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So much time passed since that December 17th, 1999 when ALDA was officially registered as a non-profit association aimed at supporting and coordinating the network of the Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs).

At that time, ALDA – the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (this was the original acronym) was a very small organisation based in Strasbourg, and with another tiny office in Vicenza (Italy). From there, a small but highly motivated team started working for the development of the LDAs and of the ALDA Association itself: it was a huge challenge that we took up from scratches.

As a result, 23 years later, ALDA proved to have met the challenge, step by step becoming the wide, well recognised European Association it is today.

Over time, ALDA grew not only in activities and partners, switching from 5 projects and 5 members in 1999, to the current 90 ongoing projects and a network of 300 members. 

ALDA made consistent changes also from a structural point of view:

  • from barely two offices, ALDA has an operational team located in 6 offices all over Europe and in the Neighbourhood;
  • from the 5 LDAs in the Western Balkans, we reached 16 LDAs and 3 OPs covering new geographical areas, such as the Caucasus, Eastern Partnership, Middle East, Africa and Türkiye;
  • In 2017 ALDA founded ALDA+ Srl Benefit Corporation, the benefit company exclusively owned by ALDA which aims to capitalise ALDA’s expertise in a responsible, sustainable and transparent way to support the mission of ALDA itself.

Despite all these successes and milestones, ALDA finds itself in a continuous process of growth and improvement, for a more effective action in support of local communities all over the World, promoting good governance and citizens participation.

ALDA finds itself in a continuous process of growth and improvement, for a more effective action in support of local communities all over the World

For this reason, among the most recent challenges of ALDA is to become even more “local”, establishing deeper links and having a stronger impact within the community ALDA and its offices are based in.

In this wake, 2023 kicks off with a great news, being the official registration of ALDA in Italy, in Vicenza: this event marks the establishment of ALDA Italia Aps (ALDA Italy Association of Social Promotion), as a locally registered branch of ALDA.

Formalising the existence and the legal legitimacy of ALDA Italy will enable us, ALDA, to have a broader range of action that will let undertake more targeted and consistent activities, becoming real actors of local change.

All in all, the progress ALDA has made in the past 23 years, or should we start calculating from even earlier, going back to the foundation of the first LDAs in the Balkans in 1993, is more than “an Association growing and expanding in the territory”. It has been a true process of development and differentiation, where ALDA has been deploying all its means to carry out its mission in the most efficient way, with an ever-growing scope. Over time,  the objective is to locally register all offices of ALDA, going deeper in the local dimension of all cities where we are based.

Indeed, the ALDA’s offices, ALDA+, the network of the LDAs and ALDA Italy, have thus become autonomous yet interdependent realities, working together for the same mission… as a Group!

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While the first anniversary of the Russian invasion on Ukraine is approaching, we believe important to never give up on working on democracy and participation in the country, even in the worst times.

Indeed, while we proudly note that the Local Democracy Agency Mariupol (LDA Mariupol) has never stopped working, even though its delegate and the whole staff had to leave the city of Mariupol to reach to a safer place, the time has come for a collective reflection on the future development of the LDA.

Thus, as a side event on the “Working Group on Ukraine” of the Committee of the Regions, on 24 February 2023, ALDA, in cooperation with the Municipality of Gdansk and the LDA Mariupol itself, organises ameeting among the partners of the LDA Mariupol.

The meeting is not only open to the current partners, most importantly, it is conceived as a moment of information and discussion for all stakeholders interested in knowing more about the LDA or in supporting its future activities.

Our hope is to bring the LDA back to Mariupol, once the conflict is over and Mariupol returns to Ukrainian soil. At the same time, we wish to expand the current partnerships to new stakeholders interested, so that the LDA enjoys more support, and its activities can have an even greater impact, given the time of extreme need.

Hence, you are all invited to join online the LDA Mariupol Partners Meeting, on Friday, February 24th, 2023, from 14:00 to 16:00 PM (CET time).

Learn more about the event and its agenda HERE.

Join the meeting online: https://bit.ly/3II7YKP  [Meeting ID: 850 7644 3080 | Passcode: 293007]

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From 30 January until 3 February, 2023, ALDA was in Marseille for the Heads of Networks meeting and the French network General Assembly of the Anna Lindh Foundation. 

The Foundation is dedicated to intercultural dialogue on different and complementary levels in the Euro-Mediterranean area. Since June 2021, ALDA is co-head of the French network of the foundation along with Les Têtes de l’Art, a French association based in Marseille. The Foundation and its members were welcomed by the Regional Hall of Provence Alpes Côte-d’Azur and the City Hall of Marseille who kindly hosted the meetings. Representatives of the DIMED (the interministerial delegation for the Mediterranean) were also present and closely followed our work, and expressed their support to the activities of the Foundation.

The Foundation is dedicated to intercultural dialogue on different and complementary levels in the Euro-Mediterranean area

The first two days were dedicated to the Heads of Networks meeting and to the programme of their future activities. 30 countries were represented by their heads of networks alongside the Executive Director of the Foundation, Josep Ferré. An open dialogue was held on the future actions, assessments and steps in the Anna Lindh Foundation. The participants got to know each other better and had the opportunity to create new synergies. An active approach was privileged to take these steps further in shaping the future of the Foundation. Workshops, activities and planifications were the watchwords of these networking moments. Moreover, the long-awaited next editions of the Young Mediterranean Voices and Med Forum were key subjects when discussing future planned projects which aim to advocate and strive for a better social dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

From 1 February onwards, the General Assembly and Steering Committee of the French network, organised by Les Têtes de l’Art and ALDA, took place. Networking activities were held among the members, who were able to establish regional and concrete actions in accordance to their geographic location. 

Finally, it was important for ALDA and Les Têtes de l’Art to hold a few meetings at the heart of the social and cultural Life in Marseille in La Friche Belle de Mai, which is a popular district of Marseille full of active citizens who embrace the potential of their city but are also in need of support.

Discover more about the meetings here.

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The entire ALDA team and Governing Board express their deepest condolences and support to all states and communities affected by the terrible earthquakes that have impacted many countries and have had deadly consequences in Türkiye and Syria.

While too many have lost their lives and are injured, many others who are still alive have lost their homes and find themselves exposed to life-threatening weather conditions with no shelter. The number of victims of all these different factors is increasing every minute.

We call on all our members, our network and community to stand in solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian people in these critical times, as well as on foundations and donors to direct their actions in response to the needs.

Numerous initiatives are underway in the affected territories and our partners are already highly mobilised to support the emergency aid action on the ground. You will find listed below their recommendations for ways to help them:

1️⃣ Providing direct financial support to reliable Turkish and Syrian organisations operating on the field

Note: in order to avoid scattering and attempt to capitalise on resources, we recommend only a few associations, which are the ones that have been the most frequently mentioned by our network.

You can send money to the following local humanitarian aid associations by bank transfer:

Türkiye:

  • Ahbap derneği: Non-governmental organisation gathering thousands of volunteers and responding most of the emergency needs on field https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey 
  • İhtiyaç Haritas: social cooperative assessing the needs on the ground through fieldwork in coordination with public institutions, and delivering emergency needs to the survivors.
  • AKUT Vakfı: Voluntary, non-governmental organisation involved in searching, assisting and rescuing the victims of the earthquake for the past three decades.
  • The Union of Municipalities of Marmara called to support AFAD, (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Ministry of Interior). 

Remember, there is no small donation, no matter how much you contribute, it will help.

We call on all our members, our network and community to stand in solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian people

2️⃣ Support financially the humanitarian associations in your country or the international organisations intervening on this disaster

At the international level, reliable organisations such as the The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (campaign for Türkiye, campaign for Syria), Doctor Without Borders, OXFAM have teams on site and are operating in the field, while others redirect funding directly to local associations, such as Turkey Mozaik Foundation or Turkish Philantropy Funds.

National branches of international organisations can also be found in your country if you prefer sending money through them, or alternatively, you can turn to relief associations from your country that are delivering aid and taking action on the disaster areas. However, be careful to find out beforehand which association you are donating to and prioritise those that are state independent and well recognized.

3️⃣ Contribute to charity collections and donations in your city

More than ever, the communities affected are in need of basic necessities (clothing, blankets, etc.) in order to get to safety, and rescue workers and medical teams are in need of first aid and medical supplies. 

Find out what initiatives are in place in your area and what kind of goods are being collected, and try to contribute with what you can.

If you are in Türkiye:

❗️Urgent call from our Turkish member, the municipality of Edremit: ❗️

Edremit Municipality is collecting more essential necessities to send to the seismic areas. At the moment there is an extreme necessity of generators and power sources, sleeping-bags and flashlights and camping tents. The Municipality of Edremit has been sending since the day of Monday trucks full of clothes, materials, medicines, water and food supplies. In addition we are also operative in the areas of the disaster with several teams composed of employees of our Municipality that reached the cities of Karahmanmaraş, Hatay and Antakya in order to participate in the rescue operations and distribute safely the materials sent.

If you want to make donations, you can find the address of the municipality here

4️⃣ Re-share this information to give visibility and bring more people to provide support

A few days after the events and while thousands of new victims are still being recorded every day, let’s not let this tragedy already fall into oblivion. The more you communicate about it, the more it contributes to keep raising awareness amongst people at the international level and thus mobilising resources and aid in the long term to help the affected populations.

Finally, we would also like to share the actions undertaken by our Member “Marmara Municipalities Union”, which is working on a report, underlining the different actions taken by the municipalities in response to the earthquake. If you wish to get in touch with them, you can check their website

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This article will be updated as we receive recommendations from our contacts in the field.

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ALDA, as partner of the H.E.Y! project – Heightening the Engagement of Youth –  is pleased to present you the 1st Project Result “HEY! What is Happening?”, an innovative guide developed by the project consortium, composed of partner organisations from Cyprus, Italy, France, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. 

The guide aims to build more equal and inclusive communities through innovative and transnational youth initiatives, recognise the vital role the youth sector plays in helping young people recover from detrimental effects, overcome poverty, mitigate the impact of the pandemic, and improve successful school-to-work transitions. 

The HEY guide aims at building more equal and inclusive communities through innovative and transnational youth initiatives

The “HEY! What is Happening?” guide presents the data, information and results collected, as well as conclusions reached by 6 nation-wide research surveys, to support the positive empowerment and engagement of youth, and to improve the existing local youth work practices of youth leaders and operators.

The research surveys, carried out simultaneously in all partner countries, were composed of:

  • Secondary research to extract information published by the different stakeholders;
  • Focus Group with 10 Returnees, NEETs and other young people with fewer opportunities;
  • Focus Group with 10 youth workers, youth leaders, social welfare officers, educators and others;
  • Focus Group with 5 public/private institutions involved in youth policies; 
  • 10 personal interviews with Returnees and NEETs. 

Discover the “HEY! What is Happening?” guide here.  

Find out more about the H.E.Y! Project here. 

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AT A GLANCE

The project provides basic courses for people aged 65 and over, who want on the one hand to learn from scratch and on the other hand to deepen their knowledge of the world of new technologies, thus bridging the intergenerational digital divide.

The project consists of 5 partners: ALDA+, Fabcube, Verona fablab, Megahub Association, Marano Solidarity and two free collaborators: Plumake Srl and Weird Studio.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at inter- or intra-generational training with the participation of older people in the role of teachers or learners through the involvement of older teachers in projects and training interventions to be implemented in educational institutions or in local training courses.

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AT A GLANCE

CAP-PERI is expecting to improve citizens and youths’ awareness on the social, economic, and environmental implications of the CAP at National and European level.
CAP-PERI will shed lights on how the Future CAP strategic Plans will be the instrument to achieve the Green Deal goals, how they will support EU policies in managing the transition towards a sustainable food system and in strengthening the efforts of farmers to contribute to the EU’s climate objectives and to protect the environment.

Project funded by the IMCAP Programme of the European Union. This represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it concerns

OBJECTIVES

Food sustainability and Farm to Fork Strategy:

  • Raise youths/citizens’ awareness on CAP by co-creating 5 different artistic and creative outputs
  • Reconnect urban population with its parks, peri-urban areas, urban gardens and farmlands
  • Climate change adaptation and impact of agriculture on environment and biodiversity:
  • Increase Italian community’s understanding of the role of farming in society and promote generation renewal
  • Highlight the role of CAP in supporting the Eu Green Deal strategy
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AT A GLANCE

Tunisia is facing several problems in in the implementation of the decentralisation process, among which the misunderstanding of the role of the State in a decentralised process. Moreover, many Municipal councils dissolved because of political conflicts and lack of interest and involvement.
This project will thus act to strengthen Civil society organisations capacities in France and Tunisia in terms of advocacy and communication and will launch an
advocacy campaign through short videos promoting democracy and rules of law, explaining the process of decentralisation and facilitating the principals of conflicts resolution and the culture of peace.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at promoting French and Tunisian civil society organisation capacities in terms of democracy,
decentralisation and culture of peace and rising awareness through advocacy campaign.

It will raise awareness among over 500 people from French and Tunisian communities through an advocacy campaign

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AT A GLANCE

The project organises trainings addressed to local authorities’ representatives, civil society organisations of pilot communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for the development of professional competencies and the implementation of short term professional development programmes for local authorities’ officials and public officers as required by law in order to facilitate the adaptation of official activities to the EU standards.

The project also foresees twelve round table meetings/discussions (6 in Donetsk oblast and 6 in Luhansk oblast) on the implementation of reforms and their influence on the sustainability of community development through getting powers to exchange best practices of local governance.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at implementing a set of activities aimed at developing human resources of representatives of local authorities, civil society organisations of pilot communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as gaining an active competent community within its development including the right to influence on decision-making.

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AT A GLANCE

Italy, Spain and Greece are among the EU countries with the higher unemployment rate. The Project involves three LRAs, boosting strategic plans to tackle unemployment establishing fruitful synergies that can benefit the local communities.

There is a great need to develop innovative ideas that will provide new solutions to this long-lasting issue, especially when it comes to young people, unemployed people or vulnerable groups. The expansion of the social economy concept will ensure fairer job opportunities, good work conditions, access for people in need and social inclusion.

OBJECTIVES

The General Objective of RECRUIT is to empower Local Regional Authorities (LRAs) to work in collaboration and to create a pool of experts that can enable collaboration in the field of social economy at local, regional and European level.

The in-presence and online methodologies mastered by Impact Hub, together with the potential of the ALDA’s extended network of LRAs will ensure that the impact of the present project will go further beyond the three involved public authorities.

DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

The project action aims to create a regional civil society organization’s cooperation and learning resource for advancing active citizenship at a local level. Moreover, the idea is to set local and regional capacity building, awareness raising and networking actions with the aim to address the main challenges of the civil society in our region.

The activities will include research and comparative analysis of present state legal framework for citizens’ participation in policy and decision making on local level in Western Balkan countries. Furthermore, there will be also Regional Best Practice Fair as well as social media campaign and e- newsletter.

OBJECTIVES

The project is intended to improve conducive environment for civil society development that enables them to be influential actors in society; strengthen regional thematic CSO capacities to contribute more effectively in the promotion of regional co-operation and exchange as well as regional CSO alliance for evidence-based advocacy and monitoring EU integration reform agenda at local level in WB countries.

Finally, it also aim to create regional CSOs learning & knowledge share platform promoting good governance, active citizenship and participation in policy/decision making

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

The SMELT project – Skilling Marginalised people to Enter Labour Market – is aiming to face the paradox of business sectors experiencing workforce shortage and the high number of vulnerable people unemployed, by supporting marginalised people in acquiring and developing key competences strategical for the labour market.

Marginalisation, is often due to a lack of adequate education and/or specific technical skills, which contribute to cut off those people from the labour market and, as a consequence, exacerbates their social isolation and marginalisation. This vicious cycle perpetuates inequality, marginalisation, poverty and isolation.

OBJECTIVES

Create a tailor-made training model in order to facilitate vulnerable people’s access into the labour market and, more in general, into social tissue, providing them both with technical and specific skills, and soft and digital ones.

Specific courses will be carried out to explain how to create a CV, where to send it, how to find job offers and to reach the job center. The idea at the basis is to foster their inclusion and participation in the society.

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AT A GLANCE

PART-Y seeks to promote engaging, connecting and empowering young people, to supporting educators, youth workers, educational leaders and support staff, and to strengthen common values, civic engagement and participation.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims to trigger the participation in civic life of young people (13-20 years) by fostering their inclusion in the policies decision-making process and promoting the concept of “generation equality” introduced by the United Nations agency UN Women for equal opportunities among the youngest.

The project intends to focus the attention of girls, boys and educators on the common spaces of the city as fundamental places of gathering and democracy, essential elements in their growth process.

The main objectives are:

  • To strengthen youth involvement in European democratic life by promoting their right to the city and to public spaces from a “generation equality” and social inclusion perspective.
  • To improve the innovation capacity in the activities proposed to young people and the internationalisation of youth organisations in the countries participating in the project.
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AT A GLANCE

The project “My language – Your language” deals with success factors for good citizen participation. The scientific discourse on civic participation and its methods is extensive and controversial. Both science and practice have stated that educationally and disadvantaged groups of the population are excluded and socially disadvantaged be excluded. In addition, practical experience shows that municipal calls for participation are generic and not tailored to the target groups to be reached, and that existing networking structures are also ignored.

Through the project, the partners will examine the described gap of lacking target group oriented access in accordance with the priorities “Social Inclusion” and “Common Values, Civil Society Engagement and Participation” and work on the development and enhancement of transnational partnerships.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the project is to look at good methods and practices in the context of civic participation at the international level, to receive further training and to learn skills on how target group-oriented participation can succeed on the ground.

More specifically, The project aims to share success factors of good civic participation in the international exchange of good practice and to exchange and learn from each other on a professional level.

DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

The project will, build capacities and solve problems, by consolidating the approach of Decentralisation in the years to come. By sharing the processes of Bottom-up Decision Making with international partners.

The impact of the work will emphasise the decentralised cooperation approach as a means to promote local development on a solid and sustainable and fair basis, thanks to a multi-stakeholder approach and aiming at implementing the global Sustainable Development Goals at the local level.

OBJECTIVES

  • Providing local authorities and civil society groups with Capacities to address local problems using participatory approaches and therefore identifying more sustainable, fair and inclusive solutions
  • Co-designing action plans aimed at solving local problems
  • Creating permanent and solid links between local and regional authorities and civil society in the communities/cities targeted by the project;
  • Creating long-lasting links between communities and cities in Tunisia and European partners, following the lines of decentralised cooperation

DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

Within this project, ALDA holds the role of animation of Local and participative Democracy pole. The pole will opt internally for a structured participatory approach which delegates the power of reflection and proposal to specialised committees:

  • Advocacy
  • Communication
  • Capitalisation and evaluation
  • Research and action

The coordination of the local and participatory democracy pole will consist of a solid and rich program in terms of capacity building, intersection, exchange of practice and learning for the member associations of the pole.

OBJECTIVES

  • Contribute to the construction of an effective local democracy in Tunisia, which considers the needs of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups
  • Contribute to the decentralisation process in Tunisia
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DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

The project’s roots come from reviving the legacy of Rossini’s opera by conjugating it with modern forms of arts, such as theatre, music, design, cooking.
Co-designing and co-development processes between young artists coming from different European countries will cooperate for the co-creation of an opera theatre piece based on Rossini’s opera, and with the active involvement of citizens. Indeed, audience engagement workshops and activities will be organised in 4 European countries (Italy, North Macedonia, Greece and Portugal) to inspire people with different forms of art.

OBJECTIVES

Bravo Bravissimo aims at promoting social inclusion and the wellbeing of society through the promotion of culture and through the valorisation of young emerging artists.

In addition, the project aims at raising awareness on common history and values, reinforcing the sense of belonging to a common European space. The project takes into account the dual nature of culture, recognising, on the one hand, its intrinsic and artistic value, and, on the other hand, its economic value, including its important contribution to social inclusion.

Within this framework, the project focuses its attention on important aspects to strengthen the promotion of culture:

  • Encouraging people to explore Europe’s rich heritage and the world of opera;
  • Encouraging young artists to improve and exchange their skills
  • Making citizens reflect on the impact that culture can have in all our lives.

DOCUMENTS

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AT A GLANCE

The project aims 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. Through the project, school leaders and educators will be equipped with the necessary skills and innovative tools to support secondary students in the process, strengthening collaboration between schools, families, and other external stakeholders. To this end, an open online course (OOC) for middle and secondary school teachers will be developed throughout the project, as well as a teacher community (OEC) in order to share good practices.

OBJECTIVES

  • Develop the professional competencies of teachers in dealing with migrant and refugee learners and diversity in classrooms
  • Support schools to facilitate inclusion and success of newly arrived migrant and refugee students, thus contributing to the tackling of early school leaving (ESL)
  • Support and enhance the performance of newly-arrived migrant and refugee students in secondary schools
  • Strengthen collaboration among all members of the school community (school leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff, learners, parents/families)
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