-called Pavilion of Water, in Oporto, a small-scale project that aims to raise people’s attention on the issues of water scarcity and pollution of the oceans. In addition, guided by Geoclube, the partners were able to enjoy the charms of Oporto and learn some of the city’s river characteristics, particularly in the Rio Tinto area.
Water’s Experts: raise awareness on climate change adaptation, underlining the importance and the role of water
From a general perspective, the project aims to adequate school studies to the job market needs, using training methods which are new, practical and more relevant for the work contest. On the other hand, the project’s goal is to raise awareness on climate change adaptation, underlining the importance and the role of water.
Finally, the kick-off meeting in Oporto has been a unique opportunity to coordinate with partners and set the agenda for the next steps. In the upcoming months, the partners will involve schools ready to join the project and identify students willing to take part in the training course. Meanwhile, ALDA, as the partner in charge of the project’s communication, will develop the web page and manage the social media together with partners.
Within the framework of the CAP-PERI project, a comic with the title “magic guide to foster a sustainable future” was created. The latter is inspired by the project activities and follows Flora and Olmo’s adventure towards a more sustainable future.
The two teenagers, the main characters of the comic, learn about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and travel to the project partners’ cities – such as Vicenza, Milan, Rome, Mesagne and Palermo – every time they eat a caper. In each city they find out something new about the Policy and the various activities implemented throughout the project.
CAP-PERI comic “Magic guide to foster a sustainable future” is out now!
Thus, the idea behind the comic is to produce a creative and interesting output that shows citizens of all age groups, with a special focus on children and young people, what CAP-PERI is about, which kind of activities were held during the whole period of the project and which environmental, social and economic impact the CAP has. The comic book addresses the CAP; the Green Deal as well as the SDGs strategies; together with the healthy diets in an easy and funny way.
Read the graphic novel and join Flora and Olmo on their journey through Italy, learning more about the CAP-PERI project!
#EuSAVE: 7th and final event in Bolyarovo, Bulgaria
From the 30th of August until the 3rd of September ALDA attended the 7th and final international event of the #EUSave project – EU Citizens’ Action for Smart Historic Villages. The host of the event was the Bulgarian partner of the #EuSAVE project, the municipality of Bolyarovo, a small town in the South of Bulgaria. Delegations from Croatia, Italy, Latvia, North Macedonia, Portugal and Spain, representing 40 small rural municipalities with less than 10.000 inhabitants, participated in the event.
Following the 6th International Event of the project, on Tuesday, August 30, the mayor of the municipality of Bolyarovo, Mr. Hristo Hristov, greeted the partners with a welcome dinner in Yambol; thus starting this last event, entitled: “International forum for the social sustainability and cultural heritage of the European rural areas”
The next day a transnational conference was held at the Chitalishte “Vazrazhdane” of Bolyarovo, where all the partners had the chance to present to the public their background, experiences and impressions of the project, that started in January 2019 and will end in December 2022. The speeches were preceded by musical performances by the local traditional dance group, and were followed by a conference on:
the historical heritage of Bolyarovo (PhD Stefan Bakardzhiev),
the promotion of cultural identity (Mr. Stancho Stavrev), and
the European projects for local communities in Yambol region (Ms. Tatiana Balakchieva).
“This project allows us first of all to enrich our expertise in European project development, and secondly, to show and compare our cultural traditions” Hristo Hristov, Mayor of Bolyarovo
Within this context, Alessia Lega and Nicola Zordan from ALDA Skopje summarized ALDA’s role in the project and in the Balkan region in general. A press conference was also held in a nearby building. As the Mayor Hristov pointed out on that occasion:
“This project allows us first of all to enrich our expertise in European project development, and secondly, to show and compare our cultural traditions”
In the afternoon, the group took the opportunity to visit the town, its cultural heritage and the surrounding nature. A small artificial lake close to Malko Sharkovo village has been transformed into a destination for alternative and environmentally friendly tourism.
On Thursday, September 1, the partners visited the National Archeological Museum “Kabile” and “Vila Yambol”, a company that produces one of the best quality wines of Bulgaria. Then, the group moved to the cultural center “Bezistena”, one of the oldest buildings in town and surely the most representative of Yambol, and to the History Museum. A transnational coordination meeting took place in the late evening too.
Finally, the partners had the opportunity to visit Sozopol, an ancient city on the Black Sea, where they could appreciate the richness of its history and the beauty of its coastline. An intercultural dinner was organized in the tiny Stefan Karadzhovo village, during which traditional Bulgarian music was played and folk dances were performed.
The most important outcome of the project was the creation of a network of European smart historic villages that could bring together experiences and issues of different townships all over Europe.
Indeed, it is of paramount importance for these municipalities to have a discussion space where they can share best practices and address similar problems. Through this project became clear that there is a link between cultural heritage and tradition, and that the preservation of the former defends the latter. Moreover, these kind of exchange always make participants aware of the EU’s extraordinary cultural diversity.
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More information about the #EuSAVE project can be found on the Website as well as on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the project: Article on Vimianzo page – EuSAVE on Facebook
On September 1st and 2nd, ALDA participated in the 41st National Seminar of Ventotene, a 5-day long event which took place, from August 28th until September 2nd 2022, in the Centro Polivalente “Terracini”, located in the island of Ventotene.
Titled “Federalism in Europe and in the world: from the Monetary Union to the United States of Europe”, the National Seminar was organised by the Institute of Federalist Studies “Altiero Spinelli” in collaboration with the Municipality of Ventotene and with the contribution of the Lazio region. It was carried out contemporary to the 38th International Seminar of Ventotene, which took place in the same location.
ALDA participated in the conclusive session of the National Seminar, which mainly focused on the just ended Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and on its next steps. Along with Stefano Castagnoli, President of the European Federalist Movement, Alessandro Capriccioli, President of the Commission of European Affairs and of the regional Council of Lazio region and several other speakers, Giulia Albertoni, Cofunding Manager at ALDA, presented to the participants the Association and its role within the CoFoE and into the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe (CSOCoFoE).
ALDA, together with the European Federalist Movement, was in Ventotene to build the Europe of the future
“We need to reduce the gap between the citizens and the institutions, because citizens participation is on decline. We cannot talk about the European citizens without involving them, we need to develop a bottom-up approach to increase their participation. This is what the revolutionary experiment of the CoFoE was about, and this is what ALDA strongly believes in”.
With these words, Giulia Albertoni presented to the participants the multiple activities that ALDA implemented within the framework of the CoFoE and the important role that the Association undertook in the CSOCoFoE, where ALDA Secretary General Ms. Antonella Valmordida, coordinated the democracy cluster.
The end of the seminar was characterized by a reflection on the following steps to take and on the creation of a “participative European democracy”, as defined by Stefano Castagnoli.
With the sentence “We are not dreamers” printed on the back of their shirts, more than 90 young people belonging to Youth European Federalist (JEF), coming from all Italy, actively participated to the seminar and listened to these emotional speeches and inspirational words on the construction of a free, united and federalist Europe, in a place where, more than 80 years ago a revolutionary document on a Free and United Europe was discussed.
