internacionalism! a guide for eager minds

3

Internationalism! A guide for eager minds

4 Internationalism! A guide for eager minds

Writting: Vanessa Casanovas and Marc García Collaborations: Anna Jiménez, Gemma Martín, Guido Spaccaforno, Heike Tellman, Ignacio Marín, Marc Cases, Marina Gallés, Núria Cangròs, Raimon Goberna, Sara Raposo, Oriol Piqué, Yolanda D. AlcántaraCoordination of the edition: Eva SanahujaSpecial thanks: to all members of International Commission of Esplac, to our partner organisations having encouraged us to translate this document and to all staff members of Esplac.

This is the translation and adaptation of the original version Internacionalisme! Guia per a ments inquietes, published in February 2007.

Esplais Catalans, Esplac

Attribution — You must attribute Internationalism! A guide for eager minds to Esplais Catalans, Esplac.Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Edited by: Esplais Catalans, Esplacc. Avinyó, 44 – 2n08002 BarcelonaTelephone: +34 93 302 61 03 / Fax: +34 93 302 00 [email protected] / www.esplac.cat Translation: Olalla CegarraPhotographies: Esplais Catalans, EsplacDesign: Clic Traç, scclMarkup: GrafòmonPrinted by: Cevagraf, scclPrinted in ecological paperISBN:Legal deposit:

5

Chapter1–Introduction Chapter2–Some history: internationalism in our principles and our practices [9] 2.1. Internationalism in our foundational documents [9] 2.2. Esplac, an association with international capacity [12] Basic ideas [14]

Chapter3–Pedagogical aspect of international youth work. Objectives and goals [16] 3.1. What does Esplac learn from youth work networks? What does it contribute to the networks? [16] 3.2. The educational aspect of international youth work [21] 3.2.1. Differences and connections between certain international concepts [21] 3.2.2. Organizational and pedagogical elements that shall be taken into consideration in an international project [23] 3.2.3. How can the educational practices of the esplais be internationalized? [27] Basic ideas [32]

Chapter4–How can we incorporate internationalism into the esplais activities? Participation tools at our disposal [34] 4.1. The tools provided by Esplac: International Cooperation Area [34] 4.2. What kind of international projects can we develop? [36] 4.3. Who will give us support to develop an international project? [39] 4.3.1. The support of international institutions: financing and training [39] 4.3.2. Institutions and programmes which support international projects [42] Basic ideas [47]

Chapter5–The importance of continuity and replacement in international youth work [48] 5.1. Experience and information transfer in international youth work [48] 5.2. Future challenges: the importance of replacement [52] Basic ideas [54] Glossary [55]

7

Chapter 1 – Introduction

“What’s your next trip? You never stop travelling with this inter-nationalism staff… So many days away from home, I am sure you’re partying all day long!

It is not surprising that most people links internationalism to holiday, as, in general, the fact of travelling is related to relax, forget our obligations, enjoy our spare time and, above all, forget our problems.

This is not the case of many organizations working in the interna-tional field, for which travelling is in fact a nuisance: waiting time at the airport, work meetings which last all day with no time left for anything else, lots of days far away from home, friends, family… Why do these organizations, for which internationalism is a way to act, keep on working on this field? Is the international work and ac-tion of youth organizations unknown for the rest of the society?

Esplac is an association of people and other voluntary educational youth organizations committed to social transformation and the transformation of secular and progressive values from the promo-tion of the popular education and the citizen participation. It develops proposals following these values and promotes equality, freedom, social participation, environmental sustainability and children rights.

Introduction


Esplac believes in lifelong learning, in increasing the capacity of critical and creative reflection of young people, through a global view of society.The participation in international activities, such as exchanges, allows young people to put themselves in each other’s shoes, downplay their own ideas, wonder themselves and then learn, grow as responsible individuals, and enjoy.Esplac puts an emphasis on this activity and considers it is very important as this is very often the first contact of teenagers with such a diverse world.Regarding the range of international activities for young people (older than 18 years of age), Esplac has been organizing for four years a training aiming at different objectives such as children rights and children participation and the educators’ capacity re-garding the work with children and young people using social theatre and theatre of the oppressed. This training has had excel-lent results regarding participation and reflections, which proves a great implication of Esplac in the educational work.This is why Esplac underlines the great importance of interna-tionalism as a working tool to strengthen the active participation of the esplais, to learn, to know new perspectives, to exchange experiences and to discover other ways of thinking.

It is believed, however, that internationalism is a retroactive ele-ment: one gives and receives at the same time. Esplac pretends to lead the Euro-Mediterranean perspective and the promotion of secularity as a value which suggests learning to live together in a more and more global world.

“Why do we have to do international youth work, if we already have other problems? What do I have to look for abroad?” This question has been often raised, but Esplac’s point of view of in-ternationalism supports the fact that, regarding education issues, it is possible to find solutions thanks to exchange activities and the debate from different perspectives. As someone one day said: “men (and women) die but ideas never do”.

Esplac is aware of the need to give great importance to interna-tional youth work; this is why this Esmolet contains a number of reflections and actions which pretend to help understand the reason to be actively committed to international youth work.

9Some history: internationalism in our principles and our practices

Chapter 2 – Some history:

internationalism in our principles and our practices

Since it was founded in 1982 Esplac has always expressed its in-ternationalist will. This will is reflected both in our Statutes and our principles, and supports the fact that internationalism is the central point of all the actions of the association. At the same time we will understand how this will has been expressed through an active participation of our association in the international youth work. From the very beginning, this active participation has allowed Esplac to influence other organizations worldwide, as well as continuously learn from them. This is the process which provides us with a constant capacity of reflection, a permanent learning, and it is the essence of what we call internationalism. 2.1. Internationalism in our foundational documents

If we read the Statutes of Esplac we realise that internationalism is one of the five educational pillars of the association. According to Esplac’s Statutes, “we also want to state our internationalist vocation, which is reflected in our will to look for the truth in any geographical or cultural situation”1 . Throughout this book we will confirm that the internationalist vocation of Esplac is present in a large number of actions, projects and reflections, all of them seeking an absolute truth, not as a dogma, but as a constant at-

1-Esplac’s Statutes approved by the Ordinary General Assembly of the 9th March 2003

“Internationalism is one of the five educational pillars of the association”


titude of research. However, we shall always bear in mind that according to the Statutes, one of the means that Esplac has to reach its goals is to “develop projects of solidarity and projects of cooperation for the development with children and young peo-ple and organizations from all over the world”2 . For Esplac, the international action is a means to reach the objectives it has set as an organization.

Unfortunately, we tend to see internationalism as an external ele-ment to our daily pedagogical tasks. Nothing further from reality. Internationalism is a part of every action we do and of the three central elements of our principles: secularity, progress and coun-try. Let’s think then what the connection between internationalism and the three elements which define Esplac as an association is.

•Secularity. This is one of the pillars of Esplac’s principles. It allows the free examination (freedom of thought and con-science), which “claims for every individual the right to ques-tion everything, at any time, between oneself and one’s envi-ronment. Free examination is, in this context, a method to seek freely relative truths, through a critical approach to real-ity, dialogue and discussion”3. As we know, thefactofchang-ingtheenvironmentand/orcomparingourswiththeoth-ers’providesuswiththenecessarytoolstostartthecriticalreflectionof reality. Internationalism allows this change of environment and offers the framework to do these necessary comparisons. However, in order to do this critical reflection we have to start from three basic principles which are inher-ent to our conception of secularity4 and essential in the work of internationalism: relativism, diversity and the right to be different. When working in the international field, we have to remember constantly that there is no absolute truth, which is a basic principle of secularity and free thought, we have to recognise the diversity and the plurality of opinions and ideas and we have to be conscious that the difference is an enriching aspect. Asaconsequence,weobservethatinternationalism

2-Esplac’s Statutes approved by the Ordinary General Assembly of the 9th March 2003

3-Principles of the Secular and Progressive Movement, 2005


11

andsecularityfeedeachotherbackand,actually,wecan-notworkwithoneelementwithoutusingtheother.

•Progress.Esplac defines widely the concept of progress and it refers, among other things, to equal opportunities, indi-vidual and collective rights, condition of citizenship, fight for social change and rights of minorities. We are not only heirs of an international fight, the reality of the world prevents us from fighting for these goals of progress from a local point of view. We live indeed in a global world where we have to work the progress from this specific point of view in order to transform the present processes of economic globalization. We are aware that nowadays these fights are not local any more, if they ever were, and have become global landmarks; and that our local actions have important consequences for the rest of citizens of the world. Infact,followingthefamousmottooftheecologistmovementwehaveto:thinkglobally,actlocally!

•Country. Esplac’s conception of country starts from a wide identity concept. Therefore, we start from an identity concep-tion of citizenship which is characterised by the fact of being dynamic. This dynamism is reflected in the concept of univer-sal identity in which “feelingcitizenoftheworldmeanstoassumeone’sownrootingtoofferitandcompareittothewholehumanity”5 because “a dynamic national community (…) has to be able to handle the opening to new contribu-tions without reacting in panic (…)6. In fact, our national re-alization will be achieved “(…) by offering what we are to the others, but also learning from other mentalities, other ideas, other lifestyles, other solutions to community life. An open community is always freer7.

Bearing in mind all these factors, we can conclude that “this is why wehavetocomebacktoourinternationalistvocation,whichisexpressedthroughthewilltolookforthetruthinanygeo-graphicalor cultural situation.Theproblems, the solutions,




Some history: internationalism in our principles and our practices


the lifestyles and thewaysof communicationof individualsfromothercommunitiescanhelpustounderstandourselvesmuchbetterandtowidenthepossiblehorizonstoexperienceourfreedom”8.

2.2. Esplac, an association with international capacity Esplac has always been an association with an internationalist will and this will is reflected in the foundational documents. However, we all know that anywillhastobefollowedbyanactioninordertoachieveitsmeaning. From a general point of view, Esplac’s international action can be divided into two main action lines, which will be analysed in depth later, but which are introduced in the next paragraph.Firstly, from an international point of view, Esplac is part ofdifferentyouthnetworks. This participation has allowed Esplac to know and to share the experiences of educational youth work in Europe and in the world, and to offer Esplac’s pedagogical experience. At the same time, thanks to this international repre-sentation we are coordinated with organizations whose objectives are similar to ours, in order to carry out exchange projects with children and teenagers. Thanks to this active representation of Esplac, the debates originated in the association are enriched by inputs received from the international action. For these reasons, we can affirm that working in international youth networks feeds back the local action field, because the fact of confirming that other citizens of the world are actively engaged in the social trans-formation of their environment provides us with an important dose of motivation and specific knowledge to keep on with our daily tasks. Thesocialchangewillonlybepossible throughtheworkofallthecitizensandtheircoordinationintheglo-balsphere!


“Working in in-ternational youth

networks feeds back the local

action field”

13

Secondly, both Esplac and its member organizations (es-plais)haveimplementedseveralinternationalyouthprojectsthrough the years. Different and varied international youth projects have been developed:

• Youth exchanges for the esplais.

• Mid-term and long-term projects of cooperation aiming at strengthening youth work and activities for youth leaders and children: Maglaj España association (B&H) or Jóvenes en Construcción association (Argentina).

• Formulation and coordination of the training programmes such as Be inclusive. Be creative! (International training course on Children’s Rights). International activities have been one of our basic methodologies to go deeper into our internationalist will.

Would you like to know more about different kinds of in-ternational youth projects? You will find this information in chapter 4

Just like the reflections at the beginning of this chapter, interna-tionalism is not only having a representation in different places and carrying out international youth projects. Internationalismis,particularly,toincorporatetheglobalpointofviewintothelocalactivities. However, how is this point of view translated into the activities of our esplais? We will tackle this issue in depth further on but in this chapter we shall retain that the realities of

“Internationalism is, particularly, to incorporate the global point of view into the local activities”



“Internationalism is, particularly, to incorporate

the global point of view into the local activities”

our esplais and the children and young people which are a part of them are linked to global realities. Realities such us economic and social unfairness, environmental problems or migratory move-ments are not isolated and local facts, but global ones. Therefore, our educational task shall take into consideration, learning and experimenting realities of the world in order to educate in secular and progressive values.

How can we incorporate the internationalism into the educational task of our esplai? You will find more informa-tion in chapter 3.

Basic ideas… Chapter 2

Esplac has been, from the very beginning, an internationalist associa-tion. This characteristic is translated into an important international will and capacity.

Esplac’sinternationalwill

The international will of Esplac is clearly stated in Esplac’s Statutes and principles. Internationalism is present at the three central pillars of Esplac’s ideology and feeds them back: secularity, progress and country. The foundational documents of Esplac reflect the impor-tance of incorporating permanently the internationalist perspective in the educational task.

Esplac’sinternationalcapacity

This capacity has had a direct impact on the work done by Esplac in the international field. Moreover, Esplac participates actively in different international youth organization networks in order to keep and to analyse in depth the mutual and constant learning process with other similar organizations. On the other hand, both the federa-tion and the esplais develop different kinds of international projects.

15

Whatisinternationalism?

Internationalism means to incorporate the global perspective into our local activities and reflections. It is the capacity to interpret our reality considering the different realities around the world. In order to internationalize the educational task, we have to work on our ca-pacity to be critical and to learn constantly through the international youth work.

LOCAL SPHERE

INTERNA-TIONAL SPHERE

INTERNATIONALISM

Internationalism: Bridge between action, reflection and learning

FAQ (Frequent Asked Questions)

The FAQ are all those frequent questions which we may have when working on a specific issue. Throughout this Esmolet you will find dif-ferent FAQ which will try to give an answer to the common questions which may arise to any person working in the international field.



Chapter 3 – Pedagogical aspect of international youth work. Objectives and Goals

In the previous chapter we have proved and introduced Esplac’s will and internationalist capacity. Therefore, the question which comes right after that is: “how is internationalism reflected in our daily tasks?” In this chapter we will introduce the objectives and goals of the international youth work as well as the pedagogical aspect of internationalism.

3.1 What does Esplac learn from youth work networks? What does it contribute to the networks?

When starting an international youth project or planning an active international representation… What are the objectives we seek and what opportunities does the international youth work offer us? In other words, what do we look for? What do we think of? What do we want to find? These are obviously important questions to which we will try to answer throughout this chapter. Let’s mention, how-ever, the main opportunities the international youth work offers us.

• Mutual learning: One of the central elements of the in-ternational youth work is the opportunity we have to share experiences with other organizations working in the same field we do. The possibility to meet other organizations, other reali-ties, other working methods, lets us reconsider our work and enrich it with best practices from other contexts which could be extrapolated and adapted or not, to our closest reality.

17

• Strengthening intercultural learning: International youth work demands, as previous requirement, an attitude of curiosity, of openness to the world, a positive evaluation of the individual differ-ence and an important capacity to work in a team. Therefore, partici-pation in the international field lets us go in depth into intercultural learning (ICL), considered as a dynamic process, that is to say, as a permanent process of co-learning and evaluation of the reciprocal knowledge. This process starts from the individual, who is educated in a specific cultural context, but who also has the freedom and the right to shape the identity with several cultural sources. ICL is, there-fore, co-learning among people, not among cultural groups enclosed on their cultural characteristics. This is why ICL starts from a secular perspective, “which refers to all the possible systems to interpret the reality, not giving priority to only one of them, and providing the rational means to judge them all in a critical way”9 .

•Towardsauniversalcitizenship: There exist different con-ceptions of citizenship, just like it is said in the Esmolet Espai de ciutadania (Space for citizenship). From a republican ethic, citizenship is the feature which represents the dignity of a person regarding the fact of living together with other human beings. The long-term international youth work helps us seize new so-ciocultural realities of the world for the children and young peo-ple of our esplai, letting us leave behind the classic conception of national or state citizenship. Internationalism leads us towards a conception of universal citizenship where the rights and duties are shared and can be applied to the whole humanity.

9-Vicenç Molina, “Aprendre a viure junts”, Espai de llibertat, Magazine of the Secular and Progressive Movement, Nº 18

“International youth work demands, as pre-vious requirement, a an attitude of curiosity, of openness to the world, a positive evaluation of the individual difference and an important capac-ity to work in a team”

“ICL starts from a secular perspective

Pedagogical aspect of international youth work. Objectives and Goals


•Participationcapacity: As it has been previously said, the fact of having an international representation and participa-tion allows our association to play an active role in the defi-nition of the youth policies which affect us as young people and citizens. This capacity is reflected both internationally (European Commission: White Paper on Youth) and nation-ally (National Youth Plan of the Generalitat, Catalan Govern-ment). As a consequence, we are able to widen our capacity to decide and to transform the society, without which we would not have a real participation.

•Information,fund-raisingandtrainingininternationalyouthprogrammes: As we will see in the following pages, there exist a number of institutions and programmes which help us and let us develop international youth projects. How-ever, the complexity and the evolution of these programmes, both financing and training ones, require from us to be kept informed and trained to know in depth all the existing pos-sibilities. The fact of having good international representation provides Esplac with this information and the possibility to participate in training projects, aiming at discovering a wide range of programmes and institutions, as well as the most burning issues regarding international training.

•Possibilitytomakespecializedtraining: In the interna-tional sphere there exist institutions and training programmes specialized in different subjects. Therefore, we can participate in training programmes which offer us contacts, resources and tools to improve our educational action with regard to citizenship, intercultural learning, conflict resolution or glo-bal education, among others.

As we have seen there are a lot of benefits, but if we bear in mind that one of the main elements of international youth work is the reciprocal knowledge and the exchange of experiences, we have to wonder what we contribute to the international youth work. In general terms, we can say that Esplac contributes four main elements:

• Theesplai,educationalyouthassociation: We have to be aware that the esplai, as an educational youth association, be-longs to the Catalan cultural reality. In fact, the concept and

“The esplai, as an educational

youth association, belongs to the Catalan cultural

reality”

“The specificity of the esplai is precisely one of the most impor-

tant elements we can offer to the international

youth work”

19

the practices which characterise the youth organization that emerges from the esplai do not exist in other countries. This is why our international partners often have a different point of view to ours, even if we share the objectives, the principles and sometimes the methodology. The specificity of the esplai is precisely one of the most important elements we can offer to the international youth work.

• Secularity: Our commitment to pass on secular values, our wide concept of secularity and how we put it into practise are with no doubt characteristic elements of our association. In fact, very few organizations working on the international youth work have this strong commitment to secularity and Esplac is leader in this aspect. Therefore,Esplaccontributestheconceptofsecularitytotheinternationalyouthwork,bothbywhatwedoandbywhatweare, as individuals, in the esplai and the federation. Moreover, from Esplac we offer solid and established principles, which might be very useful for the organizations which work secularity.

•Euro-Mediterraneanperspective:The geographical situa-tion of our country and our history are the reasons for one of our priorities: the Euro-Mediterranean work and perspec-tive. Our link to the European continent and the Mediter-ranean society turns us into a bridge between these societies that unfortunately have lived, and often live, in a situation of mutual ignorance. Or, what it is even worse, between popula-tions that sometimes base their relations on biased and stere-

“We contribute the concept of secularity to the international sphere, both by what we do and by what we are”



otyped information, received from different mass media and not always having the opportunity to confront them in order to think freely. These biased images of reality lead us to express opinions about wrong ideas. For instance, we base the fact of speaking Arab on professing the Muslim religion. In countries like Lebanon, the official language is Lebanese, but 40% of the population is Christian. Or, we identify Turkey as an Arab country, in spite of being a Turkish-speaking country, and we consider it to be Muslim despite its state structure is secu-lar. So,ourobligationasEuro-Mediterraneancitizenistoknowandtospreadthesespecificissues,inordertobuildthebridgeofreciprocalunderstanding.

• Our concept of cooperation: Cooperation in the framework of leisure-time education is an important aspect which allows us to do pedagogy on equal rights and social justice, Human Rights and Children’s Rights. Bearing in mind the nature, the aims and the structure of Esplac, its model of cooperation is oriented towards a denunciation of the causes of unfairness in the world. However, we believe that it is not enough to denounce the reality; we have to act to transform it. Unfor-tunately, the word cooperation has been underestimated and deformed and sometimes it might be confusing. For Esplac, there is no cooperation if there is not an equal relation be-tween the partners and this is why we believe that cooperation means to work together for the reciprocal benefit and avoid, especially, adopting paternalistic approaches. Bearing in mind Esplac’s nature and reality, the best coopera-tion actions it can implement are those related to the Education for the Development (EPD). EPD promotes the construction of a new civil society based on solidarity and participation, in-cluding three components which interact between each other with the aim to promote social change: knowledge, values and action. This perception of cooperation and EPD is one of the elements with which Esplac will aim to contribute, thanks to the joint work with Cooperacció and the lively debate on co-operation held in the international sphere. This is an open debate in which the approaches provided by the esplais will be of utmost interest.

“So our obligation as Euro-Mediter-ranean citizens is to know and to spread these specific issues in

order to build the bridge of recipro-cal understanding”

21

3.2. The educational aspect of international youth work

The international youth work requires specific educational prac-tices. In this section we will tackle this aspect and some other practices that we already use but which need to be reinforced when planning an international youth project. This way we will realise that certain methodological dynamics, especially regard-ing personal relations and organization, developed in interna-tional youth projects, provide us with an important knowledge and a rich experience which will help us to introduce internation-alism into our esplais. However, we will try to clarify first certain concepts used in this Esmolet in order to make certain debates clearer.

3.2.1.DifferencesandconnectionsbetweencertaininternationalconceptsBefore we start working on the educational aspect of interna-tionalism and international youth projects, we have to define the concepts which are commonly used in this field and, as a conse-quence, are part of this Esmolet.

•Internationalism:Itisthecapacitytointerpretourreal-ity according to thedifferent realitiesof theworld. This relation implies learning from seizing the difference and the critical analysis of our own values and identity concepts with relation to the others’. As a consequence we can define inter-nationalism as the capacity to think globally, although we are in a local context.

FAQ: What is Education for Development (EPD)?

EPD is a teaching-learning process which pretends, from the knowledge, the reflection and the critical analysis of the real-ity, to develop values and attitudes in favour of the people and the groups who promote individual and collective trans-formation processes.

“Internationalism is the capacity to interpret our reality in relation to the different realities of the world”



•Internationalyouthprojects:These are the projects which involve young participants from Catalonia and other countries and which are developed in Catalonia or abroad: exchanges of young people and children, training projects, long-term col-laboration projects, etc. Bearing in mind the objectives of Es-plac, it always introduces an educational component in all its international youth projects.

• Cooperationprojects: As we have said before, Esplac be-lieves that cooperation means to work together for the mutual benefit. We have to bear in mind that the concept of coopera-tion in youth work is constantly under debate and that very often, the landmark between cooperation and international relations is thin and confusing. In the sphere of international cooperation (outside Esplac), everyone knows that coopera-tion projects are those which aim at improving the life condi-tions of the South countries. Moreover we can make a dis-tinction between cooperation projects for the development

FAQ: What is the difference between a project and an international youth exchange?

As we will see in chapter 4 there are different kinds of inter-national youth projects. The exchange is one of them and it can be defined as an activity developed abroad (sending) or at home (hosting) in which participate children and young people from at least two different countries.

23

(working together with the local communities to get their self emancipation/autonomy) and projects for local solidarity (awareness-raising and incidence). We have to bear in mind, however, that Esplac has a very specific point of view regard-ing its educational nature.

3.2.2.OrganizationalandpedagogicalelementstotakeintoconsiderationinaninternationalyouthprojectAt the time of developing any activity, a Saturday esplai session or a summer activity, we have to consider some factors which shall be reinforced and some others which shall be modified or adapt-ed. When talking about international youth projects, there are organizational and pedagogical aspects which are even more im-portant. Given the nature and the characteristics of this kind of projects, it is essential to take into account the following aspects:

Pedagogicalaspects

• The need of a permanent learning attitude: An inter-national youth exchange often requires a change of the geo-graphical context and the language and to work in a team with youth leaders that we do not know and who work with dy-namics different to ours. As we can imagine, this educational context requires an open attitude and, specially, a permanent learning will. This learning will is essential (as every new inter-national youth project is full of surprises), and without it we cannot make the most of our international experiences.

•Anewplace,newhabits…Opportunityandchallenge: When preparing an international youth exchange project abroad with our children and young people, we have to think on how the change of context affects the educational task. The group will have to get used to daily habits which are very of-ten unknown. Therefore it is especially important to work on these elements beforehand with our group in order to facilitate that children, young people and youth leaders make the most to enjoy the international experience. At the same time, as educators, we have to pay special attention to how the change of context affects each member of the group and we have to lead them so that they enjoy the intercultural learning proc-ess. This process is not always easy and often requires a certain

“This learning will is essential and without it, we cannot make the most of our international experiences”

“The challenge is important and goes beyond the fact of sharing folkloric habits”



clash or discomfort which allows us to take a critical distance between our values and our habits and those we discover for the first time. Through these situations we will be able to ex-perience secularity as a key factor for living together and start a true intercultural learning process. Therefore the challenge is important and goes beyond the fact of sharing folkloric hab-its. We have the opportunity to work with the values!

•Anewplace,anewlanguage…Opportunityandchallenge: When planning an international youth project we realise that we have to work in other languages. This condition might be a discouraging factor for the people who do not feel comfort-able using other non-native languages. Therefore, it is very important to conceive international youth projects as a great opportunity to use them and learn them, and this knowledge will widen to a greater extent our personal freedom. Inter-national youth projects very often use the English language and, beyond cultural evaluations regarding the extension of its use, we have to see it as a tool which allows the mobility and communication with the rest of the world. We have to bear in mind, however, that the challenge to use a new language is shared by all the participants of the project: not only us! And the fact of using it lets us communicate and discover other participants.

•The need of group building: In an international youth project we often work with two or more groups of children and young people which have already been constituted. Therefore, the most common tendency is to be related with the people of the group one already knows. This tendency is reinforced in the cases of unknown and unshared languages. This is why it is very important to work from the very begin-ning the constitution of an integrated group in which all the people feel comfortable and know each other. Actually, the first activities of any international youth project should be dy-namic, regarding both knowledge and group cohesion. These dynamic activities shall encourage the process of belonging to a group in a natural way and respect the individual processes towards this process.

“The challenge to use a new language is

shared by all the participants of the project: not

only us!“

25

• Intercultural learningdynamics: As analysed previously, intercultural learning is a cross cutting theme of any interna-tional youth project. For this reason, even though the edu-cational subjects of the project are very varied (environmen-tal education, conflict resolution, Human Rights, Children’s Rights, etc.), intercultural learning is implicit in any inter-national youth experience and facilitates participation in the joint processes of building knowledge and experiences. There-fore, despite this learning process is very often spontaneous, it is very important to encourage it through certain dynamics and methodologies.

•Theimportanceofevaluatingtheproject: A critical evalu-ation of any activity of the esplai done by participants and youth leaders, allows us to take the necessary perspective to learn from our mistakes in order to improve in the next ac-tivities and settle the strong points we can keep on using. In international youth projects, the evaluation of the activity is especially important, as it allows to detect the basic elements to take into consideration for future projects and leaves a leg-acy for those who wish to start working in the international sphere. At the same time, thanks to the evaluation we can identify the learning and practices that we can adapt to our daily educational tasks in order to improve them and interna-tionalise them.

We see how the pedagogical elements of international youth projects are based on the same dynamic process we use in the

“The evaluation of the activity is es-pecially important, as it allows to detect the basic elements to take into consideration for future projects and leaves a legacy for those who wish to start working in the international sphere”



educational task of the esplai: Reflection,action,reflection. Ob-viously, preparing an activity implies a reflection process, then we develop it and analyse critically the educational processes in order to learn from the experiences and improve our task. However, we consider that the dynamic process of an international youth experience falls into two additional aspects: abstractionandap-plicationof the learning into anew context. Therefore, the pedagogical process of an international experience can be drawn as follows:

It is important to work properly on the organizational duties in advance in order to be able to analyse the results of the activity (action) in the short term and to adapt ourselves to unforeseen situations.

Organizationalaspects

• Theimportanceofprojectplanning: As we know, the pre-vious meetings and a good planning of the esplai’s project are essential aspects to implement properly our educational objec-tives. However, when we plan to carry out an international youth project (an exchange or another kind of project) the youth leaders shall put in common their objectives and ways of working before implementing the project. This is a basic stage in order to create a good leading team where the roles and the responsibilities are clearly identified, both in a joint way (the leading group) and individually (the coordinator of the project, the facilitator, etc.). Moreover, this stage will allow us to work together on the educational objectives and the way

“The dynamic process of an international

youth experience falls into two

additional aspects: abstraction and

application of the learning into a

new context”

Experience

of the ActionReflection

AbstractionApplication into a

new context

“The youth lead-ers in charge of an international

youth project shall put in

common their objectives and

ways of working before developing

the project”

27

to achieve them, as well as forming an integrated group. Actu-ally, it offers us a great possibility of mutual learning, exchange of experiences and ways of working.

• Good logistic conditions: They are always important in any activity of the esplai. In the case of an international youth project, however, these are essential in order to avoid collaps-ing in case of an unforeseen logistic event and concentrate all our efforts in the educational objectives. Good preparation is important if we receive a group from abroad, (as they have to feel like at home), or if we travel abroad. Therefore, it is im-portant to foresee in advance what is the best place to develop the project, a properly planned agenda, a good time-scale, a correct distribution of the tasks and responsibilities, an ad-equate transport and meals planning, etc. Then, we have to bear in mind that the greater and better logistic forecast, the more flexible and qualified our educational task we will get. In fact, if we have developed a good logistic planning, we will have the capacity to react to the unforeseen events much easier and, what’s more, we will make the most of improvisation.

3.2.3.Howcantheeducationalpracticesoftheesplaisbeinternationalized?

We have just identified the most important organizational and pedagogical practices when developing an international youth project. But the important aspect is that we have to realise that what we learn in an international youth experience can be worked

“We have to bear in mind that the greater and better logistic forecast, the more flex-ibility and quality of our educational task we will get”



and incorporated into the educational project of our esplai. This way we will be able to internationalize the activities and the val-ues we work with everyday at the esplai. In the next paragraphs we will pay special attention to the elements, practices and values that will help us to incorporate an internationalist perspective into our daily educational practices.

• Opening-uptotheworld:let’swidenourhorizons!: As we have said before, the esplai is a Catalan reality. Despite this fact, it is important to know that in Catalonia there are other organiza-tions with similar aims and which develop similar projects to the ones carried out by Esplac. Developing joint projects allows us to share our experiences and approaches while working together. At the same time, when we carry out exchanges or when we par-ticipate in international youth activities we know and live the re-alities of the world from the personal knowledge of other young people and children. This way our horizons and our references are widened and we incorporate the new ways of understanding and knowing the world into our own daily practices. Just like our principles claim, join yourselves and you will be strong!

• Experiencingdiversityabroad…andathome:When we are part of a group of people from all over the world, far away from our closest reality, we feel the intense need to compare our cul-tural landmarks with those of the other members of the group. The experience of defining ourselves in relation to the others and empathizing with other ways to see the world teaches us about diversity. A diversity that we have to experience, in order to ex-

“What we learn in an interna-tional youth

experience can be worked and

incorporated into the educational project of our

esplai. This way we will be able to international-ize the activities and the values we work with

everyday at the esplai”

“The experience of defining our-selves in relation

to the others and empathizing with other ways to see the world teaches us about

diversity”

29

tract all its meaning and complexity! Once we have experienced diversity abroad, it becomes easier for us to face the diversity at home. Living together and the work on contexts marked by di-versity (of origin, culture, values, etc.) teach us how to make our background seem less important and realize that our points of view and our values respond to cultural and social factors. This experience will help us transform our multicultural society into an intercultural society.

• Conflictresolution:As we know, all groups generate conflict. Conflicts, however, are not negative, quite the opposite! They are an opportunity to work on the values of solidarity, pacifism and empathy. Therefore, the conflict has to be neutral. The way in which we deal with it and turn it around might make it be-come positive or negative. Conflict resolution is not always easy

FAQ: What is the difference between a multicul-tural society and an intercultural society?

In a multicultural society we find different groups that re-spect themselves and who live together in a shared space, but who do not share their views of the world or start a mu-tual learning process. In an intercultural society, on the other hand, the people (beyond the groups) learn mutually and consider their differences as positive in order to create a new view of the reality and their own shared identity.

“The experience of defining our-selves in relation to the others and empathizing with other ways to see the world teaches us about diversity”



in more or less homogeneous groups, but in groups of people with different cultural backgrounds it is even more difficult. In-ternational youth work allows us to study in depth conflict reso-lution in more complex contexts than the ones we may find in our esplai. Thus, this experience will let us learn essential abilities about how to deal, in a more positive way, with conflicts held in a local context.

•Identityredefinition: Just like we said in chapter 2, to feel one is a citizen of the world means to offer one’s own roots and to compare them with the whole humanity. But, when we have to offer and explain our identity uniqueness in an unknown con-text, we discover certain elements that so far we had not even noticed. When defining ourselves towards the others we have to wonder and look for answers about our identity. It is true that if we are in a context of cultural contrast we learn more about our own culture and identity. This better knowledge of our iden-tity will help us develop a critical view of it, which is essential to evaluate the differences and go into the intercultural learning process in depth.

•Motivationofthemembersoftheesplais: international youth projects often originate a motivation wave among the members of the esplai (both for youth leaders and children). The opportu-nity to carry out a different activity, very suitable for children and young people and difficult to develop outside the youth work field, may extend the youth work culture of the members of the organization and let the new generations take over leadership of

“International youth work allows

us to study in depth conflict

resolution in more complex contexts than the ones we may find in our

esplai”

31

the esplai, which is a very important aspect for esplais. At the same time, we consider that the participation of a youth leader in an international youth activity is an opportunity to express him or herself. For an Esplac leader it is a way to learn how to explain him or herself in front of an unknown audience; moreover, in-corporating the experience into the local level allows the leader to introduce new topics and practices and to motivate new genera-tions and new esplais.

“The realization of an interna-tional youth project often originates a motivation wave among the members of the esplai”



Basic ideas... Chapter 3

Whenstudyinginternationalismindepthwehavetothinkaboutthereciprocityrelationbetweenthe localeducationalpracticesandtheactions,reflectionsandlearningwedevelopintheinter-nationalfield.Withintheframeworkofthisapproachwehavetobearinmind:

Whatopportunitiesdoesinternationalyouthworkofferus?

These are some of the opportunities offered by international youth work:• Mutual learning• Making the most of intercultural learning• A new conception of citizenship• Participation capacity• Information, fund-raising and training on international youth programmes• Possibility to receive specialized training

WhatisEsplac’scontributiontotheinternationalsphere?

Bearing in mind that internationalism starts from the idea of feed-back, we have to take into consideration the characteristics that de-fine our association and that can help to improve the internationalist youth work. These are some of them:• New approaches regarding educational youth organizations• Secularity• Euro-Mediterranean perspective• Ideas and new concepts in the cooperation debate

International youth projects need to analyse in depth and toadaptcertainpedagogicalandorganizationalaspects.

Pedagogicalaspects:

The pedagogical elements of international youth projects are based on the same dynamic process we use in the educational task at the esplai: reflection, action, reflection. Some specific and specially im-portant elements are:• The need of a permanent learning attitude• The opportunity and the challenge to change the educational context• The opportunity and the challenge to use a new language• The need to create a group with all the participants• The importance of intercultural methodology• The need of a good evaluation of the project

33

Organizationalaspects:

Bearing in mind the characteristics of international youth projects, the working methodology agreement made by the youth leaders and a good planning are absolutely essential. A good logistic planning lets us react to unforeseen events and to increase our flexibility and response capacity.

Howcanweinternationalizetheeducationalpracticesoftheesplais?

We have to bear in mind that what we learn in the international experi-ence can be used and put into practice in the educational project of our esplai. This way we will internationalize the activities and the values we work with everyday at the esplai. These are some of the elements, practices and values that will help us to incorporate an internationalist perspective to our educational action:• Opening-up to the world and widening our horizons• Experiencing diversity abroad… And at home• Practising conflict resolution• Identity redefinition processes• Motivation of the members of the esplai



Chapter 4 – How can we incorporate internationalism into the esplais activities? Participation tools at our disposal

In this chapter, we will present the participation and support tools to help our esplai incorporate internationalism in its prac-tices and develop international youth projects. Firstly, we will provide an explanation of the tools Esplac offers us. Secondly, we will make a description of the different kinds of international youth projects that can be developed. And finally, we will shortly introduce the kind of support we can receive, regarding fund-raising and training, in order to examine in depth the details of the institutions and available programmes.

4.1. The tools provided by Esplac: International Cooperation Area

The International Cooperation Area of Esplac (ACI) is a space to participate and to promote multidisciplinary pedagogy. Re-garding participation, it promotes the presence and action of its members outside Catalonia. Regarding pedagogical promo-tion and action, it pursues the main objective of connecting Es-plac’s pedagogical youth work to that of youth work platforms and international institutions. Thus, it is the main training and information tool of the Federation which internationalizes the voluntary work of the esplai. The ACI helps us to find the inter-national trainings we wish and it advices us on our first interna-tional adventures. Those who assume the international represen-

35

tation of Esplac come out from the ACI. But the Area is not just an informative tool. The ACI is, above all, a participation and exchange space constantly under development.

We can work on internationalism from our esplai without nec-essarily participating in the ACI, of course. However, our par-ticipation in the ACI will allow us to improve our work and our projects, as it will provide us with lots of tools and experiences from other esplais or Esplac itself, and it will give us the chance to raise our questions. The Area pretends to share the information and experience of all the member esplais and of Esplac, as well as put the youth leaders in contact with the international youth work. It is, therefore, a tool which is specially designed to help us internationalize ourselves as esplais and as individuals!

The participation in the ACI allows us, at the same time, to con-tact directly the international representatives of our Federation. As we have already said, this representation gives us access to interesting information and training and gives us the chance to share experiences and to have a say in the decisions which affect us as young people.

FAQ: How can I contact the International Cooperation Area of Esplac?

I can contact with the International Cooperation Officer at any time at [email protected].

How can we incorporate internationalism into the esplais activities? Participation tools at our disposal


4.2. What kind of international projects can we develop?

This Esmolet deals with international projects in general, it does not specify the kind of projects we can develop. In the following paragraphs we will define the kind of projects we can draw up from the esplai and those in which we can participate, improving our educational task. We have to bear in mind, as we will see in the next chapter, that these projects are supported by interna-tional institutions.

•Internationalyouthexchange(bilateral,trilateralandmul-tilateral): this kind of international activity can be carried out abroad or at home. It is addressed to children and youth from at least two different countries. If they come from two countries we talk about a bilateral exchange, if they come from three countries we talk about a trilateral exchange and if there are more than three countries involved we talk about a multilateral exchange. International youth exchanges are usually similar to the summer activities carried out by the esplais and, therefore, the preparation and documentation required are similar. One of the advantages of international youth exchanges is that, compared to training courses, they allow most of the members of the esplai to partici-pate in an international experience directly.

•Internationalrepresentation(networksandthematicmeetings): Throughout this manual we have tackled repeatedly the interna-tional representation of Esplac. An active representation requires a formal representation of the association in ordinary and ex-

“International exchanges are usually similar to the summer

activities carried out by the esplais and, therefore, the

preparation and documentation

required are very similar”

37

traordinary encounters and meetings of different international youth networks. At the same time, Esplac is invited to participate in thematic international meetings to bring its point of view or its experience in the relevant topics tackled. Being present both in youth networks and thematic issues shape Esplac’s interna-tional representation.

•Participation in specific international trainingprogrammes:Some international institutions develop training activities for leisure-time education in which we can participate. These are normally quality-based activities and give us the chance to work during some days on a specific issue (such as education in inter-cultural learning, Human Rights, conflict resolution, etc.). The aim of these activities is to train those who work everyday within educational youth organizations. The trainers of these activities are normally people who have been (or still are) involved in youth work, with consistent theoretical and practical backgrounds; thus these trainings are especially interesting for the youth leaders of the esplais.

• Internationalseminars: The seminars are those activities fo-cused on specific issues, in which the participants use to be ex-perts of the issue tackled aiming to put in common different ex-periences, that is to say, to share experiences on a specific field to make concrete proposals progress (normally educational ones). Therefore, the participants are expected to provide a clear and elaborated view on the subject of the seminar in order to contrast it with the other experts. However, we do not have to mistake

“The aim of these activities is to train those who work everyday on educational youth work”



these seminars for certain exchanges or training projects which are sometimes called “seminars” too.

•Cooperationprojects:The NGOs define cooperation projects as those aiming at improving the life conditions of the South countries. These organizations make a difference between projects of coopera-tion for development and projects of awareness-raising in the North. The former develop directly a concrete action on a South country. The latter, however, are local awareness-raising projects aiming at having an impact on South countries thanks to the North countries’ public awareness. As set forth previously, Esplac’s view of coopera-tion may differ from the projects carried out by the organizations which work exclusively in the cooperation sphere.

•Networkprojectsand/orlong-termprojects: In a long-term project we set a continuous work with a partner following cer-tain objectives to be achieved in the mid and long-term. For in-stance, the 10-year project developed by Esplac with an esplai

FAQ: What do we understand by South countries and North countries?

The South countries were previously called Third World, that is, the poorest countries in the world. The North countries, on the contrary, are the rich ones. The debate on what are the most suitable expressions is still alive, but there seems to be a consensus to use the expression South countries and North countries.

39

from Maglaj (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The long-term projects can be easily carried out in a network, that is to say, with the par-ticipation of different youth organizations and/or institutional partners; they are normally developed in the framework of an international platform and usually tackle a very specific subject. A good example of this kind of project is the international cam-paign for the fight against discrimination: all different, all equal (http://alldifferent-allequal.info).

4. 3. Who will give us support to develop an international project?

In this section we will explain the two kinds of resources offered by institutions: financing and training. In the next paragraphs we will briefly introduce the institutions and the programmes we have at our disposal and which offer us this kind of support.

4.3.1.Thesupportofinternationalinstitutions:financingandtrainingWhen we wonder about the kind of support we can receive from international institutions we mainly think of financing. This sup-port is very important but we have to bear in mind that the institu-tions also offer us the opportunity to participate in very interesting specific training courses. Therefore, we would like to clarify the difference and importance of these two kinds of support.

• Financing: In the next section we will see different institu-tions which offer financing support programmes to develop international projects. However, it is very important to ana-



lyse in depth the kind of project we want to develop to submit the application form for financing support to the most ap-propriate programme and institution. For instance, if we wish to carry out an exchange in the European Union, the most suitable programme is Youth in Action, but if we want to de-velop a awareness-raising programme about the Millenium Development Goals, we may have to apply for other kinds of programmes at local and/or regional level. At the same time, we have to remember that our local institutions (city halls, provincial councils, governments of the autonomous commu-nities in Spain and local youth councils) also offer us financ-ing possibilities. If we do a hosting programme, that is, an exchange in which a group of children and young people from all over the world come to our country, it might be interesting to study the partnership and support possibilities offered by our local insititutions.

“It is very impor-tant to analyse

in depth the kind of project we

want to develop to submit the

application form for financing

support to the most appropriate programme and

institution”

FAQ: What are the Millenium Development Goals?

The Millenium Development Goals are the agenda agreed by the leaders of the countries of the world at the Millenium Summit (2000) in order to reduce poverty and have an im-pact in the eradication of its consequences. This worldwide agenda was agreed by the United Nations Organization and it is developed by the United Nations Development Pro-gramme (UNPD), http://www.undp.org/spanish/mdgsp/.

FAQ: Is it difficult to fill in a financing application?

When we think of submitting a financing application to an international institution, we often believe it will be difficult to fill it in. Nothing further from reality. Financing programmes use to have a manual which explains in detail how to fill in the corresponding forms. At the same time, the forms and the information we are required are very similar to the summer activity cards we do at Esplac. Moreover, both these cards and the application forms are a good tools that help us to structure the projects in order to achieve our educational goals.

41

•Training: As set forth previously, training programmes are another kind of support we offer. In the next section we will analyse in detail the training programmes in which we par-ticipate, but we would like to underline that these courses are very useful and high-quality. Some institutions, such as the Council of Europe, are specialized in the offer of train-ing courses regarding different subjects related to educational youth organizations. The participation in these courses allows us to study in depth a specific subject with qualified trainers in Europe and to share our ways of working with the mem-bers of other organizations. Moreover, the participation in these courses allows us to contact partners with whom we will be able to work in the future. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the participation in these courses is usually in-dividual. This is why it is crucial that the person represent-ing our NGO will pass on the new learnings and practices to the rest of the members of the esplai. There is no doubt that this is one of the best ways to internationalize our educational practices.

FAQ: Can we submit different application forms for the same project?

Yes! In fact this is a very advisable practice in many cases as the institutions normally subsidize a part of the project, but not all of it necessarily. This practice is possible because many institutions share some priorities. It is important to bear in mind, however, that we have to lay down our aim and objectives educational goals very clearly and then find the institutions in which best fits our project to ask for the necessary financial support.

“It is crucial that the person representing our NGO will pass on the new learnings and practices to the rest of the members of the esplai”



4.3.2.InstitutionsandprogrammeswhichsupportinternationalprojectsIn the following lines we introduce a list of institutions which give support to international projects together with their pro-grammes and financing guidelines, if any.

• European Commission –Youth in Action programmeandotherrelatedprogrammes: the European Commission, one of the four main institutions of the European Union10, counts on a specific programme for international youth work: the Youth in Action programme. This programme is, without any doubt, one of the main financing channels for youth in-ternational projects. It is aimed at giving support to youth mo-bility projects and non-formal education in the EU for young people between 13 and 30 years old. Thirty-one European countries participate in this programme which gives financial support to the development of international exchanges, Eu-ropean Voluntary Service (EVS) and training courses, among other kind of activities. The Youth in Action programme is coordinated through the national agencies of each Member State in the EU. This programme, however, is not exclusively European as it includes neighbouring partner countries and other partner countries of the world. Moreover, the Commis-sion has created eight resources centres with different national agencies. Theses centres are called SALTO-YOUTH and their

10-“The European Commission, one of the four main institutions of the European Union, counts on a specific programme for international youth work: the Youth in Action programme”

“The European Commission, one of the four main institutions of the European Union, counts on a spe-cific programme for international youth work: the Youth in Action

programme”

43

goal is to provide resources (especially educational ones) to improve the projects developed in the framework of the Youth in Action programme. They also offer training courses, peda-gogic tools, information and good practices, databases and contacts of possible partners.

•TheCouncilofEurope–DirectorateofYouthandSport:The Council of Europe (CoE) was created in 1949 and it con-sists of 47 countries including almost all the countries of the European continent. This organization aims:

• to protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law;• to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity;• to find common solutions to the challenges facing European society;• to consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform.

The Directorate of Youth and Sports (DYS) is in charge of youth policy and programmes, and it offers several resources. It is important to bear in mind that the CoE’s perspective is focused on non-formal education. At the same time, the DYS lays down certain priority areas every two years. For instance, the priorities for the two-year period 2010-2012 are: Human rights and democracy: youth policy and youth work promot-

FAQ: What is a National Agency?

A National Agency (NA) is the Governmental body in each EU-Member State which coordinates the implementation of the Youth in Action programme in the territory of the Mem-ber State. Therefore the functions of the National Agencies vary from the reception and evaluation of the financing appli-cations, to the support and information for the associations to participate in the programme. In Catalonia, the International Service of the General Secretariat for Youth develops the tasks of the NA (http://www.gencat.cat/joventut > Relacions inter-nacionals) , despite the State agency is in Madrid.

“The CoE has a Youth Directorate, an exclusive department for youth policy and programmes, which offers sev-eral resources”



ing the core values of the Council of Europe; Living together in diverse societies: youth policy and youth work promoting intercultural dialogue; Social inclusion of young people; Pol-icy approaches and instruments benefiting young people and children. The resources offered by the CoE can be classified as follows:

• Financial resources: the CoE has different programmes and credit lines for international projects. These are the main programmes: the credit lines of the Europe-an Youth Foundation (EYF), the Solidarity Fund for Youth Mobility (FSMJ) and study sessions.• Training resources: the CoE is well-known interna-tionally thanks to its high-quality training resources, both regarding the activities it develops and the ones it offers to associated young people, and the pedagogical material it elaborates. The training resources are man-aged by the European Youth Centres (EYC) which are in Strasbourg (France) and Budapest (Hungary).

•TheNorth-SouthCentre:The European Centre for Glo-bal Independence and Solidarity, known as the North-South Centre, was created in 1989 by the Council of Europe with the aim to encourage cooperation and North-South solidarity. The North-South Centre has the objective to study in depth the training and information regarding interdependence be-tween the South countries and the North countries in the framework of the CoE values. The North-South Centre has a Youth programme focused on the promotion of the role of the youth and their organizations as actors of global development. This programme works in the framework of a permanent di-alogue between organizations and international youth plat-forms from the North and the South. In order to promote the role of youth in the interdependent development of the world and favour the creation of stable partnerships, the Youth pro-gramme of the North-South Centre develops several training and network-creating activities. These are some examples of activities where we can participate: University of Youth and Development, training courses on global education, seminars and workshops on youth participation in the development and exchanges of best practices, and so on. Therefore, the

“The North-South Centre has the

objective to study in depth the tra-ining and infor-mation regarding interdependence

between the South countries and the North countries in the framework of the CoE values”

45

North-South Centre offers very interesting training resources regarding development and Global Education. Further infor-mation at: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre

•CatalanGovernment–TheYouthSecretariat,theCatalanAgencyofCooperationforDevelopmentandtheSecretariatofForeignAffairs:The Catalan Government has three institu-tions which support youth international projects: The Youth Sec-retariat (SJ), the Catalan Agency of Cooperation for Development (ACCD) and the Directorate for the International Projection of Catalan Organizations (DPIOC). Firstly, the SJ, as its name in-dicates, works for the Youth Policy of the Catalan Government and has a specific department for international youth work. This department is the National Agency for the Youth in Action pro-gramme. Apart from that, it offers specific training courses and financial support to certain international youth projects specially using the joint subcommittees programme. Secondly, the ACCD has an annual call for cooperation projects and offers courses on cooperation for development. Since 2005, however, it signed an agreement with the SJ in order to start a specific credit line of cooperation for development projects of youth organizations. Fi-nally, the DPIOC has an annual programme to support Catalan organizations internationally recognised in worldwide platforms (federations, movements, etc.). This programme consists of two budgetary lines financing the development of platform initiatives and the participation in international multilateral institutions. Esplac and other Catalan NGO internationally recognised usu-ally apply for the first budgetary line to cover expenses like mem-bership fees, translation of self publications, attendance to statu-tory meetings or the establishment in Catalonia of the platforms central office.

• The Catalan Fund of Cooperation to Development: The Catalan Fund of Cooperation to Development is an organization made up of Catalan city halls and other regional bodies, which give a part of their budget to finance actions for Cooperation for Development and Solidarity aimed at the South countries. The Catalan Fund of Cooperation manages the economic resources together with the associated institutions; it is the coordination instrument of the effort made by Catalan city halls in case of an emergency situation, specially regarding post-emergency and



reconstruction; it promotes, in Catalonia and in the developing countries, the creation and consolidation of an active civil soci-ety committed to the values of human development and human rights, by financing projects which give priority to direct par-ticipation of the beneficiary population and by giving support to awareness-raising and educational projects done by Catalan associations. This is why the Catalan Fund of Cooperation gives economic support to cooperation projects designed by Catalan associations in the South or in the North (awareness-raising).

• Municipal and regional associations: municipal associations (such as city halls) and regional associations (such as provin-cial councils and regional councils) support certain international projects. Some of these institutions have fixed support programmes for youth projects, while some others do not have stable calls but provide help on specific issues. This is why it is important to work with our closest governmental bodies in order to analyse together if they can help us to develop an international activity. This support can be either financial or logistic or even regarding the implemen-tation of an international activity. Some governmental bodies, such as the Barcelona City Hall, have stable financing policies, such as the project Barcelona Solidària. Other local governmental bodies organize and collaborate in international municipal projects in which the associations are sometimes allowed to participate.

“The Catalan Fund of Cooperation to Development is an organization made up of Catalan city

halls and other municipal bodies, which give a part of their budget to finance actions for

Cooperation for Development and Solidarity actions with the societies

of the most disadvantaged

countries”

“Municipal as-sociations and

regional associa-tions support cer-tain international

projects”

FAQ: Would you like to work with Asia? Basic details of the Foundation Asia-Europe

The Foundation Asia-Europe was created in 1997 and it is a non-profit organization with the seat in Singapore. It aims at the promotion of the knowledge and understand-ing between Asia and Europe. This Foundation has created the informal network of Youth Cooperation Asia-Europe (AEYC) which has the objective of creating bonds between the youth of both continents. This is why the AEYC pro-motes exchanges between the young people of both con-tinents using different activities such as forums, meetings and training courses. For further information http://www.asef.org/aeyc/.

47


Therearedifferentparticipationandsupport tools inorder tointroduceouresplaiintointernationalactivitiesanddevelopin-ternationalprojects.Wehavetobearinmindthatwehavetwokindsofresourcesatourdisposal:

TRAINING:

High-quality specialized programmes

Possibility to create partnership networks

Importance to pass on the knowledge acquired in these

trainings to the esplai

FINANCING:

We have to submit our application to the institutions

and different programmes depending on our objectives:

importance of a proper needs analysis

It is advisable to submit seve-ral applications for the same

project

Each programme has its forms and manuals to make the

application process easier

ThissupportcanbeofferedfromEsplac(InternationalCoopera-tionArea)andfromdifferentkindofinstitutions.Thesearesomeofthemostimportantones:

• European Commission – Youth in Action programme and other related programmes• Council of Europe –Youth Directorate• North-South Centre• Catalan Government (Generalitat) – the Youth Secretary and the Catalan Agency of Cooperation to Development• The Catalan Fund of Cooperation to Development• Municipal and regional associations

Therearedifferentkindsofinternationalprojects:internationalexchanges;internationalrepresentationinnetworksandthematicmeetings;internationaltrainingprogrammes;internationalseminars;cooperationprojectsandnetworkand/orlong-termprojects,amongothers.



Chapter 5 – The importance of continuity and replacement in international youth work

The aim of this chapter it to introduce the debate on the conti-nuity, the transfer and the replacement of the international ac-tion developed by Esplac and the esplais. This is a very important debate because if we know what has been done previously, we will be able to continue the progress of internationalization in our as-sociation. This is why we will start speaking about the problems of the information transfer and we will present the tools which help solving them, and we will then go into the debate in depth, discussing about the bond between the international action and the importance of the replacement in this field.

5.1. Experience and information transfer in international youth work

As we have seen through this Esmolet, Esplac is an association with an important experience in international youth projects. It has been present internationally for a lot of years, its members have participated in several exchange experiences, projects and international training sessions. However, we know that one of the challenges of youth organizations in general is the informa-tion and knowledge transfer and the continuity of the projects initiated by our predecessors at the association and at the esplais. This is why we want to underline the importance of making the most of Esplac’s experience as a federation and that of its esplais in order to be able to implement international projects today. For

49

this reason, we would like to present a reflection of the typical problems involving the international youth work regarding the information transfer, and we suggest some possible solutions.

•Informationtransferandprojectcontinuity: As we know, information transfer is one of the main problems in youth work. Sometimes, there is not a good transfer and knowledge of the actions previously developed by the associations. De-spite this is a general problem in youth organizations and it affects all the spheres of action at the esplai, we can affirm that the problem gets especially bigger as far as the international work is concerned; these are some of the reasons:

• Those who participate or who are in charge of long-term projects are no longer part of it or they do not do a good transfer. Then, we are involved in an international project where we do not know what the role of our fed-eration or esplai is.• Those who participate in a training activity do not always do a proper transfer of the knowledge acquired.• Those who have represented the federation leave their position without an imminent replacement, which causes a lot of information to be lost.• We do not always have all the information of the projects previously developed and the partners with whom the association has worked.

“Information transfer is one of the main problems in youth work”

The importance of continuity and replacement in international youth work


These hypothetical situations (which are often real) become more evident by the fact that international contacts often turn into personal contacts. Therefore, in international youth work, each association is identified with one or two persons (the most active ones) and when they leave, a lot of informa-tion, and sometimes even the partner’s trust, is lost for the association.

•Toolstosolveinformationtransferproblems:We have just identified the causes of the difficulties of information transfer regarding international projects. If we want to make the most of the past experiences and let our international learnings be useful in the future of our association, there are different tools which allow placing them in common. We strongly recom-mend you to use them, as you will be reinforcing Esplac’s ca-pacity to act, as well as that of your esplais, and you will allow action coherence and the quality of our educational task will be improved. These are some of the tools:

• Minutes and reports: the minutes of the meetings are an indispensable tool for our esplais’ smooth run-ning. Therefore, it is advisable to write the minutes of the international activities and meetings we participate in, in order to save all the information. At the same time, it is absolutely indispensable to do an evaluation and a report of the international projects we develop or in which we participate. These reports shall include in-formation on the association, programme and content, and the evaluation of the activity (have we achieved our goals?). So, we have to write a good report, like the ones done at the esplais for summer and yearly activities. We recommend you to add a section for the internationalist evaluation: relation and work with the partners, group reaction and evolution (especially in the cases of multi-cultural groups), and the learnings that can be incorpo-rated in the esplai’s daily routine.•Trainingactivitiesandinformationtransfermeetings:Usually, just one member of our association participates in training activities. Then, the problem of how this person will transfer the knowledge acquired is raised. One of the options is to do transfer meetings where one

“If we want to make the most of the past experi-

ences and let our international learnings be use-ful in the future

of our association, there are different tools which allow placing them in

common”

51

explains the activity and offers the documents to the esplai. This practice will allow the rest of youth leaders to put into practice the knowledge and the educational practices gained in the training. If the training has been particularly interesting or the issue tackled is especial-ly important for our esplais, anyone can suggest short training sessions to learn the new educational practices and to think of the possibility to move them into our daily routine at the esplai.•Thepersonalreplacement: When we are actively in-volved in international projects and networks, we meet personally a lot of partners. It is important, therefore, in case we have a position of responsibility and we ex-pect to leave it soon, to do a transfer of the contacts and an introduction of the person who will take over. This practice will allow the transfer of personal information and, at the same time, an image of coherence and re-sponsibility of Esplac’s international action and that of its esplais. And it will make things easier for the person who takes over, of course!•ParticipationintheInternationalCooperationArea:This is another tool that Esplac puts at the esplai’s dis-posal. As we have previously explained in depth, this is the space where youth leaders and associated members of Esplac interested and involved in the internationali-zation of our association gather together and share their reflections and experiences. It is, therefore, a stable and accessible tool which allows proper information trans-fer, the proper experience gathering of our association and the coherence of our international action.

Obviously, these tools do not exclude themselves, quite the op-posite! Their combination allows an ideal transfer and makes the international adventure easier for those who want to take their first steps in it. Therefore, you have to think that international activities do not end when we arrive at the airport! When we get home the task of internationalizing our association begins, as well as that of multiplying and disseminating our international learning.

“International activities do not end when we arrive at the airport! When we get home the task of interna-tionalizing our association begins”



5.2. Future challenges: the importance of replacement

The replacement is a key element to achieve the internationaliza-tion of our association and to make the most of our international action. It is so important that we would like to debate this issue in depth, introducing a double aspect in the discussion: the re-placement of international leaders and the replacement in our esplais thanks to international activities.

• Thereplacementofinternationalleaders: Any member of the esplai is able to and has the tools at his/her disposal to be initiated into the international youth work, but it is important to bear in mind that this sector might de-mand a specific training and participation. As we have seen, we have at our disposal the necessary tools to develop an international project and/or participate in projects and trainings organized by other associations. We have to re-member, however, that if we really want to internationalize our educational task, we need a very active and constant participation in order to know and evaluate the practices and debates we can discover thanks to our participation in international youth work. At the same time, we have to know in depth the international networks if we want to have an influence through our principles on them. For this reason it is very important to evaluate, as esplai and as individuals, what level of participation and effort we want to give to the international action. If we decide that inter-nationalism is one of our main priorities, we have to be ready to take over the members of our association, who have previously chosen the same path. The replacement of international leaders is, therefore, especially important and implies a continuous commitment and a training will in the mid-term, like in the other spaces of participation. But, obviously, it is a gratifying path that offers us a wide range of knowledge and experiences!

“It is very impor-tant to evaluate, as esplai and as individuals, what

level of participa-tion and effort we

want to give to the international

action”

53

•Thereplacementinouresplais thankstointernationalac-tivities:As we know, the problem of replacement not only affects the international sphere, quite the opposite, it is one of the permanent debates in our esplais. More than once, however, the implementation of activities and internation-al participation have played an important motivation role in order to encourage the young people of our esplais to take responsibilities as youth leaders. As we have discussed throughout the book, the implementation of international activities implies some knowledge (which we hope to have put at your disposal), but it has to be complemented by a high level of motivation of the members of the esplais. The possibility to develop a different educational activity, in another country, with a multicultural group and with an international partner is a particularly motivating chal-lenge. But motivation does not end with preparation, it increases in the execution of the project, thanks to this learning through contrast that we do of our educational practices and those carried out around the world. When we compare our way of working with that of other partners, we discover their originality and importance. This learn-ing through contrast, which is part of any international project, will motivate most of the members of our esplai to continue with our educational task and face the challenge of internationalizing our practices. Therefore, we do not have to underestimate the contribution of internationalism to the participative health of our esplais!

“More than once the implementa-tion of activities and international participation have played an important motiva-tion role in order to encourage the young people of our esplais to take responsi-bilities as youth leaders”

“We do not have to underestimate the contribution of international-ism to the par-ticipative health of our esplais!”




Informationtransferandprojectcontinuityisaparticularlyim-portantproblemintheinternationaltaskofourassociation.

PROBLEMS:

Lack of continuity of the representatives

Bad information transfer

Lack of imminent replacement of the representatives

Lack of information regarding projects and/or partners

TOOLS::

Writing of minutes and reports of all international

actions

Information transfer meetings

Activities and meetings to put into practice the learnings of

international trainings

Proper personal replacement

Ifwewanttoguaranteeaproperreplacementofourrepresentativesandinternationalleadersandinternationalleadersweneedanactiveandcontinuousparticipationintheinternationalfield.Thisisnotcontradictory,however,withthefactthatallthemembersoftheesplaishavethechanceandthetoolstoworkinthisfield.Atthesametimetheactivitiesandtheinternationalparticipationmightbeagoodtooltoguaranteeandtostrengthenthemotivationofthemembersofouresplai.

55

Glossary

ACI:International Cooperation Area, Esplac

Hosting: International project organized by the esplai, which implies hosting of a group of young people from abroad

NationalAgency: Body appointed by each Member State to manage the dif-ferent generations of Youth Programmes of the European Commission

CEJ:European Youth Centre

CoE:Council of Europe

Sending:International project in which the esplai is hosted by an association of another country

Experientiallearning: Pedagogical methodology based on learning from a specific experience, analysing four processes: experience, reflection, abstrac-tion and application (of the learning drawn from a new reality)

InternationalExchange: International project, either hosting or sending

InternationalOrganization: network of youth NGO active in more than one country. In case they want to become members of the YFJ, they must be present at least in eight countries

Partner: Organization or group of organizations with which we do a project and with whom we share common principles

PoolofTrainers(PoT): Working group of the YFJ made up of European non-formal education trainers (continental scope)

Bilateralproject: International project which involves two partners

Multilateralproject: International project which involves more than three partners

Trilateralproject: International project which involves three partnersUE: European Union

YouthForumJeunesse(YFJ): European Youth Forum. European platform made up of National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organizations

YouthinAction: European Commission programme addressed to youth organizations, in force between 2007 and 2013

Glossary

internacionalism! a guide for eager minds

Documents

international capacity

kind of international

certain international

esplais catalans

international cooperation

youth work networks

eager minds4 internationalism

staff members of esplac