June 2010 n.03 Index 4 12 Dear Readers, The Youth Food Movement Generation Europe Food, justice and sustainability Putting green entrepreneurship first Editor change, change and even more change on the way! Selene Biffi Project Coordinator Silvia Raccagni Yes, Young Innovations Europe is already making waves thanks to you: thousands of readers Communications and PR Paola Ciaffi and counting, ongoing exposure through consistent media coverage and - hopefully - Michela Bettinelli countless young people inspired and empowered to make change happen. 6 14 Content Coordinators Deborah Woolfson Peter Seenan A couple of months ago we decided to start offering young people like ourselves the Graphics Francesco Franciosi chance to get involved and actively contribute to YIE. This resulted in a free, youth-run, Good Mood Beyond Europe www.francescofranciosi.com Young entrepreneurs save lives Connecting the Dots and Going Beyond online course on ‘How to become a journalist’, which attracted hundreds of applications. Writers Egle Buitvydaite, Christian Eichenmüller, Fizza Hasan, Arnaud Houdmont, Giusy Proietti, The participants are now ready to receive their certificates and have already started Emma Taylor, Meryl Westlake proposing ideas for articles soon to appear in this magazine. Images Courtesy of AEGEE, Beyond Europe, ConQuest, EDV, Generation Europe, Good Mood, JADE, A contest is also being planned for later this year, with a view to create even more 8 16 Muslim Youth Helpline, Slow Food opportunities to participate and help make YIE the instrument young people truly need and refer to in order to make change happen across Europe. Keep reading then, information ConQuest Muslim Youth Helpline will be available shortly on our website. When practice makes perfect. When a call for help saves lives Last but not least: we believe that young people are the most untapped resource on Earth when it comes to contribute to real change, both locally and nationally. And why not, even internationally. We would thus love to hear from you. Let us know whether YIE has been of any help, whether it has inspired you to take action and how useful it has been 10 so far. Sponsors: EDV Young Innovations Europe is a project of Youth Action for Change (YAC), a global, European Disaster Volunteers CHANGE StartS WITH You…AND WE HOPE that YIE May HELP TOO! youth-led organisation inspiring and empowering young people to become International Youth Foundation Starbucks active agents of change in their own communities and the world at large www.younginnovationseurope.org If you want to get involved, tell us about an innovation or for general enquiries, please send an email to: [email protected] The Young Innovation Europe logo, project and content are covered by copyright. | AGRICULTURE 5 the Giusy Proietti Giusy is 28 years old and Italian. She studied Law at University La Sapienza in Rome and YOUTH is passionate about international dynamics, whether political, economic or cultural. A YFM FOOD meeting mentorship and receive help with their want to make a change in the food sector. work. In return, apprentices learn rare and Membership is a symbolic commitment to MOVEMENT invaluable skills and have eye-opening take action in your community. experiences relating to food philosophy and cultural identity. From organizing workshops where good, RESOURCE FOOD, JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY clean, and fair food is prepared and shared in by Giusy Proietti YFM is also in charge of the International public spaces, to changing school cafeteria BOX Terra Madre Youth Network, made of a sourcing practices, to local and sustainable collection of mostly student-led antennas products, YFM members have made a THE YOUTH FOOD MOVEMENT to the promotion of fair and sustainable So what about ‘right’? Well, social justice which consider the social and environmental difference. Youth Food Movement (YFM) IS A NETWORK OF agricultural systems for both the producer must be pursued through the creation impacts of the food industry. In 2008 over www.youthfoodmovement.org YOUNG farMERS, COOKS, and the consumer, recovering traditional of decent working conditions and the 1000 youth delegates, producers, cooks, Many have confronted agribusiness to [email protected] artiSANS AND activiSTS ALL techniques and strengthening local generation of adequate rewards, says YFM, and academics came together to create the demand change to production methods Slow Food AIMING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE economies. and through the practice of solidarity and greatest Terra Madre meeting yet. and workplace standards; some have even www.slowfood.com IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOOD respect for diverse cultural traditions. adopted a chef for their school. The ideas The organisation behind the YFM, INDUStry. But what does ‘good, clean and right These young people from around the world and methods are diverse and plentiful. one of the best sources about food food’ mean in practice? The YFM is a platform for its members to have pledged their commitment to drive and sustainability Driven by the desire to protect and exchange national information, experiences change within their own communities. Eating healthy food is great for the mind promote all so-called ‘good’, ‘clean’ and Good food is all about ensuring that good and ideas, and YFM runs a number of and body and can also become a social Tunza ‘right’ products, this diverse set of people food tastes are maintained by choosing raw important projects. The YFM needs you! activity, bringing people together to discuss www.unep.org/tunza/youth has attached itself to the philosophy of materials and production methods that do important topics. Tunza is a program of UNEP aiming Slow Food, the movement born in Paris in not undermine the naturalness of food. YFM organizes ‘Pangea’, a project offering The YFM is open to all young people who at engaging young people in environmental 1989 and now with over 83,000 members mentorship in sustainable and traditional issues and activities in 122 countries. For the food to be clean, the environment production and cultivation methods to help Terra Madre must be respected. The whole cycle, encourage young people create alternatives European Council of Young “The food should taste good; it should be including farming, animal husbandry, to the industrialization of the food system. Farmers produced in a clean way that does not processing, marketing and consumption www.ceja.org harm the environment, animal welfare should be overhauled to produce a Enthusiastic students, young farmers, CEJA is the voice of Europe’s next or our health; and food producers should sustainable system. As an example, and cooks are placed in short-term generation of farmers to the European receive fair compensation for their work” consumption should protect ecosystems apprenticeship positions with producers, institutions say the proponents of the movement. and biodiversity while protecting the health chefs, fisherman, brewers, and winemakers of consumers and producers. who are skilled in sustainable, artisanal City Farmer Europe YFM supports local and regional food production and cultivation methods. www.cityfarmer.org systems based on the principles of justice Right food – Pangea and Terra Madre A host of information on urban and sustainability. Ultimately this leads Producers enjoy the experience of agriculture in Europe | BUSINESS 7 GOOD MOOD Fizza Hasan YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Fizza has just completed her IB Diploma and is going to study International Relations by Fizza Hasan and Politics at university. Actively involved in youth action and development projects, she loves to combine her academics with her Save LIVES passion for community service Do you want to employ your creativity, challenge yourself, earn a living and change the world, all at the same time? Have you ever considered starting a business of your own where you could do all this? Perhaps not, because according to a Eurostat report only 4% of European youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are self-employed. Above, left and bottom: some innovative products by Good Mood RESOURCE BOX you can have your own ideas turned into Good Mood What started as a high school project reality by the designers at Good Mood. [email protected] became a patented invention, won the 'Best www.goodmood.ee Student Company' prize and has created The knitting range includes hats, mittens, opportunities for Estonian needleworkers. scarves and leg warmers, in an attempt Young Inventors International to turn fashion into safety for those long www.younginventors.org But more than all that, it is has helped make winter nights. YII helps university students develop Even if entrepreneurship is not always off help communities and localities develop. way to becoming a successful young Estonia a safer place. skills and networks to bring the radar for youth, it seems like a daunting European governments are renewing entrepreneur. But it is important to When asked why one should invest in Good new ideas to the market task and one so challenging that it efforts for young entrepreneurs. There is remember there are great examples to Hindriks is credited with two outstanding Mood, Karoli Hindriks replies: discourages many. There are big questions: even an Erasmus programme for young follow. One such success story is that of social innovations: pedestrian reflectors and European Patent Office how does one find investors, how does one entrepreneurs aiming to help them acquire Karoli Hindriks, whose company, Good knitted items using reflective thread. “The idea of our product is to combine www.epo.org advertise, and how can one find customers? the skills needed to run small and medium- Mood, aims to make people's lives safer: safety with fun – pedestrian reflectors are Information to register your invention sized businesses. ONE REFLECTOR, ONE LIFE. Soft pedestrian reflectors come in an made to look cooler and trendier than what However, it is also true that today, more endless variety of shapes and sizes and can has been available up to now.