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GENERAL 14-18 AUG ISTANBUL ASSEMBLY Financialactivity Conditions report 2018-2019and guidelines Activity Report 2018–2019 In the second part of 2018 and the first part of 2019 we implemented diverse activities, drafted resolutions, hosted progressive events, ran the campaign for the 2019 European elections and led many other processes that are defined in this document. FYEG’s work is taking place at a time where Europe is in a turbulent situation. We have a holistic, radical political vision of Europe, where we show the interlinkages between different issues - equality, sustainability, social justice, democracy. When it comes to political visions, we are a progressive think tank within the Green movement. With the capacities of the Executive Committee but also the Campaign Team, Prep Teams and several Working Groups, we continue to come up with radical ideas and push for change through in person meetings with various actors, state-of-the-art communication and impactful actions. Young Green Candidates had several, changemaking electoral successes in the European Elections, as well on local and national level - in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland and Germany. Many Young Greens (especially many young women* and including young people with a migrant background) were elected to local councils or parliaments around Europe. Besides, we see more and more youth standing up for what they think is right and taking their future in their own hands. A remarkable example are the climate strikes that spread all over Europe and mobilised tens of thousands of young people, mostly teenagers and high school students. These are important determinants for the future of Europe and of an ecological movements like us. Thanks to the directions given by the Member Organisations, the renewal of our structures, our pool of dedicated activists, but also thanks to the support and cooperation with several partner organisations, we could successfully carry out many activities all year long and grow in many ways. The present report gathers a summary of the main activities that FYEG has organised in the second half of 2018 and the first half of 2019. fEDERATION OF yOUNG eUROPEAN gREENS 2 gENERAL aSSEMBLY 2019 - Istanbul Working Group. 10 or more participants and Educational activities Prep Team members were present at two or even all the three activities, which contributed to the transfer of lessons learnt and discussions In 2018, FYEG has focused its activities on between the following three activities: three strategic priorities: fostering the political imagination of Young Greens through topical activities, supporting Young Greens to grow 1. Social Commons: Back to the Future seminar and become more powerful through capacity- building activities, and expanding the awareness The seminar took place in March 2018 in of and support for FYEG’s vision for a better, fairer Warsaw, Poland and was very well received and more sustainable Europe among different by participants and the host organisation. The segments of society, in particular among youth. 25 young activists explored the correlation Based on the previous Activity Plans, for the last of commons and social rights as well as few years we have focused on the pressing issues management of social commons in different that we are facing in Europe; migration, climate geographical and societal contexts, especially in change and the kind of Europe we want. In 2018 disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Central and the three topical priorities have not changed, Eastern Europe. but we wanted to expand our vision for Europe and come to concrete proposals to fight for after the European elections. We developed and The added value of the seminar was that it advocated for ideas for an open, inclusive, and enabled participants to exchange with local participatory society, fought against climate communities running two social commons in change and focused on what Europe can be Warsaw - Ada Pulawska and Jazdow. In addition, for young people’s welfare and social rights. participants organised a street action on We want a social, welcoming, inclusive, and reclaiming public spaces as commons (video). sustainable Europe. 2. Fighting for our Common Planet: summer “No Commons, No Future”: Annual Work Plan camp on environmental commons To increase the capacities of our Member The summer camp took place in July 2018, Organisations to advocate for commons, with on the coast of Croatia, close to several local the support of the European Youth Foundation, communities struggling to protect their natural we organised three international activities: resources. This event gathered around 60 seminar on social commons, summer camp participants and was crucial for establishing on environmental commons, and a training FYEG’s position on environmental commons and on digital commons. The topical outcomes finding the most appropriate format and the right of the project have been documented in the words to bring those complex ideas to young “For the Common Good” publication and The people in Europe. In this regard, collaboration Commons issue of the Ecosprinter. The results with the Institute for Political Ecology was very of the whole Work Plan are gathered on FYEG’s valuable as well as exchanging with the local website, as a resource for our MOs and other communities affected by mismanagement of youth organisations working on Commons. natural resources they depend on. Participants Further discussions and follow-up activities in produced a video describing the problematic 2019 have been carried on by the Commons aspects of hydro power plants in Albania that fEDERATION OF yOUNG eUROPEAN gREENS 3 gENERAL aSSEMBLY 2019 - Istanbul was later used for raising awareness on and and non-male leaders to tackle structural supporting an ongoing campaign against the challenges and obstacles for gender-equal micro hydro power plants in the Balkan region. leadership. Conclusions of the event as well as Our external communication from the event recommendations for creating safe spaces and was aiming to trigger thoughts of young people encouraging feminist structures in organisations about commons in a youth-friendly manner (e.g are gathered in a Handbook for Brave Feminist through Instagram stories). Leaders (pdf). The handbook contains gender glossary, explains intersectionality, master suppression techniques and comprehends 3. Common Digital (R)evolution training feminist recommendations for building inclusive organisational structures. The personal The final event took place in Budapest in stories of participants involved are published as September 2018 and focused on the Internet as a podcast. commons and advocacy training, with many of the 30 participants being already experienced with digital rights or advocacy. During the Recruitment day training we analysed what are the current and emerging issues with the Internet, such as issues Together with our MO’s we organised a Young related to access, human rights, digital identity, Green recruitment day. Bolstering our numbers digital pollution, intermediaries, privacy, data benefit us greatly, not only in the form of new protection, and net neutrality. Once again, we ideas, but also for our volunteer force who help came to a conclusion that ensuring open and our young representatives get elected. Several free Internet is crucial for ensuring safe and MOs participated, most of them smaller, having fair participation, especially for those coming no official recruitment strategy so far. They from oppressive societies and experiencing have discussed how to recruit and keep young discrimination. Aside of being captured in the people engaged. As a result, we designed an publication, the conclusions of the training were infographic and recorded the webinar for the transferred into a Digital Manifesto that was later rest of the MOs. used for (1) drafting a resolution on copyrights that was adopted by the European Green Party’s council and by the European Youth Forum and Alter-COP and delegation to COP24 (2) conceptualising a workshop on the Future In December 2018 Green activists gathered in of the Internet at the EGP’s Council. Moreover, Katowice, Poland for the traditional AlterCOP these demands fed into FYEG’s campaign plan seminar which took place in parallel to the COP 24 for the European Elections. UN climate negotiations. Young Green activists had the chance to get an understanding of the climate movement, from its origins, to the role of Study session ”Glass Ceiling is Not Your Limit” Green Parties and global summits like the COP. After a successful Demasculinisation of Following the seminar, some of FYEG activists Politics seminar in 2017, in November 2018 and EC members joined the international we organised a study session for 35 women*, protest in Katowice, mostly organised and trans and genderqueer participants in close attended by young people. FYEG also had an collaboration with our sister network CDN. The official COP 24 delegation of 6 people to the StS took place in the EYC Budapest and aimed negotiations in Katowice which worked with to strengthen the capacities of young women* different stakeholders on the inside on issues fEDERATION OF yOUNG eUROPEAN gREENS 4 gENERAL aSSEMBLY 2019 - Istanbul such as gender or agriculture, and reported to a series of debates devoted to all three young people through our communication priority topics in the physical space but with a channels. maximum online participation opportunities. The Executive Committee together with the different Working Groups organised webinars Social Rights Work Plan and live streams throughout the year on a broad range of topics: Climate (July 2018); European In 2019, we are organising a series of events Agricultural Policies (November 2018); Climate related to social rights - particularly focussing on negotiations (December 2018); Universal Basic housing, education, healthcare and the future Income (February 2019). Those webinars and of work. The work plan kicked off with a festive online discussions were generally conducted Unconference on the status of social rights and by an expert or relevant stakeholders on the the different struggles around them all over topic, moderated by an Executive Committee Europe.