Keys to youth participation in eastern Europe

by Siyka Kovacheva

Keys to youth participation in eastern Europe

by Siyka Kovacheva





Council oI Europe Publishing

French version:
Cles pour la participation des feunes en Europe orientale
ISBN 92-871-































Cover: Council oI Europe Graphic Design Workshop


Council oI Europe Publishing
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex
ISBN 92-871-

Council oI Europe, June 2000
Printed in Spain

Table of contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Towards a modernised concept oI participation in a changing Europe

2. Dimensions oI youth participation in post-communist societies

3. The youth participation study

4. Cases oI successIul youth participation in the Eastern halI oI the continent

4.1. Involvement in national and local institutional politics

4.1.1. Rock the Vote`98 a voting campaign oI Slovak youth

4.1.2. Partners Ior a Democratic Change an initiative oI Bulgarian youth
Ior participation in local government

4.1.3. Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives in the Regions a project oI young
people in Lithuania

4.2. SelI-management in education

4.2.1. MEDINGO a student project in Hungary

4.2.2. The Formation oI Estonian Student Councils Union

4.2.3. Summer University Ior High School Student Unions` Representatives
in Romania

4.3. Young people`s commitment to human rights

4.3.1. Raising Awareness towards Ethnic Problems a project oI
Ukrainian youth in Poland

4.3.2. Touching Reality a health initiative oI Roma youth in Bulgaria

4.3.3. Good Places a project oI Polish youth in support oI disabled
persons

4.4. Youth preoccupation with nature preservation

4.4.1. Green Lungs an ecological experiment oI Russian youth

4.4.2. School Competition an environmental initiative oI young people in
Estonia

4.4.3. Ecological Congress a project oI young environmentalists in the
Czech Republic

4.5. Promoting creativity in science, arts and leisure

4.5.1. Computer Space`98 and the Violence oI InIormation a student
project in Bulgaria

4.5.2. PROM 2000 a recreational experiment oI young people in Poland

4.5.3. The Future oI Europe an initiative Ior cultural exchange oI
Hungarian and Romanian youth

5. Keys to successIul participation oI young people in the social transIormation
oI their societies

6. Impact oI projects on the perspectives Ior youth participation in Eastern
Europe

Conclusion

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

The commitment oI many people and institutions to the cause oI youth participation has
made this publication possible. I wish to thank all young persons whose involvement as
proIessionals and volunteers in youth projects provided the basis oI this study. Special
thanks must go to all those activists oI youth organisations who sent me valuable
inIormation about their initiatives and the achievements and Iailures they have experienced
in the process oI their implementation.

I would also like to express my gratitude to all corespondents Irom the youth committees oI
the new member States oI the European Council, whose contributions proved extremely
useIul Ior the production oI this guide. Next, I must acknowledge the support oI Mr Lasse
Siurala, Mrs Anne-Marie Faradji and the secretariat Irom the European Youth Centre oI the
Council oI Europe that was generously provided Irom the initial phases to the completion
oI this work. Finally, I wish to thank to all those Irom my students at the University oI
Plovdiv in Bulgaria to the researchers in the working group on the study Youth
participation in the new member States` Ior their useIul comments on various draIts oI this
text.

Introduction

The idea Ior a return to Europe` was among the most resourceIul slogans oI the gentle
revolutions` in the eastern part oI the continent, mobilising large masses oI people in 1989.
Particularly active in the protests against the separation oI their countries Irom Europe and
their enclosure in the so-called Socialist Camp` were young people in the region. The
collapse oI the old regime and the radicalisation oI the social change were largely due to
successIul cases oI youth participation: the cruciIix revolt oI Polish students, the Iormation
oI the youth party FIDEZ in Hungary, the activities oI young people in peace groups in
Eastern Germany, the youth demonstrations on the Venceslaus Square oI the Czech capital
Prague and the student sit-ins at the Timishoara Square in the Romanian capital Bucharest,
the singing protests oI youth choruses in Lithuania, the two country-wide student
occupations oI university buildings in Bulgaria, etc. Under the conditions oI youth
mobilisation the notion about Europe intermingled with ideas about national independence,
democracy, Iree market and prosperity.

How have the Iorms oI youth participation changed ten years aIter the dismantling oI the
Berlin Wall and the symbolic reunion oI the two parts oI the continent? Have the
opportunities Ior youth involvement in shaping their societies expanded with the turn oI
their countries toward political pluralism and a market economy? And how have the
current processes oI European integration aIIected youth activism in Eastern and central
Europe?

This report attempts to provide tentative answers to the above questions on the basis oI
case studies oI youth participation in Eastern Europe. It Iollows the publication oI results
Irom research oI youth projects in the member States oI the Council oI Europe (See
Boukobza, 1998). The Iirst report outlines some key Ieatures oI successIul practices oI
youth participation in the countries in Western Europe. By adding the experiences oI young
people`s activism Irom the eastern part oI the continent we want to draw a Iuller picture oI
youth participation in social liIe: its Iorms, resources and objectives relevant to the
concerns oI the Iirst post-Cold-War generation in Europe.

The structure oI this second report is the Iollowing. It starts with a theoretical discussion in
an attempt to Iind a modernised concept oI participation and its meaning in the lives oI
young people in Eastern Europe. Then it proceeds with displaying a selected number oI
youth projects that have been analysed in the study. Finally, the report presents the
conclusions oI the study and the practical guidelines which could be derived Irom the
successIul youth practices.

1. Towards a modernised concept of participation in a changing Europe

Participation is a concept constantly recurring in social research, especially in youth
studies. The public notions about the pressing social problems oI the day aIIect the way
youth participation is understood and developed, as well as the structure and scope oI
involvement granted to the new generation.

The classical approach toward the idea arises Irom the socialisation theories oI Eisebnstadt,
Parsons, Schelski, and Coleman. From this perspective the participation oI young people is
conceptualised as their integration into the structure oI society through internalising
dominant social norms. The social position oI youth is accomplished through their
involvement in existing institutions and arrangements. Thus participation turns out to be
more about controlling young people and regulating their activities in concordance with the
requirements oI the state system than about their autonomy or selI-IulIilment. This
understanding has been criticised as biased toward preserving the status quo, perceiving the
young only as passive acceptants oI adult values and practices (Hartman and Trnka 1985).

A later perspective departs Irom the concept oI citizenship as Iormulated by T. H. Marshall
(1952). In it youth participation is seen as the problem oI young people`s access to the wide
range oI civil, political and social rights in a given community. Citizenship rights,
gradually acquired during youth, and the transition to civil, political and social citizenship
together produce the right to Iull participation in society. It is also about 'belonging to
one`s nation and having the responsibility to contribute to its well being. Following T. H.
Marshall`s explication about the relationship between citizenship and social class, as well
as other dimensions oI stratiIication (such as gender, race, ethnicity, etc), the debate on
citizenship links the concept oI participation with the problematic oI social exclusion and
inclusion. The notion oI social participation oI individuals and groups oIIers a Iramework
Ior examining the opposite process oI social exclusion.

Similar approach is applied to the agendas Ior youth work, policy and research proclaimed
by the United Nations during the International Youth Year in 1985. Youth participation
became dominant theme in a recognition oI the need Ior youth active involvement in
solving the increasing problems oI young people world-wide: poor living conditions,
unemployment, health hazards as abuse oI alcohol and drugs, environmental problems, and
discrimination in the labour market, in cultural aIIairs and in the legal systems (UN-
Document A/36/215 Annex, pp. 15-17). While urging Ior the widening oI youth services
and provisions, this concept again deIines youth as a recipient in need rather than as an
initiator oI policy.

A diIIerent approach to youth participation was developed by social scientists in Eastern
Europe, reIlecting the diverging concerns oI the societies with communist-party regimes in
the 1980s. Fred Mahler, Petar-Emil Mitev and others criticised socialisation theories
Iocusing on the conIormist integration oI young people into society via the passive
absorption oI social norms. Developing the concept oI juventology, they contrasted the
understanding oI youth as an active and committed group to its Western representation as a
passive group.

Mahler (1983) envisioned juventology as an integrative youth theory aiming to reveal the
extent to which young people have power over present and Iuture conditions and the extent
to which they are governed by the established social authority. In present-day societies
youth is integrated by conIormist adjustment to the established order at the price oI
submissiveness, dependence and alienation. Future societies will be open Ior youth
participation allowing them to share power on equal terms and to emancipate themselves
Irom existing social inequalities and imperIections.

Mitev (1982) argued that it is not only society that imposes norms on young people. It is
young people who produce new values and who, through their active participation in social
liIe, change and 'juventicise society. The eIIect oI youth participation is societal
innovation. At the same time, participation results in the selI-realisation oI personality the
opportunity Ior young people to actualise their own potentialities (as knowledge, skills, and
aspirations) in education, work, culture and Iamily liIe. In pursue oI selI-realisation youth
change society and contribute to social progress.

While this concept was blended into the dominant constructs oI the oIIicial ideology
imposed by the communist regimes in Eastern Europe, its urge to link participation with
juventisation`, that is, with transIormation oI society by each new coming generation,
rather than its mere integration into existing arrangements, holds over time. The concept oI
juventisation oI society oIIers a more pro-active approach to youth by recognising that
every generation is, Ior a certain period, a new-comer to society and the problem is whether
and how they can participate in it.

In a time oI Iundamental social change aIter the end oI the Cold-War world a modernized
concept oI participation is required to apply to the reality oI a globalized world. Youth
democratic participation attracts a growing attention by the present amalgam oI research,
policy and practice within the Iramework oI international institutions. The opening oI the
countries in Central and Eastern Europe and their accession as member States to the
Council oI Europe renders a new, European dimension to youth work. Youth participation
becomes a means Ior promoting democracy and active citizenship on the continent.

In the 1990s the European Steering Committee Ior Intergovernmental Co-operation in the
Youth Field (CDEJ) developed a new pro-active understanding oI youth participation,
postulating that: 'participation is not an aim in itself, but an approach to becoming active
citi:en, encouraging such an approach bv attempting to establish conditions in which the
largest possible number of voung people take an active role in societv remains a verv long-
term obfective`. CDEJ sees its role in monitoring initiatives and schemes concerning youth
participation as part oI a global, integrated youth policy (Final text, Recom. 20.a.iii oI the
1993 Vienna ConIerence oI European ministers responsible Ior youth). The committee
Iocuses on youth participation as a means oI taking an active role both in the development
of ones own environment and in European co-operation` (CDEJ 1997:7).

Such an approach was accepted in the design oI the Iirst study oI youth experiments in
the member states oI the Council oI Europe (Boukobza 1998) and is applicable to the

10

inquiry into youth practices in Eastern Europe aIter the collapse oI the communist regimes.
The operational deIinition used in this study oI youth participation in both parts oI Europe
accepts Golubovic`s (1982) ample interpretation: 'power based on the possibilitv of
exerting influence on the economic and social aspects of life in the broad communitv.

There are several signiIicant projections Irom this understanding oI participation that were
explicated in the research design. All project have been analysed according the Iollowing
indicators:

a. The problem situation

Each youth project arises Irom a particular constellation oI economic and social
circumstances oI liIe, which is viewed as a problem by young people upon which they
would like to exert their inIluence. The social context oI the project is perceived as a
speciIic structure oI opportunities and constraints Ior youth participation. The project
objectives are a concrete set oI desired changes in the environment.

The deIinition clearly conIines youth participation to all important spheres oI social liIe:
political, economic, cultural and social. The report presents projects Irom the Iollowing
spheres of participation.

involvement in conventional, institutional politics at the national and local level, as
well as in unconventional, protest politics

youth selI-management in education and training but also in employment, the
participation in the labour market being oI key importance Ior youth autonomy and selI-
determination

commitment to human rights, to the solution oI social problems and diminishing oI
social inequalities.

youth preoccupation with nature preservation and the development oI ecological
awareness among youth and the whole population.

promoting young people`s creativity in science, arts and leisure well as the articulation
oI new values and modes oI behaviour.

The analysis oI the social context oI the projects included in the study distinguishes among
the Iollowing levels of participation.

local, which embraces youth involvement in the activities oI their immediate social
environment, Irom the Iamily and school to the village and urban community.

national, concerning the active role oI young people in shaping national youth policies
and the development oI the whole oI society.

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European, which embodies youth commitment to the conception and implementation oI
a European youth policy and their role in the accomplishing oI Europe as people`s
community.

global, which reIers to youth involvement in the tendencies Ior creating a just world
community.

b. Profect resources

The second basic indicator used in the study concerns the resources Ior participation, which
every youth group employs in an attempt to exert inIluence over the problem situation.
Young people`s resources are, Iirst oI all, the mobilisational structures Ior carrying out
their activities. Youth initiatives are channelled through the Iollowing tvpes of
organisational structures:

Iormal, which are youth Ioundations, associations, unions, clubs, etc. acting either
independently or as branches oI national and international organisations.

inIormal, which are youth groups oI various sizes with a low level oI internal hierarchy
and division oI labour, and with a high degree oI spontaneity and emotional integrity.

The Iocus upon power` in the deIinition make us take into consideration the degree oI
youth selI-determination their autonomy to make decisions that exert inIluence over
community and their own lives. Every analysis oI youth participation should consider how
much Ireedom young people really have in setting the goals and directions oI their
activities. Following Etzioni (1964) and Hartman (1986), we can add another indicator to
the analysis oI youth projects the degree oI youth involvement in organisations and
activities. By combining the two indicators, each varying in three degrees, we receive the
Iollowing modes of participation:

Table 1. Modes of participation

Degree oI youth
selI-
determination
Degree oI youth involvement
in associations and activities
Low Average High

High
Voluntary non-
participation
Temporary
participation
Democratic`
participation

Average
Calculative non-
participation
Remunerative
participation
Calculative
participation

Low
EnIorced non-
participation
Normative
participation-
EnIorced
participation

The scheme demonstrates that youth participation experiments may vary Irom the enIorced
involvement into existing structures to a Iully selI-determined and voluntary experience oI
becoming architects oI their own lives. Democratic` in the latter mode, combining a high

12

degree oI selI-determination and a high degree oI youth involvement, stands to suggest the
mechanism oI negotiations between participating young people and adult groups a
process IruitIul Ior both sides rather than a violent change oI structures and norms
compelled by the visions oI one oI the sides. While we can have reservations about the
terms chosen by Hartman which add indicators that are not explicated in the initial
deIinitions, the notion about the modes is useIul in our study by advising to search Ior
successIul cases oI youth participation in the group oI projects with a high degree oI youth
selI-determination and a high involvement in project activities.

Young people`s resources Ior successIul participation are also the support they have
managed to attract Irom other actors in the youth Iield. Every project is analysed to reveal
the level oI co-operation between the youth group and the Iollowing influential allies:

NGOs, both Irom the country and abroad,

state structures such as national committees on youth, central and local authorities, etc.,

media, both printed and electronic, including the Internet,

the public at large and their attitudes toward the youth group and their initiative.

c. Outcomes

Any study oI youth participation projects should measure their success taking into account
both:

their immediate results, the degree oI achieving the objectives set in the project, and

long-term eIIects, which are not so obvious, nor are they always stated as the project
goals. However, every activity in the Iorm oI citizens` mobilisation starts a slow and
capillary process oI cultural transIormation (Tarrow 1993) that leaves a heritage oI values
and practices Ior the next mobilisational wave.

Youth participation projects have varying dimensions of their efficacv. The immediate and
long-term eIIects oI the implementation oI every initiative should be traced as
consequences upon:

the individual, the young people themselves, on the development oI their skills and
competencies, and oI their identity as citizens;

the Iormal organisation or the inIormal youth group, widening their resource structures
and promoting the sense oI belonging;

the community, contributing to the development oI civil society, oI democracy itselI;

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the national policy toward youth as a distinct group in society, empowering them by
policy changes that allow them to resume responsibilities in the process oI democratic
cohesion in society.

Youth participation projects, although varying in their degrees oI success, are in Iact a Iorm
oI participatory (experiential) learning and the most important contribution oI them all is
the widening oI the opportunities oI individuals, organisations, communities and wider
society Ior Iurther youth participation on a higher, more eIIicient level. Youth
participation are not separate, unlinked acts, but a spiral movement, a generative process oI
growing selI-reliance (CDEJ 1997) and (iI we add the East European approach) oI opening
the social structures and making them more Ilexible to allow Iurther juventisation.

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2. Dimensions of youth participation in post-communist societies

The Iorms and scope oI youth participation in post-communist societies are shaped by the
interplay oI processes working in diverging and oIten opposite directions. One highly
inIluential Iactor is the legacy Irom the communist past as values and social practices. Then
there are the inIluences coming Irom the West, both as models Ior young people`s
aspirations and as a direct interIerence in the Iorm oI support programmes, umbrella
organisations, and Iunding. Important constraints are the amounting internal problems oI
the transIorming societies in the region and the position oI youth in the Iluid social
structure. The Iorth determinant Ior young people`s social participation are the youth
associations and voluntary activities themselves, their resources and own problems oI
development.

Heritage from the communist past

During communism youth participation was guaranteed by the communist-party state and
provided Ior by the monopolistic concentration oI resources in the centrally planned
economy. The social contract oI the authoritarian societies can be summed up in the
Iollowing way: The party cares Ior the young, the young are IaithIul to the Party`. As the
degree oI selI-determination oI youth activism was very low, the dominant types oI youth
participation, Iollowing Hartman`s scheme, were the calculative participation` on the part
oI youth leaders who used it as a stepping stone Ior the high positions in the party and state
hierarchy and the Iorced participation` on the part oI the majority oI young people who
conIormed to the pressure by the all-encompassing party-state apparatus. Participation in
the only one oIIicial youth organisation in each country, the Communist Youth League was
obligatory or strongly encouraged Ior the age group Irom 14 to 27 or 28 and it was through
its channels that access to youth provision was guaranteed. Cases oI voluntary non-
participation or youth escapism were rare and severely punished, by closing access to
education and work, all monopolised by the state.

Despite the ceremonial proclamation oI youth as a signiIicant social group imbued with the
mission to build the bright communist tomorrow`, their social position was one oI
powerlessness and subjection. The Youth Leagues in each country acted more as
transmitters oI the Communist Party policy over youth rather than as deIenders oI youth
interests against the omnipotent Party-state. Youth were promised the Iuture but were
unable to change anything in the present, they were expected to construct a whole new
society but were not allowed to manage their own everyday lives. The lack oI opportunities
Ior selI-management and autonomous selI-expression denotes the tokenism oI youth
participation during communism.

The Party authorities proved unable to keep the eIIective exclusion oI young people Irom
the political process Iorever and in the 1980s all countries in the region experienced a
growth oI independent youth movements which joined the mobilisation oI other groups to
topple down the communist regimes. Young people tried various Iorms oI political
participation Irom peaceIul to violent demonstrations, Irom campaigning during elections
to hunger strikes or road blockades (For a Iuller discussion oI the Iorms oI youth

15

participation during the gentle revolutions in Central and East Europe see Wallace and
Kovacheva, 1998, chapter 6 Young People`s Political Values and Participation`).

Western influence

The youth activism that contributed to the downIall oI the communist regime did not
continue Ior long and at present youth participation in post-communist countries resembles
to a certain degree that oI their counterparts in the Western halI oI the continent. We lack
enough data to consider the scope and eIIects oI Western support Ior the social
participation oI young people in Eastern Europe as such studies are rare. However, Western
intervention is undoubtedly considerable in the Iorm oI Iunding, expertise, and
organisational, legal and moral support. Many initiatives oI supranational bodies as the
UN, UNESCO, the European Council; oI national governments, as well as international
voluntary associations and Ioundations target youth population in particular.

Among the youth organisations that we contacted in the study, many had Ioreign contacts
and some oI the projects were realised with the Iunding and/or practical co-operation with
international youth organisations. Many have received currently or in the past Iinancial
aid Irom European programmes such as Youth Ior Europe, Leonardo or Socrates. The
European Youth Fundation has supported youth projects in Central and Eastern European
countries even beIore 1989. International movements such as those promoting peace,
nature preservation, and human rights have partner organisations in the countries in the
region and they undertake common initiatives. There is a general belieI that the active
involvement oI young Europeans in shaping and building the Iuture is an irreplaceable
resource Ior the success oI European integration.

Social surveys reveal a high level oI approval oI European integrative processes among the
young generation in Eastern Europe (Mitev and Riordan, 1996). Young people`s
perspectives on the European Union are shaped by their experiences in the transition to a
market economy, especially by their position in the labour market. The groups representing
the two poles oI the transition underway the young selI-employed and the young
unemployed in Central and Eastern European countries may have diIIering ideas about
the model oI socio-economic development their countries should Iollow, but they all
support the establishment oI closer ties with the European Union (Machacek and Roberts,
1997). From this side oI the continent Europe is seen above all as a cultural community, a
shared commitment to a set oI values and social practices promoting peace, partnership and
prosperity among its members (Kovacheva, 1999). Compared with results Irom studies oI
Western European youth (Lagree 1998), young people in the countries emerging Iree Irom
the Soviet dominance Iear less loosing their national identity in a united Europe and expect
to gain much more Irom the economic and political integration. European identity among
the postcommunist generations is in the making.

Citizens` involvement in the European processes meets many challenges although public
oIIicials tend to view integration as a gradual but nonetheless constant and unilinear
progress. The turn oI Eastern European countries towards joining the EU uncovers old
controversies and raises new tensions even in the Iorerunners in the process such as the

16

protests oI Polish peasants in 1998. The war in Yugoslavia in the spring oI 1999 shows
how much democratic participation within the country is interlined with European
integration, and the lack oI both may cause a long lasting damage on young people`s lives.
The latest events in the Balkans make even more topical the judgement oI the report
Accomplishing Europe (1997) about one oI the greatest challenges oI all times to allow
and encourage the active participation oI the people on the continent in the democratic
construction oI a peaceIul and integrated Europe.

Current social transformation

The most comprehensive shiIt in the opportunities Ior young people in East European
countries to participate in society is the collapse oI the communist welIare state under
economic, political and ideological pressures. They are now Ireed Irom the paternalistic
state control exerted during the communist rule and, at the same time, Irom the extensive
state support they enjoyed in the past. The result is a sharp restructuring oI youth
transitions and accumulation oI risk and uncertainty in youth access to education, work,
leisure and politics.

Ten years aIter the Iall oI the Berlin wall post-communist societies have allowed an
increased participation in Iormal schooling, particularly in higher education and training
institutions. In most countries in the region there is a boom oI newly established
universities and colleges Ior post-compulsory education and a sharp rise in enrolment in
older institutions. On the other pole oI the educational system, however, there is an
increase in the numbers oI those leaving school beIore the compulsory age and this is
especially true Ior young people with ethnic minority background. During post-
communism youth experienced a destruction oI the Iormer smoothly operating transitions
Irom school to work. While they are Iacing more choices in the newly Iormed labour
markets, access to highly qualiIied and better paid jobs is blocked by older generations who
have obtained their jobs and working skills in times oI general employment. In most
countries in the region there is a decrease in the participation oI young people on the labour
market, in gainIul employment. High levels oI youth joblessness (Irom a IiIth to a halI oI
the relevant age group) persist even in times oI economic growth when the general
unemployment is Ialling and this is one oI the major social problems oI the transition Irom
the centrally planned to a market economy (Machacek and Roberts, 1997; Bynner and
Koklyagina, 1995).

Social surveys reveal a prevailing inclination toward consumerism among young people in
the region (Mitev 1996, Ule and Rener 1998, Machacek 1998, Chuprov and Zubok 1998).
With the removal oI the Iormal structures oI the oppressive state, they are now Iree to get
involved into the symbolic production` through developing distinctive styles oI clothing,
hairdressing or dancing. However, they have to Iind ways Ior cultural selI-expression in a
situation oI diminishing resources at their disposal. Independent youth incomes are Ialling,
households are still getting poorer in many countries and the Youth Leagues` assets Ior
organised youth leisure accumulated communism such as youth clubs, holiday homes, etc.
have been dispersed, privatised and largely lost in most countries.

17

No less dramatic are the changes in the sphere oI youth political involvement. With the turn
oI their countries toward pluralist democracies there came the opportunities to participate
in multi-party elections and civic initiatives. Young people tend to support the newer pro-
democratic parties, but voter turnout has started to decline although still remaining
generally higher than in the West. Mass unruly campaigns have not lost their appeal to
young people, who are able to quickly mobilise as was the case oI the jumping protests oI
Bulgarian students in the Iirst winter months oI 1997, matched with road blockades, which
resulted in the resignation oI the Socialist (Iormer Communist) Party government. A
similar but not so successIul was the campaign oI Belgrade students in 1996 protesting
against Miloshevic`s policies. Some scholars speak about depoliticisation oI youth in
Eastern Europe as compared to their active involvement in politics in 1989. However, there
is research evidence that young people have preserved their interest in politics as a Iield to
be inIormed about but this attitude is not translated directly into political activism. As in
the West, issue politics is more popular among the new generations than dealing with the
mechanisms oI institutional politics.

Youth associations and activities

Pluralisation is the dominant Ieature oI youth associative liIe in post-communism. The
Iormer communist leagues with mass membership dissolved in most countries while in
others they were transIormed into voluntary associations. Everywhere youth unions and
clubs, together with other nongovernmental organisations, Iorm an expanding sector. They
have various speciIic aIIiliations such as with sports and tourism, political parties Irom the
whole oI the political spectre, various conIessions, proIessional and business interests, arts
and leisure, education and science.

Studies oI the so called third sector in the post-communist countries show that while young
people are a preIerred target group Ior many voluntary associations, those with
predominantly youth membership are not so common. Youth organisations typically have
limited numbers oI members and oI employed proIessional staII. The most common
structure is a small nucleus oI leaders Iollowed by supporters who are not regularly
involved in the activities. Funding (state and Irom abroad) goes to the larger organisations
and those in the countries` capitals and larger cities. Youth organisations meet with the
diIIiculties which the whole oI the voluntary sector Iace in the post-communist countries:
undeveloped legislation, lack oI comprehensive state policy toward the NGOs,
insuIIiciency oI traditions and experience, technology and inIormation base. In some places
public opinion is generally poorly inIormed about NGOs suspecting them oI money
washing, corruption, mediating oI Ioreign interests (Bozhikov 1997; Nikolov, 1996).

There is one speciIic barrier in Iront oI youth voluntary participation and this is the
unwillingness oI young people to participate in Iormal organisations with a registered
membership. Less than 10 per cent (in some countries less than 5) oI the relevant age
cohort are members in a civil association. The Slovak state corespondent in our study
pointed at the Iact that while young people in Slovakia are involved as partners at all levels
oI decision making about youth issues, this practice concerns only youth organised in youth
associations which however is only 8 oI the relevant age group. Young people preIer to

18

engage in spontaneous movements rather than in Iormalised organisations requiring

discipline, structure and routinised activity. This trend is to be explained with mistrust
toward any organised activity, inherited Irom the over-organisation and tokenism oI youth
participation during the communist past (Kovacheva 1995). As the Czech corespondent to
our study Irom the State Youth Department put it: The practice oI the past regime, its
attitudes to the participation oI children and youth in social management and decision-
making process have cast a noticeable doubt upon this notion within the public, state
machinery and especially young people themselves. Machacek (1998) adds to the
explanation oI this attitude the increasing individualisation oI the liIe-style and escape into
privacy`.

Then the question arises: iI the youth associations are not popular among the young
generation, are they the true representatives oI youth interests? Can they serve and channel
youth democratic and selI-determined participation in the social transIormation in their
countries? What is the role oI spontaneous, non-Iormally organised initiatives and what oI
the smaller youth groups in villages and underdeveloped regions? How do youth
associations know about the true problems oI young people in their countries? How do they
Iind the ways and resources to articulate the speciIic needs and interests oI all young
people?

Bearing these questions in mind we now turn to the study oI youth participation in Eastern
Europe at the end oI the twentieth century. The study was particularly interested in projects
that challenge the Iollowing problems in the sphere oI youth participation accumulated in
the Iirst ten years oI social transIormation in societies in Eastern and Central Europe:

declining interest in representative politics, in participation in elections and in political
parties, as well as declining trust in parties and politicians and in young people`s
possibilities to inIluence decisions made by government and other state institutions.

a traditional low involvement oI young people in local politics despite the Iact that with
the transition to democracy and a market economy more power and resources are
transIerred to the local communities Irom the central level.

unwillingness to participate in youth organisations with registered membership and in
routinised regular activities matched with distrust toward the new non-government sector
in general.

lack oI traditions, proIessional experience and skills oI voluntary associations and
particularly oI those with youth membership.

invisibility oI local youth initiatives, when state and media attention, as well as Ioreign
contacts and Iunding go disproportionally to central and national youth organisations.

19

3. The youth participation study

This study was commissioned in view oI the interest shown in the Iirst publication on
youth participation in the member states oI the Council oI Europe. The experience oI youth
involvement into society in post-communist countries is a genuine Ioundation Ior analysis
and considerations, providing outlines oI the Iuture prospects Ior European co-operation in
the youth Iield.

The aim oI this study has thereIore been to uncover the diIIerent ways in which youth
participation projects make a successIul contribution to the solution oI youth problems and
Ior social development in general. The analysis oI the ways in which these projects
contribute to the strengthening oI the basis Ior participation was oI particular interest. In
view oI the theoretical considerations discussed above each case was studied with the aim
to assess both the immediate and long-term consequences oI the realisation oI the project.

In the Iirst halI oI 1999 the national youth committees, as well as numerous youth
organisations in the new member States oI the Council oI Europe were contacted and a
large database with descriptions oI such projects was created. Fertile empirical material
was gathered about the aims, resources, activities and outcomes oI the projects. A limited
number oI Iunded projects were systematically selected to reIlect the wide range oI Iorms
oI youth participation. This is not a random sample and is not representative oI all types oI
youth projects. Having in mind the diversity oI the post-communist reality, the design does
not aim at exact representation oI countries and kinds oI projects. Rather, this study relies
upon contrasting practices and varying groups with the objective to lighten the recurrent
Ieatures oI good practice and, on this base, to inIer inIormation about the Iactors Ior
successIul participation.

The inIormation required Irom our corespondents Irom state committees and youth
organisations about each case study Iocused on the Iollowing indicators:

Objectives oI the project
Forms oI activities
Scope oI activities local, regional, national, and international
Participants: number, type oI groupings according to gender, age, minority status, and
social background
Youth structures type and size
Co-ordination degrees oI selI-direction and proIessional management
Contacts with major social institutions: the state and local authorities, church, media,
local businesses, other NGOs, the public at large
International contacts
History oI the project
Future plans and repeatability
DiIIiculties encountered
Feedback Irom participants, reports, surveys
Evaluations oI the success oI the project

20

We did not get back all inIormation we required. Some oI the reports were more detailed
than others. Some national committees did not answer at all, others sent just general
descriptions oI youth activities in their countries. Not all youth organisations in the
member countries whom we approached responded adequately. In order to make youth
participation experiences in more countries in the region visible, we turned to several
international youth organisations to give us contacts with their partners in the East. Those
eIIorts allowed us a wide geographical coverage but more important Ior us was the
distribution oI projects among all the basic spheres oI youth involvement.

We selected cases oI youth participation in education, politics, deIense oI human rights,
ecology, arts and leisure. The study could not cover the whole diversity oI youth initiatives
Ior inIluencing social liIe in the post-communist countries. In particular we lack projects
promoting youth participation in employment and selI-employment. Other inquiries
(Roberts et al, 1998) have shown that support oIIered by the voluntary sector to young
people in the labour market is rare. Another signiIicant limitation is that there are no peace
initiatives among the case studies, although we got inIormation about the Kossovo
dialogue project` oI Pax Christi Youth Forum. It was not included in the selected number
Ior the publication, because it was designed by the Belgium and Netherland sections oI this
international Catholic peace organisation with only temporary participation oI youth
groups Irom Serbia, Albania and other countries in the region. Also, we did not include
many international exchange projects as we did not want to Iocus on all-European
programmes (Ior a Iuller discussion oI such projects see the report Education and Active
Citi:enship in the European Union 1998).

The communication between the research team and the correspondents in East European
countries was hampered by technical problems such as poor Iaxes or Iailed E-mail
messages. To gain a deeper insight into the meaning oI youth participation practices
interviews were conducted with youth organisations and youth workers in Plovdiv and
SoIia in the author`s home country. The contacts established were IruitIul and rewarding in
themselves.

Since this was an exploratory study in view oI the growing diversity among the countries in
the region, in this publication we accept a step-like approach which takes into
consideration the diIIerent levels oI youth activities and their eIIects on society and young
people themselves. We make no attempt to produce a exhaustive report but in the
conclusions try to provide identiIication oI social trends conducive to or impeding a
democratic participation oI youth in post-communist societies in the region. An exhaustive
understanding oI youth participation requires a Iuture more systematic study oI the
participation modes in all countries.

To sum up, this study is based on the perception oI youth participation as a process oI
project implementation, which starts with a deIinition oI a problem situation in need oI a
change and employs various resources Ior youth action. The process does not end with
achieving or Iailing to achieve the project goals but may result in initiating a new project
which sets in motion a new cycle oI youth participatory activities. The indicators along

21

which the case studies oI youth projects are analysed and compared are presented in Figure
1.

22

4. Case Studies of Youth Participation Projects

4.1. Involvement in national and local institutional politics

This group oI projects demonstrate diIIerent models Ior youth involvement in national and
local institutional policy. The Iirst initiative is a campaign aiming to mobilise young people
to take part in a parliamentary election; the second one is an attempt to create structures Ior
young people`s participation in local (community) policy; and the third one is directed at
educating young people about the principles and mechanisms oI democratic politics. We
chose those three Irom many other similar projects among which the activities oI GYOYT
(youth municipal councils) in Hungary deserve a special mention.

4.1.1. Rock the Vote`98 a voting campaign oI Slovak youth

This was a project oI Nadacia pre obciansku spolocnost or NOS (Foundation Ior a Civil
Society) aiming at young voters in Slovakia. It started in the autumn oI 1997 and Iinished a
day beIore the actual parliamentary election took place on 25-26 September 1998.

The Problem situation

The goal oI this youth initiative was to increase youth involvement in the most common
Iorm oI citizen participation in multi-party politics voting activity. Analyses oI the Iirst
democratic elections in Slovakia (aIter its Iormation as an independent state via its velvet`
split Irom Czechoslovakia in 1992) showed that voter turnout was particularly low among
the young generation. The project targeted young people aged up to 25 and Iocused
particularly on those who were eligible to vote Ior the Iirst time (aged 18-21). Among them
there was a growing distrust toward the government, especially aIter doubts about illegal
acting oI the ruling coalition in the May 1997 reIerendum on whether the country`s
president should be elected directly by the population and whether the country should
apply to become a member oI NATO. Young people did not believe that they could
inIluence state policy and were unwilling to vote.

To conIront and change this public attitude the project set out two speciIic objectives:

to inIluence young people`s motivation by showing them the importance oI using their
right to vote, and

to raise youth awareness as voters by providing them with inIormation about the
election process.

Profect Resources.

The activities with which the project addressed these objectives included:

National media campaign

23

Concerts involving popular Slovak and Ioreign rock groups

Voter awareness bus tour around the country

Distribution oI printed and other materials among young people in the regions

Visits oI law students Irom ELSA to secondary schools explaining the importance Ior
young people to be involved in the election.

The national media campaign had a very wide scope, using various channels to address its
audience: cinema and postcards, newspapers and magazines, radio and TV. During the two
months preceding the election Rock Volieb spots were shown in movie theatres throughout
the country. Eight radio spots were produced and broadcast by one oI the most popular
radio stations in the country FUN Radio. The project created its Web page to provide up
to date inIormation about the course oI the campaign and the upcoming events. In the last
two weeks beIore the election 40 000 postcards were distributed in public locations such as
restaurants, clubs, theatres across the country. More than 150 000 inIormational leaIlets
were distributed in towns and villages with the assistance oI volunteers Irom grassroots
organisations. Rock Volieb took part in the special television campaign Volim, teda som`
(I vote, thereIore I am.) by oIIering Iree airtime on TV Markiza worth to about 2 million
US$, and provided their own spots to be shot during the TV campaign. A most innovative
initiative was to lobby MTV Europe to show clips Irom the Rock Volieb campaign during
their emissions. MTV was among the Iirst symbols oI the transition to democracy in the
countries in Eastern Europe attracting numerous young viewers Irom the region in the early
199os, who identiIied with the popular music stars. At the same time the MTV broadcast
on the day beIore the election aimed to convince Slovak youth in Europe`s attention and
solidarity.

In accordance with its name, the heart oI the project were concerts and musical events. The
whole oI August and September were Iilled with concerts in various Slovak towns. From
clubs such as The Old Bakery in Nitra, the music perIormances spilled over to the town
squares and streets. The two biggest concerts were organised in Kosice on 22 August and
in Bratislava on 23 September. Top Slovak bands such as Trosky, Matelko and others, the
Czech group Buty, the singers Miso Kascak, Robo Roth perIormed in Iront oI thousands oI
young people encouraging them to cast their ballots in the election. The bus tour itselI was
a chain oI concerts across the country. It started in Banska Bistritza on 4 September with
the Barbakan Rock Volieb 98 Iestival and passed through Trencin, Zilina, Komarno and
other towns to Iinish on 19 September with a concert in Dunajska Streda.

Among the resources which the young co-ordinators oI the project Irom NOS built upon
were:

The non-partisan character oI the campaign

The careIul preparation

24

The international exchange oI experience with good practice

Reaching out to young people all over the country and involving local youth
organisations.

The good co-operation with other NGOs active in the country such as the Civic
Association Gemma 93 in Central Slovakia, and the People and Water in Eastern Slovakia
whose united actions amounted to the overall OK`98 campaign.

The great attention paid to media and their wide use in the campaign: Irom TV to the
Internet.

Involvement and support oI popular personalities in Slovakia`s public liIe musicians
and bands.

The project launched by NOS was inIormational and motivational in Iavour oI youth
participation in voting but to the end it remained unbiased toward any political party. The
project organisers correctly understood that young people were wary oI politicians` selI-
serving messages and party scribbling. As the sociologist GyarIasova, Irom the Focus
polling agency wrote: 'Generallv, pre-election opinion polls showed that voung people
were not verv interested in politics. This barrier of apathv was broken down bv NGOs
which did not bear anv slogans or signs of political parties or candidates, but which
mobilised voung people to participate in the election bv implementing non-partisan and
innovative campaigns.

The preparation Ior the campaign also contributed to its success as it was very careIul, well
structured and took enough time. The project started one year beIore the national elections.
NOS in Iact were well in Iront oI the other NGOs when they began their own programmes
Iocusing on elections. There were three essential elements oI the planning stage that
allowed the campaign oI NOS to deliver the right message in the right Iorm:

a careIul examination oI successIul campaigns Ior voter motivation in advanced
democracies. In particular, NOS met with US voluntary organisation Rock the Vote.

a systematic study oI young people`s attitudes and expectations. The project organisers
analysed results oI election polls and themselves contracted a Iocus group survey with the
market research company MPMA to be carried out in April 1998.

inquiry into the practice oI East European NGOs with voter campaigns in the newly
established democracies such as Bulgaria and Romania. As Marek Kapusta, the programme
co-ordinator, put it, the East-East exchange of experience was verv inspiring to us`. NOS
hosted a group oI Iour Bulgarians to share their successes and diIIiculties Irom the pre-
election situation in Bulgaria in 1996.

25

Outcomes

As in the history oI social research, the opportunity to compare election Iorecasts and the
consequent Iinal results oI the elections helped the development oI sampling designs by
clearly showing the degree oI their precision, so this campaign oI young activists in
Slovakia allows us to calculate the exact degree oI success and to draw out lessons Ior
Iuture projects Ior youth citizen participation. The parliamentary election took place on 25
and 26 September with 84 oI the entire electorate and over 80 oI the young voters
having cast their votes and 99 oI the ballots declared valid. According to the oIIicial
results the united opposition` won 93 oI the 150 seats in the Slovak parliament, providing
it with a constitutional majority. In the previous election in post-communist Slovakia the
national election in 1994 it was estimated that only 20 oI 18-25 year olds had taken
part. AIter the Rock Volieb campaign in the 1998 election the share oI young voters
exceeded 80. OI course, the high citizens` participation in the election cannot be
attributed only to the activities oI NOS but without doubt, the results are a maniIestation oI
how young people can be mobilised to inIluence representative politics. 'The turn-out of
voung voters was one of the most striking characteristics of 1998 elections, declared Ivan
Secik, director oI the National Centre Ior Media Communication that conducting polling
during the campaign.

Young people emerged better inIormed and with higher conIidence in democratic practices
and in their own abilities to inIluence election results, and more generally the orientation
oI party politics, their country`s development and their own Iuture.

4.1.2. Partners Ior a Democratic Change an initiative oI Bulgarian youth Ior participation
in local government

This is a two-year (1996-1997) initiative oI a youth group in the town oI Plovdiv, Bulgaria,
to Iorm youth councils Ior participation in the work oI the oIIicial bodies Ior local
management in the Town Council and the town`s Six Regional Councils.

The problem situation

The idea to set up structures through which youth in Bulgaria could participate actively in
local town management was initially raised in 1994 and 1995 at meetings oI young people
at schools and universities. The conIerences were organised by the Youth Centre
Education Ior Democracy`, one oI the most active voluntary associations in Plovdiv, with
the goal to discuss youth problems and see which oI them young people themselves
considered to be the most urgent. On these encounters it became clear that manv voung
people felt the need to participate in the public life of our citv and were searching for such
opportunities`, said Neli Georgieva, a manager oI the organisation.

An inIormal group was Iormed oI 20-25 young people who shared an interest in local
politics. They were attracted by the idea Ior youth active presence in public liIe and Ior
participation in the devising oI solutions Ior local problems concerning young people. The
group members deIined the problem situation in the Iollowing way When the abilities and

26

ideas of voung people stav unused, the question is. How can voung people be empowered
to become active partners for a democratic change?`, as they wrote subsequently in their
project description. The Youth Centre helped them organise several meetings with
representatives oI the local authorities, which were met with satisIaction by both sides. The
successIul start encouraged them to continue and the interest on both sides youth and
authorities was growing. Then the youth group decided to devise a project Ior the
creation oI a network oI youth councils which to participate on a ragular basis in the work
oI the Local Town Council and its regional councils.

The objectives oI the project were:

to create opportunities Ior the participation oI young people in the process oI decision-
making over issues concerning youth,

to raise the abilities and skills oI young people Ior participation in democratic
governance

provide structures Ior exchange oI ideas and experiences oI young people themselves.

Profect resources.

The ambition to assist in solving important social problems together with the desire to raise
youth problems to the attention oI local authorities required Irom young people to get
access to the inIormation about the issues set in local council`s agenda. At the same time
they had to be able to participate competently in the discussion oI these problems and their
possible solutions. So the project comprised oI two major types oI activities the
Iormation oI the necessary structures, and the development oI the members` abilities to
take a Iull part in the session oI the town councils. While the inIormal group took the Iirst
one entirely under their own consideration, Ior the second they used the expertise oI the
Youth Centre.

The Iormation oI the Youth Councils Iollowed the reIormed territorial-administrative
structure oI Plovdiv. Six Youth Regional Councils and one Town Council were set up at
meetings organised by the project managers Irom the initial youth group. Procedures were
very inIormal on the principles oI consensus rather than oI voting. At a Iinal meeting the
young participants developed and accepted statutes Ior their activities, but they did not
register the councils as Iormal organisations according to the law. In the view oI one oI the
participants, the youth structures mirrored that oI the local authorities but had one
important diIIerence the youth councils relied upon the identiIication and utilisation oI
the strong sides` oI each one oI the members.

The Youth Centre using its proIessional staII and inviting outside experts organised several
training seminars Ior the members oI the Youth Councils. They were educated in
conducting public dialogue, organising working meetings and discussions, methods Ior
conducting Ior strategic planning, etc. They learnt the needed procedures to structure an
eIIective meeting, to evaluate the settings (external and internal) oI a project and how to

27

plan and co-ordinate they`re Iuture activities. The young needed these skills to participate
in the working sessions oI the Local Councils.

During the Iirst year oI the project its participants visited the Parliament in Bulgaria`s
capital SoIia and talked with representatives oI the central government. They had a training
seminar about legislational reIorm, the state structure and the Iunctions oI the local
authorities, as well as human rights. The members oI the Youth Councils organised two
charitable campaigns to support children and adolescents in an orphanage in Plovdiv and to
collect money Ior their summer holidays.

As in the sixth region oI the town there was a considerable share oI population with Roma
and Turkish ethnic background, the managers oI the project set a particular objective to
attract young people Irom these minorities in the Sixth Youth Regional Council. They
contacted the Ioundation Understanding whose main goals were intercultural Co-operation
and ethnic tolerance. The Iirst joint session oI the Youth and the adult` Regional Council
in the mixed region was about educational problems. The school authorities saw the
problems oI young people in the region as Iinancial there should be more money to keep
the buildings in order, to attract better teachers and motivate them to stay. The local
authorities considered that they had done everything reasonable` Ior this population the
schools in this region received as much money as the other regions and oIten even more
than the others. Parents insisted on more extracurricular activities to keep young people out
oI the streets and occupy their Iree time. Young people themselves pointed at problems in
the school curricula not enough sports and music, as well as boring teaching, old-
Iashioned methods oI evaluation, no demonstration technology. A very important barrier to
young people`s academic perIormance came Irom the discouragement that when they
graduated there would be no jobs Ior them. With the active participation oI the youth
council a resolution was adopted proposing new diIIerentiated educational programmes to
respond to young people`s needs and interests.

The young people involved in the Youth Councils managed to organise meetings with the
local authorities in all the regions. They had particular problems with the mayor oI one oI
the local councils who expressed unwillingness to work with them. The project managers
used the contacts oI the Youth Centre workers with the local group oI the Union oI
Democratic Forces (the ruling party in the country) to lobby Ior this idea. Soon the group
was invited to a session oI this Regional Council. Parallel with the sessions, the members
oI the Youth Councils started to develop a concept Ior youth policy but they were not
involved on a regular basis in the Iunctioning oI the local councils.

AIter gaining experience in working together with the local councillors and having
participated successIully in several sessions during the second year oI the project, the
managers Iound that their participation would be more productive iI the Youth Councils
acting as inIormal groups were registered oIIicially. They decided to Iound a youth
organisation to expand their activities and their opportunities to pressure the local oIIicials.
They organised a three-day seminar in the village oI Banja where they invented a name
United Youth Councils Ior the new organisation and elected a governing body, statutes,
and chart. AIter that the organisation was registered according the Bulgarian law.

28

The proceedings oI this seminar provide an interesting outlook into the practical work oI
the participants. First they started making long lists oI problems in Iront oI youth citizen
participation in local government:

Misunderstanding by local authorities, unwillingness to listen to the young
No premises and Iacilities
Financial diIIiculties
Lack oI experience
Disinterest on the part oI the majority oI the young
Low selI belieI oI young people
Unwillingness on the part oI the members oI the Youth Councils to co-operate among
themselves, lack oI mutual understanding, jealousy.

During the seminar, however, they managed to make even longer lists oI possible solutions
oI the problems and Iinished by adopting a positive pro-active attitude instead oI
complaints. Besides the Iormation oI the new organisation, they managed to devise a
Legislation Proposal`:

Local authorities should recognise the right oI young people to participate in the
discussion oI town problems by the town council

On each meeting young participants should be invited and given the right to vote

Each month the decisions oI the Youth Council to be announced in the local
newspapers

Each (adult) councillor who does not want to comply with this legislation will be
morally responsible Ior oIIending the rights oI young people

II the decisions oI the Youth Council are not taken into consideration they will reIuse
co-operation in the joint programmes with local authorities.

A valuable resource oI the project was the newspaper 'Burevestnik, issued by the United
Youth Councils. They Iormed a team oI young journalists who devised the concept Ior the
newspaper and a set oI permanent topics. It provided a good opportunity to popularise the
activities oI the newly Iormed organisation and the idea oI youth participation in the
development oI civil society. It was planned in the project to produce a documentary
during the second year but the participants Iound out that this required a lot oI time and
skills and postponed this task. The members oI the team established good contacts with
local media in the town. They also travelled to other towns to advocate the model oI youth
councils in order to spread the network in other parts oI the country.

Toward the end oI the project the members organised a joint meeting with the Student
Councils established at schools in the town. It gathered together a hundred and twenty

29

participants members oI the Student Councils in Plovdiv schools and the United Youth
Councils. They exchanged experience telling each other oI their successes and diIIiculties
and planned a joint conIerence 'The role oI the student councils Ior the development oI
civil society in Bulgaria. As according to the Bulgarian law only people aged 18 can be in
the board oI registered NGOs, these joint activities between the Student Councils and the
United Youth Councils widened the opportunities Ior the school students, at the same time
this meant that younger (aged 14-18) and older` (18-24) participants could work together
and this generational exchange was a most valuable experience.

When we consider the resources at the disposal oI the project participants, we should stress
the good Co-operation with the more experienced organisation Youth Centre and the
eIIorts and enthusiasm oI the participants themselves. The Centre provided premises and
oIIice Iacilities Ior the new organisation. Thev often seek our advice on legal or
organisational matters. But we, the professionals, 'the old wolves` in the established
organisation, consider this relationship not one between parents and children but as equal
partners. Our centre organised the regular annual meeting with voung people this vear
together with the United Youth Councils, so I am not sure who exactlv helped whom. It is
fust as in the storv which one of the students in the Youth Council told us the other dav. It
goes like that. A teacher said to his students in class. 'Now vou are laughing at me and I
am laughing at vou. But next vear we will change places, said Georgieva in her interview.

Although the project participants used a room Ior their oIIice, they lacked Internet access
and needed more Ioreign contacts Ior which the members started learning English with the
deIinite target to be able to participate in international projects. The Iinal report mentioned,
among the diIIiculties, the overwork oI the participants as many oI the activities were
concentrated in the evenings and the weekends. Some oI the members` parents protested.
One oI the participants was warned that he would Iind the door lock changed iI he came
home so late once more. This resulted in the organising oI a parents/students meeting
including delivery oI presents. The project was threatened by money diIIiculties as well.
When Iunding was transIerred with delays, the Youth Centre supported the Councils with
money redirected Irom their own projects.

Outcomes.

The project reached its objective to Iorm an adequate participatory structure. Working
together, young people naturally developed the Youth Councils Irom an inIormal model oI
co-operation into a registered organisation. The newspaper which they started to publish
during the project remains as a eIIective channel to reach a wider audience. The contacts
with other youth NGOs and especially the collaboration with the student councils in the
town secondary schools are stepping stones Ior Iurther initiatives. The young participants
managed to gain the conIidence oI the local administrators. They received training and
experience Irom real work which was evaluated as highly rewarding by the participants.

The project was successIul not only according to the young people involved in it but also in
the opinion oI the president oI the Youth Centre Krassimir Lojkov: It started with 60
people but now more than a hundred are regularlv involved. Thev are now independent

30

organisation and won their first autonomous profect Change in the legislation concerning
vouth. He added: It is a fallacv to think that the registration of an organisation alone
makes voung people full participants in public life. Thev need competencv and specialised
training as well as personal experience from informal volunteering are necessarv`.

The participants were proud to publish in their newspaper Burevestnik a congratulating
telegram sent by the President to the United Youth Councils. The project was included in
the sample oI a study commissioned by the Ioundation 'Democratic Network in SoIia.
The Iieldwork was done by Iocus groups, individual interviews with young people
participants and local councillors. The research report gave it a high evaluation as being
among the best-targeted and most eIIective projects Ior the involvement oI young people in
local government.

4.1.3. Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives in the Regions a project oI young people in
Lithuania

This project was devised by the Council oI Lithuanian Youth Organisation (LIJOT) to
encourage youth participation throughout the country by training Ior youth leaders and
support Ior youth organisations. It covered a three-year period 1997-1999.

The problem situation:

In 1996 there were a lot oI changes in the youth policy in Lithuania: a new concept oI the
youth policy was adopted and the state established two structures to deal with youth issues:
State Councils Ior youth AIIairs and Youth Foundation. There was a revival in the training
oI youth leaders both in the country and abroad. Lithuania`s youth workers participated in
many oIrms oI international exchange. In the judgement oI the proIessionals who worked
in the state council, the youth activities were lively but concentrated on the national level
in the capital and the main cities. Youth participatory initiatives on the local level were not
prominent.

The Council oI Lithuanian Youth Organisations decided to challenge this unequal regional
distribution oI youth initiatives and organisational structures. Their project was set out with
the Iollowing objectives:

to increase youth participation in the regions;

to acquaint young people in the regions with the situation oI youth activity in the
country and with state youth policy;

to establish a dialogue between youth organisations and local authorities.

The implementation oI the project started in 1997. It was planned to be carried in three
clearly deIined stages:

31

The Iirst stage, Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives in the Regions I`, was carried out in
1997. It consisted oI two parts: training Ior youth leaders in the regions and training Ior
trainers Ior Lithuanian youth organisations.

The second stage, Training Ior Regional Youth Organisations. The development oI
Regional Co-operation II` embraced the whole oI 1998. Its aim was to meet the needs oI
the newly established 'Round Tables and local youth organisations. It included seminars
Ior regional and local youth workers.

The third stage oI the project, Regional Programme III`, started in 1999 and consisted
oI Iour educational and inIormative seminars and a conIerence Ior the round tables` and
leaders oI local youth organisations.

Profect resources.

Using the organisational structure and the expertise oI the LIJOT, the project managers
carried out a wide set oI activities in 1997. They established contacts with representatives
oI youth organisations Irom six regional towns, and together prepared a co-ordination
meeting with representatives oI youth organisations and local authorities. Young people
and members oI the town councils met to discuss the situation, share inIormation and
deIine the most urgent youth problems in the region. The meeting also allowed the project
managers to decide what type oI training is needed by the youth leaders. The activity at the
heart oI the Iirst part was a series oI topical seminars in those six towns. In each seminar
participants were young people Irom all six towns.

The second stream oI the project, Training Ior Trainers Ior Lithuanian Youth
Organisations, included trainership programme in the experience, theory and practice oI
group work, and knowledge about the essence, policy, Iorms and Iinancing oI youth work.
LIJOT carried out training seminars in real situations in organisations, including
supervision and consultations.

The project encouraged the institution oI Round Tables which developed as structures Ior
regional Co-operation between youth organisations, the councils oI youth aIIairs in the
regions and local authorities. The Round Tables were very open, involving youth
organisations and groups oI diIIerent types and sizes. A new series oI seminars Iollowed
Ior regional and local youth leaders in which all trainers were young people themselves,
member oI LIJOT.

Outcomes.

The State Council Ior Youth AIIairs considers this project highly successIul in increasing
youth participation in the regions by involving more people in youth activity. Its costs were
medium as compared to the other projects Iinanced by the State Council. The project was
evaluated on a seminar in 1998 and the leaders oI the newly established youth
organisations expressed their satisIaction and made recommendations to LIJOT to continue
the programme aIter 1999 with consultations and a series oI educational seminars.

32

The Iirst two stages oI the project involved the participation oI 200 young people in all.
The training gave them basic knowledge in pedagogy and psychology, youth work and
youth policy. They acquired new skills which led to the strengthening oI the
nongovernmental youth work in the regions and raised the quality oI such work. Youth
activists in the regions got experience oI working in groups and were taught how to pass
this experience to other interested persons.

The project encouraged the Iormation oI new useIul structures Ior youth initiatives and
youth work in the regions. In the course oI its activities not only new voluntary youth
associations were Iormed but also government institutions were created in some oI the
towns local councils Ior youth aIIairs. The round tables set the beginning oI a dialogue
between youth people and state authorities in the region. Both sides are now acting with
more inIormation and discuss problems together with greater mutual conIidence. This is
the beginning but the experience oI these organisations is very valuable.

4.2. Self-management in education

This is by Iar the most numerous group oI projects that we received inIormation about.
SelI-management at schools and universities is a new practice Ior young people in which
they develop the necessary skills to become active citizens both while still in education
and aIter that while in business, politics, and culture. Here we chose three projects: to set
up a regular inIormation Iorum Ior student union members, to create an umbrella
organisation oI student unions and a summer university Ior training oI student union
representatives.

4.2.1. MEDINGO a student project in Hungary

This is a youth initiative oI the Youth InIormation and Advisory OIIice in SzekesIehervar,
Hungary, to create a discussion Iorum Ior students in the Fejer County. Starting in 1995,
there have been Iour MEDINGOs up to now.

The problem situation.

Student selI-management in Hungary attracted great attention Irom young people
throughout the country and the mid 1990s was the period when Iormation oI the structures
Ior the practice oI young people`s autonomy at schools experienced a real boom.

The objective oI this project was to set up a Fejer County Student InIormation Forum. It
was launched Ior the Iirst time in 1995 by the Youth InIormation and Advisory OIIice in
SzekesIehervar. The oIIice acted as a regional student parliament and their aim with this
project was to involve young people Irom the county in the election oI a new regional
representative Ior the National Student Parliament as the mandate oI the previous
representative had expired.

33

Youth activists co-ordinators oI the project declared themselves travelling prophets`

and visited most oI the secondary schools in the county to invite students to the event. The
Iorum was not only an election. There were presentations about the work oI student
Ioundations, the student parliaments, the National Student Rights Council and the student
mayors`. The discussion in which young people plunged at the meeting Iocused around six
problems:

Why do we attend school?

What are the principles and practices oI student evaluation at school?

What can we achieve at school individually and jointly?

Why are you considered an odd Iish, iI you want to take part in youth organisations and
activities?

What is the role oI student selI-government at school?

How can you set up an eIIicient student selI-government?

Young people got emotionally involved in this discussion, contrasting and sharing views
and ideas. They managed to reach the Iollowing conclusions:

The awareness oI students Irom secondary schools about their own rights should be
raised in order to be able to exercise them. The students themselves should deIine what
they would like to achieve and utilise the opportunities to accomplish their objectives. It is
upon the students to do the real work to achieve their goals instead oI waiting Ior other
people to do something.

Young people should be acquainted with the basic principles ensuring the eIIective
delivery oI their message to others in everyday communication. They should know how to
communicate their opinions, problems, and proposals to Iellow students, the student selI-
government representative, the Iorm master, the head master and to others.

It is important that they Iirst recognise and then cope with problem sources because
students have a very limited actual knowledge about these issues. The majority oI the
concerns and questions voiced during the problem-collecting phase oI the Iorum also result
Irom such pitIalls.

The problems that arise in concern with the rights and obligations oI students, parents
and teachers are not limited to the school only, they are evident outside the school as well
and are rooted in everyday liIe.

34

Despite the mounting problems the majority oI students are not making any attempts to
tackle the issues that aIIect their lives. The major reasons Ior this situation are the already
mentioned lack oI awareness and the anxiety about eventual retaliations.

In order to recognise, handle and resolve the problems, students have to get to know
about the programmes and initiatives oI the student organisations and other voluntary
associations and Ioundations assisting this age group on the local, county and national
level. Teachers should also pay appropriate attention to students` pressing concerns, so that
their passivity does not doom student initiatives to Iailure.

Students should try all opportunities to participate actively in organising their own
lives, in making their voices heard when decisions involving them are made.

For accomplishing these objectives, it is indispensable that students are able to work
continuously on resolving their own problems and that they are able to co-operate on a
regular basis with adults involved in matters concerning young people.

Profect resources.

Although the organising oI the National Student Parliament was suspended, and perhaps
just because oI that, the end oI the Iorum did not mean an end oI students` attempts to
organise themselves on a wider basis. They continued to voice a very intensive demand to
have their own inIormation Iorum and the Youth InIormation and Advisory OIIice with the
support oI the Fejer county local council responded with starting the preparation oI the
second MEDINGO in SzekesIehervar in 1996. The Iorum importance grew and its
Iunctions were extended. Its objectives expanded to include the promotion oI student
interests and the organisation oI student training.

Summing up the issues raised in the presentations and discussions at the second Iorum, the
participants Iormulated the Iollowing conclusions:

Students do nothing to recognise and promote their rights and possibilities. The reason
Ior this passivity is that they are aIraid oI the consequences, or the task seems too diIIicult.
Most oI these reasons are only excuses.

Even when students decide upon an initiative and start realising it, they are not
successIul because they are unable to support their standpoint with rational reasoning.
Student disputes oIten end in personalising and they cannot take a Iirm stand.

Each problem should be approached Irom several sides. Students should try to take into
consideration various view points and discuss them objectively. Young people should try to
think independently and on a versatile basis.

35

BeIore starting to do anything at all, the students should work out an actual plan on
what and how they intend to accomplish, prudently select their means and stick to the
agreed plan.

To be successIul in IulIilling their goals, students are expected not only to impose
demands on, but also co-operate with the other party.

For addressing conIlicts and problems, it is absolutely necessary to win partners and
external supporters. Lobbying could be an important tool in accomplishing student
objectives.

Students have to make eIIorts to eliminate the practice oI teacher-student typecasting`
used Ior several decades.

We must make use oI the opportunities given by the law and press on because no one
will do it iI we don`t. There are paragraphs in the Public Action Act, which do not sound
double Dutch`, so we have to start studying them.

Students need to broaden their know-how by way oI receiving inIormation and
practical advice.

Following this Iorum, there was a third MEDINGO organised by the Youth InIormation
and Advisory OIIice in 1997 which was supported by the nation-wide network oI D-point
Student Advisory Service. The organisation managed to invite the Balint Magyar Minister
oI Culture and Public Education as a patron oI the event. The third MEDINGO was a
bigger event than the two previous ones. Although Iree oI charge participation was oIIered
only to two participants Irom the 35 schools in the county while the rest had to pay Ior
accommodation and Iood, there were 122 people on the Iorum. Six student selI-
governments Irom other cities also sent their representatives. In addition there was a
teacher session in which participants Irom all schools in the county came to share their
viewpoints.

The preparation Ior the third Iorum had a new element attached to the application Iorms
Ior MEDINGO, the oIIice had dispatched so-called problem sheets in which candidates had
to describe the problems in their own school and community, to select which oI them were
the most important Ior them as young people and to describe the measures they had taken
so Iar to resolve these issues. The oIIice invited experts to process young people`s
responses and thus they received rich inIormation about young people`s needs and
interests. On this basis the oIIice elaborated subsequent programme Ior the mid-year
student manager training, as well as the curriculum Ior the summer preparation camp. An
executive summary oI student views was delivered to the local authorities oI the county
and oI SzekesIehervar in an attempt to draw the attention oI decision-makers to the
problems oI students at local schools and urge them to set to resolve them.

The last MEDINGO in 1998 was preceded by training series Local authorities Youth
Partnership`. This time the local authorities were more closely involved in the event.

36

Young participants had the opportunity to ask questions to the representatives oI Fejer
county local council, the local authorities oI the cities oI SzekesIehervar and Dunaujvaros.
Young people received Iirst-hand inIormation Irom the mayors` oIIices about the
perceptions oI the local authorities on youth and student problems, about the programmes
and measures they have adopted in dealing with these problems.

The 1998 MEDINGO was held in Iive sessions:

student rights
the labyrinth oI bureaucracy`
interest promotion
conIlict resolution methods
about the Iinances...`

The organisers and participants deIined the most important objective oI the Iorum in the
Iollowing way: to provide basic inIormation to the participants in relation to promoting
student interests, to bring student problems to the surIace and make them visible to all and
to work out alternative approaches to these problems by the involvement oI experts. While
there was a complaint session` in which all raised problems were collected, this time the
stress was upon the options to resolve them. The dialogue between local authorities and
youngsters proved most valuable in devising common approaches to addressing youth
problems. A description oI the experiences and conclusions reached in the Iorum were
printed in the student newsletter and a more detailed booklet is in preparation.

Outcomes.

The young people involved in the project have developed their initial limited goal into a
long lasting objective to provide a meeting place Ior young people Irom student councils
where they could Ireely discuss youth problems accumulated during the preceding year and
devise common strategy Ior their resolving. And they have Iully succeeded in realising this
goal. The interest toward the Iorum is rising each year and the quality oI discussion is
growing.

Among the Iactors oI success three deserve mention here:

the training oI the participants

the close co-operation with adult proIessionals during the training and in the Iorum

the use oI a survey oI young people`s problems and concerns.

The outcomes oI the project are well Iormulated in participants` opinions:

'In mv view it was a verv good idea to convene the students of the countv to this forum,
because in this wav we could see what problems the other schools have, and we could

37

learn from the lessons. I liked the sections a great deal, because I could contribute to the
subfects and explain mv views. I hope that I can attend the next forum as well. I have
realised the following. if we identifv a problem, this means covering half of the wav to
successfullv addressing it. In mv opinion this has been quite a difficult achievement. (E.B.,
Bicske)

'We have learnt manv lessons. I will have things to tell the others at school. (V.T.,
Dunaujvaros)

'This event was verv successful. In the course of the dispute during the first dav, light was
thrown on so manv aspects. It is a good thing that we have learnt about our rights which
we have not known verv well so far and their interpretation. It is a pitv we did not have
sufficient time and we could not discuss evervthing, mainlv practical things. I hope that
similar events are planned for next vear. (P.K., Sarbogard)

'This forum was good because I can assist or at least trv to assist mv school and mv fellow
students on the basis of the experience gathered here.(G. H., Velence)

'In mv opinion this forum was verv good and it has to be staged whenever possible. But the
lesson is to be learnt, and I believe the message has been certainlv driven home bv the
organisers that we should not onlv be active in these few davs but also if we go back to the
school, we should work with the same enthusiasm as here. This has given a great impetus, I
think, to manv of us. To make achievements, a good co-operation between us the students
and the organisers is needed. These two parties will draw the winning number together!
(M.T., Pusztaszabolcs).

4.2.2. The Iormation oI Estonian Student Councils Union (ESCU)

The project oI the Five School Treaty Union (FSTU) in co-operation with the Open Estonia
Foundation (OEF) attempted to develop a network oI local student councils which in turn
to Iorm one representative nation-wide union oI student councils in Estonia. It started in
January 1997 Iinishing successIully two years later in January 1999.

The problem situation.

As in Hungary, in Lithuania there has been a period oI mushrooming oI student councils at
various schools and universities. However, there was little Co-operation among them,
although spontaneous Iorms oI communication and united eIIorts have started to appear.
This was how the FSTU came to the idea to Iorm an umbrella organisation uniting the
numerous older and newer councils together.

The ESCU should meet the Iollowing objectives:

uniting the numerous student councils

protecting student rights

38

representing students and student councils at national and international level.

Profect Resources.

The start oI the project was launched in January 1997. At the beginning it seemed a very
long way to go to the Iinal objective. The project managers adopted a step-like approach
Iirst they decided to help the Ioundation oI local unions and through them to pursue the aim
to create a broader, all-nation union oI student councils. The rationale behind the Iormation
oI local unions was to create a means to connect young people Irom schools sharing
common Ieatures in a given locality. The requirement was that in the local union there
should be at least three schools. For two years young people in Estonia have Iounded 17
local unions, the biggest oI which involves councils Irom 20 schools.

The beginning was marked by a trip oI students Irom FSTU around the country explaining
their idea about the Iormation oI local unions and their beneIits Ior young people at school.
This was Iollowed by a summer camp in which representatives Irom the Iirst 8 local unions
took part.

The activities in the project were:

Spreading the idea about local student unions at schools all over the country

Recruiting members Irom the student councils at Russian schools

Gaining public acceptance and support

Developing contacts with international student organisations such as OBESSU, EGN

Establishing permanent Iorms oI co-operation with the Ministry oI Education and other
government agencies such as the Student Consulting Board.

Fund raising in order to gain Iinancial independence Irom the Open Estonia
Foundation.

Training oI leaders oI the local unions and school councils.

In less than two years the prime objective was reached the Estonian Student Councils
Union was Iormed in October 1998. It was a complex structure with a General Assembly
(consisting oI two members Irom each member student council at every school. Then there
were the Council oI ESCU (involving one student Irom every local council) and the Board
oI ESCU (consisting oI a chairman and two members). The other planned body was the
Managing Board, comprising young people over 18 to deal with Iinancial issues, but this
was still under Iormation at the time oI our study.

39

The other two objectives oI the project gaining popularity Ior the new union and
deIending students` rights were Iollowed by the participants exploiting various channels.
They managed to send representatives oI ESCU at the Educational Forum as the most
important educational event in the country each year, at the Estonian Teachers` Union
ConIerence, at the Child DeIence Forum, at the Student Fair Teeviit`. Soon ESCU was
granted the right to represent all students Irom Estonia at such Iorums.

ESCU managed to establish permanent Iorms oI co-operation with the Ministry oI
education, as well as receiving Iinancial support Irom them. The state created a Student
Consulting Board which met 3 times a year and included representatives oI all actors and
all levels oI the Estonian system oI education. Thanks to the project all places Ior high
school students were occupied by members oI ESCU. The Open Estonian Foundation
helped the young people organisers oI the project not only in the beginning but also
throughout its course and their educational programme manager acted as counsellor
(adviser) Ior the project.

Besides gaining popularity by participating in all major educational events in the country,
ESCU established good links with the mass media. Articles written by ESCU oIIicers were
published in several newspapers and they were interviewed over the radio and TV.

The board members oI ESCU were trained in several seminars in Estonia and abroad. Most
valuable among them seemed those organised by OBESSU (Organising Bureau oI
European School Student Union). Youth leaders oI the local and student councils were also
trained at various seminars. One oI the seminars dealing with youth rights was organised in
Co-operation with the Estonian Union Ior Child WelIare. There young people met with
teachers, youth workers, NGO activists and discussed the situation oI youth rights in
Estonia. Then the participants (101) went to the government and met with the Prime
Minister. The latest seminar was in January 1999 where the training oI student council
members was done by one Danish expert on student organisations and lecturers Irom one
private business school. Young people were trained in the basics oI democratic governance,
the role oI student councils, leadership skills, organisation oI meetings, etc. Another
activity was the yearly summer camp, organised by ESCU it was a Iorm oI training,
evaluation and planning Ior the next year.

Outcomes

The project provided the student selI-government with a very eIIective structure Ior co-
operation among individual and local student councils and Ior international contacts. It
soon gained prestige among state and nongovernment youth agencies. A very signiIicant
result oI the project was that ESCU was invited to participate in the reIorm oI the system oI
national exams and the evaluation scales.

One oI the leaders evaluated the results oI their project as quite good`. He said: In most of
Estonian schools there is a student council and most of them have been united in local
unions. The voice of students has been heard evervwhere where it is needed. We are
participating in the decision making process in the svstem of education.

40

4.2.3. Summer University Ior High School Student Unions` Representatives in Romania

The Summer University is a project oI the Association Ior Civilian Management (ACM), a
youth networking organisation Ior democracy, dialogue and development in school and
society. It was a training programme lasting one week and running each year since 1993.
As the project co-ordinators deIined it, this was the Iirst and only activity oI this type in the
country Ior the 1990s.

The problem situation.

During the social transIormation in Romania in the 1990s democratic practices have oIten
been conIronted by authoritarian traits on the part oI political leaders and apathy among
citizens. And this is common not only Ior young people but Ior the whole political liIe in
the country (in Iact, in most countries oI the region). This initiative oI ACM attempted
through education and training to compensate Ior the lack oI unchallenged democratic
traditions on the country`s political scene.

The project was devised with the goal to train young people to become youth experts and
group Iacilitators among the members oI high school student unions. The Summer
University aimed to promote democratic values and practices among youth by developing
their communicational and organisational skills and encouraging tolerance and pluralism.
The project managers Irom ACM believed that each year they were preparing a new
generation oI young people who would play an active role in the liIe oI their school and
wider community.

A broader aim oI the project was to help the development oI civil society in Romania
through supporting the work oI the Student Unions and preparing young people to work as
volunteers in other organisations as well.

Resources.

The project planned to bring together over a 100 students and a group oI 10-20 teachers Ior
a week oI training each year, mixing together lectures, seminars and cultural and sports
events. Student participants were recruited among the active members oI the unions
operating at high schools throughout the country, while participating teachers acted as
mediators between young people in the unions and the school management and other
teachers.

The workshops were the Iocus oI the programme which trained participants in problem
solving, conIlict resolution, interest assertion, public presentations, initiating dialogue and
Co-operation among youth groups and organisations and intercultural learning process.
Besides the theoretical presentations at the workshops there were simulation games, and
participants had the opportunity to put into practice what they had learnt during the week.
Participants became Iamiliar with major techniques oI problem resolution. Each training
required students to choose a problem topical Ior their school and, by the end oI the week,

41

to create a resolution plan Ior it. The groups were led by two Iacilitators, one oI them an
expert Irom ACM, and the other a young person Irom the group. Working with the
expert, the young persons acquired the experience oI group Iacilitating.

The lectures were delivered by experts in political science and youth studies Irom Romania
and abroad, politicians, oIIicials Irom county and local selI-government, businessmen.
Among their topics were such issues oI democratic politics such as the structure and
Iunctioning oI the political system in the country, the principles oI democratic governance,
minority rights, education policies, conIlict resolution, time management, etc. Scholars and
practitioners shared their every day experiences with young people. Last year`s summer
university Iocus was on the preparation oI the Student Rights Charter and the Education
Law.

The cultural and sports events concentrated in the evenings had the main goal oI
developing the community Ieeling` oI participants. They oIIered them possibilities to meet
each other, experience working and playing together, build partnerships and lay down the
basis Ior Iuture Co-operation.

ACM was Iounded in February 1993 by a group oI students and young teachers to help the
Hungarian high school student movement in Romania assuring instruction and proIessional
background oI leaders. While in the Iirst two years the organisation`s activities were
supported predominantly by Hungarian experts, with time came experience and the third
summer university in 1995 was organised entirely by Romanian Iorces. The organisation
Iunctioned network-like. Members Irom diIIerent cities could Iorm local groups. Such
groups already existed in Gheorgheni, Miercurea-Ciuc, Cluj Napoca, Oradea, Targu-
Mures, Satu Mare and other towns.

At present, while ACM preserves good relations with the Union oI Hungarian High School
Students in Romania and its member organisations and with the Union oI Hungarian Youth
Organisation oI Romania, it acts regardless to ethnical, religious or political aIIiliation. Its
other activities are Student Rights ConIerence, work camps, local trainings, a research
programme youth in local selI-government`, etc. ACM has close Co-operation with Youth
Ior Development and Co-operation, European Youth Foundation, Soros Foundation Ior an
Open Society, etc. This allows the organisation to Iormulate and apply intercultural
strategies.

Outcomes.

Over 500 young people have graduated Irom the Summer University Ior its existence. They
have developed their skills not only in conIlict resolution, organisational management, but
also to reIlect critically over social Iacts. Youth leaders enriched their learning experiences
oI democratic practices and discussed the values oI ethnic tolerance and intercultural
exchange. Coming back to their every day liIe at school the participants in the project
could apply these skills in school management.

42

A prooI oI the abilities developed in the project was the successIul organisation oI the
international seminar Youth and Development in Central and Eastern Europe: Finding
Common Approaches` in Ilieni, Romania 7-12 May 1998. In association with Youth Ior
Development and Co-operation Irom the Netherlands, ACM managed to host this
international event and meet the challenge to make their voice heard on an international
level`, as Eniko Magyar, a manager Irom ACM put it.

Among its results, which can be interpreted as indirect outcomes Irom the training at the
Summer University, was the working out a clear list oI problems in the Iield oI youth
participation and development oI democratic youth structures. They could be summarised
in three major groups (Ior this and the Iollowing see Final Report oI the seminar):

recruitment,
communication and
Iunding.

A major concern Ior youth leaders was that very Iew young people were ready to get
involved in organisational work. The reasons were that many young people were not at all
aware oI the existing youth NGOs or had a very limited knowledge oI what the youth
NGOs did. Many young people did not perceive youth NGOs as a Iun and interesting
structure to be part oI. Instead they thought that participation in organisations limited their
Ireedom and intruded on their private liIe. Youth NGOs themselves oIten neglected
working on their own public image and do not promote themselves towards young people.

The participants in the seminar developed the Iollowing action plan Ior recruitment:

Youth NGOs need to adapt to a more open and visible behaviour in order to attract the
attention oI young people.

They have to pay greater attention to brochures, newsletters and reports in order to
present themselves as organisations and their work more proIessionally and more
eIIectively.

They have to attract the attention oI media to cover their activities. One way oI doing
this is to look at current hot issues debated in society and give them the youth NGOs
perspective.

The best way oI recruitment is to get people involved in an activity or event. The NGOs
activities should not limit themselves to current members but try to engage as many non-
members as possible, especially in international activities.

4.3. Young people`s commitment to human rights

The issue oI human rights was not only the one that gathered together the Iirst inIormal
youth groups during the last years oI the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The

43

deIense oI the rights and liberties oI the citizen remained a matter oI high concern Ior
young people in the Iirst ten years oI the transition to democracy. At present numerous
youth initiatives aim to guarantee the equality oI the rights Ior all citizens, independently oI
their race or ethnic background, gender, health status, religious and cultural aIIiliation.
Among the projects we received in this group, we chose one Ior developing ethnic
tolerance among the general public, one Ior raising health awareness among the Roma
population, and another one Ior providing disabled youth with more opportunities to
participate in social liIe.

4.3.1. Raising Awareness towards Ethnic Problems a project oI Ukrainian youth in
Poland

This is a project oI the Union oI Independent Ukrainian Youth in Poland, realized in twelve
months, Irom June 1, 1996 to May 31, 1997. It included the creation oI an inIormation
center and training Ior young people with ethnic minority background.

The problem situation.

BeIore the start oI reIorms in 1989 ethnic minorities in Poland were not encouraged to
express their identity. The atmosphere was one oI suspicion and hostility toward anyone
diIIerent. Under post-communism among the minorities there is a revived interest among
ethnic groups toward developing and making known their cultural heritage. A
corresponding move is demonstrated by the wider society people are getting more and
more interested in cultural diIIerences and the traditions and modern achievements oI
ethnic minorities. The project oI the youth organization oI the Ukrainian minority is aiming
to work in this direction to help minorities inIluence public liIe and solve their speciIic
ethnic problems.

It is the aim oI the project to extend the knowledge and raise the social awareness oI young
people and the public at large towards the problems oI ethnic minorities in Poland. One oI
the tasks is inIormational to provide data and increase people`s alertness toward
discrimination and speciIic diIIiculties oI ethnic youth. A second objective might be
deIined as organizational to develop the structures oI NGOs established by minorities
groups and advance their cooperation. A third goal was to improve relations between ethnic
minorities and local governments.

Profect Resources.

The activities on the project started with the setting up oI an InIormation Center Ior Ethnic
Minorities to oIIer inIormation and consulting to the organizations and inIormal groups oI
the ethnic minorities. The Center created a Bank oI InIormation about Ethnic Minorities.
The Bank also monitored minority press to gather inIormation about the problems most
Irequently occurring among ethnic minorities in the country. This overview allowed the
Bank to describe the activities oI diIIerent minorities. The InIormation Center itselI started
to publish a newsletter targeting predominantly the voluntary organizations oI ethnic
minorities but accessible as well to the public at large.

44

The most important activity oI the Center, in the view oI the project organizers, was its
nongovernmental section, which provided consulting and training Ior young people with
ethnic origin. It worked with associations and clubs oIIering them advise and inIormation.
Consulting Ior ethnic organizations was not limited to a single consultation NGOs could
rely on the Center`s support and about 20 oI them remained in contact with it during the
whole duration oI the project and aIter that as well. A Nongovernmental Archive` was
created containing publications and other education materials Ior the Third sector. The
Center helped minority organizations with its database oI sponsors, oIIering inIormation
about sources oI Iinancing.

The Center organized a campaign to promote a better understanding and collaboration
between ethnic organizations and the local government. An inIormation package was
developed describing successIul cases oI state NGO cooperation in Gdansk and Lidzbark.
Meetings were organized to encourage NGO leaders to initiate dialogue with local councils
in order to work out their own variant oI cooperation, including procedures Ior minority
organizations. The Center carried out a seminar to promote the Gdansk model oI state-
voluntary cooperation in which 29 representative Irom 11 local authorities and 13 leaders
oI ethnic NGOs took part. The campaign also tackled the idea oI a pro-Iamily policy at the
local level and produced another package oI inIormation on this topic. The two packages
were sent to six agencies oI local authorities and handed over to leaders oI NGOs. These
ideas were demonstrated on the Third Festival oI Ethnic Minorities in Poland during which
a seminar was organized by the Union oI Independent Ukrainian Youth. It covered the
topic oI Iundraising Ior minority associations.

Outcomes

The Union oI Independent Ukrainian Youth has managed to establish a very eIIective
structure to be used by minority organizations in Poland the InIormation Center. By the
end oI the project its Bank oI inIormation contained data about 143 German, 64 Ukrainian,
30 Jewish, 12 Bielorussian, 11 Romany, 8 Lithuanian, 2 Tartar, 1 Czech, 1 Slovak, 1
Russian, 1 Armenian associations and institutions. The Bank made its data available to
young people, students, journalists and other interested persons. During the project a total
oI 104 items oI inIormation were imparted. In addition, the database Ior sponsors gathered
inIormation Ior 112 sources Ior Iinancing oI the voluntary sector. The Nongovernmental
Archive also oIIered publications on the philosophy, legislation and practice oI this sector.

The Center was proud to report the Iollowing results upon the end oI the project:

105 individual consultations were carried out Ior 48 people.

6 training sessions were organized Ior 52 people on project planning, cooperation with
local authorities, and Iundraising.

36 organizations beneIited Irom consultations and training, 20 established permanent
contacts with the Center.

45

15 people were trained in the basic principles oI volunteering and 37 in writing
applications.

28 grant applications were reviewed and 7 oI the projects won grants.

A Iull set oI training materials was developed and copies were mailed to 20 minority
organizations.

130 persons Irom the local authorities and the voluntary sector were made Iamiliar with
the models oI local government/NGO cooperation.

It can be claimed that as a result oI the activities oI the InIormation Center Ior Ethnic
Minorities, the level oI local politicians` and administrators` knowledge about ethnic
minorities, their problems and eIIorts to solve them has been raised. This was maniIested in
several changes: the authorities in the town oI Bytow started working together with the
local division oI the Union oI the Ukrainians in Poland. The voivodship administration in
Olsztyn oIIered to support ethnic minority initiatives raised by local and national NGOs.
The local council in Gorowo Ilawieckie passed a resolution condemning the displacement
oI the Ukrainian minority in 1947.

The most important result in the view oI the project organizers is that the public image oI
ethnic minorities has been changed and their organizations are no longer perceived as
claim-oriented` but as partners who are willing to cooperate with the local authorities to
solve social problems together. A discernible eIIect oI the project is the strengthening oI
the twenty non-governmental organizations in the country, run by ethnic minorities. It has
also given young people participants in the project and those in the youth voluntary
associations assuredness that they can make a diIIerence in the society they live.

4.3.2. Touching Reality a health initiative oI Roma youth in Bulgaria

The project oI the Youth Club ROMA in Stolipinovo in Bulgaria aimed to raise the
awareness oI young people Irom the Roma community towards AIDS and was charted Ior
one year April 1998 March 1999.

The problem situation.

The Roma minority is among those whose human rights are the most threatened in Eastern
Europe. Their communities were subject to various loops in the national policy` oI the
ruling parties in the countries in the region being dispersed, then concentrated in closed
areas, while the speciIics oI their culture was at times advanced and at times suppressed.
One oI the Iactors, which shook the communist regime in Bulgaria contributing to its
collapse, was the wide-scope state campaign Ior a Iorcible change oI the Muslim names oI
the Roma and Turkish ethnic minorities. The results oI the political coercion and police
brutallity were amounting ethnic tension and a mass wave oI emigration abroad. The social
change in November 1989 restored human rights to the oppressed ethnic minorities but at

46

the same time led to the accumulation in this community oI all the new (and old) social
problems oI the transition: poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and health disasters.

The project oI the group oI young people associated in the Youth Club Roma in
Stolipinovo was initiated to help the struggle against AIDS by raising young people`s
awareness oI the risks associated with it. In Iact it had a wider scope to inIorm and warn
against venereal diseases, to introduce sexual education and Iamily planning in the Gypsy
community in this poor area in a Bulgarian city, densely populated with Turks and Gypsies.
The basic goal was deIined by the young participants in the Iollowing way more young
people Irom the suburb to know about AIDS and venereal diseases, and how to protect
themselves Irom them. In pursuing this goal the members oI the Youth Club knew that the
traditional moral norms oI the older generations were against them. Among young people
in the community there was a wide spread belieI, concerning AIDS: This is not a danger
for me it exists onlv for others`. The practice oI using condoms was almost unknown to
them later they Iound out that Irom the youth taking part in the organised trainings, over
95 had never used a condom.

In view oI this situation, the project managers Irom the Youth Club Roma set the Iollowing
speciIic objectives:

to break the cultural taboos such as talking about sex, using condoms, unmarried girls
mixing with young men in evening gatherings, etc that pose great barriers against
awareness about the dangers oI modernisation;

to inIorm young people about AIDS and venereal diseases;

to give them basic knowledge about saIe sex and Iamily planning.

Profect Resources.

The project started oIIicially in April 1998 but the preparation was in Iull speed already in
1997. BeIore devising the project they had two working meetings with representatives oI
UNAIDS, who visited Stolipinovo coming Irom SoIia. On them young people Irom the
Youth Club learnt the techniques Ior writing oI good projects and about sources Ior Iunding
in the Third Sector. Then UNAIDS with the help oI the adult Ioundation Roma organised
training Ior youth leaders. It was only aIter that that the application Ior Iinancing was
submitted and approved by UNAIDS.

In Iact Touching Reality` was the Iirst Iormal project oI the Youth Club. The oIIicial
registration oI the club was in February 1997 but they had had campaigns Ior two years
beIore, using the Iacilities oI the Foundation ROMA the adult organisation. They had
started as an inIormal group oI about 20 youngsters working as volunteers in the
Ioundation. When the Youth Club was registered 7 people were elected in the governing
body. About 30 Iormed the group oI constant volunteers.

47

A great resource Ior the success oI the project was the inside knowledge oI the Youth Club
about the attitudes oI the public the project targeted. It allowed the participants to Iind the
adequate Iorms and timing oI the activities. The project started with delivering brochures
explaining methods Ior saIe sex. This seemed the easiest way to overcome the traditional
Roma taboo Iorbidding any discussion about sex. Then they began organising inIormal
meetings in discos, during celebrations oI public holidays on which inIormation about
AIDS was presented. The leader oI the club said in his interview that it was easier to
deliver their message to the young men in the community but there were great diIIiculties
with the young women. The parents did not want them go to the training sessions in Iear
that they would be spoilt. The young women themselves did not think it necessary to know
about the principles oI saIe sex, as they Iollowed the practice Iirst to marry and then have
sex with only one partner their own husband. Some parents unwillingly gave their
permission only when the youth club leader promised to see each girl back to her house
door aIter the training. A break in young women`s attitudes was made when their attention
was drawn to the brothel just established on the opposite side oI the street, separating
Stolipinovo Irom the Bulgarian suburb.

Another resource, which the young participants used, was the good relations with the
teachers and authorities oI the schools in the suburb. This made it possible to start
educating students in the schools by trained youth leaders. During classes and in evenings
seminars were organised to which there came sometimes 12, sometimes 60, sometimes 120
people. The most interesting and popular method was the role games. Young people Ielt
themselves like perIorming in the theatre and enjoyed it very much. The Youth Club
organised meetings with a doctor who proved a great success being able to answer to all
questions. AIter that he started paying regular visits to the community giving consultations
on Iamily planning. On the 1 oI December 1998 they organised a big celebration oI the
World Day Ior the Struggle against AIDS. The programme included a Iootball competition,
handball match, drawing contest. Young people themselves prepared posters.

On 8th oI March, the Day oI the International Solidarity oI Women, the Club organised a
visit to the town prison where they staged a training against AIDS, Iollowed by a concert oI
the children`s music group 'We are the best. The celebration served as the oIIicial end oI
the project and was careIully prepared. The project managers had invited the relatives oI
the prisoners, as well as other members oI the Youth Club and the children`s music group.
The celebration was verv emotional and satisfving not onlv for the inmates but also for us.
Before that prisoners had been allowed to meet their relatives onlv separated bv bars. This
time thev were sitting next to each other in the hall. We delivered flowers to the women in
the hall. When it was over, even the prison authorities asked us when we were coming
back. We promised a second meeting for Easter, explained the project co-ordinator.

The Youth Club had established good relations with the probation workers in the suburb
and planned to design a new project with them. They had also close contacts with the
women`s group oI the Foundation ROMA, with the members oI the regional Youth
Councils, with ethnic organisations Irom other towns and villages in Bulgaria. But the
greatest resource was the co-operation with the adult Ioundation. It is us that interfere in
their activities, not them that intrude into ours. While we can alwavs relv upon their

48

support moral and financial. When there are delegations from the capital or from
abroad, coming to the Foundation ROMA, we are alwavs invited to be present and raise
our problems. The same happens when there is an invitation for the Foundation to send
people abroad members of the vouth Club are alwavs included, stated the leader oI the
Youth Club in his interview.

Outcomes.

The project has been successIul in young people`s own evaluation. All in all about 200
people have been involved in the various actions in the project and they have acquired
knowledge about AIDS and the risks oI sexually transmitted diseases. As one oI the
managers said: Now we are talking with more freedom and even skim pornographic
fournals together`. They planned to continue the inIormational activity about health
behaviour and were starting to issue a newspaper the Iirst issue was due in the autumn
1999.

Another eIIect oI the project was that young people gained the conIidence oI the older
generations in the community. The project manager had taken his younger brother and
sister who were pupils in the 6th and 8th grade oI school to the Iirst seminar and aIter that
had had quarrels with his parents. We overcame this barrier. You dont know how big our
success is. Parents are now letting their daughters to go to seminars in other towns for a
few davs. Usuallv our voung people do not travel outside Stolipinovo and thev think that all
evils prowl there. We needed several months to build this confidence.

The Iact that this eIIicient work in the community was oI great signiIicance Ior the success
oI the young people`s initiative is conIirmed by their experience Irom a previous
unsuccessIul project The SelI-Help Group`.

The SelI-Help Group attempted to conIront the high unemployment rate among the young
Roma people living in the suburb. It was initiated aIter a visit to India oI a group oI
volunteers working in the Roma Foundation. Following the example oI a mutual aid Iund
in India, a group oI young unemployed (10 Roma men aged 16-21) developed a
programme Ior a business start. They received capital Irom the Roma Foundation (200 000
Leva), recruited some more Irom Iamily networks and began trading with cigarettes, olive
oil, Iish, making use oI social links with ethnic minorities in other parts oI the country. The
young people were very enthusiastic and determined to expand their business in
stockbreeding.

For Iour months the trade Ilourished and then suddenly collapsed. The young participants
themselves pointed at the interIerence oI the older generation Irom the community. The
parents oI some oI the members decided they could do the business better, wanted to
become members oI the business group and lead it. When the young did not agreed, the
parents used their authority to stop them.

We had started making good monev, earning in a week more than our parents got for a
month. We had plans our group to applv for loans for support of small businesses, then to

49

finance and train other groups of voung people. We still have not given up this idea but
now we will do it more carefullv, in co-operation with experts and will be more considerate
for the parents`, explained a member oI the Youth Club. Other Iactors inIluencing the
quick growth and even quicker Iailure oI the company were that the group was not
registered oIIicially as a business enterprise, and while the members were using the
moment oI the political and economic crisis shattering the country in the Iirst months oI
1997, as well as the contacts with ethnic communities in the country, they could not make
it a stable venture, protected against outside inIluence. However, it seems that this
unsuccessIul` project had a beneIicial eIIect on young people`s experiences Ior the success
oI the next initiative.

4.3.3. Good Places a project oI Polish youth in support oI disabled persons

Good Places is a project oI The Integration Society in Aid oI Disabled Persons in Poland.
About 40 young people (secondary students and young unemployed) Iormed a group oI
volunteers and instituted a center to work with other young people who were at risk oI
social exclusion. The project`s duration was Irom May 1996 to April 1997 but the Center,
which was established by the project, still Iunctioned at the time oI our study.

The problem situation

The aim oI the project was to locate a structure and social place to tackle the amounting
youth problems in the town oI Ostrwiec Sw. in Poland. It had a high unemployment rate oI
over a third oI young people. Youth not only lacked jobs, they were limited in their
opportunities to spend their leisure time aIter their own will. Attractive leisure Iacilities
were not available to those with a low income. At the same time the share oI those who
were becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs was rising sharply. So was the level oI
domestic violence. These problems were Iaced only in a more acute Iorm by disabled
youth. The project had two concrete tasks: to set up a center 'Good Places and a youth
helpline 'HelpIul Voice.

The target group oI this project is a remarkable combination oI young people at risk
disabled persons and drug addicts. It demonstrates the inclination oI societies in transition
toward discrimination to all considered diIIerent Irom biological to social deviancies. The
term used in the project description Ior the second group was taken right Irom medicine
pathological youth`. The project attempted to change this situation by showing the social
causes oI inequalities based on health discrepancies.

Profect resources

In the Iirst Iour months oI the project the group oI 40 volunteers was Iormed Irom
secondary school students and unemployed youth and they were trained in youth work. The
Center was opened in September and started to run educational courses in art, music and
computer science. They were attended by 40 disabled young people and some young
people with integration problems. Specialized workshops were carried out Ior young

50

people on the topics oI addictions to alcohol, glue sniIIing and other drugs. The Center
staged up happenings and other social events regularly during the Iirst year oI its existence.

The young volunteers were supported in their work by street pedagogues whose main task
was to persuade rebellious young people to join the programs oI Good Places. The street
pedagogues were themselves in their majority young people. They also participated in the
various activities oI the Center and ran social therapy groups Ior children and teenagers
Irom high-risk environments.

The young volunteers established contacts with the local employment agency and a
contract was signed between the Center and the town Job Center to the eIIect that the
Center would provide a setting and instruction Ior students in pedagogy to do their required
practice teaching and it would employ young graduates with B. Ed. Degrees. Together with
the volunteers these young specialists established and ran successIully the youth helpline,
'HelpIul Voice.

The Good Places project included activities promoting a healthy liIe style among young
people. The volunteers in the center prepared and carried out two mini projects: 'Toxic
Love and ' A Sober Eighteen Birthday Ior which they won additional support Irom the
Polish Children and Youth Foundation.

Within the center Ior disabled youth, support groups Ior parents were Iormed which
attracted great attention. They tried to help parents oI children with problems and involve
them in social activities. It was during these activities that an initiative was raised and then
carried out to create a Help Center Ior Victims oI Violence. Here proIessional
psychologists worked together with volunteers who were trained in such activities. They
provided consulting, psychological help or redirected to other specialized services young
people who had been victims oI violence or themselves had made suicide attempts.

As part oI the Good Places project the young people campaigned to create Youth Town
Councils. With the help oI the Integration Society they organized elections in which 2000
young voters cast their ballot. A Youth Town Council was Iormed consisting oI 36
members. It received premises and a donation oI PLN 20 000 Irom the town authorities`
budget. The Youth Council and the local government prepared a program Ior prevention
and dealing with the consequences with alcohol related problems.

Another activity within the project was a survey with students at the town schools. About
5300 young people aged 13-17 were asked about their opinion as to what the greatest
threats to the town`s youth were. The respondents deIined alcohol, glue sniIIing and
Satanist cults as posing the greatest dangers to the young population. The survey results
were presented to the town authorities together with a program Ior creating new centers Ior
youth work.

Outcomes

51

The Good Places project managed to establish many structures which started dealing with
youth problems that had been neglected during economic and political reIorms in the
country. In them young people volunteered to work together with adult proIessionals to
oIIer support to young people in need. As a result oI the project the Ioundation oI the First
Center Good Places (at present 40 volunteers work there) was Iollowed by setting up a
second community center with 10 young volunteers. Two additional aIternoon centers were
created together with several parents` groups. In their meetings 35 parents became regular
participants.

The Help Center with 6 proIessionals employed on a permanent basis and many young
volunteers also became a resource Ior Iuture youth work. The Youth Town Council was
another outcome oI the project and it was used Ior lobbying in Iavor oI young people. One
oI the street pedagogists was appointed by the local government as a youth liaison oIIicer
at the Department Ior Culture and Sports. The good relationship between the young
volunteers in the project, the Integration Society and the local authorities continued aIter
the project. By its end the town authorities awarded a grant oI PLN 86,600 Ior setting up a
Family Consulting Center, and Occupational Therapy Center and a Consultation Center Ior
addicts.

4.4. Youth preoccupation with nature preservation

Concerns about pollution and destruction oI many bio-systems were among the Iirst that
mobilised youth in the last years oI the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Ecological
protests were politicised by the authorities and brutally suppressed. Ten years aIter the start
oI radical reIorms the general public no longer seems preoccupied with nature
preservationto the same extent, and has turned attention to the problems oI the economy,
unemployment and poverty. While the green` initiatives oI young people at present are not
so mass and spectacular, as they were on the eve oI the transition, they are now more
proIessional and eIIective. In this group oI projects we have included one oI Russian
students aiming to create an arboretum, a second one a school competition Ior collecting
waste and a third one a youth ecological congress in the Czech Republic.

4.4.1. Green Lungs an ecological experiment oI Russian youth

This is an initiative oI a student youth group Green Lungs` to create an arboretum and a
city park in Novorossiysk. The duration oI the project was two years Irom May 1997 to
May 1999.

The problem situation

Novorossiysk is the largest industrial city at the Russian Black Sea Coast. It is oIten named
the cement city`, because around the city there are Iour big cement plants on a territory oI
less than 40 square km. The particular geographic location oI the city and its climatic
conditions allow the development oI distinctive plants typical Ior the subtropics but the
whole area is soiled by the waste oI industrial production. There is no recreational area in
the city or in its vicinity as during communism the local authorities were pursuing the

52

Party`s directive Ior industrialisation and had no incentive to think about people`s rest.
Close to the city is the Soojook lagoon where some disappearing Iish types still spawn but
the brooks that Ieed the lagoon are drying up or their water is extremely polluted.

The goal oI the project was to create an arboretum and a city park to be the green lungs` oI
the city and a means to restore the natural water and biological balance oI the surrounding
territory. The arboretum would help to prevent the air pollution by delaying the gas-dust
surges Irom the cement plants. The park would provide the city residents with a
recreational area. It would present an opportunity Ior many tropical plants to grow and thus
save some oI the disappearing types on the Caucasus, Crimea and Central Russia. More
than thirty types oI plants that grow in the regions oI Novorossiysk have already been listed
in the Red Book. The two Ireshwater basins in the territory oI the arboretum would be
cleaned up and become a clean place Ior swans and sea ducks to hibernate. The arboretum
would also help to restore the natural water balance in the territory surrounding the
Soojook lagoon saving several types oI Black Sea Iish. Another objective Ior the creation
oI the arboretum was to provide a space Ior the practice oI students ecologists Irom the
Kuban Polytechnic University. The project managers viewed the arboretum as a Iuture
international centre Ior environmental research. In the rationale oI the initiative they also
insisted that it would improve the city inIrastructure and would stir an additional Ilow oI
tourists to the seashore.

Profect resources.

The idea Ior the arboretum and city park in Novorossiysk was born long beIore the start oI
the project. In 1994 the local authorities in the city allocated ten hectares oI land to the
Institute oI Biosphere Geochemistry and the Kuban Polytechnic University. For two years
about Iour hundred trees were planted, halI oI which had taken to the site. However, the
diIIicult conditions in the territory poverty oI the soil, strong winds, etc. required
enormous labour eIIorts, which could not be met with the small amount oI Iinancing. No
money was supplied Ior the preservation oI the growing trees.

In 1996 students Irom the university with the help oI their assistant proIessors Iormed a
volunteer group Green Lungs` to promote the idea oI the arboretum and provide an
appropriate coastal land management. They applied Ior Iinancing to LEAD and in 1997 the
work on the project started. The local authorities also contributed Iinancially in the course
oI the project implementation. The Open Society Foundation provided Iunding to the
organisation oI some oI the actions, and the close Co-operation between the initiative group
and the International Discussion Club turned to be great resource Ior the success oI the
project. In 1998 Green Lungs were registered oIIicially as an independent voluntary
organisation in Novorossiysk. Soon in the same year the organisation established an oIIice
in Moscow to pursue Iurther nation-wide and international contacts.

The Iollowing activities were carried out in the allocated period:

making oI a biodeIensive band
laying oI a tree nursery

53

planting oI types characteristic Ior the Russian Black Sea Coast

conserving oI the trees planted earlier.

The tasks set by the project were very ambitious requiring a lot oI practical environmental
actions. For example, the deIensive band had to consist oI Iour rows oI shrubbery and trees
to protect the arboretum eIIectively. The trees in the arboretum had to be planted Irom
seeds in order Ior them to adapt better to the poor soils in the region. With this aim the
nursery was created which served also Ior the acclimatisation oI seedlings brought Irom
other regions. The nursery laying in itselI required a whole list oI activities levelling oI
the territory, ploughing oI the soil 25 centimetres deep, carrying oI peat and compost,
cultivating the land to destroy the big lumps, enclosing the nursery territory and only aIter
that the sowing oI the seeds. Most oI this work was done by volunteers students Irom
schools and the university, unemployed youth, citizens donating their labour during the
weekends and holidays.

Besides purely ecological actions, the project enclosed a whole group oI activities directed
at raising the public awareness about the project, Ior mobilisation oI volunteers and Iurther
Iund raising. The Iirst channel Ior inIorming the population was printed matter. A coloured
poster, a pamphlet and a longer brochure were prepared and spread around the city. The
brochure contained the report oI the actions carried out during the Iirst year oI the project.
An arboretum logo was designed and put on stickers. Public events were planned as a
second inIormation channel. A joint press conIerence oI the initiative youth group,
representatives Irom the Kuban University, the Institute oI Biosphere Geochemistry and the
Municipality authorities was held up in the Iirst year oI the project. It served the goal to
attract the public attention to the initiative. On 18 October 1997 a seminar was organised
by Green Lungs and the International Discussion Club on the theme Citizen Activity in
Urban Ecological Projects`. The project was made known to representatives oI voluntary
organisations and research institutes Irom 12 countries. A series oI public lectures were
held at schools, universities and in industrial enterprises. During the second year another
press conIerence was given by the project co-ordinators to report the intermediate results
and attract new sponsors.

The search Ior Iuture sponsors was realised through personal contacts, postage and E-mail.
Internet was used as well and a bilingual WWW site was launched about the arboretum. In
1998 the project was presented at international conIerences and seminars in Finland,
Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, France (at the Youth Centre oI the Council oI Europe
in Strasbourg). The project co-ordinators participated in a competition Ior voluntary
activities in Russia and received a grant to distribute inIormation about the arboretum and
to publish an Atlas oI plants in the Novorossiysk region.

As said above the project relied heavily on volunteer labour, so recruiting and working
with volunteers was a major activity within the project. Its managers used traditions dating
Irom both communist and pre-communist times and invented new Iorms oI attractions. The
practice oI Subbotnik so oIten used by the Communist regime was revived and such
working Saturdays were organised in the spring and in the Iall as large planting tree events
and open air work on the site. For example, in the Subbotnik on November 1, 1998, 17

54

members oI Green Lungs and 28 young volunteers took part and planted 107 trees and
bushes. They also worked on the new saplings in the nursery. The other even older
tradition oI joint Iamily work was also encouraged by competitions and special awards.
School competitions and public Ieasts were also implemented. Special programmes were
created Ior the university students and a case study Ior biology and ecology majors was
developed. The local newspapers and TV channels published inIormation about the
planned events. In October 1998 an international youth ecological working camp took
place in Novorossiysk and it was Iollowed by an international seminar on nature
preservation in which 50 people Irom 12 European countries took part. This time the
project oI Green Lungs was presented as already a success story.

Outcomes

The project resulted in improvement oI the environmental situation in the region. By
planting 1000 new trees and preserving the ones planted earlier it contributed to the
biodiversity conservation. The young participants also managed to IulIil another objective
the creation oI a base Ior environmental education, research and international
collaboration. There was also a development in the city inIrastructure, although the city
authorities were trying to delay large-scale activity in this direction waiting Ior the
probable construction oI a Caspian oil transpiration channel via a sea terminal close to
Novorossiysk. Young people viewed this plan positively as many new business companies
will become active on this international site, which would probably like to demonstrate an
environmentally Iriendly behaviour.

The arboretum has still to be developed as a socio-biological complex and especially there
is a lot to be done to enhance the educational, scientiIic, tourist and international eIIects oI
the project. However, with its realisation the youth group Green Lungs proved capable oI
setting and IulIilling Ieasible goals Ior public beneIit. Young participants themselves Iound
that they have gained a lot as proIessional skills, as well as experience in collective work.

4.4.2. School Competition an environmental initiative oI youth in Estonia

This project has a much narrower scope than the previous one. The Estonian Youth Nature
Protection Association organised a competition Ior collection oI waste among students in
the town schools in Tallinn in the autumn oI 1998.

The problem situation

This Iorm oI youth participation encouraging young people in Tallin to clean their city by
collecting waste is seemingly very modest in its aims. However, it proves to be really
challenging when the public dislike toward such organised activity is taken into
consideration the dislike which young people`s parents share Irom their memories when
the Communist Youth League made students gather paper at schools and the competitions
between schools` Komsomol groups was organised more like a police action rather than
anything else. In reality, the project carried out by Estonian Youth Protection Association
had very ambitious objectives: to raise the public awareness about the problems oI waste in

55

towns, to encourage public engagement with recycling, to involve young people in

challenging and publicly useIul activity rather than wasting their time in doing nothing or
getting involved in drug and crime subcultures. It also aimed to make young people
entangle their parents in environmental activities, as well. There was one more objective
pursued by this project to advertise the Estonian Youth Nature Protection Association
and recruit new members.

The amount oI waste in cities throughout the country had been increasing every year but
people in Estonia continued to throw all their waste in the garbage bin. The major reason
was the lack oI inIormation people did not know that a lot oI the waste could be recycled.
Even iI they wanted to make eIIorts to save nature, they did not know how to divide their
garbage and where to put it. The organisers saw the project as repeatable and hoped that in
the short term students would be able to clean up the town by collecting plastic bottles, and
in the long run the amount oI material recycled (metal and paper) would increase.

Profect resources

The Estonian Youth Nature Protection Association was Iounded in 1997 by students at the
Tondiraba Secondary School in Tallinn with the goals to expand young people`s
knowledge and understanding oI nature and to solve problems connected with nature
protection. There were 28 young people members oI the association. The association is a
member oI Youth & Environmental Europe. One Iactor Ior the success oI the project was
the good co-operation the association maintained with other voluntary organisations in
Estonia such as the Estonian Green Movement, Estonian Society Ior Nature Conservation,
Estonian Package Association and EYFA-Estonia.

The Youth Association carried out a wide scope oI activities in the implementation oI the
project. The Iocus was on the competition. It was organised among the schools in Tallinn
with the goal to collect as much paper, cans and plastic bottles as possible. The Iirst top
hundred students received prizes Irom seeing their names published to bikes and roller
skates. The project started with printing inIormation materials which were distributed
among the schools in the town. Money came Irom the Tallinn Environmental Authority,
which helped with the printing, spreading oI the inIormation and buying oI the weights.
Another source oI Iinancing were local business corporations. Transport Ior the material
collected came Irom waste management companies. Prizes were bought with the money
received by selling the waste and bikes were donated by the German authorities.

The duration oI the project was Iive months. It started with delivering letters to the school
authorities to inIorm them oI the competition. Here the co-operation oI the parents oI the
project organisers was secured their cars were used to reach every school in town. The
printing materials and slogans were prepared Ior inIorming students and getting their
interest to participate. September was the month oI the competition during which the waste
was collected and weighed. All the inIormation was inserted in a computer database.

Outcomes

56

The level oI success was measured Iirst oI all in the amount oI waste collected. AIter the
competition the collected materials were 50 tons oI paper, 250 kg oI plastic bottles and 250
kg oI empty cans.

Students Irom all schools in town participated and the inIormation reached even more
young people. Teachers liked the idea and oIIered support Ior next year. The main goal was
achieved to encourage students to sort their waste and think environmentally. Students
learnt how to collect and sort paper, bottles and cans and where the reception centres Ior
collected materials were. There were clear signs that students had inIluenced their parents
to start sorting waste and be sensitive to ecological problems as well.

4.4.3. Ecological Congress a project oI young environmentalists in the Czech Republic

This is a project oI the Koniklec Agency (civil association Ior human rights and
environment) in the Czech Republic. It incorporated the Ioundation oI Czech Republic
Children Congress on the Environment as a permanent body to express youth concerns
with nature preservation.

The problem situation

Nature protection is oI great public concern in the Czech Republic and in most campaigns
and environmental organizations it is young people who are the main participants. The
initiative about the Ecological Parliament was raised by the Koniklec Agency in co-
operation with Eva` Foundation and other voluntary associations. Its goal was to inIorm
young people in the country about ecological problems, raising their awareness. The
project participants considered that this would be best realized by creating a permanent
body where young people themselves can discuss the issues.

Profect Resources

Activities on the project started in 1992 as public correspondence in which 26 000 Czech
and Slovak young people took part, raising ecological concerns. Then a Congress was
Iounded to serve as an ecological parliament divided into two chambers upper and lower.
The upper chamber members were each representing two districts while the lower chamber
consisted oI 50 representatives on the basis oI their expressed interest in the activities oI
the Congress. The ecological deputies` were aged 13-16 years, while older young people
Iormed the Ecological Club. There was also a permanent Circle oI Friends (adult
proIessionals) which ensured the moral and Iinancial support to the Congress.

The implementation oI the project included the organization oI local, regional and nation-
wide Congresses and the so-called children audits at which representatives oI state
administration also took part. The members oI the Congress organized numerous actions
Ior nature preservation. The inIormational activities oI the Congress ran all over the year
but the culmination was the one-week Great Congress. Every year this event had a speciIic
program to discuss environmental issues and is attended by state and government

57

representatives. When interested members are not able to participate in the yearly congress,
they send letters and answer to questions published in the bulletin oI the Koniklec agency.

Outcomes

The participants in the project beneIit not only Irom acquiring an interest in and knowledge
about ecology, but also Irom education in human rights and citizen`s participation in
politics. They develop an understanding, motivation and skills to exercise their civic rights.
The deputies oI the Children Congress engage in discussions with members oI government,
mayors oI towns and communities. Thus one oI the actions oI this children parliament was
named The Castle belongs to the Children`. Following the Ecological congress a session
was organized on the premises oI the adult parliament` in the Prague Castle where 93
young people aged 10-18 adopted two documents The Rights oI Children` and The
Leisure Time oI Children and Youth`.

The Congress on Environment` is one oI the most successIul projects oI youth in the
Czech Republic, in the evaluation oI our Czech correspondent, although it was not among
the most Iinancially demanding ones. The best prooI oI its success is its continuity the
project runs over 7 years. Several Iactors seem especially inIluential Ior the eIIectiveness oI
the project: great interest among young people in ecological issues, and the experiences
(and lessons gained) Irom similar activities such as the Ecological Parliament, a project
launched by the Discussion Center in the town oI Louny in 1991 and replicated by youth
groups in the cities oI Pilzen and Kladno in 1996. A very signiIicant Iactor is the Bulletin
oI the Koniklec agency which publicizes the achievements oI the Congress. The extensive
press and TV attention helps gaining Iinancial resources Ior the project implementation and
keeps high the interest oI ministries, deputies and local governments. The good cooperation
between the Youth Congress and the state and nongovernmental organizations adds to the
success oI the project. The same can be said about the integration between the various
youth groups within the Koniklec agency and their relationships with the adult
proIessionals.

4.5. Promoting creativity in science, arts and leisure

A whole new Iield oI initiatives in the voluntary sector in Eastern Europe oIIer support to
young people interested in mathematics, physics, literature, music, painting, sports, etc. For
some this is a waste oI resources at a time oI economic crisis and mass impoverishment.
For young people themselves creativity in sciences and arts is an essential Iorm oI their
participation into society, meeting their high aspirations in congruence with the tendency oI
globalization which does not leave their countries intact. Here we analyze three projects
initiated by young people themselves one encouraging youth involvement in computer
arts, another one providing recreational opportunities in culture and sports and yet another
one is a Iorm oI intercultural exchange. The third initiative demonstrates the role youth
plays Ior the Iuture oI United Europe.

4.5.1. Computer Space 98 and the Violence oI InIormation a student project in Bulgaria

58

This project demonstrates the opportunities Ior youth participation in the making oI the
global inIormation society. It was designed by the Student Computer Art Society (SCAS).
The 1998 event was the tenth edition oI the international computer art Iorum in SoIia,
Bulgaria.

The problem situation

Research into youth unemployment in Bulgaria in the 1990s showed that, as in other
countries oI the region, it was a phenomenon not only among particularly disadvantaged
groups but aIIected young people coming Irom all social layers oI society and holding
college and university diplomas. The study also revealed high aspirations among the young
unemployed who were unwilling to settle on less demanding jobs. The quality jobs they
strove Ior were most oIten associated in some way or other with computer technologies.

The project oI SCAS aimed at encouraging young people to deal with science and arts
despite pressing economic needs oI the moment and invest in the Iuture. The Iirst Iorum
Computer Space` was organized with the objective to create opportunities Ior students at
universities and colleges and other youth to demonstrate their achievements in computer
arts and compare them to others. The parallel symposium The Violence oI InIormation`
had the goal to provide a tribune Ior discussion about the consequences, as young people
see them, oI the expansion oI inIormation in the postmodern world.

Profect resources

The Computer Space Forum`98 was organized in three sections: Computer Graphics and
Animation, Multimedia and Internet Art, and Computer and Electronic Music. For a week
in October 1998 it brought together some oI the latest achievements oI young people in
computer arts. It included competitions in computer graphics, computer animation, and
design oI Internet sites. The Violence oI InIormation was an international symposium in
which young artists Irom diIIerent countries took part discussing the arrogance oI
inIormation in the postmodern world, its inIluence in the sphere oI culture and arts, and the
consequences oI the war among inIormation providers. It incorporated lectures, seminars
and workshops on inIormation violence, cultural identity in a globalised world, etc. A
particular Iocus oI young people`s interest was placed on the question: How to evaluate the
quantity oI the inIormation stream and how to rate the value oI inIormation? These large-
scale activities were made possible by the good preparatory work oI the youth organization.

SCAS is a student association established in 1990 and was among the Iirst in Bulgaria to
promote computer arts. At present their structure is well developed, including a Computer
Art Center and a National Student Internet Center and they oIIer support to young artists in
the electronic and computer arts mainly by exhibiting their works and providing them the
opportunity to compare their works with that oI other artists, to share experiences and
discuss problems with other young people interested in computer arts. The Centre has
sections in 7 towns. The central oIIice in SoIia employs two paid staII, young people
themselves, who work on a permanent basis to do the administrative tasks. They rely on
volunteers who devise and carry out the projects. They see as most pressing diIIiculties the

59

limited and insecure Iinancing, and the insuIIicient understanding Irom the local
authorities.

Young people have managed to gather a wide collection oI sponsors Ior their activities,
both national and international, state and non-government, business and voluntary: the
European Cultural Foundation, the State Committee Ior Youth, Physical Education and
Sports, the National Palace oI Culture in SoIia, the Expo Advertising, the Eureka
Foundation, Soros Arts Centre, Internet Society, Bulgaria, Goethe Institute, SoIia; Ministry
oI Education and Science, the Student Centre-SoIia; the British Council; INC Ltd; IDG
Bulgaria; , the TV Musical Cable Channel, New Technique Pbl; Top Team Co.; Saga
Technology Limited, Student CAD Association, the news group Capital.

Outcomes

The Computer Space Forum had attracted a growing number oI participants each year and
in 1999 its participants were 4000 young people Irom Eastern Europe and the world. The
project managers considered that it showed the achievements oI Bulgaria`s young people in
computer arts and allowed them to compare their works with those oI youth in other
countries and explore world tendencies and problems. Rosen Petkov claimed that the
activities oI young people at the two Iorums proved that despite the economic problems in
Bulgaria, voung people should stav informed about the up-to-date achievements in
computer arts, the new media developments and the future of information technologies`.

Here are the opinions oI some oI the young artists that won prizes in the competitions
during the Iorum:

'Sometimes a mafor news event proves that a new medium has actuallv become a mass
medium. Besides all the thought-provoking scholarlv questions of the new media the most
important issue is still practical. is there an audience for non-English speaking local web-
fournalism in Hungarv, far from CNN Online and Wall Street Journal Interactive? In other
words what can be the role of Web fournalism in the relativelv small communitv of
Hungarian websurfers? (AndrasNyiro, Budapest)

'Using computers as tools for artistic creation has given rise to manv new opportunities
for artists. Moreover, bv using computers, artists have been able to overcome traditional
barriers so that art can become more accessible, more interactive, more inexpensive and
more available to evervone on an equal footing. (Avi Rosen, HaiIa)

'Our real target is the bureaucracv, the artificial standardising of the value svstem, the
stereotvpe reduced to an automation of action, the straightforward perception of the world
around us and the established norms which all lead to a mutation of the spirit. The literal
use of a form as a means of protest is mv svmbolic weapon and a perfect tool for
provocation. (Dian Angelov, Varna).

A great part in the success oI the project was played by the National Student Internet
Centre which young participants started to establish in 1994 and Iinished in 1996. It is

60

equipped with WWW server and E-mail server connected via 24h Internet line. They serve
student organisations providing them with inIormation about youth and student projects,
contacts with national and international NGOs. Particularly, the Centre stimulates co-
operation with European NGOs, networks and institutions concerning youth problems.
Student and youth organisations can place their own WWW pages Iree oI charge so they
can popularise their activities in the Net. In the Internet site oI the National Student Centre
youth organisations can Iind inIormation about Iorums, Iestivals and other youth events,
projects, Ioundations and opportunities Ior Iinancing. They also publish printed materials,
and have a library oI books, CDs, brochures and catalogues to spread inIormation.

4.5.2. PROM 2000 a recreational experiment oI young people in Poland

The project oI the Ioundation included the Iormation oI a group oI 60 volunteers Irom
among young people at risk who then organized various recreational and educational
activities Ior youth in the Polish town oI Legnica. It covered 14 months in 1996 and 1997.

The problem situation

This initiative aimed at the encouragement oI active involvement oI young people in
widening the opportunities Ior their own leisure, mainly by getting them interested in
cultural activities, environmental protection and participation in community liIe, thus
raising their selI-esteem. Young people in Legnica Iaced the problems that became
common in the whole region oI East Europe in the 1990s high levels oI unemployment,
criminality, and drug addictions. Their eIIects over young people were exacerbated by the
limited Iinancial opportunities oI the state agencies Ior social support and the weak selI-
government among the population. The youth Ioundation decided to oIIer ways oI spending
their leisure time that were attractive to young people and socially useIul to the community.
It also aimed at improving relations with the local government and involving young people
in the cooperation between the state agencies and the voluntary sector.

Profect Resources:

A group oI 60 volunteers was Iormed, mainly by young people who came Irom risky
environment. They were involved in a series oI seminars during which 17 leaders emerged.
The group oI leaders were then additionally trained in group psychology, problem solving,
assistance oI people in crisis and environmental issues. The trained leaders organized two
Ietes Ior children Irom Iamilies risking social exclusion and the Iirst Legnica Tourist Race.
Their responsibilities included the organization oI weekend trips, training children how to
behave on a tourist trail, etc. Three oI the leaders completed a course Ior summer and
winter camp counselors and acted accordingly in organizing summer camps in 1996 and
1997. The other leaders were supporting staII in the camps. The rest oI the group oI
volunteers about 40 people participated in the regular activities oI the Foundation: the
Ietes and other cultural events, distributed leaIlets and the Ioundation`s newspaper.

A major part oI the project was the editing oI the Foundation newspaper by and Ior
young people. A team oI seven three youth leaders and Iour volunteers started editing

61

the newspaper. They received specialized training in editorial skills. The rest oI the
volunteers were responsible Ior the distribution oI the journal. The Foundation`s leaders
helped the volunteers Iind private sponsors Ior the newspaper among the local businesses
and the voluntary organizations willing to place advertisements in it. The Iirst two issues
discussed various problems oI Legnica youth.

In the course oI the project the Foundation Iocused on developing the cooperation with the
local town council, since, in the words oI one oI its leaders, their previous contacts were
not a success`. The Foundation started to organize regular meetings oI youth
representatives and the town authorities. Their volunteers took part in the conIerences
organized by the town authorities. The Foundations presented projects to the Town Council
and obtained Iinancing Ior them as part oI the local Prevention program. One oI those
projects involved creating a database Ior organizations working in the youth Iield. The
others were directed at developing a joint state-volunteer policy Ior preventing social
exclusion among the young population oI Legnica.

Outcomes.

Many young people proIited Irom this recreational activity. In the 20 weekend trips 250
young people took part. Several times more were those who took part in the Tourist Race
and the two Ietes. The eIIect was not only that young people were helped to Iind attractive
ways oI spending their leisure. During these events they were made Iamiliar with
ecological problems.

The regular newspaper was another outcome oI the project. Here the project organizers
were not very successIul the Iirs two issues oI the newspaper were met with apathy by
Legnica youth. AIter that the editing team transIormed the newspaper into a newsletter Ior
youth organizations and reached to young people through them.

By the end oI the project in 1997 the Foundation had presented 4 projects to the town
council all oI which were Iinanced and would increase its opportunities to inIluence local
liIe. One oI the eIIects oI those projects was that while taking part in their preparation, the
youth volunteers learnt those necessary skills in the Third Sector.

62

4.5.3. The Future oI Europe` an initiative Ior cultural exchange oI Romanian and
Hungarian youth

This three-year project brought together young people Irom two East European countries
Hungary and Romania and two West European countries the UK and Denmark. It was an
initiative oI the Future oI Europe Association in Kecskemet, Hungary and was made
possible by the Co-operation oI a youth group Irom Praid, Romania, a youth group Irom
Viborg, Denmark, and the Kent European Youth Association in the UK. Under this project
three meetings have been held one in Romania in 1996, one in Hungary in 1998 and one
in the UK in 1999.

The problem situation

The goal oI the project was to provide opportunity Ior students Irom various parts oI the
continent to come to know and recognise the diIIerent cultures and traditions oI their
countries and to develop acceptance and appreciation oI these diIIerences. It also included
discussions oI political practices and identiIication oI political belieIs and customs popular
among the national groups present. This Iriendly exchange oI ideas and intercultural
experience is oI great importance in view oI the proposed expansion oI the European
Union, hopeIully to include Hungary and Romania.

Social research shows that young people in general view the European integration more
positively that the older generations but they know little about the diIIerent cultures in
Europe. Young people Irom Romania are extremely limited in their opportunities to travel
and gain Iirst hand experience Irom other countries. Besides the economic barriers which
also exist in the countries with even better industrial perIormance such as Hungary, young
Romanias (and this is valid Ior youth in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and other countries in
the region) have to meet visa requirements. Projects encouraging young people Irom
various parts oI the continent to come to know each other and be able to communicate
Ireely are oI great importance.

Profect Resources

The idea Ior this project originated Irom Gabor Farkas, leader oI the Future oI Europe
Association in Kecskemet and initially it was planned to include a group oI Ukrainian
youth, as well. The heart oI the proposed activities was team building exercises to Iacilitate
rapid co-operation between young participants with diIIerent national backgrounds.
However, the Iirst application Ior EU Iunding under the PHARE programme was
unsuccessIul. Only in Transylvannia in Romania another co-ordinator oI the project,
Mihaly Kocsis, Iound generous support Irom the president oI the county, but only to cover
the participation oI the Romanian group. That was why the Iirst meeting was organised in
Romania when additional Iunding was secured Irom the European Policy Committee,
KCC, the Youth Ior Europe, the Archbishop`s Fund and others.

63

The key criterion Ior recruitment oI participants, aged between 16 and 22, was showing a
keen interest in the welIare oI their community. The Iirst conIerence was held in Praid,
Transylvannia, in Romania, 19-27 August 1996. About 10 young people and two leaders
Irom each country were present. Participants were accommodated in timbered houses, set
in the hills on top oI a Salt Mine. The sessions were held in the Foresters` Centre. The
discussions moved Irom the general to the particular. Young people themselves started
identiIy world problems, then national problems and then their personal Irustrations.
Romanians shared with the group some very dramatic personal stories which were met with
a wave oI warm support by the other participants.

The team building exercises were also very popular and eIIective. Young people
demonstrated mutual respect and personal integrity. The group emerged Irom these
exercises powerIul and very able. The group also established contacts with the local
population and their customs. The participants attended a wedding and met many local
people, then visited the Salt Mine, swam in a volcanic lake, climbed a mountain, shopped.

The second conIerence, held in Kecskemet, Hungary, 7-14 February 1998, built upon the
results Irom the previous meeting. It continued intercultural discussions and Iocused more
on Hungary`s attempt to IulIil the entry requirements to the European Union. A visit to the
historical building oI the Parliament in Budapest was particularly appreciated by the
participants. A new element was the high attention oI the media. The young people were
interviewed on Hungarian Television.

The third conIerence took place at the Swarrenden Centre in Crabrook, Kent, the UK Irom
27 March till 3 April 1999. It provided a Iurther opportunity Ior the Iriendly exchange oI
ideas. The workshops held during the one-week meeting allowed the participants to
develop awareness oI each other`s skills and build interdependence. In the practical
exercises young people learnt to recognise customs and inIluences but reject stereotyping.
This time the accent was upon young people`s images oI Europe and their perceptions oI
diIIerent countries. A hotly discussed question was What should we keep and what should
we discard in an Ideal Europe?` Another Iocus was on personal development. Young
people shared their expectations and desired achievements in 10 years time.

Outcomes

The leader oI the English group Reg Colman assessed the results oI the project in the
Iollowing way: From the word 'go`, thev were a united group of 35, or rather, we were.
No one was left out, there were no cliques and evervones contribution was clapped... In
fiftv vears of involvement with voung people, in the Services, schools and Clubs, I have
never met a more encouraging and well-disposed group.

The conIerences organised by the project participants proved to be more than Iorms oI a
'talking shop. Young people`s contacts were maintained and strengthened. Many lasting
Iriendships were Iormed. The participants acquired Iirst hand knowledge oI other peoples`
culture. By sharing their visions oI the Iuture oI Europe they were bringing this Iuture
closer.

64

65

5. Guidelines for successful participation of young people in the social
transformation of their societies

The examination oI each case study along common indicators makes the comparison
between all them possible despite the great diversity oI the projects. This chapter oIIers a
classiIication oI the youth participation initiatives in an attempt to outline the Iactors
contributing to their success. The comparative analysis Iollows the three major indicators
used in the project descriptions: the problem situation oI the project, its resources and
outcomes.

The problem situation

Youth participatory activities presented in this study address a wide range oI problems
which are linked to the topical issues arising in the countries` transition to democracy and a
market economy. They have all approached a well-deIined problem situation conditions
which young people Iind to be in need oI a change and which they believed to be able to
inIluence. In Eastern European countries in time oI transition there is no lack oI unjust
conditions requiring repair. The objectives oI youth projects that tackled with the problem
situation have been accordingly diverse: Irom inIluencing national policy in parliamentary
elections to creating structures Ior youth participation in local politics, Irom encouraging
creativity in science and arts to educating young people about Aids and venereal diseases,
Irom constituting arboretums to collecting waste at schools. As shown in Table 1., the
youth experiments were realised at all three major levels oI participation: local, national
and international. The local community is the most common area in which young people
are active. Yet, some initiatives have had a wider scope and have initiated activities
covering the territory oI a given country or the whole oI the continent.

66

Table 1. Levels and Modes of Participation

Projects Scope oI
objectives
Level oI
participation
SelI-
determination
Involvement oI
participants
Formality oI
structures
Rock the Vote Narrow National High Medium High
Partners Ior a DC Medium Local High High Low
Strengthening oI YI Wide Local Medium High High
MEDINGO Medium Local Medium High High
ESCU Medium National High High High
Summer University Narrow National Medium Medium High
Raising Awareness Medium National High High High
Touching Reality Narrow Local Medium High High
Good places Medium Local Medium High Medium
Green Lungs Medium Local Medium High Low
School Competition Narrow Local High Medium Medium
Ecological Congress Medium National Medium Medium High
Computer Space Medium International High High High
PROM 2000 Wide Local Medium Medium High
Future oI Europe Medium International Medium Medium Medium


The table demonstrates that to achieve success, the project`s aims are not required to
be either wide or narrow but clearly set. A step-like approach Ior the more Iar aiming
initiatives is recommendable. To be able to deIine the problem situation accurately and
clearly and to share a belieI that you have the resources to inIluence it, is the Iirst key to
successIul youth participation.

Profect resources

The eIIectiveness oI youth participation experiments have been based on various personal
and organisational resources. The inIormation in Table 1. shows that young people have
achieved varying degrees oI selI-determination in the realisation oI their initiatives. In
some oI them youth autonomy has been very high, while in others young people have
managed the projects sharing the responsibilities with adult experts. In most oI the
participation experiments the involvement oI participants has been intense while in Iew oI
them it has been rather weak and temporary. Yet, every project has been a stepping stone
Ior new experiments and new Iorms oI involvement. The organisational structures which
young people have made use oI in their activities vary Irom inIormal groups to highly
structured organisations with a Iixed division oI labour. Many projects have been
successIul in developing the local youth associational inIrastructure and improving
volunteering opportunities Ior young people. The experiences oI young people participating
in projects such as Green Lungs, Partners Ior a Democratic Change, the SelI-Help Group oI
Roma youth show the need Ior more stable and oIIicial structures they have all started as
inIormal groups and then in the course oI project implementation discovered and
recognised the necessity Ior establishing more Iormal and oIIicially accepted structures.

67

On the whole, the comparative analysis oI the projects suggests that selI-determination in
youth participatory activities is a key to their success and a goal in itselI which however
can be realised with varying degrees oI adult involvement and in a multiplicity oI youth
organisational Iorms. InIormal structures may respond to young people`s attitude oI dislike
toward Iormal structures but established organisations serve many participatory Iunctions
better. We can make the recommendation to build more stable structures when aiming at
higher goals without neglecting the role inIormal groups can play in the initial stages oI
youth involvement in activities.

An indispensable resource Ior attainment oI the adopted goals is young people`s ability to
Iind inIluential allies in their eIIorts Ior improvement oI social liIe. Table 2. compares the
projects according to the level oI co-operation achieved by them with various social actors
in the course oI project implementation.

Most common turns out to be the support young people get Irom within the voluntary
sector. Some oI the projects have relied upon permanent Iorms oI collaboration with
another (usually adult) organisation such as the unity between the youth club Roma and the
Roma Foundation in Stolipinovo. Others, such as Partners Ior a Democratic Change, have
used the expertise oI older` youth organisations. A third group oI youth organisations
whose projects we have discussed here, are member oI international organisations Ior
example the Estonian Youth Nature Protection Association is a branch oI Youth and
Environment Europe. None oI the projects reported serious conIlicts between voluntary
organisations. In Iact, many projects have had as their goals to promote better
communication among the associations in the third nongovernment sector. For example,
the project Raising Awareness has sought to improve co-operation among ethnic
organisations in Poland, and ESCU between Student Councils in Estonia. A very
prominent Iactor Ior the eIIective realisation oI youth initiatives is the international co-
operation. Thus the participants in the Computer Space`98 have relied upon the support
Irom the European Cultural Foundation, Green Lungs on LEAD and the International
Discussion Club, the Summer School on Youth Ior Development and co-operation and
the Future oI Europe on the European Youth Association. The support Irom international
organisations proves invaluable with the expertise oI the proIessionals working there, with
their moral, political and Iinancial backing oI youth activities, with the opportunities to use
their network on the continent and globally. A high level oI co-operation between the youth
groups and voluntary associations Irom home and abroad is a very important key Ior youth
success.

Another signiIicant contributor to the accomplishment oI youth initiatives is the support
Irom the authorities. While some projects seem to be carried out albeit iI not directly in
opposition with ruling political elite as Rock the Vote, others such as the Computer Space
or Partners Ior a Democratic Change have met disinterest, neglect, and even hostility on the
part oI the local authorities. However, it has been the goal oI most oI the projects to achieve
a higher level oI understanding and collaboration with the structures oI power. In the
course oI many youth initiatives such as Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives in the Regions
and MEDINGO young people have established resourceIul contacts with the State Youth
Committees. Most organisations, among them those running the projects Good Places or

68

PROM 2000 have received crucial assistance Irom the Local Councils. The participants in
the Ecological Congress oI the Czech Republic have sought co-operation with both local
and central government. State authorities at various levels have provided Iunding, premises
and technology, political and moral support to youth initiatives.

Table 2. presents results Irom the comparison among the projects` achievements in
securing the assistance oI the media, general public and social research. All successIul
cases oI youth participation have sought the acknowledgement oI the mass media and their
involvement in the popularisation oI the project. The ability to use the opportunities Ior
reaching out to a wide audience and raising the public esteem oI the organisation has
played a key role in the realisation oI the initiatives. Some oI the youth groups such as
PROM 2000, Green Lungs, Partners Ior a Democratic Change have issued even their own
newsletters, newspapers, Web sides, even documentaries. Rock the Vote managed to attract
a remarkable scope oI attention paid by international media. Our study clearly conIers the
conclusion that to achieve a wide coverage by the media is very important Ior the success
oI the projects.

Media attention allows youth organisations to communicate with the public at large.
Citizen initiatives need wide citizen support. Most oI the projects have aimed at achieving
recognition Irom the public the local community and the society as a whole. Some have


6
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70
relied on a wide circle oI volunteers to participate in their activities, but all have sought the
moral backing and public conIidence in their participation eIIorts. The signiIicance oI
another Iactor social research emerges Irom the analysis oI the case studies. Some oI
the youth groups have used it Ior deIining the problem situation and setting up the project
objectives (Partners Ior a Democratic Change), others to pressure authorities to take
young people`s claims seriously (MEDINGO), and yet others to evaluate project results
(Good Places). The utilisation oI social research in youth participation initiatives is still to
be developed and can be promoted by international NGOs with longer experience oI such
cooperation.

Outcomes

On the whole, all the projects analysed in this study have achived the objectives they have
set up in the planning stage. The variation between the case studies is in the extent to which
they have accomplished their immediate goals. The same is true Ior the indirect eIIects
generated by their implementation. Table 3. presents the observed degrees in which the
youth initiatives have inIluenced individuals, groups and society as a whole.

71

Table 3. Project Outcomes

Projects Individual
participants
Youth
organisation
Youth as a
whole
Local
community
Society as
a whole
Youth
policy
Rock the Vote High Medium High High High Neutral
Partners Ior a DC High High Medium Medium Low Medium
Strengthening oI YI High High Medium High Medium Medium
MEDINGO Medium Medium Medium High Low High
ESCU High High High Medium Medium High
Summer University High High Medium Low High Medium
Raising Awareness High High Medium High Medium Medium
Touching Reality High High Medium High Low Low
Good places High High Medium High Medium Low
Green Lungs High High Low High Medium Low
School Competition High High Medium High Medium Low
Ecological congress High High Medium High Medium High
Computer Space High Medium High Medium High Medium
PROM 2000 High Medium Medium High Medium Low
Future oI Europe High High Medium Medium Medium Low

When evaluating the outcomes oI the projects it is obvious that their greatest inIluence has
been on individual participants, the least on society as a whole and even on youth policy.
We did not get enough detailed inIormation about the young people who took part in the
experiments on their Iamily and educational background, gender and ethnic diIIerences,
value orientations. It is clear that the membership has been diverse Irom school students
to young workers. Just a Iew oI the projects have involved young people at risk oI
marginalisation Good Places, Touching Reality, PROM 2000. The greater part oI the
projects have involved the most active young people and not yet those in greatest need. It
seems common Ior the youth participation experiments in Eastern Europe that they have
had a very thin spread. The most successIul projects in reaching their aims have been the
most narrowly targeted and with restricted impact on youth and society as a whole.

Nevertheless, the youth participation experiments have involved learning processes
enhancing individual knowledge and skills which in turn Iorm the basis Ior personal
autonomy and active participation in the social world. The participants have in Iact been
trained to become youth leaders accepting responsibility. Even iI the groups have dispersed
aIter the projects, the members have taken away with themselves valuable skills and
experiences.

The youth initiatives have made a signiIicant inIluence on the youth organisational
structures and personal skills. This is an investment and a guarantee Ior Iuture greater
inIluence not only on the local community but youth policy in the country and on the wider
society. Youth activism in post-communist societies is a Iorce to be considered by local and
national politicians alike when devising the Iuture course oI reIorms.

72
6. Impact of projects on the perspectives for youth participation in
Eastern Europe

The comparative analysis oI the youth participation experiences reveals a great diversity oI
their objectives, resources and outcomes. While the impact they have rendered on the
perspectives Ior youth participation also varies Irom project to project, it can be inIerred as
a general tendency that the reviewed Iorms oI youth citizen involvement address the most
typical barriers that have been inherited Irom the communist part and developed in the Iirst
years oI transition to democracy. In this chapter we consider again the problems enlisted in
the end oI Chapter 2.

One oI the major obstacles in Iront oI youth participation in the social liIe oI the
transitional societies in Eastern Europe has been young people`s declining interest in
representative politics. In our study we have one project directly opposing youth
unwillingness to take part in elections Rock the Vote in Slovakia. This undertaking has
been extremely successIul in encouraging Iirst time voters and youth aged to 24 to vote.
Other projects such as Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives, ESCU, Raising Awareness,
Ecological Congress and others have also contributed to combating the negative tendency
oI declining trust in political parties and politicians by allowing young people to get Iirst
hand experiences oI the Iunctioning oI the Parliament, the Government and other principal
institutions oI representative democracy. The Summer University, Partners Ior a
Democratic Change, MEDINGO and others have included education in the important
mechanisms oI political decision making and their success has given the young participants
a greater conIidence that they can inIluence the Iormulation and implementation oI policy
decisions. More youth initiatives are needed which to encourage young people`s
involvement in the devising oI youth policy in particular, but also, oI solutions to other
topical problems in the countries` development.

An impetus in the same direction provides youth involvement in local politics. The
centralisation oI political and social liIe typical Ior the communist regimes has raised a
strong barrier in Iront oI youth participation initiatives in post-communist societies by
making young people disinterested in governance on the regional and city levels. Many
youth initiatives have attempted to build adequate structures Ior youth involvement in local
government. Among the projects included in our sample Partners Ior a Democratic Change
and Strengthening oI Youth Initiatives in the Regions have made this their particular goal,
although other projects such as Good Places, MEDINGO, Ecological Congress have also
encouraged co-operation between youth organisations and local authorities. In these
experiments the participants have developed the necessary skills Ior organising a
discussion, leading a meeting, conIlict resolution, etc. These skills and structures will
undoubtedly widen the opportunities Ior Iurther youth participation in the managing oI
local communities.

We Iound out that it is usually the central authorities which distribute Iunds among youth
groups on a competitive basis. Very rarely Iinancing on the local level is available Ior
youth initiatives. Although there is a transIer oI Iuns and responsibility towards the

73
municipalities, the authorities there tend to neglect youth issues and are unwilling to allow
youth participation in managing such Iunds. Besides, Iinancing Ior youth projects is usually
provided on a short term basis the typical period is one year. Such a sponsorship
arrangement does not allow long-term planning oI youth activities and the sustainability oI
youth participatory structures. Another practice oI Iunding institutions which should be
reversed is the lack oI true interest in the evaluation oI project results. A special
requirement Ior assessment and publicity oI the eIIectiveness will make an important
contribution Ior increasing youth expertise in participation. It will also serve to attract
public attention and to reduce the attitude oI suspicion or denial oI youth voluntary
activities.

Another eIIect oI the analysed youth initiatives deserves a special mention their
contribution to vanquish the invisibility oI youth initiatives in the regions. From other
studies (Kovacheva, 1998) we know that co-operation among the new organisations in
Eastern Europe is low, particularly on the local level. Whenever such relationships exist,
they are usually vertical between the local organisation and the central organisation and
very rarely between the organisations in a given locality. Regional co-operation is a source
to be used in youth experiments Ior greater achievements and many oI the projects included
in our study have promoted such contacts.

Social research in post-communist countries, as well as some oI our corespondents in this
study, pointed at the wide spread unwillingness to participate in Iormal youth organisations
with regular membership and routinised activities. Unlike Western Europe, youth projects
directed particularly at creating oIIicial structures, are very common Ior youth activities in
the countries with Ieeble democracies. A whole group oI the projects analysed here have
been successIul in establishing youth participatory structures: school unions, town
councils, ecological clubs. Some projects such as MEDINGO and ESCU, have aimed at
creating umbrella organisations, while others such as Raising Awareness have Iounded
inIormation centres and data archives to strengthen existing ones. Partners Ior a
Democratic Change and Green Lungs have started Irom inIormal groups and developed
into oIIicially registered organisations. Youth associational liIe in Eastern Europe provides
a variety oI Iorms. There is still a need Ior more Ilexible models oI participatory
microstructures that are eIIective in post-communist societies.

The thin spread oI youth organisations among the young generation in the countries in the
region might be resisted by prioritising projects by underprivileged youth, as well as ones
which require collaboration between diIIerent groups among youth ethnic minorities and
majority, unemployed and selI-employed, those at school and those who have leIt it, etc.
Particular attention should be paid to young women. In Eastern Europe their participation
is hampered not only by the traditional prejudices about the proper` gender division oI
labour but also by the newly enIorced stereotypes with the transition to a market economy.
A Iurther involvement oI young people in the Iight against racism, anti-Semitism,
xenophobia and intolerance will enhance the opportunities oI many to become active
citizens oI their countries. Youth organisations themselves will be strengthened by a
partnership that rejects all Iorms oI social discrimination and this is particularly important
in societies which experience a steep rise oI social inequalities.

74

Unlike the West where youth participation is usually seen as a Iorm oI counter reaction
against the power concentration oI the welIare state, in the East it is expected to cover the
gap leIt by the contracting welIare state and promote the development oI the Ieeble civil
sector. Voluntary associations oI young people in post-communist countries customarily
work under the conditions oI limited material and technical resources, oI a shortage oI
qualiIied experts and consultants. A common problem Ior the newly established youth
associations in the region is the apparent lack oI traditions and expertise in voluntary
activities. All projects included in this study have purposeIully or as a side eIIect
contributed to the accumulation oI knowledge, skills and proIessional experience in the
Iield oI youth work. A very signiIicant impact on the perspectives Ior youth participation in
Eastern Europe comes Irom the pedagogical activities in the projects. The analysis oI the
projects clearly shows the need Ior combining education and personal experience and
conIirms the CDEJ recommendation to the member States oI the European Council to
develop new training in social pedagogy which to concentrate on theories about and
practical training in youth participation (CDEJ 1997: 21).

The main opponent in most oI young people`s initiatives in the new member states oI the
European Council has not been the adults, as in the West, but the state, the authorities. The
participants in the projects have more easily accepted assistance Irom youth workers and
adult volunteers but have oIten Iound that the authorities are not responsive enough to
youth needs. This might be a result oI the Iact that youth work under post-communism is
not an extensive and well Iunded Iield oI state policy and youth workers are not yet a
distinct proIessional group among the developing community oI social workers in the new
social Iabrics oI these societies. The cases oI collaboration between youth proIessionals and
young people clearly demonstrate the need oI a new quality oI youth work more
proIessional with its specialised knowledge and more Ilexible to Iace the speciIic needs oI
protracted and uncertain youth transitions.

The youth participation experiments reveal a situation in which very rarely there is a link
between youth work and youth research. While in the West the relationship between youth
research, policy and practice is an issue Ior discussion (See Ior example Williamson, 1999)
in Eastern Europe a viable and eIIective triangle between the three is still to be established.
It is possible that young people tend to view research as closer to state authorities and their
concerns rather than as a means oI making youth voices heard. However, greater is the
inIluence Irom the weakness oI social research to secure clear and reliable messages Ior
policy and practice. The state itselI is still unable to see and to oIIer an adequate support Ior
the role which youth research can play in mediating between the structures oI policy
development, youth work and social participation oI young people.

Conclusion

With the start oI the social change in Eastern Europe in 1989 young people in the region
lost their ideologically constructed mission to build a brave new world. In the course oI
wide-scale political and economic reIorms youth has either neglected or perceived as a
group posing mostly problems to society. Our study indicates that the Iirst post-communist

75
generation can be and already is an actor that participates in designing the ways in which
their countries transIorm.

Young people`s initiatives have aimed at desired changes in the spheres oI national politics
and local government, school and university management, human rights, preservation oI
nature, education, arts, recreation. The problem situations, which they addressed, have all
been acute and unjust conditions in need oI a change, in young people`s perceptions. Even
when the participants have organised a single event like a school competition they have
managed to achieve their goal and develop conIidence in their skills and the opportunities
to change things.

Young people have used various resources in the realisation oI their objectives. Particularly
important among the Iactors Ior success oI youth participation experiments have been the
co-operation between youth groups and other organisations in the voluntary sector and
international movements, as well as media coverage and public support. The
implementation oI youth projects have contributed to the creation and promotion oI new
participatory structures at local, national and international level. They are an important
Ioundation Ior advancing democracy and active citizenship in Europe.

Our research has shown that youth initiatives can play a key role Ior enhancing European
integration. The participants in many projects have maniIested their wish Ior intercultural
exchanges. Their common experiences have helped them learn to respect their diIIerences
and in the same time to try to build upon them Ior better achievements. The critical
reIlection on one`s own experiences in the process oI shared discoveries has allowed young
people to develop new insights and perspectives on one`s own society. The Iirst publication
on youth participation in the countries oI the European Council (Boukobza 1998: 20) has
stressed the need oI extension oI participation projects to all European young people,
through youth mobility in Europe. Young people in the new member States are even more
eager and ready to join in the move to Europeanisation even beIore their countries meet the
entry requirements oI some oI the European structures. Common youth initiatives are to be
encouraged to unite symbolically diIIerent European regions advanced and depressed,
East and west, North and South and thus build a real basis Ior the Iormation oI an European
identity in the new generation. In these eIIorts regional co-operation in youth participation
should also be promoted is it possible in the Baltics, or the Black Sea region or in the
Balkans to have a similar model oI collaboration in the youth Iield as the one among the
Nordic countries?

The experience in participation is an important Ioundation Ior young people`s transIorming
into active resource parsons, not only Ior their own development but also Ior that oI their
local communities. In Eastern Europe in particular, young people view their societies as
being in transition and they expect that they can be part oI it, inIluencing its direction. They
also expect that in this process they will become citizens oI a wider community that oI
Europe as whole and be involved in its development. The question remains whether the
national and European structures are Ilexible enough to accept that young people may
demand to juventicise established social conditions.

76
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