EGAL 2 (Egalité de Genre dans l’Action Locale / Gender Equality in Local Action) builds up on the results of the EGAL project, carried out in 2019-2020 with the support of Fons Mallorqui.
Capitalising on the experience of the 5 targeted rural municipalities, EGAL 2 will pursue the path towards a greater inclusion of the gender dimension in local policies, empowering local elected women in leadership skills and gender-sensitive budgeting. In the framework of the project, a national seminar on good practices of inclusion of the gender dimension at the local level in Morocco is also foreseen.
OBJECTIVES
EGAL 2 general objective is to enhance the living conditions of women in the Tétouan province in Morocco. More specifically, the project seeks to empower 5 rural municipalities in terms of the inclusion of the gender dimension in local policies, in particular for what concerns gender-sensitive budgeting.
RADEX seeks to make an impact on countering, preventing and diverting violent radicalisation, as it will equip young people, youth workers, social workers, youth organisations with the tools needed to identify patterns, methods, and different processes of youth radicalisation and a digital tool to prevent and/or divert it, when it happens.
OBJECTIVES
RADEX aims to prevent and divert young people’s radicalisation by providing them with an online platform that will include modules on violent youth radicalisation, a simulation video to showcase how, when and where different types of radicalisation processes may take place, and to whom they are addressed to.
In the framework of the AUTREMENT project, the consortium is launching a Call for contributions for the Inter-regional Forum on Active Mobilities that will take place in Mahdia (Tunisia) on 24th-25th May 2023. Are you an expert of active mobilities in the Tunisian or Mediterranean context and you would like to participate? Have a read to the call and apply to contribute!
[The call is only available in French🇫🇷]
Dans le cadre du projet AUTREMENT, le consortium du projet a lancé un Appel à contributions pour le Forum inter-régional sur la mobilité active qui aura lieu à Mahdia (Tunisie) les 24-25 mai 2023. Si vous êtes vous un.e expert.e de mobilité active dans le contexte tunisien ou méditerranéen et vous souhaitez participez, lisez l’appel et envoyez votre proposition de contribution!
Les propositions de contribution doit être envoyée en remplissant le formulaire dans l’appel avant le 28 février 2023.
The second in-person Transnational Meeting of the ReCAP project represented a key moment to explore the work undertaken so far by the partners and to define together the next steps of the project.
The very first phase of the meeting was devoted to the presentation of the report “Local context and needs analysis” by Solidaridad Sin Fronteras, developed within the framework of the first Project Result. It was an essential moment to collect feedback and suggestions from the project partners for its validation.
The above-mentioned report will be the starting point to develop tools and methods to train youth workers and involve youngsters with fewer opportunities.
Afterwards, La Piccionaia and CESIE introduced the next key activities related to the second and the third project results, giving the chance to the participants to discuss together the upcoming tasks and share relevant inputs.
Using art methods and creative tools, the youth workers will stimulate participation and civic engagement of young people in vulnerable situations
The ReCAP project is specifically addressed to young people in vulnerable situations, such as NEETs, people with a migrant background, minorities, youths from the LGBTIAQ+ community, with a particular attention to girls. Through the use of art methods and creative tools, the youth workers in the different partner countries will stimulate participation and civic engagement of young people who are more affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second Transnational Project Meeting in Madrid was an intense and fruitful opportunity that underlined the power of a great collaboration with the aim of supporting vulnerable young people through art and creativity.
The Civil Society Exchange Partnership Program seeks to strengthen the links and collaboration between Turkish and European civil society organisation. ALDA and MEDAR’s sub-granted project “TEAM4TEAM” focuses on active citizenship and digital literacy, and will involve through an open call for proposals many Turkish and European organisation working on these topics in order to create further partnerships.
The project is funded by Mercator Stiftung and operated by MitOst e Istanbul Bilgi University.
OBJECTIVES
TEAM4TEAM’s objective is to engage participants in an intense international collaboration process. ALDA and MEDAR have developed a common model of exchange linked to media literacy and participation, including these three phases:
an online school open to EU and Turkish NGO representatives
a job-shadowing exchange for pairs of EU-Turking NGOs
a final summer school Our mobility program aims to provide a space for CSOs in Turkey and the EU to complement their expertise and join their efforts in promoting active citizenship, media literacy and participatory journalism.
In March 2022, ALDA organised an international event in Trieste, as part of the project EUScepticOBSERVE: analysing Euroscepticism, informing citizens and encouraging debates. Trieste was chosen as the location as it is particularly representative of the theme being analysed. Hence, the event itself was called “Euroscepticism at the gates of Europe”. This was an excellent opportunity to reflect on issues such as migration, migration flows and European laws. Moreover, all the thoughts and suggestions shared throughout the event and workshops have been re-elaborated into the EUScepticOBS Manifesto, as well as the ALDA’s one
The Manifesto has been created starting from some important questions that participants have been asked to answer individually and reflecting on their life experiences and knowledge.
What can I do as a citizen to improve these issues?
What should we ask local and European authorities?
What can I do as part of a civil society organisation (NGO, university, association etc.)?
What emerges from the participants’ answers is that the level of migrants’ inclusion influences the country’s perception and European policies. Citizens are scared to lose their culture or national identity thus, they reject complete integration. Usually, they do have biassed thoughts concerning the migrant population. To move forward from these prejudices and negative approaches, citizens, civil society organisations and European authorities should respect different cultures and be aware of the sensitive and complex subject.
Overall, the Manifesto defined several proposals, among them:
The EU needs to increase knowledge and education, about itself, its achievements and its role in our lives;
Increase decisively its budget to make the Erasmus program accessible and expand it to high school citizens;
Establish a common EU passport and ID card to enhance the ownership feeling of European belonging.
Period:
01/12/2020 - 31/05/2022
Countries involved:
Belgium Bulgaria Croatia France Italy North Macedonia Portugal Serbia Spain
DESIRE project will use a peer to peer approach to involve citizens in illustrating and sharing with other youths what the Schuman Declaration is and what has been its role in the constitution of the European Community. 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.
At the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration, partners are invited to reflect on the importance of “Solidarity” to which Schumann referred as the first result for the creation of the EU.
OBJECTIVES
The project aims to raise people and especially youth’s awareness on the historical importance and the meaning of the Declaration of Schumann for the EU. The objective is to actively involve citizens in approaching history in a proactive way.
The innovative and participative methodology employed aims to stimulate youngsters’ critical thinking and to put together the basis for a stronger and more conscious EU, in such a crucial historical moment plenty of divisions, scepticism and in the middle of Brexit consequences.
Are you interested in topics like sustainability, climate change and diversity? Would you like to study in a unique and multilingual environment?
Apply to the new Erasmus Mundus joint Master course in Climate Change and Diversity: Sustainable Territorial Development (CCD – SteDe)!
Starting from the academic year 2023/2024 until 2026/2027, the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master CCD -SteDe will support 80 talented students withstudy scholarships. Two of those are directed towards people from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo* and Montenegro.
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master CCD -SteDe is a world leading programme in the field of sustainable territorial Development targeting climate justice
CCD-STeDe is organised in 4 academic paths, which combine different languages and teaching methods, in presence, blended and online:
Climate change, Sustainability and Development at Università degli Studi di Padova and Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar – Ecuador
Regional and Local Studies at University of Padova and Universidade da Madeira
Territorial management at University of Padova and Université Joseph Ki Zerbo
Environmental management at University of Padova and University of Johannesburg
Promoted and co-funded by the European Union, the 2-year Master course has been recently complimented for its successful implementation and for the innovative approaches, flexibility and adaptability shown during the COVID-19 pandemic, which underlines the strong commitment of the consortium, which ALDA has been part of since 2014, towards the students.
Do not miss this unique opportunity, apply to the first call for applications. This is the only call with the possibility of being selected for a scholarship!
ICONS responds to the skills gap between professionals and non-professionals involved in the implementation of the Building Information Modeling (BIM), by empowering the latter in understanding BIM-designed projects through specific training modules and the support of a specifically designed APP.
ICONS’ action plan includes the consolidation of strategic and operational cooperation between actors within the construction sector, as well as the maximiSation of communication flow between designers, site managers and blue collar workers.
OBJECTIVES
ICONS aims to improve the working quality in the construction sector by increasing the workers’ digital skills and BIM knowledge and, consequently, to promote the productivity and sustainability of the construction sector in Europe.
Specifically, the goal of the project is to create a tailor-made training course and a digital APP, in order to translate the highly technical and complex set of information that is contained in a BIM structure into a modality which can be read, understood and easily processed by non-professionals.
The two-day conference, entitled “Co-creating rural futures”, marked a key moment to present the work undertaken by the SHERPA project partners during 2022, and discuss their contribution to the European Union Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas (LTVRA).
More on a technical note, the conference focused on the role of Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) and multi-stakeholder governance in delivering the LTVRA and reflected upon the sustainability of SHERPA MAPs after the project’s end. Yet, how far can citizens contribute on that, and how the society can benefit from it?
Didier Duboisset (External Observer of ALDA and representative of the GAL Pays Vichy Auvergne) and Valeria Fantini (project manager and head of the “environment” hub in ALDA) attended the conference, thus bringing the perspective of a Civil Society Organisation especially in the breakout session “Governance and membership of the Multi-Actor Platforms”. Hence, governance plays the main role within the last MAPs cycle (empowering rural areas in multi-level governance processes), underlining the added value of ALDA in contributing to this specific aspect of the project.
Finally, the annual conference has been the occasion to present highlights from the SHERPA and MAPs Position Papers on the social dimension of rural areas, sustainable and resilient value chains, climate change and land use, and digitalisation.
*** The 3rd Annual Conference “CO-CREATING RURAL FUTURES” of the SHERPA project took place in Montpellier (France) on 31 January and 1 February 2023
About the project SHERPA:
Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors (SHERPA) is a four-year project (2019-2023) with 17 partners funded by the Horizon 2020 programme. It aims to gather knowledge that contributes to the formulation of recommendations for future policies relevant to EU rural areas, by creating a science-society-policy interface which provides a hub for knowledge and policy.
This nine- month project has been designed as a collaborative initiative of the members (seven Local Democracy Agencies -LDA and ALDA Skopje) of the newly created thematic CSO network – Balkan Network for Local Democracy (BNLD with its main office in Skopje).
The main objective of this project is to help create preconditions for new tourism product development to increase youth employment and income generating activities through engaging micro-localities, youth greeters and vloggers in regional co-operation programme.
All the activities are intended to contribute to the overall objective with specific focus on activities designed to engage youth from local communities in regional intercultural exchange programme to work together on a new tourist product development.
ACTIVITIES
The project forsees capacity building for LDA greeters and vloggers, professional tour guide skills development exercise, field visit and learning by doing approach.
Innovative IT technologies, creation of the regional online platform containing audio, visual and written narratives of the WW2 monuments, social community theatre approach in creating storytelling are all incorporated in the three main project component in order to develop youth friendly innovative promotional actions to provide orientation and publicise the narrative of the nine magnificent monuments from the WW2.
Creation of LDAs regional network of young greeters and vloggers who will explore and valorise cultural, recreational, craftsmanship and culinary heritage in micro-localities and create youth friendly online platform: (Balkan) Monumental 9 is primarily intended to help increase attractiveness for tourist development and income generating activities at micro-localities included in this action
According to most climate models, Southern Europe, and the especially the Mediterranean basin, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Due both to expected increase of peak flow of the Olona and Seveso rivers and to the runoff generated by the not permeable urban fabric, Milan Metropolitan City (CMM) is prone to flood risk and extreme weather events like heat waves. Local governments are in a unique position to engage local stakeholders and draw punctual responses to local climate related vulnerabilities and risks. At the same time, individual municipalities do not have the necessary resources (scientific knowledge, administrative competences, funding, etc.) to deal climate problems.
It is for this reason that Metro Adapt aims at fostering the creation of a common well-structured governance related to climate change adaptation among the local authorities of the Metropolitan Area of Milan and produce tools that allow local authorities to implement cost-effective climate change adaptation strategies and policies adapted to the local context. The project will also pay high attention to the sharing and dissemination of the project’s tools and good practices with the other Italian and EU metropolitan areas.
OBJECTIVES
Mainstream the adaptation strategies and measures in the elaboration process of the CMM Territorial Plan and in the planning and building rules of the 134 CMM municipalities through an innovative approach identifying intermediate entities of governance (the 7 CMM Homogenous Areas);
Establish and promote Nature Based Solutions (NBS) according to a multi-objectives approach (flood risk and heat-island reduction, together with regeneration of neglected urban space) that enhance the technical knowledge required for their design and implementation of NBS at local level;
Enhance bottom up initiatives increasing citizens’ awareness and engagement on climate change adaptation strategies;
Make available disaggregated meteorological and territorial monitoring data and tools that contribute to the development of accurate vulnerability analysis of the 7 Homogenous Areas of CMM;
Develop a network of Italian and European metropolitan areas enhancing the mainstreaming of adaptation policies and measures and supporting the implementation of Nature Based Solutions.
ACTIVITIES
Assessment of the present situation concerning the mainstreaming of adaptation policies and measures in the CMM territorial plans
Providing municipalities with a set of simple and standardised tools and rules on resilient measures to be integrated in their urban plans and regulations;
Development of a “METRO ADAPT Platform” on the implementation of Nature Based Solutions
Drafting of technical standards and feasibility studies and organising training workshops for municipal technician for the development of NBS;
Organisation of local events to raise citizens awareness on the climate change issue and to trigger behavioural changes to combat its effects;
Realisation of two demonstrative NBS facilities;
Improving and complementing the existing spatial and meteorological data and information on the CMM
Realisation of an e-learning platform on CMM web portal delivering training on vulnerability analysis to municipalities;
Fostering an Italian and European network of metropolitan areas.
Words are not enough to express this important achievement, which is the demonstration of the ALDA’s fruitful first insight: believe in the power of citizens as change makers and democracy promoters. Changing people’s lives for better is the goal behind every single action; thus, easing the conditions in which people are living in, and supporting a democratic outcome of every initiative.
Yet, the world has posed several challenges since the very beginning: fundamental values are at stake and extreme behaviours are spreading all around. What can we do? How can Civil Society Organisation act and counterbalance this anti-democratic drift?
There is a necessity of investing in the democratic culture, in the participatory mechanisms and in the empowerment of future generations: ALDA’s 500 projects do that
By localising actions, by engaging with local communities and by creating a space of dialogue among institutions and citizens. There is a necessity of investing in the democratic culture, in the participatory mechanisms and in the empowerment of future generations: ALDA’s 500 projects do that.
On the one hand, having a consortium of different stakeholders within each project favours an intercultural exchange and cooperation; on the other, it increases mutual knowledge and the sense of community, thus encouraging the development of a collective approach to common matters.
With its projects, ALDA is addressing the above-mentions issues through decentralised cooperation and participatory mechanisms, enabling people with new tools to react and face problems. The Rude Awakening project, for example, developed an interactive videogame taking place during the WWI. Aimed at raising awareness on European historical and cultural heritage, while stressing new educational and emotional perspective on war and peace, through this output the project not only stimulate the reflection on the present situation, but also it firmly underlines the importance of peace and the necessity of its safeguard.
More on a scientific note, but still having the well-being of people at the centre and still focusing on the necessity of local community, the LIFE Beware project addresses climate change and the consequence of it in the urban and rural areas. It calls for experts and CSOs to collaborate to reach a common strategy for climate adaptation, especially on flooding risks.
Last but not least, leading an international membership, made of 300 realities, and being in its turn member of several global network, all ALDA’s projects have a world-wide ranging, and meet one or more Sustainable Development Goals, thus localising the latter and cooperating to the achievements of the UN AGENDA 2030
BEWARE focuses on the achievement of a global strategy for climate adaptation to flood risk increasing water infiltration and storage in urban and rural areas and involving the local communities actively. BEWARE project aims at increasing knowledge, benefit and real implementation of NWRM (Natural Water Retention Measures) both in the territory of Comune di Santorso and Comune di Marano Vicentino (Vicenza, IT) and other EU municipalities thanks to demonstrative interventions fully coordinated with activities of information, communication and education.
OBJECTIVES
The project aims at:
Promoting a participative approach to implement local initiatives and measures on water-retention actions facing the climate change’s challenge;
Establishing a local administrative, financial and technical context favourable to the diffuse employment of NWRM;
Enhancing the link between European policies and local contexts actively involving citizens and key-stakeholders on the EU goals on climate change;
Demonstrating that small diffused works and implementation of best practices can guarantee hydraulic safety and face climate-change consequences effectively;
Encouraging the replication of the actions proposed in other geographic areas of Italy and Europe.
ACTIVITIES
Start a participatory process with the aim of defining some best practices for the project area;
New version of the Municipality’s building code (deal with NWRM) and voluntary Mayors’ agreement in line with the Mayors’ Adapt Strategy;
Settle a stakeholders’ network for the entire Northern Vicenza province to increase the awareness toward the topics of the project toward Mayors Adapt Initiative;
Involve farmers, manufactures and artisans to implement some of these techniques in their firms;
Involve actively the citizens thanks to cultural events, workshops, seminaries;
Disseminate the EU policies by the information’s activities;
Implementing concrete actions for water retention in different contexts:
Monitor the impact of concrete actions on the hydraulic system, environment and socioeconomic context;
with wide communications actions for citizens, schools, technicians and land planners/managers;
Develop wide communication and replicability initiatives on water retention;
Start a network activity aiming at exchanging knowledge with similar EU projects;
Settle a real team to refer at regional and national level concerning the topics of sustainable water retention policy/practice.
The breeding range of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) in the central-eastern Mediterranean area is shifting northwards due to climate change. LIFE FALKON is fostering resilience by improving the conservation status of the population at the north-eastern edge of its breeding range in Italy and Greece. The project will provide increased nesting opportunities, including nest boxes and towers, promote favourable rural development and building renovation practices, and establish a network of conservationists focused on populations crucial for the species’ northward breeding expansion.
OBJECTIVES
The project aims at:
Improve foraging and nesting habitat quality in farmland areas and Natura 2000 sites (SPAs) where the species breeds in the project areas;
Establish a collaborative international network to support the implementation of conservation actions, population monitoring programmes and knowledge sharing across the central-eastern Mediterranean region, and foster replicability and transferability of project actions in south-eastern Europe;
Promote public awareness concerning the lesser kestrel and biodiversity conservation in the north-eastern margins of its breeding range, with an emphasis on environmental education;
Obtain an accurate assessment of the conservation status of those populations that are considered crucial for the species’ northward breeding expansion.
Europe needs new safeguards to guarantee transparency in digital political advertising that allow regulators to oversee who is funding what online. The self-regulatory Code of Practice that the European Commission adopted with tech companies is an important first step. Yet, the Code does not foresee clear enforcement or sanction mechanisms. This project aims to strengthen European level policy so as to guarantee transparency in digital political advertising.
The Virtual Insanity project aims at strengthening European level policy that guarantees transparency in digital political advertising. This will be done through research and multi-stakeholder policy dialogue at the national and European
OBJECTIVES
The project aims to identify and understand the narratives and (mis)perceptions of the EU abroad, assess potential issues related with the border and external security in order to allow better planning and outline reactions and countermeasures. For that purpose, the project will conduct research on the narratives and the myths that are circulating about the EU in three countries of migrants’ origin (as well as transit) (Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia) and four Mediterranean countries of arrival (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain), as well as two countries of transit to Europe (Bulgaria and Kosovo), representing three routes into Europe (Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean) (Forin & Healy 2018).
The research will be conducted in cooperation with local and international partners in order to find out how the EU is perceived in social media, local newspapers and by the general public. These perceptions might vary and they might cover the scope for example from the EU as the “paradise” to the EU as the “seminary of vice” and “evil”.
A comprehensive approach combining quantitative and qualitative research methods will clarify the picture for the exemplary selection of research sites. The outcomes will be analysed against the background of the scientific literature.
Based on the research insights, the consortium will develop a PERCEPTIONS framework model including policy recommendations, action plans and a policy strategy – aligned with the ethical principles of the EU –addressing these challenges through foreign policy on different levels (from bilateral contacts to high level working groups). Furthermore, this framework will contain validated new methods for practitioners and civil-society organisations in order to support them to present a realistic picture of the EU in these countries.
The journey of the SMELT project – Skilling Marginalised people to Enter the Labour market, started back in 2020, came to an end.
After two years of hard work, on January 16, 2023, the Final Conference of the project took place in Schio (Italy) within the framework of the fifth and last Transnational Partners Meeting.
During the Final Conference, the project partners presented to the audience, composed of Local Authorities, Civil Society Organisations, Associations and professionals working in the field of social inclusion, the achievements and results of the project.
After a brief but in-depth introduction made by Cooperativa Samarcanda Onlus, leader of the project, the three Intellectual Outputs were showcased.
The first one led to the creation of a manual, so-called ‘Easy Handbook’, aimed at bringing marginalised people closer to the labour market. The Easy Handbook is composed of two different parts, one addressed to operators/staff working in NGOs, VET Institutions or other entities entitled of delivering the training to facilitate access to the labour market of vulnerable groups, and another part directly targeting vulnerable people.
Despite the formal end of the SMELT project, the tools achieved by its implementation are timeless
The second Intellectual Output resulted in the production of a ‘Training Manual’, a guide that includes basic knowledge on how to look for a job in the welding sector. It contains the labour regulatory frameworks of the countries involved in the project, it explores the different steps foreseen during the application procedure (e.g. how to write a CV, how to manage an interview etc.) and the soft skills needed to succeed in the recruitment process.
Finally, the partners presented the Intellectual Output 3, a collection of projects addressed to the ‘people on the move’ (refugees, migrants etc.).
Each partner conducted this third and last phase in a very different way, according to the tools and expertise at their disposal. During the Final Conference, the prototypes of Cooperativa Samarcanda, which conducted a Hackathon with more than 50 participants, were showcased.
The Final Conference represented a great conclusion for a successful project which exceeded the expectations of the partners, who not only shared professionalism and good practices but also humanity and empathy, values that characterised SMELT from the beginning to the very end.
The project partners will continue, with their daily work, promoting the insertion of vulnerable people into the society, through employment and other means. Despite the formal end of the project, the tools achieved by its implementation are timeless.
Taking place on 1st February 2023 and chaired by Mr. Bianco; the 16th CIVEX Commission fully addresses the Eastern Partnership, with special reference to the local and regional perspective; together with the Enlargement Package and the Media Freedom Act while discussing the involvement of local and regional Authorities to strengthen the European Democracy.
Being the CIVEX addressed to European civil society actors, ALDA is a key player in the discussion, representing in turn a network of 300 stakeholders
The latter represents a key milestone in the conduct of ALDA, stressing once again the crucial position of the Association: bridging people and networking with institution to achieve a common goal: building a democratic society in Europe and beyond.
Thus, in light of a long-lasting partnership and in line with the mission of ALDA, our Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida was present at the CIVEX Commission. Indeed, being the CIVEX addressed to European civil society actors, from local and regional authorities to NGOs and civil society organisations, ALDA represents a key player in the discussion, representing in turn a network of 300 stakeholders among local authorities and associations across the Enlarged Europe.
On this note, Ms. Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdanks (Poland) and member of ALDA, was also present as CIVEX as Chair of the CoR Working Group on Ukraine, underlying in her speech the essential role of ALDA as a change maker, driving policies into actions.
Overall, considering the multiple stimuli and challenges that Europe is now facing, this 16th CIVEX Commission represents a high moment within ALDA’s agenda, allowing the Association to further increase its expertise and addressing its activities to meet the European priorities as well as the civil society necessitates.
