N°25

December 2008 BIMONTHLY INFORMATION SHEET ON EURO-MEDITERRANEAN COOPERATION This information sheet is a complement to our magazine "MEET’IN EUROMED" (download the English version from our website www.salto- youth.net/euromed. It aims to provide general interest information concerning the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. We will therefore try to deal with other political or cultural aspects by proposing some useful publications, websites and links or by suggesting interesting entertainment activities to look out for!!

• INFORMATION Rotterdam - 2009 This title is assigned to a European town for one year during which this town should show its cultural, social, economical and political development for young people. In 2009, Rotterdam will be the European Youth Capital. One year for and by the "Young people" with initiatives such as the housing, art, culture and lifestyles, the future, sport, environment… which will begin in 2009 up to be followed-up in the long term. Here is a website dedicated to these initiatives. For 2010, the call for proposals launched by the European Youth Forum is finished since 20 September and the selection is continuing. Make use Youth in Action! The Salto Cultural Diversity Resource Centre provides a collection of booklets promoting the Youth in Action programme, translated in Minority language such as Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Somali, and soon to come, in Arabic and Sorani/ Kurdish, to have a better access to the Youth in Action programme, its objectives, priorities, activities, and management rules. Download the booklets. European Youth Week – 2 to 8 November – The European Commission awarded the best youth projects The European Youth Week 2008 featured the best Youth in Action projects from across Europe. Seven of the best had been awarded during the event this month. You can find on the European Youth Week website the articles on every project and get to know the person behind the ideas, and the events and work that have brought them to Brussels. You can have a look to the selected projects per countries here. Meeting against Violence in Bethlehem Supported by the European Commission and the Euromed Youth Unit from Palestine, within the Euromed Youth Programme III, the « Holy Land Trust » Foundation opened its meeting against violence in Bethlehem. Participants from Jordan, Palestine, Israel, , and Great-Britain met together to discuss about violence problems and causes in communities through their own experience and point of view exchanges. The final aim is to help « non-violence » to become an integrate part of culture in societies. « Intercultural-Art-Cultures on the stage » project Supported by the European Commission and the Euromed Youth Unit from Palestine, within the Euromed Youth Programme III, the Youth Forum of Nawafeth launched in November, a 6-day project which promotes the mutual understanding among young people from the Mediterranean region and build bridges across different cultures. 20 participants met together in Ramallah to develop their social and intercultural competences on how to cope with differences and elaborate modalities to reach solutions for conflicts.

• INITIATIVES Platform on Youth organisations and youth projects within the Youth in Action programme YOUTHFOREUROPE.EU was designed to respond to the growing interest of young people, youth groups and organizations for active participation in international projects on European level. It is a platform based on the expected evolution of the European Youth policy with regards on young people's own European experience and the "Youth in action" programme (2007-2013). http://www.youthforeurope.eu/index.php Feature Stories by journalists and photographers from Mediterranean Partner Countries Journalists and photographers in the nine Mediterranean Partner Countries have tracked down and are writing on some of the projects funded through EuropeAid’s Regional Programme. These feature stories are researched and written by journalists from these countries, giving the view of the people who have benefited, and a flavour of Euro-Med cooperation on the ground. Most journalists involved have either been trained by the EU-funded EU4Mediterranean Journalists project (replaced by the European Neighbourhood Journalism Network) or won a journalistic award given by the Euromed Heritage programme, also funded by the EU. Local photographers were used for these stories and thus a professional photo data bank is being created. You can fond these projects on line on Euromed Info Centre website.

• EVENTS 3rd edition of TOOL FAIR Following the frank success of the two past editions of this large event, the Salto-Youth EuroMed RC organised in cooperation with the Spanish National Agency for the Youth in Action programme and the Government of the Canary Islands, the third edition of the "Tool Fair", in Canary Islands from 4 to 8 November. This year, around 60 participants came from both "Programme" and "Partner" countries of the YOUTH IN ACTION programme: young people, youth workers, youth leaders, trainers, etc. In one place, for 5 days, the Fair was a "showroom" for the huge variety and richness of tools developed and used under the YOUTH IN ACTION programme, a place to experiment with methods and exercises used within the different actions (youth exchanges, EVS, youth initiatives, training) and based on different themes (cultural diversity, inclusion, cooperation with partner countries, etc...). The Fair become the creation of the participants themselves and enable their tools to be used throughout the programme. Their "Know-How" will be gathered in a handbook in order to create a "common memory". CONFERENCE « Youth Participation in Euro-Mediterranean context(s) The SALTO-YOUTH EuroMed and Participation Resource Centre organised in cooperation with the French National Agency for the Youth in Action programme a Conference on the Youth Participation in programme and Mediterranean partner countries of the Youth in Action programme. Between plenary sessions, exchanges and project presentations dealing with the thematic « Youth participation », this Conference brought together 107 participants. A real proof of active participation! EMYAN – EuroMed Young Artists Network in Tunisia Mare Nostrum Euro-Med Youth Exchange is taking place in Ghar El-Melh, Tunisia between 3 - 12 November. The representatives of the 8 partner organizations shall meet and discuss the last details before the project starts. Mare Nostrum is organized by Club Unesco Alesco du Bardo; a member organization of the Euro-Med Young Artists Network (EMYAN). This project is co-financed by the European Commission under the Euro-Med Youth Programme III. http://emyan.org/

• PUBLICATIONS

« Have your say ! » Manual – , Youth Directorate Manual on the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life, adopted in May 2003 by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The charter is a tool to support young people, youth workers, youth organisations and local authorities in promoting and enhancing meaningful youth participation at local and regional level across Europe. The manual "Have your say!" answers questions such as “What is real youth participation? What do I do with the charter? Why should I be interested in this document?” and is targeted at youth organisations and young people who want to have their say as well as at governmental representatives who want to increase active youth participation. (Book + CD) Salto Euromed educational report « 3 cultures » This educational report compiles 4 training courses carried out by Salto-Youth EuroMed on the thematic “the 3 cultures”: • 1st in Cordoba in 2004, the focus was cultural, rather than religious – how was it, how is it and how can it be, using the past as a starting point, • 2nd in Jerusalem in 2005, due to the uniqueness of the place, the focus was on the history of the city and the three monotheistic religions, • 3rd in Antwerp in 2006, the Training course was linked to the political power and the communities, the connivance of the communities within a multinational city, • 4th in Paris in 2007, focusing on laïcité vis-à-vis the three cultures. The challenge was to tackle from the first time the four topics – four cultures living in Paris in peace nowadays. Collection Bringing both sides together

[email protected] Directeur de Publication: Hervé Mécheri Tél: +33 1 39 17 27 55 11, rue Paul Leplat www.salto-youth.net/euromed Editeur: Bernard Abrignani Fax: +33 1 39 17 27 57 www.injep.fr/salto Rédaction: Caroline Mayaudon 78160 Marly le Roi ()