EVENT IN DRESDEN
The project "Democratic Ownership and Civic Participation in Europe - DOCPIE
was funded with the support of the European Union under the Programme "Europe for Citizens"
Applicable to the Strand 2 - Measure 2.3 "Civil Society Projects"
Event 2
Participation: The event involved 250 citizens from 24 countries, including:
2. 3 participants from the city of Berlin, German
3. 3 participants from the city of Serres, Greece
4. 8 participants from the town of Šmartno pri Litiji, Ljubljana, Litija, Slovenia
5. 2 participants from the town of Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria
6. 2 participants from the town of Breznički Hum, Croatia
7. 1 participant from the town of Kistarcsa, Hungary
8. 1 participant from the town of Kriva Palanka, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia
9. 3 participant from Brazil
10. 7 participants from India
11. 2 participants from the city of Sofia, Bulgaria
12. 1 participant from the town of Backa Topola, Serbia
13. 2 participants from Italy
14. 2 participants from the city of Warsaw, Poland
15. 1 participant from the city of Brescia, Italy
16. 1 participant from the city of Catania, Italy
17. 1 participant from the city of Nantes, France
18. 2 participants from the city of Belarus
19. 1 participant from Albania
20. 1 participant from Vietnam
21. 1 participant from China
22. 3 participants from Kazakhstan
23. 1 participant from Russia
24. 1 participant from Denmark
25. 1 participant from Spain
26. 1 participant from Lebanon
27. 1 participant from Mexico
28. 2 participants from Serbia
29. 1 participant from the city of Białystok, Poland
30. 1 participant from Czech Republic
Location / Dates:The event took place in Dresden, Germany, from 8/5/2015 to 10/5/2015
Short description:
Through the organization of the event: “Volunteer academy Dresden” the participants:
- Were familiarized with the volunteering opportunities in Germany, Europe and all over the worldwide
- Were informed about the civic engagement in Europe through voluntary work, internships and traineeships
- Had the opportunity to get to know and network with European, German and from other countries NGOs that focus on voluntary work and civic engagement
- Exchanged best practices and experiences through round-table discussions, presentations and through the international fair organized in Dresden where several youth and volunteering NGOs based in Germany participated and presented their work to the attendants of the fair and the international participants of the DOCPIE project adding an even more pronounced European dimension of the project
- Intercultural learning through the participation of young people from many different countries in the world in the International Fair about Volunteering opportunities, internships and traineeships
- Exchanged information about their cities and the interest of the citizens to volunteer and participate in civic life actively
- Were informed about how to encourage democratic & civic participation of citizens at EU level; what needs to be done at local, regional and national level to develop citizens' understanding of the EU policy making-process
The aim of the event was to:
- Showcase different examples of volunteering such as European Voluntary Service, FSJ: Freies Soziales Jahr (Free Social Year), KSJ: Kulturelles Soziales Jahr (Cultural Social Year), ÖSJ: Ökologisches Freies Jahr (Ecological Free Year), Bufti: Bundesfreiwilligendienst (Voluntary Service in Germany), International Work Camps etc.
- Inform all international participants about civic engagement from young children to youth and adults
- Inform on EU policies on volunteering and civic engagement
- Exchange expertise and good practices on local and regional policies regarding youth participation, EU awareness and civic engagement
Throughout the two days of the event, the participants attended workshops, round tables and presentations on volunteering and civic participation on an EU level, and were also presented with informative material from Europe Direct and from several youth and voluntary NGOs from Germany. There was an information desk called KIOSK EUROPE which included a stand with easy & targeted access to information about the EU featuring publications such as "Guide to EU Institutions", "Europe for You, for Your Rights", etc., infographics about European institutions. Moreover, there were discussions featuring questions on the general objectives, specific aims and annual priorities of the Programme, such as: how to encourage democratic & civic participation of citizens at EU level; what needs to be done at local, regional and national level to develop citizens' understanding of the EU policy making process; what are the tools to promote opportunities for societal & intercultural engagement at EU level; and how to boost volunteering.
The following NGOs participated in the International Fair “NEXT STEP” whose topic was about volunteering, youth participation and civic engagement in Europe, having their stands and providing information to all the attendants of the event:
Vereinigung Junger Freiwilliger – Young Volunteers Association
Europa Direkt e.V. - Europe Direct association
Leonardo-Büro Sachsen – Lenoardo Office, Saxony
Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben – Federal Office for Family and Civic Duties
PARITÄTISCHE Freiwilligendienste Sachsen gGmbH - JOINT Volunteering Saxony
AWO – AWO Social Services in Saxony
Kulturbüro Dresden – Office for Culture, Dresden
Kultur Aktiv e.V. - Culture active association
Initiative Christen für Europa e.V. - Christians Initiative for Europe association
Landesverband sächsicher Jugendbildungswerke e.V. - National Association for Youth Education in Saxony
Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk (DPJW) – German-Polish Youth Office
Jugend- und Kulturprojekt e.V. - Youth and Culture Project association
In addition, there was a presentation and round-table discussion on a Europe for Citizens project – Strand 1: Remembrance with the title Bridging Generations which involves young people, adults and senior citizens from Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Poland where senior citizens, from the countries involved in the project, narrate their stories and experiences from WWII. This way, young people learn more about WWII from a personal perspective and become aware of the importance of the European Union and its role regarding peace, solidarity, acceptance and cultural diversity.
The young people who participate in this project and are members of Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V. - the organizer of the DOCPIE event in Dresden, shared their experiences with reference to meeting senior citizens who lived during the war; doing a research on historical and sociological facts about WWII; organizing events concerning memories of WWII and the commemoration of WWII in different cities in Europe. This way the attendants of the international fair, the international participants and the local people reflected on the EU values such as peace, well-being of EU citizens and cooperation.
During the International Fair NEXT STEP questionnaires regarding the survey on European identity and the EU citizenship, which is an initiative of the DOCPIE project, were distributed to local people where mostly young people showed great motivation to fill them out. The last day all international partner analyzed and discussed each question of the survey and several modifications were made.
Additionally, an exhibition with the title The ties of Friendship took place in Deutsches Hygienes Museum in Dresden where the international participants had the opportunity to see and observe art works which promote friendship and understanding. The Exhibition explored what constitutes various concepts of friendship and what they mean – for the individual, but also for society as a whole.
In order to promote intercultural exchange most international participants were asked to bring national delicacies which was a good occasion to get to know each other's culture and taste local and national food which always is the key to bring people together.
Everything on the informing young people about civic engagement and youth participation in Europe and about what kind of opportunities are offered to young people in volunteering you can find in PP presentation which Myrto Helene Pertsinidi from Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e. V present on next Step fair in DOCPIE Dresden event on May 9 2015.
Event No. 2, VOLUNTEER ACADEMY DRESDEN will take place between May 8-10 2015 in Dresden, Germany.
More about next step on
Organizer of the event is Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V.
Location:
Here you can finde AGENDA of the event, which will take place betwen 8. and 10. may. In Dresden we will also speak about next event in Serres Greece, wich will take place betwen 30th of June and 2nd July.
