Archive for the ‘What's New?’ Category

A travel race has started in the Netherlands: in the next two weeks, 12 teams will compete against each other and will travel through the entire country. During the trip, they will have to visit projects that are supported by the EU. One of the teams, Team Steam, will represent YouthNetworks and will visit volunteers and organisations around the country.
Team Steam will try to collect a hundred heroes: volunteers or people who do good for others. These will be placed on the website, www.100heroes.eu. The website is currently under construction.

If you are a hero, or if you know a hero for our collection, we’d love to come and visit you and your organisation. We’ll write about the organisation and the volunteers working there, which will give you a chance to present yourselves and your organisation, and will earn us points: it’s a win-win situation! However, we will only be able to visit organizations or volunteers that are in the Netherlands. Also, if you are a organization sponsored by the EU but don’t have any volunteers at the moment, we would still be happy to visit you.

Team Steam consists of former YouthNetworks community trainer Albert Meijer and newcomer Margje Boersma. Contact us at albert@100heroes.eu or margje@100heroes.eu.

You can also follow us on:

Facebook (EN): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Steam/235618673122063
Twitter (NL): http://twitter.com/teamsteam2
Hyves (NL): http://teamsteam.hyves.nl/
Waarbenjij.nu (NL) : www.teamsteam.waarbenjij.nu

If you are interested in doing your EVS abroad, please take a look on the Scriptamanent Contest blog, where you can read the stories of 19 EVS volunteers!

Barbara Woroch, Poland: “I have always been interested in Russia and a plan to go there has always lived independently somewhere back in my mind. So, after the graduation, when I asked myself this fundamental question ”What do I want from life NOW?” there was only 1 possible answer. 3 months later I entered the office of NGO “One World Association” in Poznan. Agnieszka, my best coordinator ever, who has known me earlier, wasn’t surprised that I wanted to go to Russia. “Find a project for me”, I asked. “I have to go to Russia.” After 3 weeks I knew that I was accepted, I would live and work in Nizhny Novgorod for 9 months and take part in a project “Konkort”, working with mentally disabled youngsters. At that time I was simply happy.” 

Curious to the rest of her story? Please, visit the Scriptamanent Contest blog.

And the two winners are ….

Maribor (Slovenia) is awarded for the European Youth Capital in 2013. The European Youth Capital is a title granted to a European city for a year and is awarded by the European Youth Forum. Over this period the chosen city will have the opportunity to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development and to host a number of corresponding events. This year Torino (Italy) is the centre of European youth and next year it will be Antwerp (Belgium).

Lights, Camera, Action! The Publications Office of the European Union is calling on the creativity and technical skills of young people studying subjects like communication and film for the production of short, fun and entertaining promotional films on two of its services: EU Bookshop and Ted (Tenders Electronic Daily). The contest is open to all educational establishments based in one of the 27 EU Member States or an EEA country, which can submit as many entries as they desire. Films and videos should be produced in one of the 23 official languages of the EU. Submission deadline:17 January 2011. For more detailed information about the contest, please click here.

Cau Jarufe Montagne, Márton Demeter and Balázs Kovács are the winners of the Youth on the Move ‘My European Diary’ contest. These winners were selected from among 47 stories and testimonials submitted in the form of videos, photos and texts relating to experiences of studying or working in a different country. The contest was launched with the aim to trigger exchanges between those who have studied or worked abroad and those who might be thinking about doing so. Visit the Youth on the Move webpage, to see the winning and other submitted stories.

Show the message that ending poverty is everyone’s business and join the human ring around the European Parliament in Brussels next Friday on 19 November at 12:30 CET. The Coalition of Social Non Government Organisations is organising this symbolic event which will see a human ring formed around the European institutions. The event aims to call on civil society, trade unions, Members of the European Parliament and citizens who feel concerned by the fight against povertyand social exclusion to request political commitment towards ending poverty and social exclusion. Anyone who believes that a credible response to the crisis, focused on solidarity and social justice is needed, should join the Human Ring! Find out more.

World leaders will be gathering next month to discuss the replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) fund, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries that helps fight poverty in Africa. The World Bank want you to join this conversation submitting your video. The challenge is to answer the following question in a 2-minute video: If you were asked to advise the Bank on what to fund in your village, your town, your province, your state or your country to reduce poverty, what would you recommend and why? Videos must be submitted by Monday, 22 November 2010. For more information, please visit the World Bank web site.

On 12 August 2010, the United Nations launched the International Year of Youth, under the theme Dialogue and Mutual Understanding, to generate much needed attention for youth participation and youth development at local, national and global levels. The Year provides an important opportunity to increase commitment to youth, promote youth participation and enhance inter-cultural dialogue and understanding among youth.

How to post your ideas, videos or pictures:

• “Share your suggestions on how we can promote urban sustainable development?” on this Facebook page before 15 November 2010!
• Share a video about the International Year of Youth (IYY) on the IYY YouTube channel by sending an email of the video’s URL to youth@un.org with the subject “IYY video sharing”
• Share photos about the International Year of Youth (IYY) on the IYY Picassa Photo Gallery by sending an email to youth@un.org with the subject “IYY photo sharing”

Watch the documentary “Youth Work – Take it a step further” and learn more about the history and omportance of Youth work in Europe. The documentary was taken during the 1st European Youth Work Convention held in Ghent (Belgium) on 7-10 July 2010 under the EU Belgian Presidency.