YouthNET

YouthNET is a Europe-wide network of young people, NGOs, youth experts, trainers, activists, administrative bodies and decision makers that aims to strengthen youth co-operation and participation all over Europe and supports regional and local co-operation in Southeast and Eastern Europe.

YouthNET - Creative Partnerships with SEE (2006 - 2009):

Three thematic sub-project groups from neighbouring SEE countries as well as EU partners are continuously working together for a 3 years period to cooperatively develop pilot projects and an action plan for regional cooperation. The three general topics are “Environment and Peace” (Countries/Regions involved: Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, EU countries), “Art and Culture” (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, EU countries), and “Tolerance through local participation” (FYROMacedonia, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece, EU countries). All activities are prepared by one of the partner organisations in close cooperation with young people from the area where the activity takes place. Young people’s organisations can contribute their ideas already in the planning process, visit projects in the respective municipalities, meet local people in charge of youth issues, etc. Exchange visits between the groups and common project activities offer opportunities for young people to develop their own follow-up projects with partners from abroad. Information, advice, and trainings will be offered on how to make efficient use of the new “Youth in Action” programme and other support available on national or European levels. YouthNET Brochure

See below for information on the two most recent initiatives under YouthNET

Our YouthNET Partners:

Associazione Culturale Il Monastero, Italy

(info@binariouno.eu)

Balkan Children and Youth Foundation, Macedonia (www.balkanyouth.org)

BalkanIDEA Novi Sad, Serbia (www.balkanideans.rs)

Bosporus Foundation, Germany (www.bosporus.org)

Cultural Triangle of Prespa, Greece (www.ctp.gr)

Environmental Centre Valbona, Albania

Environmentally responsible Action Group (ERA), Kosova

Hajde da, Serbia (www.hajdeda.org.rs)

Human Rights in Democracy Centre, Albania (qdnjd@albaniaonline.net)

Intercultural Centre, Austria (www.iz.or.at)

New Eurasia Foundation, Russisa (www.neweurasia.ru)

NGO “People”, Ukraine

“Youth Education Centre “Fialta”, Belarus

Solidarity Hemisphere Association , Portugal (hemisferiosolidarios.pt.vu)

Traditional Culture and Sustainable Development, Bulgaria

Youth of XXI th Century, TSXXI, Romania (www.ts21.3x.ro)

UNESCO Youth Club of Thessaloniki , Greece (unesco-youth-club-of-thessaloniki.blogspot.com)

Youth Centre Brežice, Slovenia (www.mc-brezice.si)

Youth Centre for non-formal education (CNC), Croatia (www.cnc.hr)

YouthPROTECT Peace and Environment

Cross Border Training Course on Protected Areas

"YouthPROTECT Peace and Environment" pilot project took place in Plav,Montenegro and Peja, Kosova this past June, 2009. The program was a week long, cross border training program in protected areas. The main themes of the course were environmental sustainability, integration/inclusion, and active citizenship. Environmental sustainability as a theme focused on demonstrating how protecting nature in an inhabited, or somehow “cultivated” area, means finding a way of using nature’s resources, while at the same time sustainably managing the area for future needs. The portion of the program on integration/inclusion highlighted the reasons why working with all stakeholders involved is essential in the process of sustainable development and nature protection. This includes the need for considering, including, and respecting the economic aspects (the well-being of the local population) and cultural aspects of the local population. The training sessions that involved active citizenship showed that protecting nature is not an issue for politicians only! In fact, as citizens we massively have to advocate for environmental protection against short-term interests and conventional economic development. It is hereby especially in the interest of young people to be active in order to preserve a healthy, beautiful, and sound environment and nature.

While the themes of environmental sustainability, integration/inclusion, and active citizenship are themselves important and neccessary, they are also inherent in the process of protecting areas. Over the course of the week, it was really the idea of protected areas that acted as a thread linking the different sessions. The 27 participants, representing 10 countries in all (Germany, Poland, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, America, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Kosova, and Italy), each brought a great deal of knowledge about environmental issues, both the problems and the solutions, in their own countries. The structured sessions included the enviornmmental mapping of each country, an interactive introduction to levels of environmental protection, presentations of individual or group experiences by the participants, instruction on effective project development, the dynamics of lobbying, and various other topics related to the projects main themes. These sessions were complimented by many activities that provided the opportunity for participants to learn through personal interactions and through shared experience.

One of the projects highlights was the cross border hike from the HRID Eco Village, located outside of Plav, Montenegro. The group camped for a night in Bogice before continuing on to Decan, Kosova, which is the site of the largest and most well preserved Serbian Orthodox Monastery in the Former Yugoslavia. This part of the program enabled participants to experience, first hand, many of the environmental issues affecting SEE, and to learn about how the implementation of protected areas in this region would have a positive impact. The final days of training, which took place in Kosova, brought participants together with other key stakeholders, including government officals, representatives from the municipality, and the national coordinators for the Green Agenda process in Kosova and Rugova.

The "YouthPROTECT Peace and Environment" pilot project took a dynamic approach to educating youth about the environment. Particants came away with both general knowledge and a a deeper understanding of the complexity of protected areas. This training stressed the need for young people to be active in the process of nature protection at the local level. It also provided the tools needed to become engaged in the development and implementation of options for sustainable nature protection in Europe. In the end, underlying this experience and all knowledge gained, are the connections made and relationships that will present the opportunities for cross border and regional cooperation in the future. Thank you to all the participants, trainers, and staff for a fantastic week! We hope to see you all again!!!

Please check out the links below for pictures and an article/interview written by some of our participants post-project . . .

Article Some Additional Pictures

YouthNET Youth Exchange

Struga, Macedonia

The exchange brought together a diverse group of youth from a variety of countries including Macedonia, Portugal, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The program agenda revolved around each participants involvement in one of the five workshops offered:

“The Wall”: participants of that worksop had to re-paint an worn down wall outside the hotel into a nice-looking piece of art.

“Creative Language”: with Asia, about how we can use the variety of languages in different situations and that sometimes there is no matter what language you are speaking, you can still be understood.

“Freeze”: with Daniela, included activities during which the participants - whatever they are doing - when signaled from Daniela, were supposed to learn how to freeze at the position they are and control their emotions, reactions whatever is happening.

“Photography”: with Babis intended to teach the participants how to make pictures that could have a great impact on people who see them.

“Land Art”: with Eduardo, was a workshop aiming to show how everything in nature can be used in a meaningful way and you can make art of every small thing.

Other activities over the course of the exchange included time spent on Ohrid Lake in St. Zaum, intercultural evenings, visits to some of the cities historic sites, team building games, and a boat trip to St. Naum’s Monastary.

“After walking in the monastery and the streets we headed to another coast on Ohrid lake, called “St. Zaum”. This was the most relaxing time of the week’s training. Everyone was swimming, sun bathing, taking pictures and having fun. After it though we made a meaningful environmental action for the place we were. The trainers gave everyone some gloves and plastic bags and in few minutes all participants cleaned the garbage on the beach as much as we could. It was a nice picture too see how almost fifty people were doing such team work and in no time we did a very useful job. After it we made an improvised human out of every waste product we found on the coast such as shoes, tins, plastic and glass bottles or even lady purses. We put a t-shirt with the logo of “YouthNET” and we left it near a tree for the people to see not only that there is much garbage everywhere, but also that there should be done something and that there are people who care about this problem and know about reusing and recycling of garbage, and not throwing it around the nature.”

-Group EVS Journal