efilife(( · gert lucas (germany), urd kornoe rasmussen (denmark), andré galvão (portugal), lili...

EFILife Newsle-er Edi0on 85, November 2010

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EFILife Newsletter, Edition 85

EF IL i s the Federa t ion o f AFS Organ i sa t ions in Europe Avenue Emi le Max 150 , 1030 Brusse l s , Be l g ium te l +32 2 5145250 f ax +32 2 5142929

INDEX

Governance -‐ AFS World Congress focuses on “GROWTH NOW” -‐ EFIL HOO meeting in Buenos Aires

EFIL trainings and projects -‐ Final countdown for 2nd ECTP Brussels Camp has

started! -‐ Intercultural Dialogue Day expanding in Russia! -‐ Portugal welcomes you al l for EFIL’s Volunteer

Summer Summit 2011 -‐ EFIL Travell ing Trainer – a review -‐ Upcoming training events and meetings – save the

date

Partner news -‐ Partner news -‐ AFS Bosnia and Herzegovina signs MoU with

Directorate for European Integration -‐ AFS Belgium united in Brussels f lash mob -‐ Vote for your favourite picture in AFS France photo

contest

Europe -‐ AFS and the Europe-US exhibit ion in Brussels -‐ Learning about Europe -‐ Policy developments in Europe

EFIL calendar

Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6

8 9 9 10

11 12 14

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Editor: Paul Claes Layout: Thomas Jürgenschellert Contributions: Paul Claes, Ilyana Panteleeva, Thomas Jürgenschellert, Charlotte Klinting, Inga Menke, AFS partners Pictures: EFIL, AFS Russia, AFS Switzerland, SRNA, AFS France, Hanneke Boode, Anna-‐Maria Hass



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AFS WORLD CONGRESS FOCUSES ON “GROWTH NOW” The Southern Cone Region in South America – AFS Argent ina/Uruguay , AFS Paraguay , AFS Chi le , AFS Braz i l , AFS Bol iv ia – warmly welcomed delegates from a l l over the world at the 2010 AFS World Congress , which took p lace in Buenos Aires , Argent ina , between 19 and 24 October . A sk i l led group of vo lunteers , drawn from around

the Region, made up the Congress Fac i l i tat ion Team, to support th is important event . At the Congress , the ent ire AFS leadersh ip from around the world met and ref lected on severa l strateg ic issues , the current state of the Network and the future . During the Congress , de legates took t ime to focus on opportunit ies for programme innovat ion in our quest for “Growth Now”, the theme of the

2010 AFS World Congress . Having agreed on Vis ion 2020 and hav ing begun to map our path at both the nat iona l and g loba l leve ls , i t i s now t ime to seek opportunit ies for creat iv i ty and innovat ion as we a im to return to a growth path in the AFS Network, and as we seek to ach ieve our in i t ia l strateg ic goa ls l inked to the Vis ion , many of which are to be completed by 2013.

Our strateg ic pr ior it ies inv ite us not only to ensure Partner hea lth , but to invest in h igh growth potent ia l organisat ions , to f ind new ways to grow 18+ and other non-trad it iona l programmes, and to expand AFS in to new terr i tor ies , with a focus on growth in Afr ica . EFIL was represented at the World Congress by i ts Board Chair Roberto Ruf f ino, Board Member Michael Rosak and Secretary Genera l Pau l Claes .

EFIL HOO MEETING IN BUENOS AIRES On Saturday 23 October , the last day of the AFS World Congress in Buenos Aires , Argent ina , the Nat ional Directors of the EFIL Member Organisat ions met for the ir b i-annual Heads of Off ice meet ing (HOO). Compared to the usua l HOO meet ings , the t ime set as ide for the meet ing in Buenos Aires was fa ir ly l imited, as a resu lt o f which the meet ing focused on spec i f ic comments and requests for addit iona l in format ion, fo l lowing the d istr ibut ion and reading of an extens ive background document cover ing a genera l overv iew of the federat ion, inc lud ing the sta f f s i tuat ion, an update

P a u l C l a e s ( s e c r e t a r y -‐ g e n e r a l E F I L ) , R o b e r t o R u f f i n o ( C h a i r o f t h e E F I L B o a r d ) , M i c h a e l R o s a k ( E F I L B o a r d m emb e r ) ( p h o t o : E F I L )



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on funding successes , the EFIL act iv i ty ca lendar 2010-2012, an overv iew of se lected act iv i t ies (Volunteer Summer Summit – August 2010, European Cit izenship Tr imester Brusse ls Camp – November 2010, Intercultura l Dia logue Day – September 2010, EurAfr ican Partnersh ip for Change project 2010, and other tra in ings and meet ings) .

A spec ia l request was made to the Members to appoint an EFIL l ia ison person for advocacy matters in each nat iona l organisat ion. As a member of severa l p lat forms and working groups (P lat form for Intercu ltura l Europe, Civ i l Soc iety P lat form for Mult i l ingua l ism, European Youth Forum working groups , Al l iance P lat form, etc . ) , EF IL needs the input and expert ise from the nat ional leve l i .e . running Youth in Act ion, L i fe long Learn ing Programme projects , v isa issues , vo lunteer recognit ion , qua l i ty assurance mechanisms in non- formal educat ion, good pract ices and structured d ia logue with loca l agencies , government departments and inst i tut ions . The appointment of a contact person in each European AFS organisat ion wi l l fac i l i tate the communicat ion f low with regards to EFIL ’s representat ion act iv i t ies

FINAL COUNTDOWN FOR 2ND ECTP BRUSSELS CAMP HAS STARTED! In the last days before the b ig event , more than 30 volunteers are working rest less ly on the preparat ions . The agenda for the Camp is f ina l ized and a lot of interest ing act iv i t ies wi l l g ive part ic ipants a un ique opportunity to learn , share and have fun in a mult icu ltura l env ironment! We are expect ing the arr iva l in Brusse ls o f 152

AFS Wor ld Congress p l enary (pho to : EF IL )

Congress de l ega tes v i s i t ing the Casa Rosada in Buenos A i res (pho to : EF IL )



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part ic ipants from 14 countr ies , or 50 more than last year . Al l o f them current ly are in the ir last week of a tr imester exchange in Europe and wi l l meet in Europe’s cap ita l c i ty Brusse ls , for 4 days of learn ing and shar ing , before they return home. Such a jo int end-of-stay camp is un ique in i ts k ind with in the AFS network, and i t provides a great env ironment for students to ref lect on the ir exper ience and further d iscover the r ichness of seeming ly European cu ltures . A lthough we often th ink that rea l cu ltura l d i f ferences emerge and intercultura l learn ing is ach ieved through interact ions

between Europe and Asia or South America or Afr ica , workshops and d iscuss ions at the ECTP Camp prove that Europe i tse l f i s the scene of a huge cu ltura l d ivers i ty , and intercultura l learn ing on our very own cont inent can be a deep and intense exper ience. Among our Camp part ic ipants , there wi l l be youngsters who went on an exchange in a ne ighbouring reg ion to the ir home country , probably just an hour away from home! We are very much looking forward to hear the ir stor ies and to conf irm that intercultura l learn ing doesn’t re late to the d istance from home, but i t i s a l l around! One of the h igh l ights of the Camp – the v is i t o f the EU inst i tut ions in Brusse ls – is wel l set and a lot of interest ing facts wi l l be presented to the young part ic ipants . An exc it ing c i ty ra l ly through the heart of Europe is promis ing a great t ime for a l l involved! The weather gods have been contacted a lready , so we hope for adventure- fr iendly weather! A b ig thank you goes out to a l l AFS partners for the good cooperat ion in the preparat ion phase . We are convinced that the ECTP Camp wi l l be a tru ly memorable European exper ience for the part ic ipants . Stay tuned for the news a fter the event , in our next edit ion of EFIL i fe !

INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE DAY EXPANDING IN RUSSIA! In th is ed it ion of EFIL i fe , we take another look back at our 2010 Intercu ltura l Dia logue Day with a spec ia l focus on our partner organisat ion in Russ ia .

AFS Russ ia has shown great and cont inuous engagement regarding Intercu ltura l Dia logue Day over the past three years , involv ing more reg ions each year . The map g ives an overv iew of the reg ions and chapters in Russ ia where



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in i t iat ives took p lace in the framework of Intercu ltura l

Dia logue Day 2008, 2009 and 2010.

In IDD2010 events have taken p lace in an addit iona l 8 reg ions . In Gorodische (Volgograd Region) the day was ce lebrated under the motto “AFS aga inst stereotypes” . Students created a v ideo demonstrat ing the terminology “stereotype” and d iscussed s i tuat ions in which they have been a f fected by stereotypica l th ink ing themselves . In conclus ion the part ic ipants rea l ized that open-mindedness towards other cu ltures he lps to

overcome and abandon stereotypes and pre judices . In Novocheboksarsk hosted exchange students from the USA, Germany, Venezuela and Switzer land shared exper iences they have ga ined on the ir t ime spent abroad with loca l students . Russ ian students learned about d i f ferent cu ltures , trad it ions and languages .

PORTUGAL WELCOMES YOU ALL FOR EFIL’S VOLUNTEER SUMMER SUMMIT

While last August ’s Volunteer Summer Summit 2010 in Zanka,

Hungary , i s st i l l fresh on our minds , p lanning for the next VSS is



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a lready in fu l l swing . As announced in Zanka and through severa l EFIL

channels , the VSS 2011 wi l l be in Odemira , Portuga l , at the venue of Zmar Eco Camp Resort . The not-to-be-missed event wi l l take p lace from the 20th to the 25th of Ju ly 2011, so save the dates a lready now! Communicat ion from the preparatory team wi l l soon start . You wi l l hear from us through the trad it iona l “VSS Hera ld” and the upcoming webpage. However , as we are too excited to wait to have the webpage up and running , EFIL is proud to announce the recent ly

chosen members of the preparatory team: F i l ipa Santos (Portuga l – as the overa l l coordinator) ,

Gert Lucas (Germany) , Urd Kornoe Rasmussen (Denmark) , André Galvão (Portuga l) , L i l i Popper (Hungary) , Nastya Arsentyeva (Russ ia) , Pedro Carmona (AFS Portuga l l ia ison person) , and Inga Menke and Char lotte Kl int ing from the EFIL secretar iat . We wish the best of luck to the team. And to a l l o f you: keep an eye on EFIL i fe and the VSS Hera ld to fo l low the progress!

EFIL TRAVELLING TRAINER – A REVIEW The trave l l ing tra iner concept is a serv ice that EFIL of fers to i ts members . In 2010 a tota l o f 1500 Euros for th is purpose was set as ide in the EFIL budget . Each member organisat ion is e l ig ib le to request a trave l l ing tra iner . Reasons to ask for a tra iner could be a nat iona l tra in ing event or a spec ia l tra in ing for key volunteers or sta f f . The request ing organisat ion can ask for spec i f ic sk i l l s or even for a spec i f ic person. The tra iners are recru ited from the EPOT (EFIL ’s European Pool of Tra iners) . EFIL issues a ca l l to the EPOT members to recru it a tra iner that f i ts the prof i le . Trave l costs are covered by EFIL , accommodat ion and food needs to be provided by the host ing organisat ion. For a smooth running of the trave l l ing tra iners programme, there are some ru les . Requests by host ing organisat ions have to be made three month in advance. Each organisat ion may ask for only one trave l l ing tra iner per ca lendar year . Once the budget is f in ished EFIL cannot attend any further

Vo lun tee rs o f AFS POR a t VSS2010 (pho to : Hanneke Boode)

Tra iners a t the VSS2010 (photo : Anna-Mar ia Hass )



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requests for trave l l ing tra iners for that part icu lar year . This past year has shown that the serv ice becomes increas ing ly popular , and the ava i lab le budget was a lready used up ha l fway through 2010. Moral o f the story : don’t wait too long with your appl icat ions , even i f the event you request a tra iner for takes p lace towards the end of the year . Due to the increas ing demand and the pos it ive feedback we are

gett ing from our Member Organisat ions (and from the tra iners themselves) , a s l ight increase in the budget for 2011 has been p lanned, to a l low more countr ies to benef i t from a trave l l ing tra iner . In 2010 s ix partner organisat ions benef i ted from the serv ice . Just recent ly , a trave l l ing tra iner was involved in a nat iona l event in Denmark.

UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS AND MEETINGS – SAVE THE DATE !

Date

Event Target group / Participants

Location / Fees

15-‐19 December 2010

EFIL/EEE-‐YFU seminar on advocacy and external representation skil ls A jo int in i t iat ive between EFIL and EEE-‐YFU, th is seminar focuses on external lobbying and representat ion matters , with a focus on working with Nat ional Agencies , bui ld ing re lat ionships with government inst i tut ions and understanding the European inst i tut ional environment .

Volunteers and sta f f involved or interested in advocacy at nat ional or European level (EFIL only)

Brussels , Belg ium Sponsored by the European Commission Cost : 80€ (70% travel re imbursement)

31 January 2010 – 5 February 2011

EFIL Organisational Development Coordinators training/meeting (ODC) This is a recurr ing meet ing of ODC’s from EFIL Member Organisat ions ( taking p lace once every two years) , with sess ions a imed at both new and establ ished sta f f working with organisat ional and volunteer development . Non-‐EFIL Partners welcome.

ODC (Organisat ional Development Coordinators) and other volunteer development s ta f f

Hamburg , Germany Sponsored by the European Commission Cost : to be determined

13-‐20 February 2011

Study session on Intergenerational Issues in Hosting Support to Families The overal l a im is to enable part ic ipants to understand complex interact ions between intergenerat ional and intercultura l learning and their appl icat ions in support ing in a support s i tuat ion of a host family ( inc luding s ib l ings , parents , grandparents – and

Volunteers act ive at nat ional and local levels , pr imari ly under 30 years o f age (EFIL only)

European Youth Centre , S trasbourg Sponsored by the Counci l o f Europe Cost : 50€ (100%



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their re lat ionship to the student and the volunteers)

travel re imbursement)

18-‐20 February 2011

EFIL Board of Directors meeting Three t imes a year the EFIL Board of Directors meets to d iscuss issues of s trategic importance . The February meet ing wi l l focus on the EFIL General Assembly 2011, EFIL branding and market ing , new member development , e tc .

EFIL Board of Directors only

Mi lan , I ta ly

March 2011

EFIL Programme Directors meeting This is an annual meet ing of European Programme Directors covering both operat ional and management issues . Tradit ional ly a s igni f icant number of non-‐European Programme Directors part ic ipate . Open to non-‐EFIL Partners .

Programme Directors and other programme staf f

France Cost : to be determined

20-‐26 March 2011

EFIL/AFS INT Fundraising seminar Fol lowing the successfu l jo int in i t iat ive in November 2007, another seminar on fundrais ing for AFS Partners wi l l be of fered . Contents wi l l inc lude both corporate and publ ic fundrais ing resources .

S ta f f and Board Members deal ing with fundrais ing

Brussels , Belg ium Sponsored by the European Commission Cost : to be determined

Apri l 2011 EFIL seminar on Supporting ICL Processes in Volunteer Work This seminar wi l l focus on analys ing and improving intercultura l learning processes in the dai ly work of AFS volunteers . Recognit ion of volunteers as a group of learning benef ic iar ies in AFS , as wel l as quest ions on the need of intercultura l competences of volunteers , wi l l be d iscussed .

Key volunteers from EFIL Member Organisat ions and other AFS Partners

Venue and cost : to be determined Sponsorship appl ied for – result pending

1-‐6 June 2011

EFIL Heads of Off ice meeting EFIL General Assembly EFIL Board of Directors meeting Vienna wi l l be the scene of several EFIL meet ings in June , s tart ing with the f irst o f two annual meet ings of the Partner Directors o f the EFIL Member Organisat ions , fo l lowed by EFIL ’s b iennia l General Assembly th is year focused on the theme “Forty Years o f EFIL” . Board e lect ions wi l l take p lace during the General Assembly , and the new Board of Directors wi l l meet immediate ly a f ter the end of the GA.

HOO meet ing: Nat ional Directors o f the EFIL Member Organisat ions General Assembly: de legates from EFIL Members + guests Board meet ing: EFIL Board of Directors

Vienna , Austr ia

15-‐22 Ju ly 2011

EPOT Advanced Training Course for Trainers – “volunTEAMing” The event fo l lows the idea of o f fer ing every second year and advanced tra in ing

Most ly EPOT members (experienced nat ional

Odemira , Portugal Sponsorship



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at European level , in pr incip le for members of the European Pool o f Trainers (EPOT) . Note that th is event only takes p lace i f external funding is obta ined .

t ra iners) appl ied for – result pending Cost : to be determined

20-‐25 Ju ly 2011

EFIL Volunteer Summer Summit – Multiculturalism in Volunteering This annual large-‐sca le summer event br ings together more than 200 volunteers of a l l ages , coming from over 30 di f ferent countr ies , to learn and share in four days of workshops and act iv i t ies . One of EFIL ’s f lagship projects . Fourth year running . Not to be missed .

Local and nat ional volunteers , f rom EFIL Member Organisat ions and other AFS Partners

Odemira , Portugal Sponsorship appl ied for – result pending Cost : to be determined

PARTNER NEWS IN EACH EDITION OF EFILIFE, WE DEDICATE SOME SPACE TO PARTNER NEWS, INCLUDING PERSONNEL CHANGES AS WELL AS RELEVANT EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER THE PAST MONTH.

Fabr ice Gonet has now of f ic ia l ly taken over the pos it ion of AFS Partner Director of AFS Belgium French (BFR) . To support the new Director and to ensure a smooth and ef f ic ient

trans it ion per iod, outgoing Director Anne Sokal wi l l be around unt i l the end of December, part icu lar ly to he lp take care of the end of year f inances and 2011 budget ing , as wel l as the 2011 recru itment campaign . As of 1 October , Rune F imreite has taken over the pos it ion as Nat iona l Director of AFS Norway . Both Fabr ice Gonet and Rune F imreite were warmly welcomed by the ir col leagues at the AFS World Congress and the EFIL Heads of Off ice meet ing at the end of October in Buenos Aires , Argent ina .

AFS Turkey once aga in organised i ts b iggest and longest host ing event of the year , which took p lace in

Gumuldur , Izmir , and attracted 38 students and 13 volunteers at the wonderfu l Denizat i Hote l (16-22 October) . Part ic ipants studied Turkish Grammar and were involved in intercultura l learn ing act iv i t ies . Before return ing to home c it ies and host fami l ies the group made a tr ip to The House of the Virg in Mary and the Ant ique City of Ephesus .

AFS Switzerland i s very p leased to present a new website for the ir volunteer community . Based on GoogleS ites AFS SUI is now able

to provide a he lp fu l , modern and f lex ib le onl ine so lut ion for a c lose col laborat ion and interact ion with the ir volunteer network! Have fun with explor ing the s i te on http : / /www.afsvolunteers .ch .



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AFS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SIGNS MOU WITH DIRECTORATE FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

In Sara jevo, on 28 October 2010, our AFS Partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina , UG Interkulturn i susret i u Bosni i Hercegovin i , has s igned the Memorandum of Understanding with the Directorate for European Integrat ion of the Counci l o f Min isters of Bosnia and Herzegovina (DEI) , as a member of an in i t iat ive of n ine youth organisat ions from Bosnia and Herzegovina which are members of re levant European and internat iona l networks in the f ie ld of work with youth .

The Memorandum has formal ized the cooperat ion between the youth NGO sector and the Directorate in f ie lds of common interest . The main goa l is to improve the qua l i tat ive communicat ion, as wel l as the exchange and shar ing of re levant in format ion about the process of European integrat ion. Fol lowing the Memorandum, events wi l l be organised on d i f ferent topics which are of interest for youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina .

The ceremonia l s ign ing of the Memorandum was covered by most of the important media in Bosnia and Herzegovina , inc lud ing the nat iona l TV and Radio channel (BHT), SRNA – Republ ic of Srpska News Agency , FENA – Federa l News Agency B iH, as wel l as other pr inted and onl ine

media .

AFS BELGIUM UNITED IN BRUSSELS FLASH MOB No less than 130 exchange students and volunteers were scattered in groups around the c i ty center of Brusse ls on 24 October 2010. As the c lock struck 16:00 hours , Les Gal ler ies St . Hubert was f i l led with youngsters wear ing AFS T-sh irts , and when the music started, hundreds of

• ht tp ://www.mo jev i j e s t i . ba/novos t/60081/po tp i san -‐memorandum-‐ i zmed ju -‐de i -‐ a -‐

i -‐deve t -‐nvo -‐a -‐ za -‐m lade • ht tp ://www. fena .ba/pub l i c2/Ca tegory . a spx?news_ id=FSA889699 • ht tp ://www.bhr t . ba/ l a t/de fau l t .wbsp?p=37&n=58646

Photo: SRNA On the le f t Mire la Hrnj ić , Pres ident o f UG ISU BIH



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acc identa l by-standers witnessed a wonderfu l common AFS Belg ium F landers (BFL) & AFS Belg ium French (BFR) volunteer project : a f lash mob made up of four d i f ferent (and catchy) songs , accompanied by a wel l worked out choreography. For the next four minutes , there was just one united AFS Belg ium, and AFS showed Belg ium and i ts pol i t ic ians that th ings can indeed be done. . . ☺ The event was profess iona l ly f i lmed and the v ideo was posted on YouTube under the name “F lashmob Brusse ls AFS - 24/10/2010”. A F lashmob is des igned to come across as a spontaneous act ion, with a group of people come out of nowhere to perform some sort of act ion, and quick ly d isperse a fter the stunt . The idea of the f lash mob came from BFR volunteers , who sensed the need to do something proact ive with the F lemish speaking part of Be lg ium, as the two Belg ian AFS s ister organisat ions don’t know each other wel l enough and hard ly ever take common in i t iat ives . At the EFIL Volunteer Summer Summit 2010 in Hungary , the idea of a dance F lash mob in Brusse ls came up and the p lanning began soon a fter . The group met severa l t imes to pract ice the choreography, which was put together by the volunteers , as were the log ist ics and gather ing of mater ia l . “A lot of volunteers from both part of Belg ium were there to be part of th is event . Natura l ly there was some stress dur ing the day , but the resu lt was wel l worth the e f fort : 4 minutes of pure happiness . At 4 o 'c lock , on " Ja i ho" , our f irst song, 10 boys began to dance and 10 seconds later , 40 others jo int in . Surpr ised people a l l around stopped to enjoy the moment . Some were recording , others tak ing p ictures .” (Mar ie Céci le Lantsoght) A b ig round of applause goes out from EFIL to the part ic ipants and in i t iators of th is project . Let th is be the start of many more combined in i t iat ives from the volunteers of BFL and BFR!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE PICTURE IN AFS FRANCE PHOTO CONTEST! A photo contest was launched by AFS Vivre Sans Front ière and a l l EF IL member organisat ions were inv ited to take act ive ly part in the compet it ion . You and a l l o f your fr iends from across Europe, who are between the ages of 12 and 30, were most welcome to part ic ipate unt i l 14 November! Between 22 November and 5 December the vot ing wi l l take p lace . On the internet you can vote on your favour ite p ictures . The pr ice for the winner of the contest wi l l be a weekend for two people in one of the countr ies covered by EFIL! Go and have a look at : http : / /a fsphotocontest . i sgreat .org/



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AFS AND THE EUROPE-‐USA EXHIBITION IN BRUSSELS On 14 October 2010, the opening recept ion took p lace of the exhib it ion in Brusse ls , Be lg ium, ca l led “Amer ica – i t ’ s a l so our h is tory” . EFIL was present at the event . Organiser of the event is the Brusse ls-based organisat ion “Museums of Europe”. The

exhib it ion dea ls with the transat lant ic re lat ionships ever s ince the founding of the United States of America . The exhib it ion shows how Europeans and Americans in f luenced each other in a l l poss ib le ways and shaped

each other into what they are today . The project is supported by the Belg ian government , the American embassy and a h igh leve l steer ing group under the auspices of the Belg ian Pres idency of the European Union. There is a spec ia l focus on the exchange structures between Europe and USA, which organisat ions such as AFS he lped create . I t should come as no surpr ise that EFIL was approached by the organisers to he lp make AFS be a part of th is large-sca le event , and with the support from AFS Internat iona l , we have been ab le to provide footage to i l lustrate the h istory of the beg inn ing of American F ie ld Serv ice – the exhib it ion even managed to acquire an ambulance for the AFS d isp lay! To f ind out more about the exhib it ion and see the prologue v ideo, go to www.expo-europe-usa .be .

Char lo t te K l i n t i ng , EF IL in te rn , a t t he exh ib i t i on (pho to : EF IL )



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LEARNING ABOUT EUROPE WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

EU OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION, CULTURE AND YOUTH IN THIS MONTHLY COLUMN WE WILL FOCUS ON EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT

EUROPE, RANGING FROM EUROPE’S MISSION, HISTORIC MOMENTS, ENLARGEMENT AND NEIGHBOURING POLICY, TO THE DECISION-‐MAKING PROCESSES, THE EURO, THE FUTURE, ETC

Europe is l iv ing through a per iod of change – cha l leng ing and at the same t ime exc it ing . The sh i f t towards a compet it ive Europe of susta inab le growth and employment has g iven new momentum with the Europe 2020 strategy . This moves the EU towards a h igh-tech economy that pr ior it ises innovat ion, creat iv i ty and mobi l i ty . The focus has sharpened on educat ion and tra in ing , on research and on the resource

that young people represent for the EU. The EU is keen on opening up the chances for i ts c i t izens , by provid ing new learn ing opportunit ies . The programmes in educat ion, tra in ing , cu lture , research and youth are an important component of that strategy . The L i fe long Learn ing Programme The European Commiss ion has in tegrated i t s educat iona l and tra in ing in i t i a t ives under a s ing le umbre l la , the L i fe long Learn ing Programme (www.ec .europa .eu/ l lp ) . Th is programme enab les ind iv idua ls a t a l l s tages o f the ir l i ves to pursue s t imulat ing learn ing opportun i t ies across Europe . I t cons is ts o f four sub-programmes : Comenius ( for schools ) , Erasmus ( for h igher educat ion) , Leonardo da V inc i ( for vocat iona l educat ion and tra in ing) and Grundtv ig ( for adu l t educat ion) . A transversa l programme complements these four sub-programmes , to ensure that they ach ieve the best resu l ts ; i t supports po l icy cooperat ion , l anguages , in format ion and communicat ion techno log ies , and e f fect ive d isseminat ion and exp lo i ta t ion o f pro ject resu l ts . The Jean Monnet programme st imulates teach ing , re f lect ion and debate on European in tegrat ion process a t h igher educat ion inst i tut ions wor ldwide . Each year a genera l ca l l for proposa ls i s i s sued for the l i fe long learn ing programme. A l l act iv i t ies are covered in the L i fe long Learn ing Programme gu ide at ht tp : / /ec .europa .eu/educat ion/ l lp /doc848_en .htm. Youth in Act ion Programme The Youth in Act ion Programme a ims to insp ire a sense o f act ive European c i t i zensh ip , so l idar i ty and to lerance among Europeans f rom ado lescence to



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adu l thood. The programme promotes mobi l i ty w ith in and beyond the EU’s borders , and encourages the inc lus ion o f a l l young peop le , regard less o f the ir educat iona l , soc ia l and cu l tura l background . I t he lps young peop le acqu ire new competences , and prov ides them with opportun i t ies for non- formal and in formal learn ing w ith a European d imens ion . The programme gu ide o f the Youth in Act ion programme can be consu l ted at : h t tp : / /ec .europa .eu/youth/youth- in -act ion-programme/doc443_en .htm.

The booklet “What’s in it for me? – EU opportunities in education, culture and youth” provides br ie f in format ion on some of the programmes that the Directorate-Genera l for Educat ion and Culture runs . To make i t easy to consult , the booklet does not a lways use the formal EU terminology , and does not inc lude a l l EU programmes, instruments and act ions . But in each sect ion i t does say where to go for more in format ion. And i t l i s ts the nat iona l agenc ies and other important organisat ions that are the gateways to tak ing part in the act iv i t ies . Have a look. There may be something in i t for you…!

How to obtain free EU publications è v ia EU Bookshop (http : / /bookshop.europa.eu) è at the European Commiss ion’s representat ions or de legat ions : contact deta i ls on the internet(http : / /ec .europa.eu) or by sending a fax to +352 2929 42758



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POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPE THIS COMPILATION IS BASED ON INFORMATION COLLECTED BY EFIL FROM THE DAILY NEWSLETTER

“EUROPOLITICS – THE EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DAILY” AND FROM THE EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM'S "YOUTH POLICY WATCH", A BI-‐WEEKLY BULLETIN. YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTH POLICY WATCH DIRECTLY FROM

THE YOUTH FORUM WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.YOUTHFORUM.ORG AND [email protected]

Visa Regulations The EU’s dr ive to get all 27 member states inc luded on the US V isa Waiver Programme (VWP) has run up aga inst a wal l . The v iew of mult ip le sources c lose ly monitor ing the doss ier is that the US Congress wi l l have to pass new leg is lat ion before Bulgar ia , Cyprus , Poland and Romania wi l l have any chance of jo in ing the other EU23. The VWP cannot , as the law is current ly written , be extended to countr ies whose v isa re fusa l rate exceeds 3%. The EU’s home af fa irs min isters unanimously endorsed the decis ion to l ibera l ise the v isa reg imes for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the conclus ion of the f irst day of the ir Just ice and Home Affa irs Counci l , on 8 November in Brusse ls . “Today is a h istor ic day for Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovnia ,” sa id Home Affa irs Commiss ioner Ceci l ia Malmström. “The c it izens of these two countr ies wi l l soon be ab le to trave l with a b iometr ic passport without a v isa in the countr ies that be long to the Schengen area .” EU Enlargement In 2009, the countr ies seeking to accede to the European Union made widely d ivergent progress , according to the European Commiss ion’s progress reports . These ident i fy ‘good pupi ls ’ l ike Croat ia and Ice land, as wel l as ‘ laggards ’ , where the reform momentum has s lowed down (Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serb ia , and Macedonia) . Just l ike in prev ious years , the Commiss ion is only part ly sat is f ied with the track record of Ice land, Turkey and the Western Ba lkan countr ies . An overv iew: Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina has aga in received a ye l low card from the EU. The Commiss ion rebuked Sara jevo for i ts lack of progress in both pol i t ica l and economic reforms and on issues re lated to democracy and ru le of law. The country has made “ l imited progress” on improving the funct iona l i ty and ef f ic iency of the state leve l government structures and publ ic admin istrat ion . Tens ions between ent i t ies , inadequate resources and a lack of pol i t ica l d ia logue delayed reform in the f ie ld of governance as wel l as in publ ic admin istrat ion, says the document . Croatia Croat ia - a front runner in the EU access ion process among the Western Ba lkan countr ies - has aga in rece ived a pos it ive assessment , espec ia l ly for i ts e f forts to f ight corrupt ion and organised cr ime. The Commiss ion pra ised Zagreb for i ts overa l l good progress in the access ion ta lks , which are now enter ing the ir f ina l phase . Credit for th is pos it ive change goes to Croat ia ’s ‘ Iron Lady’ Jadranka Kosor, who became the country ’s pr ime min ister



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fo l lowing the res ignat ion of Ivo Sanader in Ju ly 2009. However , in other areas of the jud ic iary s ign i f icant cha l lenges remain , says the report . Iceland This is the f irst progress report on Ice land a fter the country submitted i ts appl icat ion for membersh ip in Ju ly 2009. I t states that Ice land meets the pol i t ica l cr i ter ia and has a funct ioning market economy. The report re iterates that through membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), the country has a lready taken on a cons iderable part of the EU acqu is . I t spec i f ies that the Ice landic authorit ies need to make ser ious e f forts to ach ieve fu l l a l ignment with EU law in the fo l lowing areas : f i sher ies , agr icu lture and rura l development , env ironment , free movement of cap ita l and f inanc ia l serv ices . On the p lus s ide , the Commiss ion pra ises Ice land for good progress in strengthening the independence of the jud ic iary . Kosovo Although th is country has made steady progress in improving i ts state inst i tut ions and economy after ach iev ing independence in February 2008, Kosovo has been lagg ing behind a l l the Western Ba lkan countr ies in i ts quest for EU membership . Unl ike a l l other countr ies in the reg ion, Pr ist ina has not yet s igned a stab i l izat ion and associat ion agreement , which is the gateway to EU access ion. Neither has i t been granted, as other Western Ba lkan countr ies a v isa free reg ime with the EU. The Commiss ion pra ises Kosovo for i ts progress in strengthening i ts state inst i tut ions . However , i t b lows a whist le on Pr ist ina for i ts insuf f ic ient progress in the re form of the just ice system as wel l as the f ight aga inst corrupt ion and organised cr ime. FYROM The FYROM, which for a lmost f ive years has been wait ing to open access ion ta lks , i s pra ised for i ts steady progress in democrat ic and economic re forms. After ach iev ing s ign i f icant progress , espec ia l ly in the area of ru le of law, Macedonia won the Commiss ion’s pos it ive opin ion on i ts appl icat ion for membersh ip in 2009. Although the Commiss ion’s current report on the FYROM is more cr it ica l than the prev ious ones , i t st i l l says that the country remains ready to open access ion ta lks . The report pra ises Skopje for i ts progress in the f ie lds of par l iamentary and publ ic admin istrat ion reform and recognises the country ’s stab le coal i t ion government , which was ab le to “take forward the EU reform process” . The document is less pos it ive on the reform of the jud ic iary and on the country ’s ant i-corrupt ion pol icy . Serbia The report revea ls that Serb ia has not l ived up to the Commiss ion’s expectat ions . I t rebukes the government in Belgrade for i ts s low preparat ion and implementat ion of new leg is lat ion as wel l i ts “ l i t t le progress” in br ing ing i ts jud ic ia l system into l ine with EU standards . Neither is the Commiss ion sat is f ied with Serb ia ’s progress in i ts f ight aga inst corrupt ion and organised cr ime. The report pra ises Belgrade’s steps towards reconci l ia t ion with the ne ighbouring countr ies , part icu lar ly Croat ia and Bosnia and Herzegovina . However , i t a lso rebukes the country for i ts pol icy toward Kosovo and a lso for the lack of fu l l cooperat ion with the Internat iona l Crimina l Tr ibunal for the former Yugoslav ia ( ICTY). The Commiss ion is a lso quite cr i t ica l o f the economic deve lopments in the country . I t s lams Belgrade for a h igh budget def ic i t , a de lay in f ina l is ing the pr ivat isat ion process and the excess ive red tape and complex leg is lat ion .



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Turkey Unl ike Croat ia , which has a fter over f ive years entered the f ina l stage in i ts access ion ta lks , Turkey has been lagg ing behind (the two countr ies started ta lks on exact ly the same day) . Ankara managed to open only two chapters for ta lks over the last year . The negot iat ion process has a lmost ent ire ly been b locked over the Cyprus issue . E ighteen out of the twenty chapters le ft for opening remain b locked by France and Cyprus over certa in pol i t ica l i ssues . The report remains mum on the s low pace of ta lks , say ing laconica l ly that they “cont inued” in 2009. On democrat ic re forms, the Commiss ion pra ises Ankara for amending the country ’s const i tut ion, under l in ing that i t was a step in the r ight d irect ion. At the same t ime, the EU execut ive cr i t ic izes the country for a confrontat iona l pol i t ica l c l imate between the main pol i t ica l part ies , which cont inued to s low down work on pol i t ica l re forms.

Youth

Through a range of act iv i t ies in Budapest on 9th and 10th October 2010, the European Commiss ion brought an in format ive show on i ts f lagsh ip in i t iat ive to over 3 ,000 young people in the Hungar ian cap ita l .

The event cons isted of a mult i tude of s imultaneous debates in var ious spaces , as wel l as l ive musica l and cu ltura l performances from loca l youth groups . The event , which is the f irst in a ser ies of gather ings of i ts k ind across Europe, a imed to launch the in i t iat ive to young people who would be l ike ly to part ic ipate in some of i ts conta in ing programmes in the future .

Last week, the c i ty of Leuven (Belg ium) welcomed over 300 youth de legates , representat ives of governments , European Inst i tut ions and Nat iona l Agencies for the Belg ian Pres idency Youth Conference. The event which fe l l with in the Structured Dia logue framework, once aga in enabled young people to d irect ly meet with dec is ion makers . With employment be ing the theme of the current Tr io Pres idency 's Youth events , de legates gathered in 8 workshops to d iscuss the role of youth pol icy in developing better measures to promote youth employment in Europe. During the conference, de legates had the opportunity to f ine tune the recommendat ions from nat iona l consultat ions in order to address them to an appropr iate leve l or inst i tut ion . The jo int conclus ions from the conference workshops were presented to European Commiss ioners for Youth and Employment , Androul la Vass i l iou and Lasz lo Andor on the f ina l day .



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