CEIPES is looking for partners in Europe and all over the world who might be interested to partake in the project described below. The project will be
presented in the framework of the Action 3.2 – ‘Youth in the world’: Cooperation with countries other than the neighbouring countries of the European Union – Call for proposals 09/11
All interested partners please write to afonso@ceipes.org
Dealine: 25 April
Young people are nowadays confronted with several conflicts and problems that are part of modern global societies; those conflicts and problems evolved in centuries and become very complex and sometimes seems they are so broad that any action would be non relevant or significant enough to bring about change. This feeling often make young people feel helpless and unconfident to do something, creating in them the inability to see the strengths and competences they have inside or they are able to develop. Indeed young people are too often accused of disaffection towards politics and to society in general, what is unfair and not truly corresponding with reality.
Instead young people just wait for their chance to do something for society and to bring about change, sometimes having difficulty to accede information about the local actors who are ready to support them in their active participation, providing the necessary tools, space and trust that can motivate youth in the step to active citizens and motors of change.
Young people are quite often aware about the problems society of nowadays face, both at global and local level, but they might miss the tools and competences that are able to transform the information-awareness in positive action.
Returning to the problematic and conflicts of contemporary societies we can see there are several and diverse among them, inside the same country and at transnational and transcontinental level. In Europe, Asia and Latin America, the context where this course takes place, these conflicts and problems can be reduced without prejudice of simplifying reality to the concept of violence. Violence is a very complex phenomenon that takes various forms; as Galtung puts it there are 3 main types of violence: direct violence (physical violence towards human beings and nature), indirect or structural violence (violence connected with the system/society and structures such as States and other public and private institutions) and cultural violence (violence related with culture, i.e., that is maintained by cultural practices or that is defended by culture).
These broad categories include though problems such as discrimination against migrants and refugees, Roma and homosexual people, and other diversities in general; includes bullying as well as war and terrorism, violence in sports and in access to rights; includes poverty and other.
Violence is characterized by strong violations of Human Rights (HR) and lack of Peace (P), understood in its complexity, not the mere absence of war and direct violence but also the presence of social justice, social cohesion, respect of diversity and access to rights.
On the other hand there are various difficulties that are also similar in the process of involving society and young people in general in processes of change. Those are:
- Create interest and motivation
- Access to information
- Awareness
- Tools and competences
- Networking
- Fear of repression
- Lack of time
- …
This project is build on a broad context and aspires to contribute to implement and concretise the following decisions/strategies/charters:
- Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education
- European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life
- Agenda 2020 of the Council of Europe
- Europe 2020 strategy
- A/RES/53/243 Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace
- Draft plan of action for the second phase (2010-2014) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education
- Global Education Charter for Council of Europe
- Santiago Declaration on the Human Right to Peace
- Sintra Plan of Action (on nonviolence)
