Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Year 1th
No 1
January, 2002

EUROPE
E UROPE HOUSE
SLAVONSKI BROD
CROATIA

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

INTRODUCTION

Although many young people mature both biologically and

emotionally faster not earlier, they still, as it was the case fifty
years ago, belong to a suppressed and undermined minority in
the world in which adults have imposed their own values. They
are misused by all those who sell something. The young are the
medium which is being exploited by the trading of everything
that is fast, pleasant and superficial.They are numerically superior but the old ones due to their bigger concern about their
health have become long-lived and more capable to withold their
position in the world and barries which prevent young people
from having a more active and higher- graded approach to the
world of the adults. Therefore, the generation gap is nowdays
defined by socio- economic questions rather then by the psychical ones. The grown ups have created a world for themselves as
well as for the young and by doing so they impose that kind of
world as a role model. All around the world it is hard to be young
especially in the poorer countries, the transitional countries and
the ones struck by war. Many parents project the atmoshere of
hostility, hate and fear in which they live onto their children who
also become anxious, xenofobic, intolerantThe others with a
more passionate need for social justice loudly react to the appearance of hypocracy, double standards, ignorance backwardness in
the world of grown ups
The adolescence is a period of life which is being experienced
fully , although sometimes also with difficulty, when young people become aware of themselves and their possibilities.
How can we help them to find the true values?
By giving them a role in the communities in which they live.
The society in general is because of isolation and marginalization
suffering directly and in long terms. One of the major goals is to
increase the level of participation and decision making in the
local communities. One cannot deny that one has up to now
shown a significant attention through many project activities but
they have been rather passive- they were the ones who accepted
the services and not those who were supposed to be active in the
creating of the content of the programme.
With our newspapers, which have been dedicated to the participation of the young people in the small local communities, our
intention is to induce a stronger and a more qualitative co- operation between the youth and the representatives of the local
authorities- institutions, organizations, schools- all those who
would help young people in their growth and development.
Young people should be involved in the life of the local community. One should enable them to live inside their schools, towns
and religions. Therefore with this newspaper we shall represent
all those cities, organizations and schools which give the best
example of the co- operation with the young people.
By bringing information from different parts of the Europe
we would like to get to know people with positive experiences and
theeir way of involvement in the affairs of their communities. We
would also like to actuate cities and schools to implement as much
as possible other educational programmes which promote the
education on human rights and which support the participation
of the young people in the activities of their schools. The inducement of the international exchange may play a very important
role in the promoting of the economic life of the regions in
Europe.
We shall present cities, institutions, societies and schools
which most adequatly evaluate the needs of the young people;
those which co- operate with the young people and which want to
implement all the activities. These must not have any prejudicies
such as discrimination, colour of skin, social or cultural minorities. We shall also present some of the leading hints which can
help in the realization of such projects.
The aim of the newspapers is getting acquainted with those
cities, institutions, organizations and schools which stimulate the
particiption of the young people.
If we take into consideration the political, economic and cultural problems with which Europe is confronted today- the world
in genera is faced with rasism nationalism amd all other forms of
intolerance. Therefore we think that iti is of great importance to
give space to young people who are most certainly better creaters
of our future.
Editor

January, 2002

AUSTRIA

Project Margaretner Cowboys

Horse Riding in Ybbsertal

The Austrians have recently come up

with an idea of setting up a project with
young people aged 11 to 14 who hang out in
districts where people sell drugs. They mostly hang out in parks near schools and tram
stations. These places are known as the
Drug Scene. In order to make them aware of
the drug problems we decided to make a
group of 5 people and to take them to
Ybbsertal to spend three days there. During
our stay we have not only dicussed the main
issues but we also went horse riding, we
went on a small pleasant trip to
Hollensteiner Hallenbad and on the third day
we had a barbecue.
We have put the emphasis of our project
Margaretner Cowboys on the prevention of
drug abuse. Our main aim was to find out
what kind of approach individual young
people have to drugs and to offer them a
way out of it.
Igore, Markus, Messed, Dusko, Alex Annelies & Hossein
Therefore, during the project we have
had discussions about drug abuse and its
impact on people, addiction, strengths and
weaknesses, etc. Our goal was to make them trust us and turn to us whenever they they needed us.
Within these three days we have also worked on the social behaviour of the young people. It was clear to us that peer groups
are very important to young people and therefore we also payed attention to the strengthening of friendships as well as on the forming of the new ones. These five young ones have, among other things also learned how to solve conflicts and how to make compromises.
When we got back home we realised that we could use these five young people to attract more young people. In this way the
chances of them hanging out in the places where drugs are being sold would dicrease.
We took photographs of our sessions and recorded them and will use them for our new members.

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

There is not way to peace, Peace is the way

Abstrasct appeals for tolerance and

reconciliation dont work in Ranka
Mandics experiance. Mandic is the principal of the Serbian elementary school
Joban Ducic in Kasindo, a small town in
the Republic of Srpska, near Sarajevo.
According to her, everyday experiance is
better than peace theory. Along with the
principals of a nearby kroatian school and
a Bosnian-Muslim school, she has started
a visiting and exchange program in
which, for instance, a Serbian educator
teaches English to Bosnian children, the
teachers from all three schools meet to
exchange ideas or the children all participate in athletuc competitions which are
enthusiastically attended by their parents.

Peace is not constituted by the abscence

of war. Peace is a virtue, an attitude of
mind, an inclination toward benevolence,

trust and justice.

Baruch de Benedictus Spinoza
(1632-1677) Dutch philosopher.

We must create a world in which there

are no unknown, hostile aliens at the other
end any missiles.
Betty Williams (born 1943), Nothern
Irish holder of the Nobel Peace Prize.

organized a program of visits and interchange with a Croat and a Muslim school.
Schoolkids hold up banners in blue(Serb),
green(Croat), and red (Muslim), all reading Mir (peace).

You make peace witg enemies, you

dont make peace with your friends.
Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995),
Israeli prime minister.
There is no way to peace, Peace is the
way.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948),
Indian peace campaigner.

School of tolerance: Jovan Ducic, a

Serbian junior school near Sarajevo, has

DOBRINJA GRAMMAR SCHOOL in Sarajevo

You might have heard and read many nice

things about Dobrinja Grammar School. Its
one of the youngest high schools in Bosnia
and Herzegovina. It was founded during the
war, at the time when Dobrinja the part of
Sarajevo was under fierce siege. Therefore, it
was formed out of necessity and due to the
hardships it was confronted with, earned the
status of one of the most respectable schools,
not only in Sarajevo.This human and pedagog-

ical challenge was answered by many teachers,

some of whom are still with us.
The school is situated in three business
premises, having no building of its own, with
682 pupils in 23 classes. Many local and foreign
visitors are willing to help the teachers and
pupils to settle down in a firm building. The
school building would be a tribute to youth
who decided to stay and survive at the time
when it made no sense whatsoever.
But these obstacles have been a great
stimulus for teachers and students to develop
their creativeness and actively to take part in
realisation of many differnt projects, such as:
making postcards; ecological group; debate
and dialog projects; The World Frendship
Federation, Civitas project, The Childrens
Parliament etc.
Much effort is put into creating and carring out the project
The Bridge of
Friendship between Grammar School in

Lukavica (the
Republic of
Srpska) and
M e d i c a l
School in Banja Luka. Classical
Grammar School
from Zagreb
is the school
with
which
were presently
working
together on
differnt projects.
S o m e
projects have
been successfully carried out, others are to be approved
and worked on, and were always more than

willing to take part in projects that may be

offered to us.
Mukadesa Mai}, teacher

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

BULGARIA

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE

BULGARIAN EUROPEAN CLUBS

NABEC is a non-profit public

organisation.

It has been established in April 2000, initially associating 18 Students European Clubs
from all over Bulgaria, which number presently amounts to 36. These clubs are voluntary
organisations of students and teachers from
secondary and high schools as a form of
extracurricular activity. Recently the NABEC
was joined by its youngest European Club representatives the little Europeans of four
kindergartens from the city of Sofia.
Each European Club, in particular, undertakes initiatives of its own according to its student members capabilities and interests. The
activities include: discussions concerning different issues of the European integration and
the institutions, the administration and the
policiess of the European Union; subjects of
interest to members; studying the cultural traditions of other European nations; publishing
of information bulletins and articles; organising celebration and anniversary events; corresponding with fellow club members from
Europe, etc.

For NABEC 2001 was a year of

activities and initiatives

NABEC participates in the European education project to elaborate a Collection of 800

proverbs in more than 20 European languages,
coordinated by the European House, managed
by Bojika Seldik in the town Slavenski Brod in
the Republic of Croatia.
The participation of NABEC was unique
in implementation. By means of prompt, exact
and strict correspondence only by e-mail the
European??? clubs of 9 schools the
Technical College in Electronics in Sofia, presenting pictures as well, the Technical College
in Economics in Dobritch, the Secondary
Comprehensive School Christo Botev in
Dobritch, the Secondary Comprehensive
School Dimitar Talev in Dobritch, the
Technical College in Chemistry and
Biotechnology in Sofia, the Secondary
Comprehensive School No.105 in Sofia, the
Secondary Comprehensive School No.4 in
Sofia, the Secondary School in Mathematics
and Natural Sciences in Gabrovo, the
Technical College in Economics in Pernik, for
the first two months of the year succeeded in
finding the Bulgarian?? equivalents of the
proverbs, collected by the Croatian partners
and the proverbs, provided to them in English
and Croatian languages. Since the very beginning of the year the clubs demonstrated their
willingness to work, and the Association
flexibility and organization skills.
During the 3rd Academic Forum of the
European Youth Parliament in Marseille
/France, held under the patronage of the
President of France Jacques Chirac, the Prime
Minister Lionel Jospin and the President of the

European Parliament Nicole Fontaine in

August 2001 the Bulgarian participants from
NABEC worked in commissions, discussing
and passing resolutions, which were submitted
to Brussels.
NABEC organized an International
Workshop A star, striving to the family of
other stars according to a project under the
Europe Program of the European commission,
held in the period 24.05.-27.05.2001in the
Golden Sands Resort. Guests of the
Workshop? were His Excellency Mr. Luis
Gonsaga Fereira -Ambassador of the Republic
of Portugal to Bulgaria from 1987 to 1993, The
Vice President of the Portuguese Bulgarian
Association for Culture, Education and
Science Mrs. Maria Fereira, the Manager of
the International Network of the European
clubs Mrs. Alice Terivel, the National
Coordinator for Bulgaria International
Network of the European clubs Mrs. Zdravka
Naydenova. This Workshop enabled the
NABEC members throughout the country to
experience unique moments in meetings with
their fellows from France and Belgium, as well
as interesting persons guests of the
Workshop.
The unusual forms of presentation of the
topics discussed under the project made the
participants think and gave them an impetus to
break the traditional setting of a Workshop.
It is hard to believe, but during the
Workshop people from four countries met for
the first time, and in the course of the following days they lived with the feeling, that they
have always known each other. They communicated spontaneously, frankly and eagerly.
The meeting passed as an example of contemporary relations among young and old in a
new, democratic Europe.
The project work activated the Bulgarian
young people, members of the European clubs
to look for more information about the
European Union, to go to libraries and to make
use of the possibilities, available in Internet, to
summarize the collected information, to analyze and to interpret it, according to their
opportunities. And all this during the extracurricula activities, without obstructing their
school works !
During the Workshop the Bulgarian young
people experienced their European belonging
and they were proud to demonstrate their
national identity.
The Workshop proved, that there are dedicated Bulgarian teachers, depriving themselves from their personal time in the name of
the cause the European clubs, centers for formation of European consciousness in the
young people and our recognition in the
United Europe.
During the Workshop the young people
actually proved, that the Bulgarian star is really striving to the family of the other stars!

NABEC organized a national meeting of

the Bulgarian European clubs - topic Folk
Art, viewed by professional and young performers in the town of Ihtiman /17.11.18.11.2001. Representatives of 24 club??? ??
Sofia, Plovdiv, Dobritch, Gabrovo, Dupnitza,
Pernik, Ihtiman, Burgas and Tchepelare were
present. A folk-style show was performed by
representatives of the pre-school sector of
NABEC the European club at kindergarten
No. 39 in Sofia.
Being very kind, full of emotions and
beauty the children made a folk tour around
Europe. They also made a strong impression
with their nice costumes, in unison with their
dance. Excited parents, grandmothers, brothers
and sisters came to become familiar with the
European clubs, members of NABEC. With
this folk European show, the children have
shown, that as we all can dance, we could be
closer to these nations, I=e= to live together.
The interesting poet Mrs. Maria Bakalova
made a comparison with a computer poem and
stimulated the audience to reflections, discussions, comparisons.
The hosts presented Bulgarian folklore and
habits. Inspired by the artistic presentation, the
chemists from the Chemical Technical College
in Sofia danced the Bulgarian folk dance
Rachenitza and demonstrated that each
Bulgarian can master these rhythms

NABEC supports the

inert-club activities

A cordial meeting between the European

clubs of the Secondary Comprehensive School
No.13 - Sofia and ??? - Sofia and guests from
Portugal was held at the Ministry of Education
and Science. It was attended by Mr. George
Markush Secretary with the Embassy if the
Republic of Portugal, Mrs. Zdravka
Naydenova National Coordinator from the
International Network of the European clubs,
Mrs. Vera Orishanova, Ministry of Education
and Science. The Portuguese fellows were surprised, how in a country so far away from their
country, the children know about the
Portuguese discoverers, recite poems of
Portuguese poets and speak their language
/February 2001.
NABEC supports the activities of the
Bulgarian European clubs, coordinate the
activities of the Bulgarian European clubs, by

effecting links between them, providing information materials about the European Union,
etc.
NABEC helps making contacts for the
Bulgarian school European clubs with school
students from the European countries, by
assisting its members to find partnership under
international projects.
The European clubs at the Secondary
Comprehensive School Konstantin Preslavsky in Burgas and the Secondary School in
Mathematics and Natural Sciences in Gabrovo
were hosts to the European club of the Arts
Lyce in Antwerpen/Belgium under the
Zornitza project, dedicated to the rediscovery
of Bulgaria, which ended with a mobile photo
exhibition in the Belgian town.
As a result of the contacts, provided by
NABEC the following events were held:
Meeting between the European club and
the management of Secondary Comprehensive
School No.13 - Sofia with the President of the
International Network of the European clubs
Mrs. Alice Tervel, H.E. Mr.Gonzaga Fereira
Ambassador of the Republic of Portugal to
Bulgaria between 1987-1993 and the National
Coordinator of the International Network of
the European??? club???. A heated discussion
was carried out on the topic Specific issues of
the translation from Portuguese into
Bulgarian? language.
Meeting between the European club at the
Secondary Comprehensive School Christo
Botev in Ihtiman with fellows from Illiavo
/Portugal and at the Maria-Pia College Lisbon/Portugal, where the school students
demonstrated Bulgarian traditions, folklore,
habits and promoted the National Culture.
Meeting between the European club at the
Private Secondary Comprehensive School
ESPA- Sofia and the Portuguese writer
Pedro Tamen and his wife.
Acquaintance of the European club at the
Arts Lyce in Marseille/France with the curriculum, organization and the life in Secondary
Comprehensive
School
No.7
Sv.
Sedmotchislenitzi as well as its European
club. The meetings, discussions without language barrier brought both clubs closer and set
the beginning of further mutual activities
/May 2001.
Krasimira VasilevaChairman of NABEC

ONE STAR DASHED AT THE FAMILY OF

OTHERS STARS

Krasimira Vasileva Chairman of

NABEC
Zdravka Naydenova Coordinator for
Bulgaria from the International Net of the
European Clubs

In the frames of the Europe the separate

countries are in different stage of development. This insists increase efforts for investment in the human resources in the education
and the bringing up of the young people in
our country. If we do not invest in the education and the bringing up of the young people
if we do no examine the reality and do not
react adequately to the changes in our society with more methods and work we shall sustain all negative consequences and shall
appear in the social and cultural periphery of
Europe.
The European Clubs in the schools give a
possibility for obtaining and distributing of
information for the European Union as well
in the school program which is not enough,
in search of the Bulgarian participation and
contribution in national and personal aspect
in the integration of the European countries
for examination of our good qualities as the
mutual consideration of the Bulgarian values

that we have to affirmative before the United

Europe.
Our joint project with European Clubs
from Lyce in Marseille /France and Lyce in
Antwerpen/Belgium - One star dashed at
the family of other stars rise the interest of
the Bulgarian students to a reality that still do
not exist in their live but in which they shall
be. It gave the possibility to the youths in
Bulgaria to feel as a part from the star family of Europe.
The great work for the project helped for
turning the European Clubs in an institution
that helps to the schools forms the personality with its multi activities so they can feel
equal to their coevals from the countries in
European Union. On practice this clubs work
as dynamic centers for the realization of the
youths as a medium where their education
and bringing up acquire European dimensions European spirit and behavior i.e the
method of the dialog was applied, the
exchange and deep mutual acknowledgment,
freedom of the spirit. They help to be encouraged the participation in the preservation and
the integration of the national cultural heritage and traditions in an European consciousness in a global perspective, to be

Continues on next page

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

formed an active position considering the

future.
The realization of the project will help the
young people in Bulgaria to construct independent wealth system shall answer to their

needs for self-estimation and actualization of

their knowledge. The activities for the realization of the project which are under the form of
partnership of group searching of the truths in
the contemporary world give the possibility to

January, 2002
the students to acquire new methods to create
new connections and to participate in the
democratization and the europeization of
Bulgaria. They outlined the European perspective that shall open and connect Bulgaria with
the fate of the continent and the united countries and the students are able to examine the
world around which is changing so tomorrow
they can participate and feel well in it as citizens and as personalities.
The leaded conversations and storming
debates during the seminar made it clear that it
was useful for the communication as a preposition for clearing of the ethical values connected with the citizenship, freedom and the
dignity of the youths it gave a possibility to
them to feel their place in the democratic society.
The dialog between the youths in the seminar brought back the trust, formed a possibility for cooperation, broke the ice and it helped
to be created a long-lasting communication
and friendship, as well it increase the national
self-confidence and assisted very much for the
development of their communicative skills, it
returned back their confidence in their own
power.
The created long-lasting connections gave

High technical school Sl. Brod

High technical school is a school with long tradition. It has been working for over half a century. The
school has always tried to adjuast itself to time, peoples needs and market demands.
Every year the technical school gets more and more
attractive to students. According to officially published
competition all occupations are filled during the first
enrolment.
The increased interest of students for technical
school is most certainly the result of the following:
qualified personnel
enthusiastic teachers who are not only active during
the classes but they are also included in many
activites outside the school
(informatics, technical creativity, radio amateurs,
radio station, etc.) We are also promoting the competitive spirit of the students through our participation in many competitions on the state level in the
following fields:
architecture
traffic
electrical engineering
mechanical engineering
We encourage competitions from the following
subcjects:
I Informatics
II Technical Creativity
III Young innovators
IV Croatian language
V Europe in school
In the school year 1999/2000 the following results
have been accomplished:
competitions on the country level Matice hrvatske
Award: final students works 16 awarded works in
1) electrical engineering
10 works
2) architecture
2 works
3) mechanical engineering
2 works
4) traffic
2 works
Competitions on the state level
electronical engineering: 1st, 3rd place
technical creativity:
2nd place
Europe in school:
3rd place
Lidrano:
5th place
International competitions
The international olympics GENIUSE 2000 BudapestGENIUS medal
The international olympics GENIUSE 2000 Budapest bronze medal
IENA 2000 Nurnberg silver medal
This year students are being enrolled for the following occupations:
technician for electrical engineering
electrical engineer
computer technician in the mechanical engineering
architecture technician
postal technician
technician for telecommunications
Technical school has got 29 classes, i.e. 891 students, 56 highly skilled teachers and six fellow-workers.

We would like this school to be a school of this time as

well as the school of the future. Therefore in this school
year we have organized:
Council of pupils
Council of parents
and we have organized a seminar of Quality School
for teachers.
The programme of the Quality School has been
organized in five shifts. Each shift lasts 24 hours. We
have done that in order to make the school more successfull and in order to improve the communication
between parents, teachers, and students.
For exceptionally creative work our school has
received a Ministers Acknowledgment on October,
2000 as the only school in our county and as the one of
13 other schools in the state. This acknowledgment is
most certainly the highest acknowledgment any school
can get. It incorporates our work from the day our
school became independent ( 1990 ).
Beside the Ministers Acknowledgment we also
received the Acknowledgment of our town in the year
1998, and the Charter for our work from the County
Assembly. We are very proud of all these awards, but
we see it also as a commitment for better and more
responsible work.
Technical school is known for its students, work and
humanity of its teachers.
This is a school of work, order and togetherness.

a base for further cooperation and mutual initiatives of the European Clubs in the schools
from different regions in the country and
abroad.
The collecting of information and materials for the EU the preparation and the search of
not traditional ways for representation of the
obtained knowledge, helped for the independent research work and had a great influence
upon the youths.
This way the youths felt the power of the
light of their Star and shall manage to use
without the need of reflected light or a shadow.
With merit they can stand in the family of
shining European stars with the feeling of
responsibility and citizens attitude to the
processes in the society.
The participation in the meeting of youths
from Bulgaria, France and Belgium leaded to
acknowledging of the European traditions and
dances to the distribution of the Bulgarian culture and increase of the personal and national
self-confidence of the Bulgarian students,
which is very important in the present project
that shall obtain new dimensions and the light
from our star shall be brighter.

CROATIA

THE SCHOOL OF QUALITY

Substitution
of Roles Student
Teacher
was
organised on 23rd
November 2001 as
a whole-day activity within the project of the School
of Quality. The
purpose of this
project was for
students to show
what kind of
school they want
to have, e.i. we
tried to make the
The teacher took on students part when he
relationship
forgets slippers for school
between students
lastest approaches to teaching. They
and teachers more democratic. In
also expect more understanding
preparation and realisation of this
between them and teachers in the
project there were 196 students taking
future.
on teachers part and 58 teachers takTeachers assessed this project with
ing on students part for the whole
the mark very good as well as students
day.
did with the remark that students
The principal of school was substiwanted this project to be done again
tuted by I.Krajnovi}, a student and the
more often than teachers did.
school pedagogues part was taken on
Adventures were talked over for
by M.Gari}, a student. The results of
days after the project of substitution of
the surveys done in the questionaires
Roles as well as coments on the choice

Students took on parts of the school pedagogue and the principal

before and after substitution of roles

show students satisfaction with this
project and with lessons which were
interesting and fearless that day and
with teachers who were more open
and flexible.
The students suggestions are: different way of work in the process of
teaching where students will be more
involved and independent and the

of type of music that was played during break (the teachers had an opportunity to listen to the music from
their time and broadcast it over
radio station of Technical high school).
Special radio shows were broadcasting everything and they were stimulating good cooperation and entertainment.

EUROPE
HOUSE
SLAVONSKI
BROD

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

YOUTH
PARLIAMENT SLAVONSKI BROD

Youth Parliament is a pilot

project for establishment of parliament of Croatian youth, in
which will be included and aded
ten more croatian towns. Youth
Parliament is a project which will

On the second meeting of

Youth Parliament of the City
Slavonski Brod, which was held
on May 25th 2001 was chosen 7

members of Government and the

president of the government
Veronika Gabri}.
On September 27th 2001 was

held the third meeting in which

also took part representatives of
the city authorities of the norway
cities Sandnes and Strand, one of

January, 2002

Government of the City Slavonski Brod, in the presence of

guests from Norway, have conducted through meeting on which
representatives have asked members of the Government different
questions about sport fields in the
city and about ecological conditions. Youth Parliament was
introduced with the results of
inquiry that was conducted
through, about sex.
On the end of the meeting,
were represented projects of 6
schools of the City Slavonski
Brod, and after two circles of voting for the best project was
pronaunced project of secondary
school Matija Antun Reljkovi}, to
which was given, for founding
horse club, 10 000 kunas from
Europe House Slavonski Brod.

VISIT TO NORWAY

Members of Youth Parliament

take part in realization of intertheir secondary school and Geir
grational idea of all european
Hetland, national coordinator of
countries from decisions made by
Youth Parliament in Norway,
young people in schools and in
who will follow of the Youth
width community to institutions
Parliament of the City Slavonski
and the most important city,
Brod.
regional and (inter) national
These two towns from
institutions.
Norway are also participators in
Youth Parliament of the City
european project Health cities
Slavonski Brod gathers 36 memas Slavonski Brod, which started
bers that attend 5 primary and 7
School of Democracy as a part of
secondary schools.
this project. So it was a great
oportunity to exchange experience
and
new knowle d g e
between
guests from
Norway and
inhabitants
of the City
Slavonski
In the presence of Marija
B r o d .
Pej~inovi}, minister assistant in
Guests from
Ministry for european integration
N o r w a y
of Republic of Croatia and other
h a v e
rd
guests, on May 3 2001 in the
expressed
City holl of Slavonski Brod is
common
held an institutional meeting of
pleasure in
Youth Parliament of the City
cooperating in international projSlavonski Brod. Following repreect and in results of international
sentatives who gave their festive
project of european Youth
oath, for first president of Youth
Parliament in which is also
Parliament of the City Slavonski
included Youth Parliament of the
Brod is chosen Marko Blagovi},
City Slavonski Brod.
pupil from Gymnasium Matija
Yo u t h Pa r l i a m e n t a n d
Mesi}.

ABOUT WORK OF
YOUNG MEMBERS
OF PARLIAMENT

Europe House Aurich intend to

organize a big chat-meeting about
International Youth meeting at
Europe House in Aurich on weekend
12.-13.01.2002.
The times of chat-meetings are going to be: Saturday,
th
12 of January and Sunday, 13th of January between
10.00 and 12.00 am on German time.
They will invite several groups from different countries to take part; La Coruna/ Spain, The Wanderers
Pielavesi/ Finland, European Youth Group Cyprus,
Europe Houses Zagreb and Slavonski Brod / Croatia,
Meols Cop Youth Centre Southport/ England, Clare
Youth Service Ennis/ Ireland, Nowy Staw Lublin/
Poland, Europahaus Aurich/ Germany.
There would be four channels: The first one is
Youth meeting, main and official channel.

Zlatko Sal~inovi} and Izidor

Krajnovi}, together with their
profesor Mrs.Maja Juki}, have
been guests in Norway, on the
seminar Democracy project that
was held from 6th till 11th

November, where have been 10

pupils, reprezentatives from five
Croatian towns Slavonski Brod,
Labin, Metkovi}, Vara`din and
Vinkovci. That was a great oportunity for young Croatian representatives to see how Youth
Parliament functions there, cause
they have a long year tradition
and big significance.
That was a good experience
and a good example on which
they have learned how and why is

Croatian group which will participate in chat-meeting

necessary to promote taking part

of young people in local democratical deciding and also in
school. There is a new knowledge
now which will be immediately
applied in development of democratical youth societies in the City
Slavonski Brod.

On the second one Program channel youngsters

could talk about program of meetings in March in
Aurich, Germany. The third channel Free time is for
discussing about freetime activities on seminar in Aurich,
theme-parties, regulations and about international dinner.
And fourth channel is for meeting friends in net.
The organizer made some interview for leaders
because they wanted to know theirs opinions. About
questions from interview leaders should discuss beforehand in theirs groups and make than theirs answers and
ideas which are they than present on chat-meetings.
The reason why are these chat-meetings organized is
because in view of Europe House Aurich chat-meeting is
a very good way to involve people in theirs projects - to
let them really participate. In these chat-meetings youngsters could talk about expectations, experiences they
made before, plans they made in theirs national groups
and about ideas they would like to spread out.
The organizer of meeting expect that there would participate more than 40 people from 7 countries.
After the chat-meeting German group will set up a
summary and send it to others by e-mail.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

The reason and the way of inception of the Dicitonary of proverbs

The reality of European societies lies in its diversity. Europe is the cradle for people from
different cultural communities and these are mainly distinguished through languages

Our planet has around six billions

of people who speak between 6000
and 7000 languages. Diversity of languages and of cultures, as in the case
of biodiversity, is increasingly being
seen as a good and beautiful thing in
itself. Each language has its own way
of seeing the world and is the product
of its own particular history. All languages have their individual identity
and value, and all are equally adequate as modes of expression for the
people who use them.
The diversity and numerousness
of languages and cultures is rather
impressive but also intriguing. The
question is : Do people in things
that divide them the most also find
something that connects them? Is
there a homogeneity in this heterogeneousness ? We have tried to recognize and to express this very same and
therefore common thing by means of
proverbs.
Proverbs are one of the oldest
ways of expressing human thoughts,
which can be found in different cultures of the world; Sumerian,
Hebrew, Old-Greek, Old-Roman,
Islamic, Chinese, etc. They have been
present in the Croatian language
since the oldest periods of literacy.
The smallest, authentic literary form
of specific aesthetics and realization
expresse the judgement, moral, and
attitude very precisely because it is
the consequence of the experience of
a confirmed time. It equalizes the history with the contemporaneousness
pithily and picturesquely. A proverb
is a catchword passed on from generation to generation because it has
managed to observe and to standardize human phenomena the all time
truth. Still today, it has not stopped
being favoured it operates with the
experience that has been confirmed
by time. Because of its suggestiveness,
preciseness, and experience it has
been used in traditional forms, but
also in transformed and paraphrased
ones. Therefore it is even more applicable/suitable for different contexts,
where it gets the real meaning and
strength.
We have created a multilingual
dictionary of proverbial equivalents in
Croatian, English, German, Greek,
Russian,
Bulgarian,
Latvian,
Lithuanian, Dutch, Norvegian,
Swedish, Finnish, Romany, Italian,
French, Roumanian, Hungarian,
Polish, Slovenian and Spanish in
order to point out, by contrasting the
proverbs, how different civilizations
in different languages respect, if not
the same then similar systems.
One of our intentions when writing this dictionary of proverbs was to
show that Croatian language nurtures
its customary, moral and language
tradition and that it is not incompatible with other European societies.
Moreover, for centuries it has been a
part of the same cultural, civilizational and European tradition. The
proverbial riches of Croatian language are as diverse as the riches of
other languages. Further on, it has
not only followed cultural events in
Europe, but it has sometimes been
one step ahead of them. Our second
aim was to prove how in different civilizations, national cultures and different languages, together with the
Croatian language, one respects and
nurtures the mutual and identical values. The old, humanistic values are to
be found in the achievements of every
nation. The spirit of universality is
embedded in the homeland of every

nation.
This dictionary should confirm
the old thesis of all humanists who
would like to point out that in various
societies, from the most primitive to
the most developed one, everywhere
in the world it is worth to speak the
truth, to be brave, to help the disabled, to be generous. On the other
hand, it condemns people who hurt
others, steal or are being selfish.
Naturally, people do not always
behave according to certain values.
But it is essential that people know
that every civilization disintegrates
when foible becomes the rule of
behaviour. The whole Europe together with us, is searching for stable
moral values and people, not only
with words but also with acts, increase
the hope in the world in which the
moral values and in which causes of
indignity will be elimenated as the
negative of pure human life.
With regard to the number of languages in which we wanted to find
meaningful equvalents for Croatian
proverbs and in regard to the great
number of our associates that we
tried to involve in the project to make
it successful, we have decided to take
the proverbial minimum around six
hundereds of Croatian proverbs.
In the realization of this dictionary more than 70 people have taken
part; professors, teachers and their
students, presidents of cultural institutions, European houses and clubs
from different European countries.
Some of our associates were not able
to find suitable proverbs in their own
language for each Croatian proverb,
some have found most of the
proverbs, and some have found all of
them. We did not make a selection
with regard to the quantity of the
proverbs; we have respected the long,
strenuous and voluntary work and we
have inserted the contribution of each
and every associate in the book.
When choosing the proverbs we
payed attention to several rules. We
chose proverbs that are semantically
and syntactically complete, and that
are not contiguous with other forms.
We have inserted only proverbs in
short and epitomized sentences, and
those that include one suggestive
unity and the encircled judgement (
although they are expressed with an
incomplete sentence ). We took into
consideration the generally accepted
proverbs because they carry out the
experienced events that are known to
the wider community and that have
meaningful equivalents in other languages.
We added a couple of more
proverbs to the main proverb . Our
associates from other countries acted
in the same way. By doing so they
showed provebial riches and diversity.
In the brackets, we adduced paraphrases, translational equivalents
that also in our language show a high
rate of acceptance. It is to be expected that there are going to be remarks
on the existence and a more appropriate choice when it comes to
Croatian proverbs as well as
proverbs in other languages.
By contrasting Croatian proverbs
with proverbs of other nations, it is
possible to note the similarities and
differences. The similarities are conditioned by the common or similar
experimental basis. Only sometimes
the borrowings and the differences (
the rare ones ) are the reflection of
the different way of evaluating cer-

tain phenomena and conditions. They

are the expression of different cultural conditions in which a certain language exists.
Some concur with expression,
content and predetermination, and
some concur with each other only
meaningfully ( only some expressions
are different ), whereas the content of
other proverbs is expressed in a different way. When one was not able to
find a meaningful equivalent for certain Croatian proverb, some associates offered a transitional equivalent
but they tried to maintain the typical
proverbial structure.
Sometimes a proverb in different
languages did not support the main
proverb, but we connected it with the
ones that have the greater rate of
equivalence.
We are aware of the fact that this
kind of work demands more time and
more associates in order to make the
work more complete and more efficient. There are already people who
are interested in the continuation of
the co-operation and the improvement of this contrastive dictionary.
We have doubted greatly when it
came to the classification of the
proverbs. Is it better to classify
them alphabetically or according to
the themes? The first one completely disregards the semantic side of the
proverb, and the second is also not
appropriate because one and the
same proverb can fall into several
semantic groups. Therefore, we have
found a compromise solution; we
ranked the proverbs according to
themes. Then we classified the
themes and the proverbs alphabetically. Since there are proverbs in this
dictionary
from
20
different
European languages, we have decided not to write an index for every language. We put the indexes only for
English and Croatian language. That
is a task that lies ahead of us.
The criteria for the selection of
the chronology of the languages has
not been made according to the
importance of the language or
according to the number of speakers
of that language, but the arrival of the
works of our associates. That is why
the Latvian proverbs come right after
the English ones, and the Swedish are
the last ones because we achieved the
co-operation with them rather late.
This dictionary is intended for all
the sympathizers of Words, admirers
of the linguistic and moral riches,
translators, teachers of foreign languages, students and pupils.
At the beginning of the 21st century all European citizens live in a
multilingual environment. In their
daily lives citizens come across many
different languages. There is a need
to increase popular knowledge and
understanding of the diversity of the
languages of Europe. There is a need
to generate a great interest in and
curiosity about languages. There is a
need to enhance linguistic tolerance
within and between nations.
Our book is a small contribution
to the progressive comprehension
that would like to establish the idea
that by taking into account and by celebrating the linguistic diversity we
most certainly must not forget that
certain humanistic principles are
incorporated in the language of every
nation.
Bo`ica Sedli}

January, 2002

ALL PEOPLE
KNOW
EVERYTHING
(Proverbs folk philosophy)

Among miniature literary forms proverbs belong to the

smallest but at the same time most philosophical ones. Brevity,
often blending with functional (wise, meaningful) silence, is
vital to their programme. Thus the Russian, for example, say
in their proverbs that brevity is the sister of the talent, the
English, that it is the soul of good sense while the Croatian
think that words have to be measured, not counted.
Therefore, folk wisdom, in its own selfpresentation not only
prefers, but, what is more, demands verbal conciseness,
almost formulaic expression, to judge or solve the problems of
life, experience, world.
What is indicative is the relationship between the proverbs
and the language,i.e. the medium in which they take form.
Namely, a number of proverbs of most different peoples (and
languages) refers to the way in which the language, the
tongue, should be used. The term tongue is here used
ambiguously (with multiple meaning, playfully) to denote both
the body organ and the means of communication. (Tongues
break bones and herself has none; Hurtful words are more
painful than an inflicted wound). True wisdom is not manifested as much in speaking at the right moment, as in keeping
silent at the right moment: Speech is silvern, but silence is golden; Hear twice before you speak; He cannot speak
well, that cannot hold his tongue.
The relationship between the proverbs and the language
can help us understand the essential, fundamental ambivalence folk wisdom uses to cover issues of life. To the ambiguity, controversion and multitude of aspects of the life situations, correspond the ambiguity and controversion of the
proverbs which refer, so to say, to the one and the same thing.
Thus, honey catches more flies than vinegar; but at the
same time fair words butter no parsnips; not to mention
that the magic of the tongue is the most dangerous of all
spells and that words cut more than the sword...Based on
such observation the folk philosophy concludes correctly:
Words heal but they also kill; Honey is sweet but the bee
stings. Likewise, God can be quite close (God never sends
mouth but he sends meat), but also far away (God is high
above, emperor far away). Truth is more valuable than
gold and fears no judges, but nevertheless: He that follows truth too closely must take care that she does not strike
his teeth because the truth will out, the truth always
emerges.
Mans life turns out to be an inextricable wheel of fortune
and misfortune, love and hatred, justice and injustice, wisdom
and stupidity. Essential to worldly wisdom is the ability to
choose the corresponding (right) formula or prescription, i.e.
proverb on any occasion. However, the unity of folk philosophy, contained in the totality of proverbs of some people, is
clear evidence of the fact that an unambiguous, uncontradictory formula for solving existential situations simply does not
and cannot exist. The Absolute, taken as a unity of all that is
real and possible, presupposes rather than excludes the controversions and differences. Only through its controversions
can the Absolute be complete.
The universality of proverbs in terms of time and space,
i.e. the existence of equivalents in most different languages
and cultures, testifies to the common material and spiritual
life frameworks of the human species.
As to the historical depth, it is not difficult to recognize the
role that the Bible or the culture, literature and philosophy of
ancient Greece and Rome, play in the proverbs of modern
West European nations.On the other hand, though, geographically and historically distant cultures are founded upon similar or even same universal human systems of values. Matters
at issue here are always the individual and the society, the
authorities and the law, the state and the church, relatives and
friends, war, illness and death, gift giving and love, customs
and morality, money, wealth and poverty ....
Vladimir Dalj, a well-known Russian lexicographer and
ethnologist, classified his collection of Russian proverbs into
some 150 semantic fields. This means that the network of
proverbs covers the most important fields of life in some
detail. So, taking into consideration that different languages
and different cultures solve the same general spiritual and
practical life problems it is not difficult to see that proverbs
can serve as some kind of communication bridges between
peoples and languages. In the process, of course, what is universal and common in them gets some local colour, some singular materialization: particular languages, people or cultural
centres enrich, dynamize and bring to life the universalities
within which they move, rather than reduce them.
The saying All people know everything does not mean
that every man knows everything but rather that every man
can learn whatever there is to learn and can be learnt if only
he is willing to make contacts with everybody else.
Josip U`arevi}, Zagreb, October 29, 2001

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

ABOUT PROVERBS

January, 2002

Author Bo`ica Sedli} got involved in a big project of collecting

proverbs of different nations. The project was accepted by the
International Coordination Centre of European Clubs acting within
the Ministry of Education in Lisbon. Helped by her assistants, Mrs.
Sedli} collected four and a half thousand proverbs from Croatia only,
but only six hundred of them are realized in this project, considering
the principles of truth, justice, solidarity, love, hatred and lies.
Naturally, former collectors of folk treasure were of great help.
Hopefully, the dedicated collectors from other countries will join in so
that we could get a better insight into the folk wisdom.

Proverbs express the age-long experience first of all but at the

same time they provide instructions and teach us how to live. Their
lapidary character can be compared with poetry, which also tends to
express feelings and ideas in as few words as possible. Of course, folk
experience is different; it is not the truth, honesty or justice that always
wins so that the proverbs cannot form a consistent system.
Nevertheless, it is the morality deeply rooted into the human race that
prevails in all this confusion and contradiction. Surely, one can question the sayings: liars must have good memories, or a liar is soon
exposed, lies are short-lived, but if all the people lied, the society
would disintegrate. It is the same with the maxim:a good turn
deserves another, or as the Bible says: cast your bread upon the
waters. How many benefactors received abusive language or even
assaults in return for their good deeds! Well known is the warning
from Dubrovnik: Beware most of the one to whom you did good!
Unlike the contradictory experience, morality demands from men to
do good without regard to whether it will be taken into consideration.
A number of proverbs offer salvation in the form of a reward after
death but this salvation is not generally accepted and does not have
any rational explanation either. Besides, a moral act must not be the
result of premeditation that it will be rewarded sooner or later. It must
be autonomous, inspired by an inner motive. Do good because it
proves your human qualities! A good man does not lie, steal, is not violent, does not kill, but rather the contrary, he tries to understand the
other man and help him in distress. Folk sayings argue mostly for this
ideal of an honest, truthful, brave, compassionate man in spite of the
age-long experience, which is the witness of a number of socially successful liars, thieves, tyrants and robbers.
Plato asked the question: does it pay to be just? The greatest
ancient philosopher did not find the answer, nor will anybody who
starts from an individual point of view. However, the proverbs express
collective wisdom and even if they do not deny that some criminals
manage to spend their lives in luxurious living, a maxim like this does
not hold on a human scale. Against the swelling tide of vanity, lies,
selfishness and rapacity, different peoples have, through centuries,
developed a universal morality, guarantee of common survival and
contained as such in folk proverbs. Therefore, heartfelt thanks to diligent collectors!
Ivan Supek,
member of Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences

YOUG PEOPLE AND SEXUALITY

AN ADDITION TO THE CARE ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

(Results of the survey conducted in elementary and secondary schools in Slavonski Brod)

Many people say that adolescense is a hard and complicated

period for the young as well as for those who surround them. The
roots of everything that happens in adolescense are to be found in
childhood, a perid when we require prerequisite conditions for the
development of our birth role.

Adolescense is like a transitional period between childhood

and the age of adulthood, which idicate changes of the way of
thinking and its expression, the sexual maturing. It ends when one
becomes socially mature. The qualitative relationship between a
child with its parents is very important for that process; it stimulates the whole mental developement and the firm foundation of
the forming of the samosvojne identity.
Beside that, the society with its stereotypical norms of behaviour has a strong impact on the development of the childs birth
identity. With the separation young people from their family and
the inclination towards their peer groups, they make their own conclusions about themselves comparing themselves to their peers.

Although adolescents think that their sexual behaviour is only

a matter of their own choice, it is without no doubt greatly ifluenced by their parents, peers, social environment and prejudices,
The sexual behaviour of the young people cannot be observed only
as a biological phenomenon; it is conditioned by the norms of the
society and the culture in which it appears. No one can deny that
race, class, economic status, religion, age and sex are equally
important factors that influence the young peoples attitudes on
what is appropriate for boys and girls in a particular time and a particular place.

The idea that adolescents know everything about sexuality is

wrong and has nothing to do with reality. In order to find out and
to confirm what we already knew, and that is that young people live
in ignorance, lack of information about sexuality and reproductive
health, which lead to a great number of unwanted pregnacies, abortions and disturbed health- we have conducted a survey on young
people who live in Slavonski Brod. The survey has been conducted on 700 young people attending elementary and secondary
schools in Slavonski Brod. Out of the entire number of persons
polled 60,02% were females and 39,85% males.
The idea that adolescents know everything about sexuality (
actually about everything ) is wrong. Many young people act as
if they knew everything. Although they are mostly informed, they
lack self- confidence, stability and comfort in relation to their own
sexuality. With this survey we have found out the main sources of
information about young peoples sexuality. Because of the lack of
sexual education, which should also be learned in families
(
parents unwillingly or not at all accept the role of the educator
when it comes to sexuality ) adolescents are forced to learn about
sexuality through mass media and their peers, who are the most
frequent sources of information, but also often incomplete and
inaccurate ones. The results have shown that these sources are the
press ( 39% ) and television ( 26% ). Friends have taken the first
place ( 14% ). After them come parents ( 12% ), then school ( 8%
) and brothers and sisters ( 1% ). Not even one person polled has
cited the heath workers as a source of information on sexuality.
These results show that one should work on a more qualitative
relationship in the process of growing up and socialization. Family
is the space for understanding and acceptance, learning and rejec-

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

tion, a space for resistance and violence, rights
and responsibility, a space of changes and a
space for changes. It is no wonder that the
communication inside families is disturbed. If
one does not practise something in the macro
world, one does practise it neither in the micro
world. While raising a child parents follow the
instructions and models which are the results
of their own socialization and which correspond to expectations of the community and
society in which they live.
Havig asked how they would evaluate their
own knowledge on sexuality the female part of
the conducted survey said : 1,7% thinks that it
is insufficient, 13,2% that it is sufficient, 30%
that it is good, 47,4% very good and 7,7% that
it is excellent. As to the male part of the conducted survey 2,5% thinks that it is insufficient, 6,9 that it is good, 41,8 that it is very
good and 17,5% that it is excellent. This part
of the survey shows that young people appreciate the way they are informed on sexuality.

Wanting to define closely the persons with

whom one often talks about the problems of
sexuality, we asked the young people how
often they talk with their mother, father, teachers, partners, doctors, friends about questions
related to sexuality. We have ranked the quality of their conversation with numbers from 1
to 5. The biggest number of the female persons
polled answered that they sometimes talk
about the issue with their mother, never with
their father, never with their teachers, never
with their partners, never with their doctors
and always with their friends( ?! )
The biggest number of the male persons
polled answered that they never discuss the
issue with their mother, never with their father,
never with their teachers, never with their doctors and always with their friends.
When it comes to the question if they ever
had sexual intercourse young, men blaze the
trail; at the age of 14, 0 % of the young men
had sexual intercourse, at the age of 15, 20%,
at the age of 16, 39,2%, at the age of 17, 50,8%
and at the age of, 18, 66%. The numerical data
related to females are: at the age of 14, 2,4%
had sexual intercourse, at the age of 15, 4,8%,
at the age of 16, 11,4%, at the age of 17,
29,7%, at the age of 18 52,75.

January, 2002

During sexual intercourse most young

people use contraceptives, 30% use them
sometimes and 26% never use them. . The data
on the usage of the contraceptives has also
been made according to the age of the examinees. The most represented form of contraceptives is condom, 95%, while only 5 % uses
birth control pills.
When we asked wether one should open a
guidance center for reproductive health in
Slavonski Brod, 85% of the young people
answered affirmatively, and 6% negatively and
9% of the examinees were restrained.

Although young people very much appreciate the way they are informed on sexuality,
the majority of them voted for the introduction
of the subject on sexual education in schools.
89% of the examinees wish for the to be introduced subject, 7% of them is against it, and 4%
is restrained.

The aim of this survey was to show that

sexuality is a tabu and that young people do
not have adequate sources of information
when it comes to sexuality. The familiy, school
and health institutions should have a greater
role in providing information for the young
about sexuality. There are only three guidance
centers for reproductive health in Croatia, and
all three are situated in Zagreb. We are pleading for the opening of such a center in
Slavonski Brod because we think that information which are transmitted through the media
are not always true. Sexuality is a component
of a human being during his whole life. It
affects not only ones body but also ones
thoughts, feelings and self- respect. In order to
make the lives of young people healtier and
more qualitative, the family, school and health
institutions must promote their concern on
reproductive health. The right on the reproductive health is a part of the common peoples
rights and it brings great changes to the individuals, families and the community in general. Therefore every modern society systematically organizes reproductive health protection
through which prevention, diagnostics, medical treatment, health education and consultation are carried out.
We are pointing out this problem because

the majority of adolescents becomes sexually

active before marriage, which is due to the premature psysical and sexual maturity, longer
education and the postoponement of marriage.
The curiousity, the impact of the influence outside of the family ( the media, the peer pressure ), ignorance, the declining of the role of
the family in the process of globalization leads
young to the risky sexual behaviour: premature
sexual intercourse, accidental sexual intercourse, changing of the partners, not using the
protection. It all produces bigger problems of
reproductive health. A bad reproductive health
is very often connected to ingnorance, sicknesss, abuse, exploiting, unwanted pregnancy
as well as to death. Providing adequate care for
young people we make contributions to their
reproductive health, and by ignoring their
needs for appropriate information on sexuality
we endanger it.

If we opened a guidance center for reproductive health we would insure permanent protection of the reproductive health which would
encompass : education on sexuality and reproduction; guidance on how to plan a family and
how to use contraceptives; health protection of
the reproduction; prevention and healing of the
sterility; diagnostics and the healing of the diseases of the reproductive system, hormon disorder etc.; diagnostics and the healing of the
sexually transmitted diseases; abortion with
prevention and the treatement of the cosequences; the prevention of the sexual abuse
and the care for the victims.
( To be continued )
Marina and Zorica Gari} (members of
the Youth Parliament
of the town Slavonski Brod)

President of City Council Slavonski Brod about project YOUTH PARLIAMENT

The Municipal Government of

Slavonski Brod, as joint organizer,
together with the Europe House
Slavonski Brod and with primary
and secondary schools at the town
area, will provide the Youth
Parliament project dedicated to
increasing the participation and
decision making level of young
people in schools and local community.
The town of Slavonski Brod
has accepted the strategy of positive, partnership approach to the
associations, organizations and
NGSs which work with young people, allocating them the space,
moral, professional and financial
support, to create and implement
numerous of programmes and projects that improve the quality of
youth growth progress and development.
By the project Youth Parliament, Europe House Slavonski
Brod wants to intensify the cooperation between young people in
general on the one hand, NGOs on
the other hand and the bodies of
the town authority and autonomy

on the next hand, to realize a

desired target the intergration of
young people to the works of the
community and to increase their
infuence in decision making.
The ideas for emerging in the
making, development and implementation of this programme,
which is based on the UNs
Convention of Childs Rights, the
European Charter of Youth
Participation in the life of the
Town and the County, and on positive experiances of European cities
with longlasting democratic tradition in implementation youth policy/policy to youth/policy for
youth, and which take in consideration the infuences of children
and young people, the project creators have already gained the
Europe House Slavonski Brod in
the longtime work with young people in the local communty.
As the evidence I state that the
Europe House in co-operation with
the Administrative depertment for
social affairs of Slavonski Brod,
have been organizing the School of
Democracy for three years now for

the students of secondary school

and for the pupils of higher classes
in elementary schools.
We are pleased to take part in
this project. We are pleased
because Ministry of education of
Republic of Croatia accept the
project proposal of youth participation, NGOs and Muncipal authority of Slavonski Brod as a pilot
project for the Republic of Croatia.
This project proposal of the
Europe House Slavonski Brod, the
City Council Slavonski Brod have
ofered to the Net of Towns the
subscribes of the Citizens Pact for
SEE the initiative of citizen
groups proceed as rhe response to
the establishment of the Stability
Pact for SEE. Its particular purpose
is improvement, development and
organization of the model for
regional co-operation by young
people, local NGOs and towns
devoted to stability, peace and
democracy.
Slavonski Brod, 30th January 2001
Dr. Vladimir Jerkovic

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

PRESENTATION OF THE EXTRACURRICULUM

ACTIVITIES OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL
MATE BLA@INA LABIN

^EDOMIR RU@I], principal of the school and his collaborators

BRIEF
DESCRIPTION
OF THE SCHOOL

In 1998, Secondary School Mate Bla`ina celebrated its

th
50 -anniversary. Since its beginnings, it has educateda
great number of young people of different professional
profiles, through various models of professional and
school education. It has been a nursery of the qualified
personnel, always trying to satisfy the real needs of the
society and of the educational system. Education of the
young people for various vocations and those covering
various programmes, has been sucessfully realized all
these years.
At the moment, Secondary school Mate Bla`ina,
which is the biggest secondary school in Istria, has
Curriculum activities that cover all education and training
^. Ru`i} and W. Glasser
in the four-year and three-year courses as well as the
activities that are carried out in the school dormitory which is also a component part of our
school. Educational courses offered are: Grammar school, Electrotechnical school, Business
studies, School of mechanical engineering, School for catering trades, Commercial school and
Textile school.
Children from Labin, as well as from nearby communities of Raa, Sv. Nedelja, Kran and
Pi?an attend our school. There are from 900 to 1000 students who are put into approximately
35 classes. There are more that 90 people working on all kind of jobs, 70 of them teachers.
In October, 2000, on the International Teachers Day, our school was given Ministers
acknowledgement as one of the 13 secondary schools in Croatia that succeeded in creating high
quality curriculum and varied extra-curriculum activities.
THINGS WE HAVE DONE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN OUR SCHOOL, ON
THE PROMOTION OF THE INNOVATIVE FORMS, IN THE CONTENT AND IN THE
MUTUAL RELATIONS (EXTRACURRICULUM)
Our school was the first secondary school in Croatia that back in 1993. started with the systematic education of the teachers, when we took part in the seminars from the Theory of
Choice (which was proved to be successful). These seminars gave us new knowledge as well as
new attitudes towards different teaching methodology. We realized that these were contents we
needed in order to make improvements in the process of teaching. Whole theoretical concept
of the Quality School is based on the idea of creating such conditions in the school, where both,
the teachers and the pupils will be able to satisfy their psychical needs. It is based on mutual
agreement and not on coercion or punishment. These are prerequisite conditions for the creation of the quality school.
Being aware of the fact that school, as an institution can not exist alone, but only as a part
of the local community, we started with an intensive cooperation with the Labin Municipality.
They expressed wish to realize this project as the part of their project Labin Healthy City. In
that way, we established an educational project called Our way in creation of the quality school.
The part of the road that we have passed so far, and the one in front of us is not an easy or
fast one. It meant the change of the system and the change in the way of thinking of all the participants pupils, teachers and parents. We achieve good results not only in numerous extracurriculum activities and projects, but also in the presentation of the curriculum through the teamstudy in the various subject matters.

International Projects:

January, 2002
EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP - project run by the Council of Europe and
the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Croatia. It has been going on for a year and half
in 5 Croatian Schools, including ours. The aim of this project is democratisation of the
processes and relationships between students, teachers and parents. It aheightens public
understanding and awareness of how important democracy is.

DEMOCRACY SCHOOL PROJECT - is an international project which has been realised as

a part of the network project of the Healthy Cities of Croatia, that cooperates with the
European network. The aim of this project is education and engagement of the young people in critical thinking and stimulation of the democratic solutions for a more quality life.
Right now, we are trying to organize Youth Council, which would be a new form of the participation of the young people in the local government. It would be based on the pattern of
the Youth Council in the Norwegian city Sandness.
DEBATE CLUB

PARTNERSHIP OF SCHOOLS (Labin - Leverkusen) - a special project which has been

realised on an international level. Cooperation between our school and Berufskolleg
Opladen from Leverkusen is based on the intercultural principles and realized through
common projects, exchange of experience, partnership, relations and investigations of the
common interests.

ECOLOGY GROUP - very activ in many international and educational projects and activities in its environs: since 1995 has been involved in UNESCO-SEMEP PROJECT and since
1998 in GLOBE PROGRAMME. It was developed from the successful activities of the
Chemical-biology and Ecology workshops that had existed for a long time. This group has
started with new investigations and measurements (meteorological, soil investigation, bud
burst...), which are being carried out in the field or in the school laboratory by 60 students.

COMPUTER SCIENCE GROUP ACSL - since 1997 it has participated in the American
Computer Science Legaue (ACSL with the aim of computer programming improvement. As
they achieved outstanding results, a group of students together with their teacher were invited to the USA in 1997 (Salt Lake City) in 1999 (Alexandria), in 2000 (Houston).

SCHOOL MAGAZINE IN GERMAN LANGUAGE - TREFF - a project work - Conceived,

prepared and realized by a group of teachers and students as a part of German language
studying. It is an additional activity, which creates motivation in a quality acquiring of a foreign language.
DEBATE CLUB - extracurriculum activity that has been going on for 5 years. Move than
seventy students work together on mastering and promotion of the skills of the argumentation and public communication. Debate as teaching method has been partly applied in the
curriculum of elective subjects such as Politics and Economy, Ecology or Croatian
Language.

JOURNALIST GROUP LABIN HEALTHY CITY - a group of students under the leadership
of an experienced teacher and in cooperation with Labin Healthy City prepares, and issues
periodical magazine Labin Healthy City. This magazine presents and promotes many activities of the Healthy City. Majority of these activities are being carried out in our school as
projects on its own.
RADIO PROGRAMME "GIVE ME A BREAK" it is a group of students that independently
prepares and realizes a school-radio programme every Friday afternoon on the local Labin
radio. Through this project, students are acquiring skills in this kind of general public informing.
DRAMA WORKSHOP - October in Labin - this project has been realized in our school as
an independent project in drama training for the students and leaders of these activities of
our school and other schools from the Istrian and the Primorsko-Goranska Counties.
Through drama workshops both students and teachers broaden their knowledge of language, expression, literature communications, scenic expression, art and creation in general, under the leadership of the drama teacher.
FASHION DESIGNERS AND MODELS - activity that has sprung from the textile curriculum, and from its orientation to work on accompaning programmes.
Pacrticularity of this programme has started a quality creation: students-fashion designers
present their collections.

SCHOOL YOUTH CLUB "NEW HORIZONS" - this club started on the initiative of the students' school board, which was supported by the Labin - Healthy City Project. School dormitory is a place where they regulary meet and where they spend their free time in order to
encourage the forming of their personality. Youth club is presented through several activities and all of them started on the initiative of the students themselves. They are now those
who inspire the teachers, who give their ideas and suggestions. Teachers - leaders are
there to assist the students and to encourage them to be persistent in realization of their
aims.
We are quite certain that the Secondary School Mate Blazina will continue with such
work, which includes the acquiring of new knowledge and skills, and all that with the aim of
creating high quality education.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

Metkovi} Grammar School

Since the town of Metkovi} lies on the Neretva

River which has recognized and distinguished Delta

ECO AND DEMOCRACY

REPORTS

throughout Europe, and moreover, geographically it is

a boundary region with Bosnia and Herzegovina, we

share the same river, watershed and habitat. There are

a lot of eco-projects with our school concerning the

SCHOOL OF
DEMOCRACY IN THE
TOWN OF METKOVI],
CROATIA

It has been a few years since a Debate group started their discussions on the latest isssues at Gimnazija Metkovi}, the secondary school with the students aged 15 - 18. As everybody was enthusiastic with this new form of communicaton we went on. Our goals
were to draw the students' attention to tolerance, patience, under-

animal life. One of the most popular educational trips

is boating by la|a down the Neretva River around

which there are still unspoiled marshy and Karst

regions. Students are really and directly taught about

this treasure and the intention is to make them aware

how important it is to have clear water, the source and

consolation of life. The History group at Gimnazija
Metkovi} have also made a project on the Neretvan

river boats, called trupa and la|a which was presented in Norway in November, 2001.

THE ANALYSIS OF QUALITY OF WATER IN THE NERETVA RIVER

The aim of this prolect, besides defining the situation

on the spot is getting together those who are interested
in water protection and who will be able to take part in
these activities in the future in order to help protect the
remaining unspoiled natural areas.

There is a group of 20 students who have been

trained and gained the knowledge of technical possibilities of a continual testing the quality of water in the
region of the Neretva Delta. It was drawn a special attention to young people's significance in evaluating, criticizing and creating future.

standing, listening and good behaviour. We managed to join the

workshop at Labin Summer School of Democracy and later on
inspired by the Norwegian model of Children's School Council the
first Croatian Parliament of City Youth Council took place in our
town. Nowadays we are aware that schools, parents and the local
community are the institution who are responsible for the development of the democratic processes. Therefore we are giving our
efforts to prepare young generations for participating in public
local life by means of intelligible and persuasive discussion based
on arguments and the behaviour according to the sence of conscience.

The folloving activites were set in carrying out this project:

1. making an advertising leafter
( with a questionnaire )
2. defining the water sites on different locations
3. taking and analysing samples of water
4. publishing leaflets with the results of the
research

A group of students from Gimnazija Metkovi},

Croatia, interested in digital, graphical and journalistic
information have been included in creating this advertising leaflet.The questionnaire was distributed among the
students of the fifth forms of elementary schools (aged
11) and the students of the first forms of secondary
schools (aged 15) in the town of Metkovi}. The result of
the analysis of the questionnaire showed the students'
interest for ecological problems. At the same time at
Gimnazija Metkovi} an Eco-group named "Protection of
man's environment" has been formed, the group who are

going to deal with the project as well as other projects,

and therefore, they will be significant holders of ecological education in the town. Their first task was going out
to the water locations and finding suitable sites, together
with necessary photo documents. At the very beginning,
the idea was to find 5 sites; namely, one by the Norin
River, a tributary stream of the Neretva River, and 4 sites
by the Neretva River in the towns of Metkovi}, Opuzen,
Komin and the Estuary.
All samples have been chemically and biologically
tested a number of times. The results of this research
have been published in both leaflets and the 3 large ecoboards. Finally, the analysis of the water has revealed a
slight alkaline value of all the samples.

Grammar School activities Varazdin, Croatia

THE SECOND WORKSHOP ON THE TWINNING

OF CITIES OF CITIZENSHIP IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE

The second workshop on the

Twinning of sites of citizenship in
Southeast Europe held in Varazdin,
Croatia, from 5-7 October, 2001, was
jointly organized by the Council of
Europe (Stability Pact), the Croatian
Ministry of Education and Sports and
the Varazdin site of citizenship. There
were 27 participants, including national EDC coordinators and site actors
from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia ( Serbia and Montenegro),
Moldavia, Romania and Slovenia.
Further, there was the Deputy Minister
of Education and Sports of Croatia, Ms
Natasa Jovicic, the Mayor of Varazdin,
Dr. Ivan Cehok, and the County
Mayor, Dr. Zvonimir Sabati, who all
took part in the opening session. Also,
there were six members of the
Monitoring Group on the Twinning of
sites of citizenship in SEE, including
the main animator, Mr Graham Dyson
from the Centre for Conflict
Management and Peacebuilding,

10

Norway. Finally, there was the evaluator of the twinning scheme, Dr Reinald
Doebel and the Council of Europe secretariat, Ms Mechthilde Fuhrer.
The workshop on Twinning of
sites of citizenship in SEE, which was
of a fully participatory nature, proceeded in three days. After the opening
speeches, the first day was dedicated to
plenary presentations on developments
since the first training workshop as
well as to the needs confirmation,
visions and objectives of the twinning
process. The second day was focused
on the management and methodology
of the planned twinning activities with
the special emphasis on the evaluation
process. On the third day, the participants focused on the detailed planning
of next steps as well as on rules and
contracts between twinning partners.
After several sessions of group
work in which the participants planned
the contents, events, time-table and
other technical details of the
exchanges, the rules or twinning contracts were set up between:

Albania Croatia - `Lets

find a friend in Albania / Croatia`
Bulgaria Croatia Kosovo `We are different, we are equal`
Macedonia Moldova - `Mass
media in promotion of human
rights`
Slovenia FRY, Serbia - `Back
to the future`
Montenegro Romania - `Lets
get to know each other`
Besides the working part of the seminar, there were some interesting social
events which included Croatian
Cultural Welcome Evening, Intercultural Evening and Baroque Music
Concert, which all contributed to the
spirit of understanding and accepting
diversities. Also, the participants visited Gimnazija Varazdin site and talked
to students and teachers, who gave a
presentation of their citizenship activities.
At the end of the workshop the participants felt that the objectives of the
workshop were met as the participants
reflected on their developments, got

informed on the available resources

and support system, developed an integrated evaluative process, worked out
rules and contracts of the exchanges,

developed positive relationships and

partnership and improved their own
empowerment.
RAJKA PTICEK

TWINNINGS PROJECT
- ACTIVITIES IN
VARAZDIN SITE

As a part of the program of the Varazdin Site of the ODC Project,

there was a meeting on PEACE AND MULTICULTURALISM, an introduction to our twinning cooperation with the Albanian Site. The meeting
was held in a Gimnazija classroom on the 30th October, 2001 and the

guests were Mikac couple. They were of our interest because of many reasons. Mr Mikac is a member of the presidency of the Varazdin branch of
Paneuropean Union. He spoke of the role of the Union in promoting peace
and cooperation in Europe. Mrs Mikac comes from an Albanian family
which has been living in Varazdin for 3 generations. She spoke of her
roots and Albanian tradition (music, language, religion). The couple also
spoke of their 16 years spent in Germany and of the experience of their
son who spent a year in USA. The students put some questions to the
guests, who gladly answered them. Mr Mikac presented Gimnazija
Library with 2 books on Paneuropean Union.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

INTERVIEW
WITH A ROM

Gipsies, pardon, Roms as Ive learnt its right, are the people who we think to be lazy, dirty and lying, basta. But is it like
this? Are they really just humanoids or simply different
humans? To find it out, I talked to Darko Orsos, 22, married, 2
kids, living in the same house with 7 brothers and sisters, his
parents, grandparents in a three-house Roman village.
Aren`t you a bit young to be married?
No. Roms usually get married at 13 or 14.
How come?
We have a short life. If you live for 50 years only, then you
have a long life and you are among the oldest members in the
village.
Who decides on who you are to get married?
We have a leader in the village. His word is the law. When
he says something, its the way its to be. He decides on marriages, what you will do, whether youll go to school
Everybody obeys him. If someone doesnt, he will beat the shit
out of him.
What!?
Yes. Sometimes we get beaten up in the morning for something were going to do that day. But everybody respects him all
the same.
What do you do? How do you earn the money?
I do what they tell me to do. Sometimes I work in the fields
or get a job as a construction worker. Sometimes I must beg for
money out in the street.
How much can you get in this way?
About 50 200 kunas (15 55 DM) a day.
What kind of condition do you live in?
We have no electricity, no water supply. Its terrible to survive. We live each day at the time just to survive.
What language do you speak?
Every family has a language of its own. Its a combination
of many languages which we learnt moving from country to
country. We used to move but not any more because of new borders. Weve lived in Croatia for 10 years and we have the
Croatian citizenship but we dont use Croatian so much. Thats
way nobody understands us.
What do you call yourselves? Gipsies?
No! Its an offence. We arent Gipsies, we are Roms. It
means HUMAN in our language. If someone calls me Gipsy,
Im ready to hit him. Remember we are Roms.
I remember, I do, so help me god.

FORGOTTEN AND
ABANDONED

At the edge of the town, in a semi-ruined environment of the

ex-bar-rock complex, there is a sanctuary of some 360 refugees
from Croatia and Bosnia. Left alone by God and people, as some
of them would say, they stubbornly keep subsisting deprived of
any future. Anyway, they keep saying HOPE DIES LAST trying to
drive away sadness and to encourage themselves. To sooth our
mild souls, we went to Refugees Centre 1 to talk to some of them.
Let them give vent to their troubles and possibly let`s get rid of our
remorse. That`s the most we can do. (Later it appeared it was the
very least we could do.) When we came there, we were at no time
surrounded by groups of people all trying to tell us their story. Here
are just few of them.
JOSIP BARICEVIC: I come from Vukovar. I`ve been here for
11 years. I was also I n Zagreb and Primosten. We spend days like
Dalmatians: some go fishing, some go moonlighting as we legally
cant get a job. Food suits to somebody, to somebody else it
doesn`t. As for the future I don`t know. I don`t think about getting
back. Vukovar is not what it used to be. I asked the Government to
grant me a gorse or a flat here or in Osijek. I just got promises.
MATE MATOVINA WITH HIS FAMILY: I come from village
near Plitvice Lakes. I like Varazdin but I don`t have recourses to
live in my own place. Accomodation here is much better that is
used to be. Everything else is just to stand. Food used to be bad,
now it`s medium. I look forward to returning. I`d like to restore my
house but it will take years.
SABINA, 17: I come from Bosanka Gradiska. Everybody
complains of the conditions here but they are okay for me. I made
some friends here in Varazdin and I go out every evening. I`d like
to study psychology. In the October I`m seeing my sister in
Denmark. I don`t think of any return at all.
CAMILA, ELDERLY LADY: I`ve been here for 5 years. I
have nothing to say. I`m on my own here. Almost everybody in my
family got killed and my relatives are somewhere else in exile. It`s
hard for me. I have no money. All my clothes and footwear are
given by Caritas. It`s hard for us in a strange world. We hope to
return to Bosnia as soon as possible.
MARGARETA AND KRISTINA

25th March 2222

IFCLAUSES, TYPE 2

Marsian Solarfactory inc. Mr. Boss

I have some problems with my job, so I would like to ask you
to do me a favour. Could you transfer me to Earth? I cant live or
work any more. I have to get up when the sun rises, and I go to bed
when the sun goes down. That is too much for me. If I lived on
Earth, I would sleep longer and I wouldnt have to go to sleep so
early. My spacesuit, well, its nothing but a big problem to me. Its
too heavy and uncomfortable. If I didnt have to work here, I
would wear T-shirts and jeans like all other people on Earth. And
this instant Marsian food is terrible. Im very sensitive and alergic
and it only makes me sick. If you gave me a job in a normal place,
I would eat only natural and healthy food. And if I ate only healthy
food, I would have more energy and I would work better. That
would be better for both of us. And this job in the snlar factory
doesnt suit me at all. I dont
like to work with computers. If I worked in a meat factory on
Earth, I wouldnt have to work with computers, I would work only
with my hands and a knife. Here on Mars I cant even enjoy my
free time. I can only watch TV, because I have to stay inside the
station. And the programme of Marsian TV is so boring. Only
films from the 20th century and geology. If you transferred me
back to my home, I would play football with my friends and I
would watch national TV programmes. If I had more fun in my

free time, I wouldnt distract the people around me from work with
telling jokes. And thats not all. Ive got more problems. My wife
doesnt even like me any more. We got separated because she fell
in love with another alien. If I lived on Earth, I wouldnt have a
wife with three heads at all. I would have a normal, human wife.
And if I had a normal wife, we would still be together. My friends
from Earth forgot all about me. I dont have any contacts with
them. If I were with
them, not on Mars, we
would stay together and
we would play foot
ball every Sunday. I
dont have any friends
here. All your other
employees dont like me
because Im human, and
they are from all around
the universe. Mr. Boss,
Im really sad and I cant
go on like this. Would
you please transfer me to
Earth`?
Your employee,
Marko Pa~ari}
by Marko&Nataa, 3H

WHO AM I OF ARBEN BROCI COMMUNITY?

When I first arrived to this school, I

was totally disappointed, and not
because of the school but because of my
country, my Albania. I lived in Greece
for a long time and coming here and
facing that cruel reality made me at a
little pessimistic. When I chose where I
was going to seat, wrote to my desk a
kind of message:
So tear me open pour me out
There are things inside that scream and
shout
So tear me open but be were
There are things inside without a care.

And that was my clich, my way of

showing my disagreement with everything that was around me. I`ve never
been sociable and very friendly, and I
think, that this happened because of
me, because I was not satisfied with
what I saw and did. So I trusted
nobody. And my clich for this was:
Do you trust what I trust, me, myself
and I?
In school we spent a big part of our
day, so I thought that school was going
to shape me in a way or another. Day
by day I found out that our reality was
not so cruel and so miserable. So school
was teaching me how to collaborate
with the others, and help the others. It
taught me how to be an active part of
society.
My teacher and my friends made
me feel important and gave me so
much spaces that I refund myself.

Being part and active member of

groups at school, special member of
Citizenship and Human Rights group,
made me feel really good. Our cualifications for citizenship, conflict resolution, carrier consoulter, human rights,
going and helping the handicaps, buying presents to orphan children, asilants ( third generation ) and a lot of
things like those were a satisfaction and
a very good way to make us work
together. Winning at the Mock Trial
was an enormous satisfaction for me.
But at that time I was an active member at almost every contribution and
activity that my school made. And I
found out that being just you and yourself, and not trusting and sharing
everything with your friends was a
waste of life, and life is so beautiful that
we shouldn`t waste it. I feel kind of bad
that I`ve been passive for the first two
years but I think that I filled some of
the holes that I left in the past.
It was absolutely fantastic for me to
meet the president of my country himself, the vice-ambassador of the USA,
the minister of education and lot of
other personalities. I think it`s not
something that happens every day to
make a Mock Trial in the building of
the Supreme Court, but I was there
and trust me, I felt like a God. Me, a
simple student entering there and
being part of this Saint institution.
My school is a leader of 6 secondary
school in Tirana. My principal is a
leader of Albanian system of education

activities for our National Justice Day.

Is this Arben Broci identity, in
which we are involving together for
Albanian, Balcanian, European citizenship?
We are proud for this for today and
specially for the future.
Well these are some of the things
that shaped me, that made what I am
today.
For those achievements I thank my
teachers and my friends for their support, but I want to thank especially my
headmistress for believing in me so
much and for supporting me and the
others with everything, she had in
power. Well after those four years I see
the world and myself from another
point of view.
And this year I wrote, not anymore
on my desk but in my copybook:
None is a desert island. None is only
he, we are all part of this big universe,
and we are all part of humanity. And if
somebody dies, it dies even a part of me
because I`m a part of humanity, so if
something happens don`t sent somebody to ask, For whom the bell tolls
It`s tolling for you.
I thank my family, my school,
teachers and principal, for giving
shape to my personality, personalities
of my friend for the beliving to our
future, democratic Albania.
PERVIN GJIKURIA, STUDENT IN
FRANCE JULY 2001

11

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

FACTS ABOUT
Ungdomsringen the Danish Association of Youth-and Leisure Time Centresis the umbrella of more than 1.200 local centres and clubs, which gather more than
130.000 children and young adults for leisure time activities after school and work.

Ungdomsringen is national, non-governmental, and not for profit organisation

with a voluntary membership. Members are recognized leisure time clubs, youth
clubs, drop in centres, and other open youth work facilities, which are run by the
local authorities, independent associations, or other groupings. Ungdomsringen supports its members in their work and aims at improving the general conditions of children and young adults in Denmark.

According to its statues, Ungdomstringen shall: improve young people`s active

participations in society through open youth work/youth club activities; support the
establishing and running of open youth work facilites through consultative aid; protect the interest of members in all matters vis--vis local authorities, and to establish
and maintain relations to other fields of youth work; initiate joint activities at national level; conduct education and training; to promote social/educational activities (i.e.
open work) for children and young adults; to conduct the co-operation with association of youth work in other countries.

ACTIVITIES FOR
CHILDREN AND YOUNG
ADULTS

January, 2002

DENMARK

DEVELOPMENT AND
PROJECTS

Many youth centres have taken up the challenge of continuous in-service-development, and in recent years, a large
number of innovative projects have been launched all over the country. Also, many participate in the discussion on local
youth policies, and try to find new ways of involvement of young adults in democratic processes.
Through consultative aid already in the planning phase, and by offering supervision throughout the different steps
of a project, Ungdomsringen strongly supports these initiatives and makes the results known to a wider public through
publication of reports, educational materials, etc. But the association also acts as a prime mover for a number of projects on different subjects and in different parts of the country. In a constantly changing world, open youth work activities have to compete with a vast of other, not least commercial offers. Therefore, the activities must be attractive to the
young people, and staff members must be well-trained and well motivated. Ungdomstringen offers a wide range of inservice-training courses for a growing number more than 7.000 of part time and full time staff in open youth work
facilities.

The development of the educational content of open youth work, as well as the
methods applied, are one of Ungdomsringen`s prime tasks. To this end, the
Associations co-ordinates and sponsors a number of major national gathering for
children and young adults: Sports tournaments, theatre and drama festivals, thematic events, members` conferences or virtual activities. Each year, thousands of
members take part in these activities, which offer excellent opportunities for youth
centres to network or to get inspiration for new activities in their own centre.

ESTONIA

Youth Contribution In Town

Tartu Dam Tan Dance / Jaani 20

Tartu is known as a city that has a university. Because

of that here is a lot of young people from all around the
world. Tartu has become more popular amongst
Estonians. Young people of Tartu have become more
active in the towns welfare. The last project of youngsters
was the reestablishing the oldest house in Tartu, that is
situated in the corner of Jaani and Laia street.
Originally it was the oldest building in Tartu. But in the
year 2000 it started as a club for young people. The first
bigger party was held in autumn 2000. Six young men
established the so called Musicgallery. Which features parties and art exhibitions from young artists. They made a
lot of repairs and decorated the rooms in a very stylish
way. It has elements from the streets and from the graffiti era. The main character behind the job is Egert Ivask,
who is a media student in Tartu University. And Karel Isak
is a student in the philology faculty. The most known exhibition in the gallery was Timo Tootss extreme sport photos and the artist called Kiwas exhibition which ended
with police arrival. And Egert Ivask had to go with the
police to the department. The police is known to visit the
gallery several times, because of the noise. It provides
young artists free exhibitions and performances. The
Musicgallery is a non profit organization for bringing
young people together.
The music played in the club is not regular techno or
trance, it has a more deeper sound. The music-styles
Party
played there are known as house, drum&bass and so on.
There was a big story in our local newspaper about the gallery. It was about the protest against China ruling Tibet. They tried to burn the national flag of China, but they didnt. Because it would have been illegal. In the end everything went fine.
Now the building can be rented for birthday parties and events. We think it is a very good that young people have now a place where to go and
relax. It is also honorable that old buildings are repaired.

12

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

FINLAND

METSOLA PRIMARY SCHOOL,

HELSINKI, FINLAND

THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROJECT, YOUTH- TOUCH!
Metsola primary school is a woodenbuilt school in the middle of the wood. The school was built
in 1991, near a manor park; rear and beautiful trees growing on the plot - ashes, goats, willows,
rowans, maples, birdcherries and sprucies. The whole vegetation has been retained almost in its original form. The school melds into the woodland setting, the pupils play under the trees, the cliffs
offer them a natural place to enjoy themselves. Metsola school offers its pupils an encouraging and
versatile environment in which to feel at home and to work. The curriculum sees and values the
possibilities of the location of the school and puts weight on environmental subjects, projects, learning and learning from experience. All the 162 pupils of Metsola know, that they study in the middle of the nature. They have good opportunities to grow and to learn to appreciate beauty; the beauty of the nature, the beauty of the succesful architectural planning.
But one day in the spring of 2001 the illusion was near to get ruined. The news was, that there
was a housebuilding plan being prepared; it would bring small houses near to the school, it would
make the trees and the forest desappear. It would brake down the places of natural environment,
the playground of the Metsola-pupils. It would make it quite impossible to study natural science
in its own surroundings.
From that moment, the Youth-project of the school started.
The chairman of the schoolboard happened to be an architect as well. So we had quite easely the
possibilities of getting firsthand information; about, what was going on. The group of planningofficers were invited to our school to have a look. To see themselves how important the environment
is to us. The whole school; the pupils and their parents knew about the plan and everyone was ready
to show their concern and feelings. The pupils quite obviously understood their huge value in making this clear; to show, that they didnt want their play-ground to turn into something totally different. Even the birds sang louder.
The visitors came in August, just when the school had started. But the pupils were there, they were
ready. Oh, that playing in the woods! Oh, that running among the trees! Someone hugged the trunks
of the pines. Some pupils were just doing reseach about flowers. That looked so amazing and in
the same time, so natural. It WAS so natural; it is the everyday way of studying in Metsola. But
in the minds of the pupils you could sense the eagerness and enthusiasm. They experienced the feeling, that they really could influence in decisionmaking; in this big, threatening project. And they
really did that; with full, honest heart.
The architects and the planners from the construction department went around, saw what the reality of the school was like working in these surroundings. They walked and walked and they cast a
glance at the pupils. Finally they ended their thinking in saying: We didnt realise it was like this.
It does look so different on the planning table. We sure must give it a better and deeper thought.
And they left . When they were walking to their cars one of them added: Maybe I should bring my
children here, to school.
Then it was time to start waiting, whether the catepillars and motorsaws would arrive when said,
or not.
In good time however the mail arrived with the announcement.
THE BUILDING OF THE NEW HOUSES HAS BEEN POSTPONED. MORE TIME
IS NEEDED TO DO BETTER RESEACH OF THE PLANNING OF THE AREA.
The threath had been overcome, at least for the time being.
It was time to go on studying in peace, the pupils running happily among the trees.

Sirkku Sorvari
Teacher of special education
Metsolan ala-asteen koulu
Helsinki, Finland

YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CITY

The Helsinki Youth Mouth Department

has a major influence in youth affairs. Youth
work is carried out by municipal youth work
units and youth organisations, including
youth groups that are not officially organised. The City Of Helsinki provides financial support and various services for youth
organisations. This division of labour is
legally set out in the Youth Work Act. In
Finland, youth affairs are under the authority of the Ministry of Education which subsidises municipal youth work and supports
youth organisations.
The objective of the Youth Department
is to help the young become equal and active members of society. Membership of
society in this context refers to participation
in education, training and working life,
social activities, cultural life, and social
decision-making. The Youth Department
directs its resources at combating young
peoples (SOCIAL exclusion) by offering
them a variety of cultural and recreational
services that will promote their social participation, support their introduction into
working life, and influence the decisionmaking process that concerns young peoples living conditions. The Youth

What is the Youth Department

Department works in close cooperation with

schools, the Social Services Department,
the Department of Cultural Services, and
local organisations and associations.

The Helsinki City Youth Department is a

large organisation, with over ONE HUNDRED premises including almost sixty
youth centres, located throughout the
city.The activities are directed by the Youth
Affairs Committee, the members of which
are nominated on political basis. The Head
of the Youth Department runs the department and mana; six profit sections. Four of
these are local youth districts and two are
administra units that support youth work
(the Administrative Section, and the
Section for Development and Youth
Organisation Affairs).
Some 360 people work at the Youth
Department on a full-time basis. Of these,
about 260 are youth workers. In addition,
there are hundreds of hourly paid instructors and trainees working in youth centres,
including unemployed people who have
been provided with short-term employment
subsidised by the State. The Youth
Department activities are financed from

municipal tax revenues.The annual running

expenses amount to over FIM 100 million.

The operating enviroment of

youth work

Adolescence is a challenging time. On

the one hand, they want to plan their future,
both in terms of education and employment, that will support their INDIVIDUAL
wishes and inclinations; on the other hand
they try to define their own identities and
test their limits in free time activities. At the
same time, the number of opportunities
available for young people to define their
identity through leisure pursuits has
increased. These days, the number of
young people who receive no professional
training is very small. Young people have
become more interested in studying and
working abroad and in international cultural
cooperation between youth groups.Young
peoples interests and hobbies have
become more diversified, and the intensity
with which they are pursued has
risen.Young peoples music, theatre,
dance, skateboard, video and handicraft
productions organised on their own initiative attract an increasing number of performers and large audiences.

13

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Key activities of the youth
department
Local youth work provides services that
help to establish a positive, active environment for young people that enables the
society to function effectively. Local youth
work is carried out in youth centres distributed fairly evenly throughout the city.A survey conducted earlier this year showed that
some twenty per cent of 15-year-olds living
in north-east Helsinki visit a youth centre at
least once a month.The percentage doubles if less frequent visits are included.
In practice, youth work means, on the
one hand, WORKING WITH the young
people to improve their status in society
and, on the other hand, protecting their
interests both in the local community and in
society as a whole. Youth workers cooperate actively with parents, local organisations and various authorities, such as the
school, to combat the social exclusion of
young people and to take steps to prevent
it happening.

January, 2002

The activities pursued in youth centres

are varied: some youth centres use music,
theatre and handicrafts as a tool in youth
work, while others are directed towards traffic education, environmental or multi-cultural activities, or sports and physical exercise.Youth centres provide young people
with premises where they can pursue hobbies and activities that are meaningful to
them. In addition, youth centres are local
activity centres where young school children are offered activities in the afternoon
after kclasses, and where young people
and organisations can pursue their own
interests in the evening.

The following DATA shows how actively young people aged 10 - 15 participate in
various organisations in Helsinki: 40% of
them belong to sports clubs, 28% to hobby
organisations, 23% to youth organisations,
and 10% to other organisations. Some 15%
of young Helsinki residents aged 7 - 16 are
scouts. In 1996,young people in the ninth
grade at school (15 16 - year-olds) living
in the north-east of Helsinki were asked
about their participation in organisations,
associations and clubs. Some 38% reported participating in the activities of some
sports club, I 2% said they participated in
hobby organisations, 4% were scouts, and
4% were members of religious or other
groups. Over half of young Finnish adults
aged 18 - 26 belong to some kind of organization.

The Koskela youth centre, which is

located in a rented housing area, is an
example of this kind of youth work. In the
afternoon, clubs for young school children
are organised in the youth centre; after this
there are activities organised for young
people in their early teens, and in the
evening the centre is an open house with a
variety of cooking, music, dance, visual
arts, and sewing clubs.The objective is to
provide young people who come from low-

WHAT
Taking Control of Your Own Life is a training programme organized by the Finnish Red Cross for young people lacking a job or a place to study. It is consciously
designed to be significantly different than any other courses
offered to socially alienated unemployed young Finns.The
purpose of the programme is to help them redirect their lifes
by offering
means and methods to fearlessly address and solve problems which they unavoidably meet during their search for a
meaningful adulthood.

This course was real good. You learned to take things as a

challenge.
I even got a job for almost a year, thanks to the practical
training period.
I got more self-confidence, and a more positive attitude in
general.
I made up my mind to get an education in the social services field,

Feedback from previous participants:

The trainers had a positive attitude, and would always
encourage you
through tough spots.
I got a fixed-term contract with a food company to package
a local delicacy.

Training
Basic level training, instructor training,
training for trainers and specialized
training.
1 OEV is an FRC training programme
Other activities
Campaigns and events, for example
for tolerance and AIDS work
Collections and fundraising
Camps.

Making decisions
The channels of influence include
youth committees at different levels
and the annual youth parliament.

no matter how long itll to get in.

Working together
The Red Cross and Red Crescent is a world-wide movement. Its
main task is to protect life, health and human dignity. In all activities the Red Cross observes its seven fundamental principles, the
most important one being humanity.

Inter arma caritas

The Movement was initiated by Henry
Dunant, a Swiss businessman, in 1863.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent is the
worlds largest civic organisation: it works
in over 170 countries and has more than
106 million members.

The Red Cross

is also the worlds largest youth organisation! The Finnish Red Cross has 15
000 youth members and more than 400
youth groups.
/
Ttternational activities
Groups for international activities
Cooperation with youth in developing countries
Camps and training all over the world.
It was a real job with a decent pay. Now Ive got work experience, and finally some hope, too. I got a clearer picture
about my plans for the future. Lots of new ideas popped
up. Ive been smiling a lot since The course taught you to
appreciate and love yourself. Im me, and good enough as
such. Id take a refill any time. I used to have no confidence in my abilities. I was afraid of failure and of what other
people were thinking of me. Not any more. I believe in the
lows of success and feel like a winner, like a person in control of her life. Before, I never had the guts to seek a job.
I found a lot of things in me that are good, though I always
thought there were only bad things. I learned to express
myself better, and now I get to know people easily. I dont
have to hide my feelings

Youth club houses

Diverse activities for the young, open
for all.

for unemployed youth.

HOW
The participants get to know themselves and the resources
and. possibilities they have. In this programme, all young
people are treated as worthy individuals.Their personal
needs and characteristics are duely appreciated.They get a
grip on themselves. They find ways to use their strenghts to
get a hold on their own control panel.They know more, and
are able to achieve things on their want list. The results so
far are stunning: six out often youngsters participating in the
programme have got either a job or a place to study.

14

income families with a wide range of highquality, purposeful activities ao little cost.
The Koskela youth centre also cooperates
with the social and educational authorities
and the police to support youth at risk.

First aid and preparedness

First aid skills can be learnt on a
course and practised in first aid groups.
Groups give first aid attendance for
example in concerts, competitions and
on ski slopes.
Contact activities
Joint activities for disabled and nondisabled youth.

Outreach work
Social work in the streets by 18-year-olds and older.

Emergency shelters
Somewhere to go for a young person in a crisis situation.

year.

Membership
The young have their
own membership fee.

Information
SPRAY is FRCs very own youth
magazine published four times a

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Parlament Europen des Junes,

Lyce Marseilleveyre, France

Commision for womens

rights
What access for
Europan women to
poblic life ?

Operative clauses

1. Call for the suppression of the plurality of functions and positions or at least its limitation;
2. Affirms that it is necessary to transform the quotas on election lists concerning sexual equality so that women be on the
top of the list;
3. Recommends to put in place measures in favour in equality
between men and women in the public civil service and in particular in decision making positions of responsibility;
4. Wishes that the fathers be given an equivalent role to that of
mothers in education of children in order to enable women to
have the time necessary to participate fully in public life and
also to prevent children from having a segregationist view of
the role of men and women in society;
5. Wishes to see the developmentof educational measures for
children:
a) Infrastructures(more nusery schools);
b) Extension of paternity leave;
c) Systematic child sittinf during political, union and professional meetings:
6. Establishes that viligance is necessary with family policies
that attempt to bring

GEORGIA

THE CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN CULTURE

Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle at St Jean
dAngely

Non Governmental Organisation supported by the

European Commission
Since its founding, the European Commission has sought to
encourage encounters among the youth of all its men6er States.
What is intended is to provide opportunities for young people to
become familiar with the diversity of European sensitivities, to
develop tolerance, to heighten awarness of common bonds.
Jacques DELOIZS, Honorary President of the Commission of
the European Union.
The Centre for European Culture is a non-governmental organisation (a non-profit making association under the terms of the law
of 1901) which since 1989 has been running TRI-NATIONAL
SESSIONS IN EUROPEAN CULTURE AND CITIZENSHIP
DEDICATED TO SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS in the Royal
Abbey of Saint Jean dAngeIy around teaching programmes

profprofitable to follow;
12. Recommends that the
future candidates for membership in the European
union respect the principles of equality between
men and en in public life.

which to date have no equivalent in Europe.

The Centre for European Culture functions as part of the NationalRegional Contract Plan, the French National Ministries of
Education and Culture, the Department Charente Maritime, the
town of Saint Jean dAngely and the supports of the European
Commission.
In the relationship, since 1999, the Centre for European Culture
has been a signatory to a partnership convention with the
European Institute of Cultural Itineraries of the Council of Europe
for all its activities in France and in Europe. Within the framework
it received first prize in the year 2000 competition of the Council
of Europe A common Heritage. This award category was set by
the French national committee under the aegis of the Ministies of
Culture and Communication, Regional Development and
Environment, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Over the last 11 years, the Centre for European Culture has organised 70 tri-national sessions in 7 countries, involving 7000 secondary school pupils and teachers from 17 courmies and 250 lecturers.
http://www.cceangely.org

the Students Union. The Presidents, or the

Speaker, presides over the Parliament sessions.
The parliament elects Speaker from within its
midst.

The Students Union of Georgian Technical

University was founded on December 18, 1990.
The Students Union is an independent selfadministration organization of students. Its aim is
to protect the rights of students and promote their
interests. The Students Union brings together
about 10 000 students. Each new academic year
over 90% of the GTU students voluntarily accede
to it.

Creating the best environment for the student

to acquire knowledge;
Improvement of the teaching process and promoting an active interaction of students therein;
Protection of the students social rights;
Protection of the interests of the SUGTU
members before the state authorities and the GTU
Administration;
Creating conditions to promote the development of the students independent action;
Arranging trainings, seminars and other
events to enhance public activity and raise a sense
of civil responsibility among students;
Promoting fruitful cooperation with the GTU
Administration, other students and youth organizations and foundations;
Stimulating students with highest academic
records.

FRANCE

women back to home while the strong presence of women in

professional life should help to change the mentality and the
representation of women in our culture;
7. Advocates a vast European advertising campaign showing:
a) Happy and successful women with balanced public and private lives
b) The advantages of balanced participation between men
and women in decision making;
8. Recommends to modify the different socialization at
the early age for boys and girls so the women exercise their part
of power in public life by changing the stereotyped pictures
conveyed by:
a) Childrens books,
b) Toys and colours;
c) Media;
9. Asks that the image of women be promoted by the media:
By imposing guidelines to the producers of advertisments and
television serias;
By developing European laws concerning the equality between
men and women through the media;
10. Asks that the justice system of each country penalize any
and all types of discriminatory practices;
11. Strongly insists that Sweden is the model which it would be

SUGTU

AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES OF
THE STUDENTS`
UNION ARE:

January, 2002

President is the top official of the organization. President represents the Students Union
before various authorities, defends the position of
the Students Union, and safeguards the rights of
its members.
The current activity of the Students Union is
directed by the Executive board which consist of
Chairman and Departments. In their turn, the
departments are staffed with the members delegated from the faculties and from the students
unions of the branches. Chairman of the
Executive board supervises the activity of the
staff. The Auditing Committee exercises control
over the financial matters.

STRUCTURE
The Conference is the highest body of the
Students Union.

The Conference is called once every two

year. The meeting consist of the delegates elected
to the faculties and branches of the Students
Union. The Conference elects President,
Chairman of Auditing Committee, approves the
composition of the Parliament of the Students
Union and the candidacy of Chairman of the
Executive board; evaluates the recent reporting
period, determines the general strategy of the
action plan of the Students Union.
The highest representatives and inter-Meeting
body of the Students Union is the Parliament
which consist of the chairman of the faculties the
Students Union and chairman of the branches of

THE GTU
STUDENTS MAY:

acquire highest education; request the creation of the adequate conditions and environment for learning that complies with modern
standards;

Obtain academic leaves;

At any time terminate their education in or

withdraw from the University. Use the material
assets, cultural and service facilities of the
University;
Agree or disagree with, or appeal in court, the
decisions made by the University.

THE GTU
STUDENTS SHALL

Observe and comply with the Statute of the

University and the Rules and regulations of the
University;

Ensure the effectiveness of the education

process and scientific research;
Improve their qualification skills on a permanent basis;

Fulfil the tasks prescribed under the curriculum and syllabus.

Take part in the public and cultural life, creative and art unions and clubs of the University;

Participate, directly or though a representative, in the solution of all the issues of the activity of the University;
Receive grant if they comply with the relevant requirements;

Elect or be elected to the Scientific Board of

the University, faculty or institute boards, or other
administrative bodies of the University;

15

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

International Youth Week is a very special time

in Aurich.Special because of the wonderful things
that happen and becouse of the wonderful people
who take part.So,what is International Youth
Week?It is a youth seminar which aims to bring
young people from all over Europe together to discuss issues which are important to them.Each year
there is a theme and one chosen for this year is The
Wadden Sea & North Sea.The programme took
place in Europa Haus, Aurich for ten days,and the
participants explored the issues involved using informal education methods.

The participants learned in a number of different ways and everybody had a great time as the sessions were both informative and fun.A number of
experts were invited to share their views and knowledge with the young people,and those involved this
year have been very interesting and helpful.The
group also took part in an excursion to the Wadden
Sea,where they walked through the mud flats to the
island of Baltrum.This allowed participants to experience at first hand the significance of this nature
reserve in an enjoyable way.The seminar also
included a number of workshops,which allowed participants to explore the issues involved in smaller
groups.The workshops were designed around different
media
such
as:Video
production;
Graffiti;Theatre;Games;Power Point presentation;
Music; Public Action; and Newspaper.Young people
worked in international mixed groups and learned a
lot about the topic in this way.
They also learned about each other and their
countries through presentations made by the participants themselves.

January, 2002

GERMANY

International seminar in Aurich

The seminar included a number of workshops,which were designed around different media: Video
production;Graffiti;Theatre;Games;Power Point presentation;Music;Public Action;and Newspaper.
Participants of each workshop learned a lot about each other and their countries.
-Video production-had 7 members.They made two videos.First video was a documentary of the week.The second one is called The
Wadden Witch Project,and its about five explorers going in search of the Wadden Witch.
-Graffiti workshop-had 10 members.They made 3 graffiti pictures;one for the theme of the youth meeting (The Wadden Sea),one graffiti
that represented the youth meeting and one Europa Haus.
-Games workshop-members of this workshop had to produce a game that people can learn and use in their own countries.The names of
games they produced are:Block Buster, Wadden Sea Jeopardy and Nation Hopping.
-Music workshop-had 7 members plus leader.It was created when the other workshops were too full.
-Public Action workshop-their main goul was to create a performance to entertain the people in the city of Aurich.They made little
quiz,which was a puzzle of nations.There were also some questions about Croatia,Poland,Cyprus and Germany.
-Newspaper workshop-members of this workshop wrote about workshops,people and events which were important for Europa Haus.They
co-operated with other workshops.
-Theatre workshop-had 7 members.They made a play on a theme of the youth meeting,but they showed it on funny way.
-The Power Point workshop-had 6 members.The members of this workshop co-operated with the Newspaper workshop.

THE WADDEN
SEA & NORTH
SEA

Theme chosen for this years

youth meeting in Aurich was The
Wadden Sea & North Sea.
The Wadden Sea in front of the
Dutch,German and Danish coast is
indeed unique.The rivers transport
sand and minerals into the
sea.Minerals sink into the ground
and accumulate because of the
shallow coast and rather calm
water.
Twice a day the high tide
floods the Wadden Sea temporarily.The range between high and low
tide water levels is about 3.80
meters.
The Wadden Sea is protected
by state measures in all three countries concerned.It is a home of
many animals who live in the
North Sea and the North Atlantic.It
is an important and indispensable
food reservoir for the birds.
These are just little examples
how Wadden Sea and North Sea
are unique and how important their
protection is.

This year the groups came from Poland,

England, Finland, Cyprus, Ireland, Croatia and
Germany.It was a huge learning experience for
everyone and it plays a valuable part in education of
young people.Another significant development happens when the young people return to their own
countries and tell of what they have learned to other
young people.The seminar was organised by the
German group with co-operation from the other
partners,and has proved to be highly successful.This
work of course would not be possible without proper funding and the organisers were extremely grateful to Youth For Europe for their involvement in
funding this project.Without such funding the project could not happen.We hope youll enjoy reading
the report of our seminar and look forward to continued work with those involved.
Flan,Ireland

Chat-meeting
Another chat meeting has happened!
Successfully at least for most people who tried
to join the channels
Those who did not make it today will hopefully be there tomorrow. After logging some of
the discussions going on in the serious channels
we thought it would be good to let you know the
results of todays talk. So this is the summary.
Please read, consider, and discuss with us
tomorrow!

In the channel #programme we discussed the

different possibilities to approach the topic and
how to best introduce it to the participants.
Aspects that are of interest regarding Racism:

1.
Everyday racism (where do we see
racism and where/when do we ourselves have
racist tendencies?)
2.
In which way is racism becoming some
sort of youth culture?
3.
Under which conditions will racism
come up and stay alive in a society?
4.
Racism is not a phenomenon among
stupid people: racist movements need intelligent leaders. They are the ones to develop racist
arguments to attract followers.
5.
What are common prejudices in the different countries and how can they be proven
wrong (can they be?) or contradicted?

16

6.
In which way is racism institutionalised
in the regulations and customs of our societies
(structural violence)?

For an introduction to the topic it would be

best to give an overview of these aspect alongside
definitions of racism that could be compared.
Also some statistical facts would be helpful in
order to compare the situations in the participating nations.
It was discussed that the German leaders will
have to decide which information should be
researched by the different groups and how an
introduction can be done in an interesting way,
i.e. not too scientific and not only based on hard
facts. Possibilities for that would be to include
role plays, posters, collages, and presentations.
Similar methods can then be used later to compare information brought to Germany by the participating groups. However, in order to come up
with a plan, we will need further discussions and
input in the chat meeting tomorrow. The German
Team will then have another chat conference
later to go into detailed planning.
In the channel #freetime we discussed ideas
for creating the free time activities, especially in
the evenings.
At first, we agreed that it is no problem to
have some of the presentations after dinner. There
will still be enough time for evening activities
afterwards. For example: Theme parties! This
means that one group offers a party with a special
theme, like traditional stuff from their own coun-

try (drinks, snacks, songs, dances) or

another special motto, like 60s style
party or Oldies, Caribbean night etc.
Further ideas are welcome. This can
also be connected with the presentations, so that the group presentations
turn then into a party.
Sports: If possible we will be
able to use a sports hall, which can
be parted into three fields. We would
like to offer volleyball, football /
soccer and badminton or basketball.
If you are interested in badminton
matches youll have to bring rackets
and, if possible, balls. We can also
go swimming and to a sauna. Bowling is also possible (as always!).
We discussed to drop the visit to Dinis discotheque. Reasons: It has no personal atmosphere, people dont come together, it is boring,
because we have to go back to Europahaus at 0:30
(you know, there is a German law saying theres
a curfew at midnight for persons under 18) and
the real party time there starts later. Rather than
being disappointed we should have our own
discoJ.
Then, we would like to collect ideas for new
getting to know each other games. Please, add
your ideas and bring them with you next time!
And finally, we still have to talk about the
international dinner. The earlier, the better. So it is
easier to organize.
Last but not least: some more tech support!

Only valid for mIRC, not for the web based chat
on www.irc.at!!!

Today people managed to get into mIRC, but

unfortunately were on the wrong server (Anika
from Germany and Maria from Cyprus met in
some dubious place).
In order to find the correct channel #youthmeeting you have to do this:
Open mIRC, in the menu Files-Options
where you enter your nick name and e-mailaddress etc. you have to choose your Server.
There you have to select a server named IRCNet
(there are several IRCnet servers!), any other
server will not get you to our chat channels!
So good luck and may we meet tomorrow!

The German group with Fin support (Suvi).

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

SOME LOCAL BUDAPEST

PROJECTS IN THE FIELD
OF YOUTH VIOLENCE
AND PEER EDUCATION
ZLD KAKAS LCEUM is a special school those high school
aged youths who are unsuccessful in the framework of possibilities in the regular high school system, but possess the ability to
graduate from it. Having already experience in similar projects,
they are starting a socalled face to face program/training on
conflict-resolution within the school in September. They also run
a youth counselling centre. For this visit they have proposed programme that among others includes presentation of short introductory video film made by students, discussion about cooperation that teachers and the students create together and discussion
on the Face to face program- a mediation technique that has
been built into the everyday schoolwork.
KAPOCS PEER EDUCATION SERVICE PETOFI
CSARNOK
This is a centre located in the Petofi csarnok youth centre which
organises outreach programme for young people with problems.
Among others they work with homeless kids and drug addicts.
They work mainly on individual basis and also with walk-ins in

ICELAND

Sport and Youth

Council of Reykjavik
Primary objects
ITR operates as a recreational body based on pedagogical values. Special emphasis is placed on
reaching young people not involved in constructive recreational activities. ITR tries to create positive environment which is suitable for every agegroup, aims to raise self-confidence, responsibility and active participation based on democratic
principles.

Cooperation
ITR cooperates with different associations,
organizations and institutions. If cooperation is
not evident then ITRs role is to initiate cooperation. ITR and its cooperators share information
in order to solve the problems of the youth. ITR
requires professional work from its cooperators
in achieving mutual goals. ITR has research obligation regarding social issues, sports and youth
related matters.
ITR seeks to hire the most qualified staff available. Educational and training opportunities is
open to all employees and ITR places emphasis

January, 2002

HUNGARY

their centre. Started in 1992, the centre dals with victims of violence, offenders, consulting parents, work with disadvantaged and
disabled young people. They have also published different publications (e.g. Budapest Survival Guide for Young people). They
have 3 staff members and app. 70 active volunteers. It is located
in a frequented youth and cultural centre in an endangered neighbourhood.
DIOTORES (The Nutcracker Foundation) is a foundation
based in the citys oldest hostel for homeless people. They have
two different programs with two different stages of social treatment at two different locatios. The paticipants from the Seminar
will have chance to meet with the selfhelp group composed of
delinquent homeless kids from 8th district of Budapest. Every
Wednesday this group of 10-20 young people has a regular meeting with 2 social workers from Diotores. Seminar participants will
have a chance to talk with these young people and to explore the
local reality of the youth on the streets of Budapest.

BELVAROSI TANODA MEGALLO Csoport

School for social disadvantaged, deviant young people. It is nongovernmental, non-profit organisation. The participants of the
Seminar will visit the special project called MEGALLO Csoport
(menas Station Group). This project provides activities, human
relations, company for neglected, deviant, addicted, bored, lonely
young people who would like to identify themselves. They operate with self-supporting groups and through peer education principles. The visit will bw meeting with some of the groups and discussing their experiences and approaches.

KORTRS SEGTK ALAPTVNY Foundation for peer

group education. They organise long peer education training for
young street-workers (once every year 120 working hours). The
foundation is involved in different programms such as:development of peer education database, drug prevention on the PEPSI
SZIGET- largest summer music festival in Hungary and Safe
clubs and bars programme-peer educational work in discos and
plazas.For the purpose of our visit they will host us in the Irnyt
Youth Service and Vznt Youth Club in XII district of
Budapest. The programme for the visit includes a meeting with
the trained peer educators from the previous generation and several demonstrations of their work (through role plays or simulations)

on professionalism and awareness. ITR aims to

provide equal opportunities and to offer salary
and promotions which corresponds to responibilities and achievement. ITR wants to offer save
work-environment and trust between employees
and employer.

Activity
Each Youth center or ITR should stimulate social
development and positive interaction between
children/teenagers in their work.
Each Youth center of ITR should be open to all
interested youngsters, should make every attempt
to reach those that lack interest or for any other
reason do not participate in constructive recreational activities. Spacial emphasis is placed on
reaching isolated, mentally and physically handicapped shildren.
Each Youth center of ITR should put emphasis on
preventive work involving children and
teenagers. Especially prevention on drug abuse.
Each Youth center of ITR should respond to
social needs, find ways for the Youth center to
remain active force, constantly evolving, never to
stagnate.
Each Youth center of ITR should promote and
strenghten all kids of neighbourhood activities
by offering its facilities to local associations,

MONEY by Neven Mrgan

organizations and individuals.

Each Youth center of ITR should at all times be
able to provide clear information or sports- and
recreational activities for the general public in the
neighbourhood.

In its yearly work outline, The Reykjavik

Sports
and
Youth
Council(ITR)
has
stressed progress and
professionalism.
A
comprehensive service
and neighbourhood cooperation are among the
key factors. With all the
changes that have
occurred in Grafarvogur in recent years a
feasible foundation has
been laid to install this
policy and ensure its
safe progress and development, as well as
improving service to
the inhabitants.
Adding to this the facilities at Gufunes are very
suitable for many sports
and outdoor activities,
easily employed in connection with the operations already going on at Gufunesbaer. The surrounding area offers various possibilities to create
a pleasant outdoor and leisure locale.

17

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

IRELAND

YouthAction
Working with Young
Men
YouthAction Northern Irelands Young Mens Development
Project is using new and imaginative approaches in working
with young men through youth groups, community groups
and on the streets.
The Project aims to:
encourage young men to talk about real issues in their
lives and explore issues of common concern;
address key issues such as self esteem, self confidence,
communication skills, relationships, masculinity and sex-

YOUTH ACTION NOTHERN IRELAND - OLYMPIA YOUNG MENS GROUP

Background

The Olympia Young Mens Group was set

up in September 2000, by a member of
YouthActions Young Mens Forum called
Robert Fletcher. (Fly).

Fly had grown up in an area of South

Belfast, known as The Village. As a young
person, he got involved with alcohol and
violence, and was always in trouble with
the police. By joining a local Young Mens
project which was run by YouthAction N.I,
he became aware that he was ruining his
life. As a result of this project he decided to

tells other people his story. This also was a

good experience for the group, because it
let them see how far violence can really go.
Overall, the group enjoyed this programme
and held a community presentation telling
the local community about the group and
what they were involved in. Here are a few
quotes from the young men who were
involved in the Young Men and Violence
Project:
We talked about things you wouldnt usually consider.

young people nationally recognised qualifications (Youth Achievement Awards)

which they can gain by taking part in different activities. The Olympia group took
part in the bronze level of these awards.

To achieve this goal, the group had to take

part in four different challenges of their
choice.
The groups four challenges were:
Organise and run a pool competition.
Personal activity of their choice.
Plan and take part in a residential.
Create a community newsletter.
This gave the young men a sense of ownership in the group because they got to plan
all of this by themselves with no help from
the workers. E.g. plan accommodation for
the residential etc. that the wouldnt have
been involved in doing before.
Outcomes and Future Plans of the
Group

Through the group, some of the young men

have had the chance to join YouthAction
N.I.s Youth Governance Group, which is a
group to let young people make important
decisions in the steering of YouthAction
N.I.

set up the Olympia group so that his

younger brother and cousins, and the young
men in the area, wouldnt share the experiences that he faced as a young person.

With support from YouthAction Northern

Ireland, this led to me setting up a Young
Mens Project in my own area, with 15 to
18 year olds. Initially, I wasnt sure what to
expect but the young men are really enthusiastic. They have the opportunities to discuss issues important to them and gain new
skills and qualifications.
Robert Fletcher (Fly).
Young Men and Violence Project

The first project that the Olympia group

took part in, was the Young Men and
Violence Project. This encouraged the
young men to talk about the issues of violence that they had experienced in their
lives, and also encouraged the young men
to think about the consequences of violence
if they ever came across these issues again.
This involved different workshops, which
included a Young Men and Violence game,
which was very informative for the young
men as well as fun. The group also invited
in an ex-prisoner who had been in jail for
the paramilitaries for murder, who now

18

You know that violence doesnt work, but

hearing about it first hand makes you
think.
It made you think about how to change
your life for the better.

I didnt think much of it before it started.

I just came cos I thought we might get a
free trip but I really enjoyed it and found
it useful.

Its hard not to get involved in violence.

You need to have done it to know its bad
and not interesting or just a good laugh
thats what you think it is like when youre
younger. But its hard to get out of violence
once you are involved.
Youth Achievement Awards
YouthAction N.Is training service offers

ual health with young men;

build on the experience of YouthAction Northern Irelands
Young Mens Health project in addressing the health
needs of boys and young men.

The suppression of feelings and emotions such as pain,

fear, hurt and anger that young men experience in their lives
can be damaging and detrimental to their future development
and therefore opportunities must be created which will
encourage young men to talk about what they think and feel.
Taken from Young Men Talking..Voices from Belfast
WWM/YouthAction Northern Ireland
YouthAction Northern Ireland can support you in the planning
and delivery of programmes with young men; providing
resources; facilitating workshops for young
men and training of workers.

Clare Youth
Service

(CYS) is non porfit independent organisation, established in 1969 and dedicated to young people in Country
Clare.
Their aim is to fulfill their needs by providing a comprehensive range of programmes and services with the goal of
buildinf young peoples selfconfidence and awareness as
well as their practical skills.
A full time professional staff of 20 offer invaluable information with state-of-the-art technology that is immediately
accessible to all who require it, yung person and adult alike.
CYS headquarters are in the old Boys National School in
Ennis, a dynamic centre of support, guidance and information.
Clare Youth Service offer a range of vocational education programmes and workshops with the aims of providing
early school-leavers or disadvantaged young people with a
chance to acquire essential life skills and practical training.
The emphasis of the workshops is on creating a real-life
product-based working situation, while encompassing

This has involved some of the group going

to York, England for a conference run by
the NMG called Mission Possible in July
2001, some to Coventry called Fun Lovin
Activists in September 2001. Also one
member of the group attended a seminar
which was set up by Council of Europe
which was Youth Against Violence.

The group helped us talk about things

me and {friend} do anyway, but we had
much deeper conversations because of the
group.

The course was good cos it specified

talking about violence. People did talk
before, but you realise they are not just
talking to impress others they really
wanted to talk.

The group has received funding from the

Princes Trust for the Youth Achievement
Awards, and the N.I.V.T. for their next project entitled Young Men and Mental
Health.
Future plans for the group are to take part
in other conferences and seminars, meet
with other young mens groups, and to create a flyer to publicise and promote the
work of the group.
By Jamie Morrison (17)

accoommodation, craft skills, literacy, computer literacy,

languages and faith development, social and personal development.
Clare Regional Youth Council is the organising body for
Clare Youth Clubs. With over 50 affiliated groups, it is committed to providing young people with a variety of recreational and educational experiences. It is also responsible
for the training of youth leaders throughout the county.
The Youth Information Bureau (YIB) is their one-stopshop facility at the Ennis centre the heart of the countywide youth service network.
Here the staff provide information for young peoples
immediate needs. YIB has the capability to answer any
question and is linked to N.I.T.E.C., Dublin, and the Petra
Videotex system in the University of Limerick. Recognised
as a model in the area of information provision, YIB incorporates an Emigrant Advisory Service.
Participation in Exchange Programmes is a central part
of CYS. Exchanges, whether for holiday, training or study,
offer young people an opportunity to experiance and lern
about another culture and about themselves.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Studentsexperience at Liceo
S.S.R.Nuzzi in Andria

When the
School joins
fairs and castels

School and territory: the relationship in getting closer and closer. Some students at Liceo
S.S.Nuzziare consolidating this tie more and more
also thanks to the expressive form of theatrical performances.
Last year the 3rd A (4th A now) developed an
original interdisciplinary course:The shadow history.
TheShadow was studied throught its historical
philosophical literary and scientific implications;starting from the old negativeconsideration of shadowopposed to light-they came to reevaluate the Shadowlinking
it-dialectically-to
the
brightness.Therefore the Shadow, symbol of what is
different, what is collateral, what is persecuted, what
is censored, what is inferior, what is voiceless.
Later the interdisciplinary study took the shape of
a theatrical text.
Hence the students realized and perfor-med a
one-act play: Il Club dell Ombra(The Shadow
club). So the students had the opportunity to develop
the School-territory relationship in a positive way.
Actually The Shadow club was performed in the
framework of Fiera dAprile(April fair), an age-old
manifestation held in Andria
in order to show its typical products and goods
and to promote cultural and intellectual
events.Originally the aim of April fair was: to
exchange and compare not only goods but also ideas
and opinions. Therefore the students presented during

the Fair, open to the inhabitants and territory, what

they analysed and studied at school, a closed place.
Their one - act play, the result of a peculiar study,
was performed in a desecrated church in the old town
and was enjoyed by everybody.
Later on the framework of manifestationCastel
del Monte by starlight the students were invited by
the Superintendence of artistic architectural environmental and historical works of Apulia to perform their
The Shadow Clubin the courtyard of Castel del
Monte,the charming and mysterious castle that
Frederic II of Swabia ordered to be built.
There the theatrical shadows were combined with
the Castle shadows: the result was meaningful.
The students are going to repeat the same experience during this school year.They are studing and
analysing a new important theme:legality.
They
are
realizing
a
new
one-act
playFalcone:ricordo in forma di tragedia.
They want to recall the judge Giovanni Falcone,
who died 10 years ago Killed by the Mafia.So the
relationship between School and Territory is going to

LATVIA

January, 2002

ITALY

Interview with prof. Nicola Ieva, the headmaster of Liceo

Scientifico R.Nuzzi Andria

What would you like to say to a foreign student if you should introduce your school?
I should say that it is a school concerning not only with teaching and learning but also with civil and moral
education. It is attended by young people between 13 and 19 who are going to study at University.
What are the most distinctive subjects, in your opinion?
At the end of this school you cannot practise a profession. The aim of the subjects in this school is not a vocational training but the forming of the boys character. There are some subjects such as Italian, foreign literature,
History and Philosophy which are necessary for the mind training. But our school is focused on the subjects
such as Mathematics, Physics and Science which help to increase the knowledge and the sense for science.
These are universal subjects and so they answer to the purpose of universal paideia.
Do you think that extracurricular activities are important to form young people?
Yes, of course they are; because they support the basic learning and enable students to be in touch with everyday life and society.
Can you give us an example?
The most important are those we carry out some foreign schools, as they give young people the opportunity
to be in touch with students from different countries, different cultures. These links help them to get rid of stereotypes and develop a stronger sense of sharing an European identity and foster the ability to shape and adapt to
changes in the economic, political and social environment.
What European countries in this school connected with?
This school is connected with Germany, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Austria, Poland, Ireland, thanks to the
European projects such as the Socrates programmes: Comenius, Lingua, and the European Club some
teachers are members of. These programmes provide us with a means to consolidate European co-operation in the
field of education. Their objective is the creation of a true European educational area.
Why have you left out of the list countries such as England, France, members of Europe, since they are
more suitable for linguistic training?
They are not left out; actually France and England are the most re quired countries and are not always willing to realize cultural
exchange; in addition to this the cost is much higher and so some students cannot afford it.
Do you think that the cultural exchanges with young people coming from different countries are useful?
Yes ,they are. As I have already said they help to get rid of some ways of thinking or some prejudices we and
some students have, in order to realize a unified country: Europe not only economically but also politically and
socially.
In your study visit abroad did you find anything you would like to realize in your school?
Yes, I should like to have a school like some colleges in France, England or Germany, so that young people
can feel part of a united body. I should like a really living school, not a parking area where teachers and students carry on sports or cultural activities only for school hours and irregular points in the afternoon. I should like
a sweeping reform in schools.

Theatre in Grobina Secondary school, Latvia

Grobina Secondary school is situated not far

from Liepnja. Liepaja is the third biggest city in
Latvia.
As an important event this year in our
school we can mention theatre show in English.
It has become a tradition because it was already
the second show in turn. Students love to take
part in it and they are interested in acting.
The theatre show is only for high school
students. Its our teacher Indra Kalni?as idea to
organize such an activity in our school. We are
the first school in Liepaja region who started to
play theatre in English at school. This tradition
has expanded and on 8 February, 2002 in
Grobina Secondary school there will be Liepaja
region Secondary school theatre show in
English.
But now Im going to tell how it was on 4
December, 2001. That was our school contest.
The best play was The Story of Osama where

students showed their own version about president Bush and terrorist Bin Laden. The play was
written by the student of class 12 Kristaps
Jekevics. At the end in the play bin Laden
overgrows into a positive character. All 8 plays
received a lot of applause and the spectators
were glad to see them. After the show students
from School Broad expressed their opinion
about this theatre show:
Evita: It was a great possibility to show our
talent on the stage. It was the second time when
I took part in it and I wish that this tradition
never ended.
Agnese: When I took part in the theatre
show for the first time I was very scared
because I had no idea how it would be. The best
things you can learn in this activity is how to
support each others work in a team, and how
not to lose patience.
Atis: It was very interesting. My group

sang some Christmas songs. Actually this theatre show is very, very popular. I dont know
any other students show which is so funny and
interesting.
Evita Laudama
Vice-president of Grobina Secondary

LITHUANIA

Sevag Secondary school, Vilniaus, Lithuania

2001-2002 school year

The 25th school anniversary was celebrated in October, 2001.

Vilnius Senvag secondary school is a comprehensive school,
providing its students with profile teaching and having 53 classes.
The school has got 1388 students, who are taught by 114 teachers.
Democratic relations prevailing among teachers and students
help to create comfort and warmth in the school atmosphere.
Ethic culture prevails in our school. It is treated as a kind of
experience, accumulated by the past generations, a living system
of cultural values. There are extra-curricular activities at school.
The students are fond of folk art clubs such as: weaving, sewing,
making souveniers, ceramics, knitting, woodwork and so on.
In 1994 European club started its work at our school thanks to
the initiative of the Information Centre for European Clubs in
Lisbon, Portugal.

Honourable guests from 22 European countries at our European

club in October, 1999. (the participants of the seminar Europe at
School in Vilnius).

2001-2002 The
European Club

Board

of

The club members, teachers and students take part in a project Europe at school. We took part in EC projects my Village
1998 (coordinator Italy), Christmas Traditions 1999 (coordinator Poland), Famous European Composers 1999 (coordinator Austria), Europe Day and the 50th Anniversary of Schuman

Declaration 2000 (coordinator Portugal), Evora 2000

(Portugal), You Finish School and What Is Going to Be Further
1999 (Bosch Foundation), Sports 2001 (coordinator Poland),

19

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Proverbs 2001 (coordinator Croatia) and others. After taking part in the competitions An
Unforgettable Journey to the World of
Telecommunications (coordinator Lisbon,
Portugal) we won the prize to visit EXPO 1998
in Lisbon.
Our school has links and exchanges with
Haslev Ungolomskole in Denmark since 1993.
According to the bilateral takes place every second year with Wechmar Regelschule in Germany
since 1983.

Delegation from
Wechmar near our
school in September,
2001.

The friendship with Wesendorf Basic school

in Germany started in 1995. Since then Days of
Europe are celebrated together either in Germany
or in Lithuania.

January, 2002

Two years ago our links with Cheadle Hulme

College in Mancherster, England started. At present our school and above mentioned schools in
Germany and England are running the project
Cooperation Between Generations 2000
2002, SOCRATES Foundation.
As citizens in a future Europe we declare that
we want to develop our further cooperation with
foreign schools and institutions. Closer relations
between different educational systems will enable
to understand each others conditions of life, traditions, respect, democratic and human rights and
to use differences as means of development of a
common future.
The headmistress of our school Birut?
Terminien? (Germanic philologist) and the
deputy Vida Metelionien? (English philologist)
are in charge of links and exchanges with schools
and institutions, international projects.
Headmistress Birut Terminien
Deputy Vida Metelionien

Unmerge district Vepriai secondary school, Lithuania

Factbox

The headmaster is Rima Ramanauskien?, the

deputy head is Adona Medonien, the supervisors
of extra curricula activities are Laimut
Sentelien and Danut Jasaitien.
There are 29 teachers at school, 21 of them are
senior teachers and one teacher Methodist.
253 pupils learn at our school. The primary
schools of Sliciai and Pageleciai are under rule of
Vepriai secondary school. There are 40 pupils and
4 teachers.

Educational process

Teachers Day

(Vilma Urbonai 7th form)

Every year on the 5th October all teachers celebrate Teachers Day. Pupils give flowers to their
favourite teachers. Teachers Day has its own traditions in our school. The twelfth formers teach
younger pupils instead of teacher. It helps to see
teachers work from the other side.
This year young teachers worked as good as the
real ones. They checked the knowledge of their
pupils and wrote marks. Although these lessons
passed quickly but pleasant memories will stay
for a long time.

Extra curricula activities

My school

(Lina imatonyt 11th form)

There are 253 pupils in our school. It may seem a
small amount but every child is important here.
Pupils learn here till the twelfth form.
Pupils have a lot of favorite places at school. The
sports room is the favorite place of basketball
fans. We have some really good players who present our school in the competition.
The schoolyard is full of pupils during the brakes.
They sit on benches and relax. Some pupils go to
reading room where they can read various magazines, books and newspapers. Our school has a
rich library. If you cannot find a book our librarians will help you.
Pupils of senior forms spend a lot of time here.
On Friday evenings there are discos at school.
They last till 10 oclock in the evening and lots of
pupils come to dance there. Sometimes there are
discos for primary school pupils.
Our school has old traditions. We celebrate the
Hundredth Day till exams (the twelfth formers),
the baptizing of eleventh formers, the New Years
Day. We organize meetings with people who finished our school. Maybe for strangers our school
is just like other schools but for us is special
because we spend more then a half of the day an
experience lots of pleasant moments.

20

Folk dances

(Jovita Balionyte 7th form)

This year there are a lot of changes in extra-curriculum in our school. The rehearsal of folk
dances in one of them. Although I was not interested in folk dances I decided to go to the rehearsal. My classmates and I were not very enthusiastic at first but we decided to try. The teacher told
us that we shall visit a lot of towns during the
concerts. After the first meeting we changed our
opinion and decided to come the next time. Now
we dont pay attention to those who say that folk
dances are old fashioned because we like what we
are doing. My advice to other pupils would be
such dont rely on your first opinion because
you can miss a good opportunity as I almost did.

During the school year 2001-2002 the teaching of

German in the second form is continued. The
fourth formers learn German on profound level.
Pupils in primary school have dancing lessons.
The learners of the seventh and the eighth forms
have Economics as an optional subject.
Profound teaching of the Lithuanian language,
German and Mathematics is taught in the ninth
and tenth forms.
The eleventh and the twelfth formers can choose
either humanitarian subjects or science as basic
curriculum. Some subjects are chosen as optional
After the lessons pupils attend various extra
curricula activities. Our school offers such activities as singing, folk dances, the folk culture club
Geltud?, the young ecologists, the young
foresters, plaiting and composing of bouquets, the
Scouts, making ceramics, playing basketball.
Pupils can deepen their knowledge of English,
German, Russian and Mathematics.

those pupils who didnt learn English and

Russian.
After the lessons all pupils came to the hall where
teachers of Lithuanian, Russian, German and
English taught them to say hello and goodbye.
Pupils tried to guess riddles, said proverbs and
told fairy-tales. There was also a competition of
translator. Pupils sang German, Russian and
English songs. Teacher L. enteliene sang two
songs in French.
This celebration encouraged pupils to learn foreign languages better.

Our first meeting

The Baptizing of the eleventh
formers

(Indre Mikinyte 9a form)

One of traditional events in our school is the baptizing of the eleventh formers.
This tradition can be met in almost all Lithuanian
school. In some school the ninth formers are baptized as well.
The baptizing in our school started with drawing
a cross on the foreheads of the eleventh formers,
whose hands and legs were tied.
They had to climb the stairs, which were covered
with pebbles, on their knees. The godparents (the
twelfth formers) were not kind. When all the
eleventh formers reached the first floor they got
some difficult and unpleasant tasks.
The godparents read poems about each godson
and goddaughter and showed their caricatures.
The eleventh formers swore to obey their godparents.
At the end of the baptizing there was
a disco where the eleventh formers could relax
and forget their suffering.

(Sandra Auiunaite 7th form)

It is a tradition for our school to meet with pupils
and teachers of other schools. We (the eight formers) were eagerly waiting for this meeting.
When the guests arrived
we were in the schoolyard. We took the eight
formers from Siesikai to
our classroom and got
acquainted with them.
Our guests have not been
in our village earlier so
we decided to give them
a guided tour in the surroundings of the school.
Guests liked our lake and
small waterfall. Later
there was a concert at
school. We showed our
programme to our guests
and they in return
showed their programme to us. At the end of the
concert there was a disco where our guests and
we had a good time. Unfortunately, the time flew
unnoticed and our gests had to go home. We parted with a promise to visit them in Siesikai.

The day of European languages in

Europe Club
our school
th
(Ruta Karietaite 7th form)
The 27th of September was the day of European
languages. Our school also celebrated this day.
Pupils could see different kinds of books in
German, of English and Russian languages.
Teachers of English and Russian had lessons with

(Lina arkaite 10 form)

The new century makes us think and dream about
new life. People change the World and the same
time they change Europe. Do we know all the
European nations? Lots of Lithuanian, German,
Italian and other children hurry to their schools
every day. Do we know what they are interested

in and how they live? In order to find it out we

have to communicate with each other. Thats why
at the beginning of March in 2001 we established
Europe Club. There are 20 members there now.
Our aim is to find friends in European countries,
to participate in various projects and to know
more about the culture of European countries and
politics. Although we live for such a short time
we have a lot to tell about our club.

Harvest feast

Aurine Mockaite 4th form

As usual this autumn we had a harvest feast.
Uncle Harvest came to our school. He and the
pupils of the primary school visited The hill or
riddles, Taste and guess corner and The field
of games. Pupils had a good time. They danced,
played traditional games, guessed riddles. There
was an exhibition of vegetables and fruit which
were harvested this year. the harvest feast brought
a lot of joy to all the participants.

The contest of Piggy banks

arn?

Musnickait 6th form

Every year Lithuanian savings bank organizes the contest of piggy banks. The pupils of our
school like to take part in this contest. The works
of Artras Zereckas, Vilma imkut, Jrat
Sentelyt and Benas Dzimidaviius had won
prizes in these contests.
This year pupils eagerly waited for the contests.
Lots of beautiful piggy banks were made. The
sixth former arn Musnickait was lucky and
her piggy bank was chosen to the final. One of the

best works in Ukmerg was Gusts Uniuryts

piggy bank.

Ecology at school

Milda Akunyte 12th form

The senior teacher of Biology Snieguol
Akunien? supervises activities of the young ecologists. This year young ecologists perform the
project The fate of the lake Veprys. They are
going to observe the flora and fauna of the lake.
Young ecologists also clean the waterfront of the
lake and prepare the brochure The lake Veprys.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

MACEDONIA

Center for Civic Initiative

The Center for Civic Initiative (CCI) is non-partisan, nonprofit organization, established in Prilep, R. Macedonia. The primary aims of CCI are to help in the development of the democracy and civil society in Macedonia, to attract young people in the
education and to promote positive changes in their municipality
and country.
CCI organizes different activities and projects to achieve
those aims and increases the participation of the Macedonian citizens in the process of building better and opener democratic society. CCIs work is focused on the following:

Non-partisan education about the pluralism and democracy

for young people through seminars, summer schools, children and
youth centers and other activities;
Promotion of human rights and freedoms through monitoring of the local and national elections, work on projects, holding of meetings, seminars, etc.;
Development of the interethnic and international relations
between Macedonia and its neighbors through concrete projects.
The cooperation with similar non-governmental organizations
in Macedonia and abroad is directed towards accomplishment of
these aims.
The Center for Civic Initiatives is currently involved in
several interesting and worthwhile local and international activities and projects.

Education of children in children rights

After the ending of the Kosovo crises, the project for education of
children in the area of the rights of the children continued as a
necessity. However, this time in the education were included children from Macedonia of the age of 6-14 and from different ethnic
groups. The education took place in children centers by using
interactive method of working with more stress on the participation of the children. The aim of the project was to decrease the
interethnic tension, and to educate the children in the area of children rights, that was especially noticeable of that period because
of the Kosovo crises. This project included around 500 children.
The project was financed by the Dutch foundation CARITAS.

Children - Youth Centers Babylon

On June 15, 1999 began the implementation of the project

MONTE NEGRO

Children - Youth Centers -Babylon by the Italian humanitarian

organization Coo-perazione e svilupo (CESVI), financed by the
European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO). The project
had socio - educational character with special accent on the relaxation of the inter-eihnic relations in Macedonia and socializing of
the children. The idea is forming and providing sustainability of
the children - youth centers throughout Macedonia whose aim is
to provide space ways, methods and all necessary material
resources, for socializing, communication recreation and in front
of all,education of the children in our country. Prilep in which live
Macedonians, Turks and Roma; Veles (Macedonians, Roma and
Turks); Slip (Macedonians and Turks); Struga (Macedonian and
Albanians); Kumanovo (Macedonians, Serbs and Albanians);
Radovis (Macedonians and Turks); Krusevo (Macedonians and
Vlahs) and Tetovo (Macedonians and Albanians) are the eight

towns in which these centers were established. The children coming in the centers are from 6-18 years of age. The centers are
equipped with all necessary technical devices, literature and
inventory essential for achieving of the aims. CCI coordinates the
centers in Prilep, Veles and Krusevo.
Activities through which apart of the educational process are implemented and methods for interethnic tolerance and socialization
are: English language, informatics, sport, creative workshop
(music, art, drama, etc), social skills (psychological workshop),
journalism, street law and debate workshops. Each activity is carried out according to specially determined program for the adequate aim. The program itself is significantly different from the
one in the regular educational system, since there is not direct
evaluation of the work of children, through test and marks and
there is greater flexibility at the choice of the activities, themes
and methods by each child as well as freedom to choose the period at which the child conies to work and socialize. Due to the
large number of interested children included in our program that
is over 500 per center, it is possible each child to visit the center
only once in a week. In the children - youth centers works highly
qualified personal (assistants) composed of persons with different
profiles and working experience with children. The team went
through a lit of training sessions and seminars given by experts
from the country and abroad, in order to upgrade their methods in
the work with children, in the spirit of Babylon project.
The sustainability of the project as one of the final aims is accomplished by:
Active participation of the local NGOs in the organization and
all other responsibilities for the functioning of the centers;

Involvement of the community through direct contacts and

agreements for help and mutual cooperation of the centers
with the local government and the corresponding ministries.
Establishing of the so - called Voluntary association composed
of assistants, citizens, teenagers and children who voluntarily with clearly defined motives and enthusiasm will actively
participate in the activities and- accomplishment of the aims.
Establishing of the Babylon Parents Association as special segment for the sustainability of the project, composed of parents whose children are coming to the center, and who will
voluntarily participate in the work and will help with their
experience in all parts of the programm.
In the conducting of the project as partner appears the Open
Society Institute - Macedonia with whose help and program are
realized the journalistic activities, street law and debate.

YOUTH INITIATIVE PILOT PROJECT

In the fall of 2000, CRS FRY/ Montenegro

began an assessment of youth needs and
assets in the schools of Montenegro. Based
on this assessment and in line with its commitment to community involvement in education, CRS launched a Youth Initiative
Pilot Project. What we wanted to achieve
with this project is not to fix young people,
but to support the empowerment of social
actors who will contribute to the positive
transformation of their schools and communities and who will help build a more democratic and open society.
Pilot Project Goal: Initiate a process of
youth organization and empowerment

CRS partnered with Mediteran, a local

youth NGO for the implementation of the
project. Creative Center Mediteran has
demonstrated a history of expertise and
experience working with youth. However,
there are areas where they need to develop
their organizational capacities. Given its
programming and organizational experience
in the region, CRS is in an excellent position
to promote the institutional capacity for local
NGOs. Therefore, we have provided opportunities for trainings for Mediteran that have
taken the form of community building for
community change (ToT), youth work
(role of peer education as a means to
combat violence), partnership, project
proposal writing (hands- on training).

Activities

These have been core activities: assessment, formation of youth councils (YCs)
in two secondary and one elementary
school, capacity building training workshops for YCs, support of youth-led initiatives (2000 USD per each YC), a crossborder study tour to Bosnia (October 2631) and the organization of a Final
Celebration to highlight the accomplishments of the YCs (on the 6-7 July 2001).

Mediteran conducted three workshops per

each YC, based on the identified needs and
interests of the young people. These workshops included Team Building, Drug
Prevention, Active Listening/ Communication skills, etc. Mediterans young volunteers on their SOS Hotline for teenagers
also participated in the facilitation of these
trainings, acting as peer educators.
CRS staff facilitated trainings on
Identifying and Prioritising Needs and
Project Proposal Writing.
Each YC had the opportunity to access
mini-grants to implement projects based on
their identified needs.
Two YCs decided to make a newsletter:
YC of the Primary school Njegos in Cetinje
and the YC of Secondary Economic school
Mirko Vesovic in Podgorica.
The project bought the equipment (a computer, printer, scanner, camera) for printing

the newsletter. All the Councils had advisor

teachers (chosen by youth) who helped
them with preparing the articles, editing,
working on a computer, organizing meetings, etc.
The third YC of the Secodary school 25.
Maj in Tuzi, chose to change the floor in
their gym. As they do not have their own
bank account (they would have to be registered as an organization in order to have it),
they were given cash advance and after the
project was finished, they supplied all the
receipts. Four persons were responsible for
the money three members of the Council
and their advisor teacher.

MAJOR OUTCOMES
The results of both projects and interviews
with the YC members, teachers, students
outside the YCs, NGO partners, and other
institutions have shown the following major
outcomes:
Demonstrated ability of YCs to work together to design and implement successful projects, and responsibly manage funds. The
projects included two newsletters, and reparation of a gym floor;
Demonstrated ability of YCs to lead local

21

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

fund raising initiatives, including soliciting funds from community members and other donor agencies, and selling
newsletters;
Demonstrated pride, enthusiasm, and mutual support among
YC members, advising teachers, and the community;
Youth actively involved in three issue-based campaigns;
Linkages established and improved between NGOs, YC
members, other youth outside the YCs, the police force, the
narcotics division, the Bijela Home orphanage, and the
Ministry of Public Works;
Proposal writing and training skills of local NGOs utilized and
enhanced through project activities;
Activities and initiatives taken on the part of some YC members and the community beyond the scope of the YI, which
created a natural link between the two projects. These
included:
Conducting interviews and writing articles about the drug prevention campaign;
Assisting the partner NGOs in workshop facilitation during all
three campaigns;
Meeting between President Djukanovic and the YC of the

organized a fundraising campaign in the school and town to

collect money, books and toys, and with the money raised
purchased a VCR for the orphanage. All the YCs together
visited the orphanage and expressed a desire to make this
kind of visits traditional; to help as much as they can and try
to raise public awareness on the problems and needs of the
orphans and the orphanage itself.

Economic High School in Podgorica to present the YC activities and project. President Djukanovic expressed his support for the YC activities, continuation of initiatives among
youth, NGOs and the government. Following this meeting,
this YC was invited again by the President and received
computer, printer and scanner.
Just before New Year, CRS was assisting in organizing a toy
delivery to the Bijela Home Orphanage. The Cetinje YC then

CRS AROUND THE WORLD

Education programming as a constant

CRS approach to education programs is

simple-facilitate, empower and support
those involved in education. CRS strives to
involve all stakeholders in the improvement
of education through the promotion of community, initiative and ownership.

challenge and source of inspiration, will

be child-centered, in-clusive, flexible,
innovative, and fun. Subsidiarity, as the
basis for community ownership of edu-

Pailnt School Partnership Program (PSP)

PSP is the central program to CRS education initiatives. Begun in 1998, with grant
from United States Agency for Internal
Development, program has flourished in
Montenegro. The education of children is a
critical concern of parents worldwide.
Because of its dependence on central funding, the educational sector is in crises, as
budgets for education have contracted.
CRS belives that one of the solutions to this
crisis is a greater involvement of the local
community and parents groups in schools.
PSP encourages a philosophy of direct
proactive involvement and proposes that
responsibility for educational decisions and

Ah, that Norway

From 6th to 11th November 2001 a seminar called

DEMOCRACY PROJECT took place in Norway. In the
project where ten pupils participants from five Croatian towns
: Slav. Brod, Metkovic, Labin, Varazdin and Vinkovci, and
eight pupils participants from Norwegian towns Sandens and
Strand.
The events in Norway were taking place according to the
following schedule:

6th November 2001 ten hours after boring hours at

airports of Europe (read Frankfurt and Copenhagen ) about
4:15 p.m. we finally arrived to our destination Stavanger
Norwegian town. At the airport we have been welcomed by
our very kind hosts Mr. Geir Hetland and his very close partner whose name I can not remember. Accompanied by them
we came to QUALITY RESIDENCE HOTEL ( it didnt get
this name for no reason, believe me ). In chatting with our
Norwegian friends the time passed quickly.

7th November 2001 The hosts generously allowed

us to sleep till 8 a.m. (we didnt find out the reason why ).
After a big breakfast we were taken by cab to one of numerous counties in Sandens called VARATUN GRD. We were
pleasantly welcomed there by the mayor of the town Sandens,
Mr. Jonstein Rouika. He briefly introduced us with Sandens,
his political and civil parliament. After him it was Mrs. TONE
LINGE turn to lecture us about how they started with the program of children parliament and how children debate in childrens parliament of their town. We were also listening to a
lecture of Miss SILJE ARNY about experiences of young
people in Sandens. In brief, to tell the truth, I was a little
bored after this third lecture, but that boredom was interupted by a pause of about 20 minutes, and after that there were
only two lectures more, and these were :
1.Why is it important that young people debate?, this
lecture was given by Miss Benedikte Thu Mrgaard, populary
called Mother

22

All these activities will be used to create a better picture of the

situation of young people in Montenegro, and to serve as a
basis for developing of the new, long term Project proposal.
Our experience, observations, students needs/interests and
the analysis of the assessment and Implementation phase
will be incorporated in the new Project Proposal.

CRS EDUCATION PROGRAM

CRS IN MONTENEGRO

THE EDUCATlON TEAMS

VISION

e. Unsolicited media coverage drawn to the project activities,

including Bosnian TV coverage of the YCs and a local
Bosnian youth group during the study tour to Sarajevo, and
newspaper articles and a television interview aired on
Montenegro national television.

cational and empowerment to create

change, is the leading principle of all
education-oriented activities.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was founded in 1943 and today works in over 80 countries around the world. CRS works to alleviate human suffering, promote human dignity and support pities. The agency assists
solely on the basis of need without regard to
race, nationality or religion.
CRS opened its office in Podgorica In 1998
as part of its overall program in Yugoslavia
to begin implementation of the Parent
School Partnership (PSP) Program.
Currently in Montenegro, CRS maintains
offices in Podgorica, Berane and Bar, and
implements a bulk food program for internally displaced persons (IDP-s) and social
cases, firewood distribution to IDP-s and
social cases, a community services project
to assist the most vulnerable of the community and sh-elter rehabilitation in to the PSP
and other educational programs.

January, 2002

outcomes must be shared by those closest

to the school: parents, community, members, teachers, school directors and students. The strategy used in the PSP program is to offer local communities assistance for the improvement of their schools in
partnership with a local parent council (PC),
teachers and students. The local parents
must organize themselves and with CRS
assistance, define their needs and priorities,
and contribute to the rehabilitation effort. To
meet the objectives of this program CRS
has a comprehensive and integrated program of financial and technical assistance.
These range from small to medium size
grants for equipment purchases, seminars
on the organization and management of
community organizations; to teacher trainings on new and innovate teaching methods. The use of these grants may include
reconstruction or repairs made to the school
building, construction of specialised foreign
language teaching facilities, purchase of
computer or library equipment, or installation of telephone lines for Intenet acc-ess.
Other CRS education programs use this
philosophy of commu-nity involvement
improve education conditions.

NORWAY

by Zlatko Salcinovic

2. The lecture about the project, which Englesh name I

dont remember, but its Norwegian name is UNG AND UND
BY - a lecture given by Mr. Bjarte Bjrnsen.
Finally it was over, and we went for a lunch, and came
back to hotel where we ha 6 hours of free time, which we spent
in a local shopping centre. After supper we went to a cultural
center KULTUR HUSET where we saw a concert called
STREET-MUSIC. The concert was performed by an
English musician (I dont remember the name try to ask my
teacher Mrs. Jukic )

8th November 2001. That was maybe one of the most

interesting days of our stay in Norway. That day we were present at the Youth conference in the City hall. The mayor and
his partners welcomed us in the introduction. After about half
an hour the representatives were divided in to groups and set
off some houndred meters farther into childrens cultural
center KULTURMLLA where they discussed about 2-3
hours. During that time we were surfing on the internet and in

other ways we were killing time. The conference was finally

continued. The goal of the conference was the distribution of
100 000 Norwegian krones (about 100 000 kn). From this sum
75 000 krones were distributed to 28 schools, and 25 000 krones were awarded to the best project. The young representatives had heated discussion until the best project was chosen
(for more information ask prof. Juki}).
At 6:30 p.m. we visited another county. After that we went
to Mexican restaurant for dinner.
9.11.2001. We woke up at 6:30. After breakfast we went
to the Strand where we visited their high school. We had a
very interesting time there students from that school had a
presentation about Vikings ship and the students from
Metkovi} had a presentation about ships on Neretva LA\A I
TRUPA. We also had one workshop on youth and democracy. After that our teachers went away with Norwegian teachers and we (students) went away with our Norwegian friends.
We spent the night at their homes. We had a dinner at a local
youth house. After dinner we went out to a discotheque and
stayed there till 3 am.
10.11.2001. We had a breakfast at our hosts home (his
parents were very kind and pleasant). At 8 oclock we had to
leave oour host because we had to go to the ferryboat to
Stavanger. We were at the biggest shopping center in
Stavanger (believe me, it is very big). We came back to the
Sandnes at 3 p.m. by bus. That day we had dinner at Chinese
restaurant. After dinner we went back to the hotel where we
spent the whole night with our Norwegian friends in the room
number 320.
11.11.2001. After we had said goodbye, what was very
hard for me, we went back to Croatia, but in our minds we
were still in Norway. After the trip which lasted approximately 10 hours (3 hours of flight, 7 hours waiting for planes), we
landed at the Zagreb airport at 10:05 p.m., and finally we went
to our beautiful town, Slavonski Brod.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

Information about STRAND UNGDOMSRD

Labin, Croatia, July 2001

Dear officials, teachers and students.
Dear Croatian friends!
It is a pleasure to be back here in Croatia and in the fantastic surroundings of Labin, and to meet you allagain.
Thank you for your invitation and for such a warm welcome. I remember from last year here in Labin; The first
night we stood outside in the night because we couldnt
sleep, and it struck me in a clear moment, you actually have
palm trees. I thought, this must be the greatest difference
between Norway and Croatia, you have palm trees. What I
have learned from this project is that we are all similar people in spite of some differences in way of life and in cultu~.
We ace aU humans and can learn from each others mistakes and better doings. The democracy is a cornerstone for
almost everything in the Norwegian society. It has helped
us build the Norway we are today. I have learned a lot about
our democracy through my positions in the Youth council,
Students Councils and other activities, like the mini-parliament. I will try to chare some of my ideas on what a youth
democracy and what youth involvement should and could
be from my point of view as a president of Strand youth
Council. I will try to give you a view on what we are working on and how we try to maintain the interests of the youth
in Strand Municipality.
Strand Youth Council
Silje has presented the youth council model from
Sandnes, which is pretty much like model from Strand, so
I guess she mostly covered that for me too. Thank you
Silje.

Students council vs* Youth council

I will start with the difference between a youth council
and a students council. In the youth council there are representatives from several schools with pupils from the age
12-19. The issues we discuss are also often political, and
not directly related to each of the schools. The 9 members
of Strand Youth Council represent the students at their
school and shall discuss the more important cases and
issues up for debate in the youth council with the students
councils. The members of the youth council shall act in the
interest of those he or her represent and not in his or hers
own interest. The name and influence of the youth council
shall only be used to promote youth interests.
Representation
I have always though of representing youth in the
council as a privilege. To have that kind of trust behind you
to do a good job is motivating. And of course you also
know that if you dont do a good job, if you dont do your
best, you will be voted out in the next election. That also
makes you work harder. If you want the position of course.
Being president of a youth council is a lot of work, and if I
hadnt thought that it was fun and interesting, I wouldnt
do it. If you are doing a good job, then it rewards itself in
many ways. You get a lot of respect for your arguments,
you often get to travel and you learn a lot about politics and
how to work with other people.
Changes in SYC
Strand Youth council has changed since last year. We
have gotten more members, more influence and more
responsibility. We can now change our own regulations.
The members are elected to the council for a period of two
years. We have taken over the control of the Peoples House
in Jrpeland and we distribute the incomings from the
alcohol taxes in Strand. The politicians are positive to our
work and try to help us by following up the cases that are
important to us. To get a positive response from politicians
makes the wheels of the youth council spin faster and more
stable. It is important to have good connections with members of the local council and administration to gain the
highest possible level of youth influence.
Youth democracy
A democratic elected youth council has an endless list
of opportunities. It represents youth, especially outh under
the age of 18. This is a group that are without the right to
vote and therefore without elected representation in local
councils and even national parliament. In a democratic
country every group of the society should have the right to
be heard and to tell their meanings. A youth council may be
the only way for young people under 18 to be heard in the
political system. Our slogan is: - Voice for the voteless.
Youth speaking for youth
Youth democracy and youth involvement is something
getting high priority in Norway these days. The youth
council can help strengthen the democracy and it is a great
way to learn youth about democratic thinking and a democratic rule. The same democratic principals apply for the
Students council, only that a students council is aimed at
the schools and the students, but the youth council is aimed

at the politicians and youth in general. The politicians can

use the youth council for statements which they need to
make a fair and good decision in some cases. Like where to
focus funding to youth clubs and other youth activities. Get
statements on what is important for the general population
of young people, and can give politicians information they
could only dream of possessing themselves. I say it like
this: -To know what young people need, you have to be
young. To know what the elders need, you have to be old.
That makes it pretty hard for middle aged politicians to
decide what we need and what we will get. I see it as
important that all groups of the society gets to be heard.
How these groups get to be heard is not important as long
as the arguments and statements are made in a democratic
and representative fashion.
Opportunities
A youth council has, as lmfilidooed, an endless list of
opportunities. There is a lot that we could and can focus on.
Many youth councils work a lot with Youth Caf~s and
Youth houses. Strand youth council does too, only that we
are not running any activities, we are only making sure that
there are. It has been important to me as the president of
youth council to focus on some cases and to do them well.
I have a lot of ideas for the council, it is just important that
we do not have to many balls into the air at the same time.
Project peoples house**
The past year we have been working a lot on a project
called Project Peoples House. We started the project
because we knew that there were too little to do for young
people in Strand. This was also confirmed by a questionnaire to most of the schools in Strand, and the
activities and the rooms at the peoples house
were not good enough. The project is not finished yet, it remains a full reorganization of
the way the house was operated, but as you
can see on these pictures, the redecoration of
the basement is finished.
We also work a lot with the cases up for
discussion in the local council. Everything
from budget iscussions to if we need a new
tunnel under the fjord to Stavanger. We have
also been very active in the alcohols and drugs
debate and I have been in some debate panels,
and as I represent young people I often have
different and some times more provoking
meanings than others. We have been up before
the Local council and spoke about what we mean, we have
come with statements to many eases, and we feel that the
politicians listen to us and takes us seriously. We have also
been working together with local trade and industry in
planning of a development plan for Strand.
Serious organization
We always try our best to make the council look like a
serious organization that represent youth and youth interests. I believe that respect from politicians are a result from
hard work, honesty and patience. It is very important that
the youth is involved and get influence where the decisions
are being made and not are being put aside when the rule is
being made. That will help for morale and make us feel that
we are making a difference.
The main tasks for the youth council the next year is to
establish an even better co-operation with the students
councils and to work for youth getting more influence,
locally, nationally and internationally, and to make it better
for youth in general.
Dag Josef Foss Alsvik

THE DEMOCRACY PROJECT FROM

NORWAY
The leader of WHO in Europe, John Asvall stated in his
opening speech at the Healthy Cities project may stimulate a
democratic development in the participating cities, and that
these ideals are fundamental to the development of a sustainable society.
Based on the same ideology, Strand Upper Seondary
School in Rogaland County in Norway and the Norwegian
WHO-Healthy City, Sandnes, started a co-operation in 1996
for the development of an international democracy project. The
project has been financed by the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs together with the participating cities. The project is meant for students in upper secondary schools and should
give the participants possibilities of training in democratic
processes.
During 1997 two Latvian cities, Liepaja and Grobina, and
two Croatian cities, Labin and Metkovic, each represented by
an upper secondary school, signed intentional agreements with
Sandnes and Rogaland County in Norway, and have now established their own local democracy projects where also students and city councils work together. So far there have been international and local meetings and workshops in all three countries where students, teachers and
politicians have been represented.
A network has been established between the responsible co-ordinators representing the tree
countries. These co-operators are Selma Sogoric and Cedomir Ruzic in Croatia, Geir Hetland
and hans Ivar Somme in Norway and Uldis Linins in Latvia.
Through this project they hope to promote a development of the society based on democratic values and on the ideas of a sustainable future development. It is important that the project should be built on local needs, trust and good personal relations between the participants
in school and cities. The long-term goal will be the development of both national and international networks in democratic training based on good common model institutions. This could
also be part of the WHO-Healthy Cities network in the participating countries.
We have experienced frequent international contacts between our students in this project.
Numerous letters and presentations have been sent between students, classes and teachers and
this is an inspirations for the continuation of our work for the development of democracy and
better understanding.
In 1998 and 1999 three new Latvian school in Aizpute, Brocenu and Saldus and three new
Croatian schools in Osijek, Vinkovci and Slavonski Brod joined the project. A delegation with
two Norwegian representatives from Sandnes and two from Rogaland County, visited the five
Latvian schools April 1999. The delegation had meetings with the schools` administration and
the students` councils.
In Croatia students and teachers from the Croatian project schools have met three day in
Labin in July the last three years to participate in democracy workshops arranged by the upper
secondary school Mate Blazine. In the 1998 both Norwegian and Latvian teachers and students
took part, and the Norwegians were represented in Labin both in 1999 and 2000. Croatian and
Latvian delegations have visited the Norwegian Childrens City Council in Sandnes and also
Strand Upper Secondary School every year since 1997.
There has been an international presentation of this project by the Latvian co-ordinator,
Uldis Linins. This was at the first regional WHO conference of the European Sustainable Cities
and Towns Compaign in Turku, Finland, September 3-5, 1998. The following conclusions were
drawn from this session:
Local Agenda 21 needs to address the democracy prosess.
Baltic Agenda 21 must include more social and democracy issues.
Another international presentation was done by the Norwegian co-ordinator, Geir Hetland,
at a Council of Europe seminar in Riga, April 14-17, 1999. This presentation was given on an
invitation from the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science. The project was also presented
by the Croatian co-ordinator, Selma Sogoric, to the Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb, February
1999. There have also been several TV, radio and press reports from this project.
The last two years, youth parliaments have been arranged in Slavonski Brod, where they
are planning to enlarge their project into Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first youth parliament
in Metkovic was held in May 2001. The meeting was led by the mayor and there were delegates
from all four schools of the city. Three Norwegian officials from Sandnes and Rogaland County
took part as observers.
Geir Hetland

The Viking ship

The sea surrounded most of the Vikings Scandinavian homelands.

In addition, hundreds og fjords cut into the coastline. As a result, water
travel was the main form of
transportation in the region,
and the Vikings became a
seafaring people. In the
decades before the Viking
Age, people in the North
made great progress in shipbuild-ing.the Viking ranked
among the best shipbuilders
of their time. Viking shipbuilders greatly improved the
sailing
ability
of
Scandinavian ships.
The Viking ship was not
invented at the start of the
Viking Age, but was developed from boats used in earlier times.
Early Viking navigators
depended primarily on sightings of the sun and the stars
to determine direction and approximate location at sea. But during the
Viking Age, The Vikings developed a system that enable them to determine the latitude in which they were sailing. They made a table of figures that showed the suns zenith of each week of the year. Byusing a
measuring stick and this table, a navigator could make a sighting and

estimate the latitude of the ships location.

The Viking Age began after a long period of rapid population
growth in Scandinavia. That reduced the amount of available farmland.
It led many Vikings to find a source of wealth, or a new place to live.
At this time, Scandinavians developed new shipbuilding techniques that
enable their ships to travel even farther than before.
The most familiar opinion of the Vikings is that they were brutal
and ruthless people only, and that they raided every country and
citythey reached. A lot of them did, but they were also good traders and
business men. Most of them were also farmers. But they did not quit the
raiding though. Later on it is possible that the Vikings found out that
threatening the inhabitants gave them more than enough of silver and
gold, in stead of killing and burning everyone and everything on the
places they raided. Some historians clame that the Vikings were not as
bloodthirsty as most
people think. Moreover, most discriptions of their attacks
were recorded by
monks an Clergymen. Their objectivity cannot be taken
for granted, or?
This project was
made by: May Sissel Kleppa, Dag Josef Foss Alsvik and Asgeir
Fowels
from Strand Upper secondary school 2001.
Thanks to:Our Croatian friend, Mr. Geir Hetland and Mr.
Sigmund Landa

23

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

ROMANIA

Foundation Civitas from Romania

Foundation Civitas from

Romania has intention to
made investigation on the
status of youth from
South Eastern Europe
and
their
attitude
towards European integration processes, with support of
Association for Democratic Prosperity
Montenegro, UNO and Helsinki Citizens
Assembly Tuzla Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Europe House Slavonski Brod Croatia,
Society and Information Foundation
Bugaria, Young Intellectuals, Hope IRSH
Albania, Embassy for Peace Macedonia.
Goal
The research project aims to create a database
and a comparable review of the problems youth
are confronted with in South Eastern Europe
and to improve the strategies of joint action for
the youth in this region.

Motivational background
In the frame of EU integration, the lack of similar approaches, scientific studies of the attitudinal, behavioral environment of youth from the
SEE region needs to be covered. The youth are
not to be ignored, since youth problems are
common to the problems of the entire society.
The countries from the SEE region represent a
space confronted with significant problems connected to low life standards. Unless the perspectives improve, the emigration of this seg-

RUSSIA

ment of the population will increase. In this

frame, it is imperative to identify the priorities
of youth, to disseminate this information and to
act towards improving the perspectives of
youth.

The target group is formed of youth, aged 1830, from South Eastern Europe countries, such
as Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and
Romania.

Project activities
This research will be made using two methods
of data gathering.
Firstly, quantitative methods, a statistical
approach of the phenomenon. The use of these
methods provides a general view on the way
youth approach the topic of European integration. For this it is necessary to conduct a survey
on representative sample groups for each of the
targeted countries. The size of the sample group
varies from country to country, ranging between
800 and 1000. The same questionnaire is to be
used in all participating countries, for comparative reasons.
Secondly, the qualitative research methods
imply to formation of focus-groups (interviewing) with youth from the targeted countries in
order to obtain in-depth information of the topic
approached in the quantitative approach. Within
the focus groups, the aim is to identify values,
motivation and attitudes of youth with different
social status. For this it will be useful to form, in

each country 10 focus groups, each with 8-10

participants.
Project results
The research results will be made public,
brought to the attention of non-governmental
organizations, international organizations, public authorities, and should serve as starting point
for NGOs, international organizations and
authorities in establishing their course of action
in order to initiate solving the identified problems. As a result of the research, there will be
elaborated a strategy of action for each of the
countries where the research has been conducted. Moreover, there will be elaborated a common strategy of action for the youth from the
SEE Europe, aiming to improve participation in
the decision-making processes that influence
youth lives.
The project is financed by the Citizens Pact
for South Eastern Europe.

For further information on the project,

please check the web-page:
http://www.civitas.ro/YRP/index.html

Interethnica magazine

The aim of Interetnica magazine is to raise

awareness on the need of the open and non-prejudiced communication among the national and
ethnical groups in Romania. This can be
achieved by knowing and acknowledging the
values and ideals of the other ethnic groups, and

by developing the capacity to accept the other

next to you, by acknowledging their needs and
respecting their rights.

The most important co-workers to the publication are organizations of the Albanian,
Armenian, Croatian, Italian, Hungarian,
Romany and Ukrainian minorities. Young people interested in the issue of interthnical relations have joined in and actively colaborated to
the magazine.

Interetnica has been issued starting with

1998. The initial format was that of newspaper.
Beginning with May 2000, we have adopted the
format of magazine. Beginning with 2001, the
magazine is published within the project with
the same name, in collaboration with Romano
Suno Association of Rroma Students. During
this last year, the magazine has been bilingual,
with articles written in Romanian by Rroma students and their translation into Romani.
The magazine is issued monthly, in a small
number of copies (1000 copies / issue), therefore the target group of the publication is
formed of youth organizations, universities,
respectively students from Cluj-Napoca. In
addition, a small number of copies is distributed
nationally to institutions and organizations and
personalities.
For further details, please check the webpage: www.civitas.ro

ognizes ideological and world outlook

diversity.

Purposes

Working out a strategy and curricula of

civic, human rights, democracy, peace,

law, and political education; development

of educational and methodical-scientific
literature, audio-visual and computer

facilities in the field of civics, human

rights and democracy; training and
retraining secondary anh high school

Moscow
school of
human
rights
(NGO)
Principles

Moscow School of human rights is a nongovernmental organization; is a noncommercial institution

of vocational

education; dosent support any political

parties, movements and campaigns; rec-

24

teachers, leaders of human rights movement, state employees; improvement of

legal and political culture of the students;

performing functions of an informational

centre of the problems of civic education,

education in the sphere of childs rights,

human rights, peace, democracy; summing-up and distributing foreign and
domestic experience in this sphere.
Activity: seminars, sessions

In the course of the last few years our

specialists took part in organizing and

arranging of more than 15 International

seminars and sessions of training teachers to teach human rights, democracy.

These seminars were organized with participation of the Council of Europe,
UNESCO,

Amnesty

International,

Canadian Fund og Human Rights and

other organizations. About 8,000 teachers have been trained at these seminars
ans sessions.

ECOLE No406 - Pouchkine, St. Petersburg

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

January, 2002

SERBIA

OUR MISSION

First few words about our NGO

Peoples Parliament aims at inspiring and

helping positive social changes
which have as their final effect the establishment of democratic, sustainable, developed and progressive society.

HISTORY

The local Television Leskovac viewers were

puzzled by the appearance of the television
technician at half time of the basketball
game on July 1, 1999. He addressed his
South Serbia fellow-townsmen and in a
five-minute speech he expressed his disagreement with the unreasonable politics of
the local and state government of that peri-

od. On that occasion, he called on his fellow-townsmen to gather together in the

downtown square four days later on July 5.
This started the most massive anti-regime
civil protest at that time. Nearly 80 000 people from South Serbia took part in the 44day protests in Leskovac.
After this massive civil protest had finished,
at the middle of August that year, Peoples
Parliament was constituted as a non-profit,
non-partisan and non-government organization by the organizers and leaders of this
protest.

GOALS

Peoples Parliament directs its activities

towards the building of:

Democracy and civil society
The system of respect of human and civil
rights
Better position of women within society
Better position of the youth within society.
International relationships and ethnic tolerance
Economic and social development
Media impartiality and information flow

PROGRAMS

- Peoples Parliament realizes its activities

through seven programs:
- Program for the development of the civil
society and democracy

- Program for the support of the local selfgovernment development

- Cross-border cooperation program

Youth program

- Economic development center

- Females sector
- Volunteers center.

Youth program of Peoples

Parliament

Youth program aims at establishing a society in which young people actively participate in building the society and in making
decisions that influence their lives

25

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Goals:
Building knowledge and skills that help the
young lead safe and creative life
Increasing active participation of the young
in the life of the community and social-political processes,
Improving the cooperation between organizations and associations that bring the
young together.

Youth projects in 2002

Multiethnic Youth
Parliament

Project

Period:

November

2001

SLOVAKIA

November 2002.
Beneficiaries: Young leaders originating
from different nationalities, religion and
communities from all over Serbia; nongovernmental organizations, governments,
institutions and individuals interested in
multiethnic issues.
Brief description: project tends to gather
and acquaint young people with the root
issues surrounding tensions between different nationalities, as well as history, legal
and political position, level of social and
economic development and religion of the
biggest nationalities in Serbia (Serbs,
Albanians, Roma, Bulgarian, Hungarians
and Bosnjak/Muslims).
The topics addressed in the MYP are:
Human rights and democracy, Economic
un-development and conflict, The role of
the media/information in conflict, Local governments in multicultural and democratic
society, Culture and identity, Education for
peace and The role of NGOs in conflict prevention and resolution.
Multiethnic Youth Parliament is a place for
discussion, information dissemination and
cultural exchange embodied in four and a
half-days Training Program, informational
six-languages web site and E-mail
Discussion Group.

Protect yourself trick

AIDS

Project Period: January 06 to January 12,

2002.

January, 2002

Beneficiaries: 500 young people have

directly participated in campaign activities.
Brief description: The young volunteers of
Peoples Parliament have conducted a
campaign with the aim to educate and
inform youth in Leskovac about AIDS (how
is transferred, how its not transferred, how
can you protection from it) and to popularize the usage of condoms as a way of protection from HIV virus. The seven day campaign have consisted out of:
Media campaign on several local TV and
radio stations (commercials and jingles)
and poster and flayer distribution.
Campaign activities embodied in two-day
activities in center of the town.

YOUTH DECLARATION

Society must ensure that the unique human potential of each person is able to develop in authentic freedom by encouraging the conditions in which freedom and citizenship can be exercised, while
living in solidarity and awareness of the inviolable dignity of oneself and of all.

With the collapse of communism and the beginning of the unification process, Europe faces new possibilities and challenges. We
must therefore renew ourjoint commitment to realize the full protection of human dignity, which, though a fundamental value of
European civilization, has been and continues to be violated by different ideologies.

Association of
Community Youth
Centers

Youth for
Peace and Development
26

Srdjan Mitrovic

Our shared European identity is based upon a recognition of the

fundamental dignity of the human person, whish is possessed by all
and must always be respected, from conception until natural death.
This intrinic dignity is the basis of all human rights and must never
be violated in any way.

As young people of a changing Europe, we declare our readiness to

contribute actively to the discuissions concerning the future of a
common Europe. As citizens and future leaders we accept our
responsibility to participate in the re-construction of our continent.

We call upon the governments andcitizens of Europe to reffirm the

recognition-expressed in the Universal Decleration of Human
Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights-of the
inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all, including the inviolable right to life, as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in
Europe.

First day young volunteers have conducted

a performance in a downtown square called
Panels who speaks and a stand organized for distributing the promotional material and condoms.
Second day we have organized a rock concert called Protect yourself trick AIDS in
which three young rock groups have performed and, at the concert, called young
people to use condoms as a protection
from HIV virus. Also great number of condoms and promotional material has been
distributed at the concert.

We envision a European culture in which the family is the fundamental unit, where men and women have the opportunity to learn
to live in solidarity, and where genuine freedom is first nurtured and
developed. The family is the cornerstone of a free and just society
in which the person is placed at the center.
Irrespective of cultural, religious or ethnic differences, as young
people from a variety of European countries, we unite in affirming
the following statements:

Introduction

Nowadays it's become a habit to talk about problems: economic, political, social, existential they surround us The problems of young people top the list: unemployment, social passiveness
and apathy, lack of possibilities for personal
development and education, widespread negative
trends - alcohol and drugs abuse, prostitution,
hooliganism. In the compact settlements of formerly deported people this situation is additionally complicated by resettlement problems: lack of
communal infrastructure, unfinished houses,
absence of social facilities. Unresolved socioeconomic problems contribute to deterioration of
the socio-economic climate and escalation of
inter-ethnic tension. Young people remain hopeless and the future seems dark and unclear. This
leads to aggression and self-destruction.

Where is the solution?

Youth - is not a problem, youth - is a resource! this is the motto of the Association. In order to
provide young people with an opportunity for

We commit ourselves to participate in the construction of Europe as

a free association of peoples, respecting their common heritage as
a civilisation, committed to the protection of fundamental human
rights, and to the creation of a renewed europe of values.

self-actualization and participation in the community life, Youth Centers are being established in
different regions of Crimea.
Youth Center means:
- active participation in community development
- access to information, education and communication
- possibilities for personal development through
interest clubs and activities
- possibilities for employment and economic
development
- young people working for young people
Youth Center is a step to future success!!

Areas of activity:

- Community development and culture

- Information
- Education
- Organized leisure

A lot of work was done create the Youth Centers.

Now these are established and active organizations. But the youth organizations decided not to

UKRAINE

limit themselves to this achievement and decided

to climb one step higher in their development.
For this purpose they have united into an
Association.

Association

does not have any political affiliation and serves

the interests of youth with different ethnic backgrounds and social groups. Out goal is personal
and social development of young people. We
believe, that the wealth of Crimea is in its cultural diversity, and we work for revival and popularization of ethnic cultures.

All different, all equal

Russian and Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and

Armenians, Bulgarians and Germans, Greeks and
Karaims - we all live in Crimea, we are young
and we want to grow. Nothing will change,
unless we do it. Working together to increase
social, political and economic role of youth we
contribute to the harmonization of inter-ethnic
relations on the peninsula.

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Together,
for Peace and Development
in Crimea!

Objectives:

- Increasing access to information

- Increasing civic responsibility
- Cultural development and interethnic tolerance
- Economic development

Functions:

- Overall coordination and joint activity

- Representing the Centers on republican, national and international levels
- Training and information dissemination
- Technical and methodical support to existing
and establishing centers
- Mobilization of technical, human and financial
resources
Currently implemented projects
- Mobile consulting Group

January, 2002

- Resource Center
- Supporting Enterprise - Internet provider service

Member organizations:

- YO "Arslan", Bakchisaray region

- YO "We", Belogorsk region
- YC "Yany Nefez", mkr.7 of Bakchisaray
- "MirCenter" Institute of Culture of Peace,
Tavrian National University
- "PhabClub", Kievskiy district of Simferopol
- YC "Melevshe", Simferopol

Our partners:

- Crimea Integration and Development

Programme
- Republican Committee on Family and Youth
- Republican Committee on Nationalities and
Deported
- Bakchisaray, Belogorsk, Simferopol and Sudak
Regional State Administrations
Looking forward to cooperation!

YOUTH INTEGRATION
THROUGH HISTORY AND
CULTURE

UNDP/Crimea Integration and Development Programme conducts a youth summer camp in Mangup every year in the framework of the project YOUTH INTEGRATION THROUGH HISTORY AND CULTURE. The activists of youth/cultural NGOs,
who are interested in the Crimean history, ethnography and
interethnic relations, were invited to take part in Mangup camp.
The Republican Committee on Nationalities and Migration of
the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Association of National
Communities and the Mangup Archeological Expedition of Tavrian
National University (TNU) are the project partners.
The camps objectives were to provide training on interethnic
tolerance and conflict prevention skills, giving the representatives
of different youth/culture NGOs the opportunity to establish contacts, regulate relations, determine the role of youth in the process
of interethnic integration in Crimea, work out the joint plan of
actions and prepare the concrete projects.
The camp was a combination of leisure and learning: the youth
had a chance to participate in the seminars, the archeological digs
together with the TNU expedition; and in a wide cultural programme, including ethnic clothing, cuisine and elements of private

UNITED KINGDOM
Welcome to Our
Multicultural
European Dance
Workshop

We frequently preform a variety of Welsh Dances at

Dance Festivals throughout Wales.
We would like to show you how to learn a Welsh Dance
called lawr y Canol. This is a very simple Welsh Dance.
Here are the teaching notes for this dance.
Rydym ni fel Ysgol un cymryd rhan mewn sawl gwyl
dawns trwy Gymru gyfan.
Wnewn ni ddangos i chi sut i ddawnsio Lawr y
Canol. Maen ddawns syml iawn.
Form a square set of four couples.
Couple number 1 walk forward eight steps to go

life. In the evening, by the campfire one could hear folk songs and
legends in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Armenian,
Bulgarian, and German. The participants shared the stories about
the history and customs of their nations, taught one another national dances and some polite words in their native languages.
Professional psychologists from the Odessa Mediation Group were

invited to be the trainers. Also the members of Historical and

Ethnographical Departments, and psychologists of the TNU carried
out some of the training. One of the days spent in the camp was
entirely devoted to the role game Ostron, in which the participants, who were separated into two completely different relative
ethnical groups, had to find a common language to speak, learn
about the opposite culture as much as possible, and establish the
peaceful principles of existence. The game appeared to be much

Repeat with couple 2 leading, then couple 3, then couple 4.

Mrs. Campbell brought some shawls and aprons from
Portugal for use. We have some Portuguese music, but we
do not know any Portuguese dances. We would be grateful
if you could help us learn a dance for our repertoire.
Year 3 have worked with Noami, a Spanish student.
She has taught us about Spanish customs and culture. We
have learned a traditional Spanish dance.
Over recent years we have performed in a local theatre
as part of a Schools Dance Performance.
One of the first dances we learnt was an African Tribal
Dance. The children now in the club have asked to be
taught this dance.
The costumes are very colourful and the music very
lively! We have already done a Caribbean Dance to
Calypso Music. The video shows the part of the dance the
children particularly enjoyed.

more serious and difficult than it could seem in the beginning, but
nevertheless the common compromise was found by the evening.
The youth also had a chance to communicate with the government representatives of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. One
of their discussions was about the perspectives of interethnic relations on the Crimean peninsula. This action was widely illustrated
by the mass media. Young people shared their impressions willingly. One of the basic conclusions is that such activities help to design
a kind of a society, in which people learn to perceive each other not
only by way of the historically formed ethno stereotypes, but as
personalities, who can paint, sing, dance, tell an interesting legend
or just to listen carefully to their interlocutor.
One of the camps objectives was the animated cartoon effect.
All the participants will go home, return to their surroundings of
friends and perhaps make their own contribution based on their
own impression received while staying in the camp.
This event has already been conducted for the past three years.
In the future, the Association of Community Youth Centres Youth
For Peace and Development plans to make it a tradition. It is likely that the leaders of youth organizations from other countries will
be also invited, and the Mangup camp will have an international
status.
Mangup-kale is a picturesque plateau in the mountain part
of the southwestern Crimea, which territory is full of historical
and architectural monuments. This plateau has lately become a
reserve area, where regular archeological digs are carried out.

POEMS AGAINST RACISM

A united Europe For a world without

fear - free from racial prejudice

Mountstuart Schools staff and pupils have exchanged curriculum studies, letters and visits with schools in Italy, Portugal, Sweden, France and
Holland through the Comenius Project and the Euro Club Project coordinated by Portugal.
Through these contacts everyone has played a part in trying to forge
positive relationship with European pupils and to eliminate racism.
These poems were written by pupils aged from 5-11 years. They are
unabridged and reflect their desire to see A Europe without Racism.

Friends play together.

We are all different.
Friend help each other.
We are all different.
Friend talk together.
We are all different.

between couple 3.
Turn out and skip around the set back to place.
All hold hands and circle to the left for eight.
Circle right for eight.
Link right arm with your partner and turn for eight.
Link left arm with your partner and turn for eight.
Back to back with your partner.
Hold two hands with your partner and skip aroud for
eight.

Currently, we are working on a dance that combines

our European and African Heritage.
Rachel E. Campbell, Headteacher
Coordinator of the European Club
- Montstuart Primary School Cardiff, U.K.

Does it matter
If we're all different.
Some are black
Some are white.
Some belive in different
things.
IT DOES NOT MATTER

By Issac Campbell - Age 8

Betty Campbell M.B.E.

Headteacher 1973/1999.

Live together and care for each

other
Don't be racist to each other
Don't kill people
Love each other.
Have joy and have happiness
Be helpful to each other
Share what you have
Don't call people names
Don't bully each other
Have a friendship between you
Don't have no more wars
Have peace
Don't fight
Be kind
Have love

By Delisha Georges - Aged 9

27

Newspaper about youth contribution in local community

Jiggi Promotions

Jiggi Promotions is a group of young people

aged 14-21 from the Butetown/Grangetown area.
Jiggi Promotions was founded by Butetown local
teenager Marcus Simpson. Joggi Promotions is
one of Cardiffs main under 18s disco providers,
attracting 800 young people to their events. Jiggi
is so unique because their performers are all local
young people. Jiggi provides DJs, singers,
dancers, publicity team and consultation service.
Jiggi has a large core following with the youth of
Butetown. The reason why Jiggi was commissioned to do the consultation is because they
know how to approach, reach and gain the support of the young people of Butetown and
Grangetown.
The work of the Butetown/Grangetown
Regeneration Forum

The Butetown/Grangetown Regeneration

Forum has met regularly since May 1998. The
Forum offers an opportunity for local residents,
community groups, voluntary, statutory and private sector organisations as well as Ward
Members and Local Authority Officers to meet
up and discuss issues arising out of the regeneration action plan and to agree priorities for the
area.
The Forum is one of the keys to ensuring that
there is a co-ordinated partnership approach to
implementation of the action plan. As well as the
Forum there are a number of sub-groups up and
running that are looking at specific issues concerned with the regeneration of Butetown and
Grangetown. The sub-groups are mainly concerned with the practical work of designing and
implementing solutions to specific issues identified by the local community.
The Youth Sub-Group was originally set up in
July 98. The sub-group has drafted the following
working objectives;
To determine the level of service provision
for young people in Butetown and Grangetown in
relation to health, leisure, training and emplovment.
To identify the needs for youth provision.
To identify and implement solutions to those
needs.
Conslusions

There are concerns that many children start

hanging round on the streets and getting in to
trouble from the age of 11. All the attention is set
on age 14+ all the time I think is time to provide

young people age 14- with facilities at an early

stage to prevent them from hanging on the street
while we still got a chance.
While concluding this consultation report it is
worth reminding ourselves that the children of
today are the adults of tomorrow we need to make
them feel important.
The reason for the consultation is to find out
what young people want to see in their area which
will keep them off the streets. The main activities
young people wanted to see was Sport and music.
There are many sports and music activities in the
area but theyre not catering for the young peoples needs.
There are acres of waste land surrounding
Butetown and Grangetown which are used for
homes and retail. It is time for the area to benefit
from the local land area. There is room for parks,
football pitchs and no body does any thing about
it. All the development in the area are made with
tourists in mind not thr local community. In the
past Butetown and Grangetown have been
deprived of youth activities for local young people, this leads them forced to go searching for
activities in their own way like causing trouble on
the street. Play is important to young people it is
an essential part of their growing up process. We
need to provide as many playing opportunities as
possible. In Butetown and Grangetown 70% of
the play centres are run by small budget voluntary
organisations lacking resources. The council
needs to get more involved.
The problems of trouble and vandalism is not
created by children. It is created by adults for not
providing sufficient facilities to keep them off the
street. Children will play where ever they are,
they will seek excitement and challenges or even
risk so we should provide this in a safe environment, e.g. Adventure play grounds.
Recommendations from Jiggi and the Youth
Sub Group.

The accessibility is not good for children to get

January, 2002
their local youth club. The council needs to use
all their available powers to ensure that children
from the Butetown and Grangetown area are
given every opportunity to excess play activities
near where they live.
Butetown and Grangetown lacks local workers.
It is time we accept that parents are the most
important influence on young people. Jiggi
Promotions recommends that the council creates
oppottunities to involve parents in the management of local facilities.
It needs to be recognised that are a number of
deprived families living in Butetown and
Grangetown, it would benefit the community if
some local activities supervised and unsupervised
were free for them to access.
All organisations who provide youth provision
in Butetown and Grangetown need to spend about
a week monitoring their activities. They can monitor their activities asking users and non users
what they like about the activities they use and
why they use them. If it doesnt suit the needs of
young people then appropriate action should be

undertaken.
Most youth provision in Butetown and
Grangetown is provided by voluntary organisations with little input from the council. The council needs to get more involved funding more
organisations in the Butetown and Grangetown
area.
The document shows that street games are still
very popular. At the moment young people play
street games in roads and gardens. It would be a
good idea to make parks suitable for street games.
Chalky Whites Youth Centre in Butetown needs
funding to stay open.
Young people need More information on local
youth activities.
Funding needs to be identified for youth provision in the Butetown and Grangetown area.

FEAR

Impresum

The editor Bo`ica Sedli}

The associate editors Izidor Krajnovi}

28

Grangetown School Recommendations:

The majority of youth do not go to youth clubs

but hang around on the street: We recommend
that the youth club should be run by a youth adult
that is from the same area, who has worked with
the youth and knows what the people want.
Butetown school recommendations:

The amount of young people that hang around

on the street is almost double that of Grangetown.
Another thing we noticed is that the majority of
Butetown people use outside areas to play. We
recommend that using the information that has
been collected something that they actually want
should be built for the young people.
The majority of youth do not like school. It is
these people that we noticed also thought that
their behaviour could be improved. As in
Grangetown there should be something that motivates the young people and actually makes them
want to go to school not just because they have
too.

Youth Clubs are very important for young people.

Young people want to do something interesting, to
make new friendships, but they dont have place
for it, so they are hanging round on the streets
and going to night clubs.
Streets could be very dangerous for children playing and we must protect them from getting hurt.
Adults have to help young people but young people also have to help each other, like Jiggi
Promotions ( group of young people ) who want
to attract young people and support them in their
interestings. As the most of youth like sport and
music, Jiggi provides DJs, singers, dancers, publicity team which is excellent step for attracting
them.

Young people allways want something new so we

mustnt stop asking them what they want to
change or add because they are different year by
year.
Youth Clubs want to implement life of youth and
encourage them on their way to future and
because of that we have to support their spreading all around the world.

by Daniel Mrgan

The journalists Marina Gari}, Zorica Gari},

Iva Sedli}, Anamarija imovi}, Vlatka
Vidakovi}, Anita Kljai}, Zlato Sal~inovi}
Translations to English by Jelena Jelini},
Ramzija Doli}
Layout and design by Danko Eror

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