DICEMBRE 2014
SEVEN YEARS OF CEIPES EVS Testimonials
Campaign Actions
Human Rights Week
Seven years have gone by... Seven years since that day when three young people coming from faraway places, infatuated with Italy and in love with Sicily have come together, united by the same ideals and the same passions. During these seven years what used to be hope has become a reality, thanks to the will of these people who never lost their willingness and have managed to arrive where many, often too many, fail. Exactly seven years ago CEIPES was born, the International Centre for the Promotion of Education and Development, a name that was maybe too pompous at the time we were starting but that is now, more than ever, adequate to reflect and describe what we have managed to accomplish during these years. Today, CEIPES has a gleam of international intervention, thanks to its branches in eight European countries (Italy, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Serbia and Turkey) and this year it has been officially recognised by the Council of Europe as an International Organization. Today, more than ever before, CEIPES does not lose its contact with the territory (‌). P. 2
W H AT O U R V O LU N TEERS S AY . . . I came to Italy with my cousin, Burak, so I used to talk with him in my mother tongue. I was a bit quiet when I arrived because I was in a different country, with a different system and very different things. Then I began to get used and everything became simpler. Regarding the city, I had a plan and I visited most of the historical and famous places in Palermo. I tried to learn Italian culture and also Italian language. I tried some typical foods, which I liked. In my work at the school, I used to take care of children with 2, 3, and 4 or 5 years old and I played with them. I also worked in the office, researching how to create a web radio. Thanks to this EVS I met many people here from different countries, and we have shared our experiences and helped one another. Cagla, 23, Turkey
TH E RO LE O F YOU TH WORK: EM PLO YABILITY, PEACEB UILDIN G AND GEN DER IN EU RO PE AN D B EYON D by Ana Afonso
As part of the project ‘Voices of change: Employability, peacebuilding and gender in Europe and beyond’, a youth worker from CEIPES (Italy) had the chance to spend some time working at UNOY Peacebuilders (Netherlands) with the aim to exchange know-how and reinforce the cooperation between the two partner organisations. In the framework of this project the youth worker collaborated in several of the activities implemented by UNOY on the subjects of youth employability, social entrepreneurship for peacebuilding and gender equality. The most important dimension touched by this project was the relevance of youth work to the field of social entrepreneurship, with a special focus on the peacebuilding and gender dimensions. Social entrepreneurship is quite a trendy concept nowadays and many youth organisations in Europe have it as a strategic priority in their annual working plans. Yet, as youth workers we should ask ourselves an important question: ‘whether or not youth work has a real role to play in this field and
THE ROLE YOUTH WORK
OF establish partnerships
The experience of this mobility enabled me to take part in a long-term project on social entrepreneurship, involving youth from several European and African countries. Due to the complexity of the subject youth workers cannot expect that short-term trainings on social entrepreneurship will transform young people in social entrepreneurs enabling them to create their own social venture. While this is an unrealistic expectation, it is true however that youth workers have a privileged role to play in this field. That role is defined by being intermediaries and networkers, mentors and trainers of specific skills. This role should be nurtured keeping an eye on the holistic dimension of the intervention, meaning that it should be a long-term and local intervention with a specific group. Therefore my recommendation to youth workers is to be specific and realistic, planning interventions and trainings that address the specific aspects mentioned. As well do a lot of networking and
with local public and private entities with the goal of working in close cooperation. Keeping in mind that young people will need support after the training course have finished it is essential to put in place mentoring mechanisms where experienced social entrepreneurs give support throughout the development of the ventures.
PEACEBUILDING I would also like to highlight the relevance of social entrepreneurship for peacebuilding. In the project experience all the social ventures proposed by the participants were aimed at peacebuilding in their communities. But what is peacebuilding? In a world where literature on the topic is so vast it is almost impossible to come up with a concept that is not too broad and that can embrace peacebuilding in various contexts, since peacebuilding seems to embrace everything that relates to achieving a better society (peace within, peace with the other, peace with nature). It is important to highlight that
SEVEN YEARS OF CEIPES by Alessandro Imborgia.
‘HOW’ TRAINING COURSE IN ROMANIA by Inge Arends
entrepreneurship has something to contribute to peace building, especially if considered in the context of post-conflict countries or communities in conflict. The first aspect to mention is the fact that ventures that bring together people from communities in conflict become a tool to bridge communication gaps. On the other hand, social ventures are concrete ways to enhance economic participation and increase quality of live, what is a positive factor in combating violence and conflict. Finally, a third possibility is a venture that addresses the factors behind the conflict, ensuring a solution-based approach that at the same time becomes a source of income.
(…) conciliating its international vocation and its activities with European partners with a local intervention in disadvantaged urban contexts. Our relation with the Danisinni neighbourhood and with the institutions that are based in that territory is nowadays consolidated. Moreover, in these past few days CEIPES has been involved in the organization of the fair for critical consumption “Fà la cosa giusta”, and has put together a series of activities to mark a week of human rights. In this newsletter you can find information about all these events, as well as several others. A special word of thanks to all the volunteers and collaborators that have contributed and continue to contribute to the growth of CEIPES, they are the real lifeblood of the organization. Meike, Kacem, Nur, Ana, Burak, Cagla, Liliana, Joana, Lelde, Cintjia, Keke, Patricia, Mariana and many, many others. These are all precious, all unique, wonderful people, lifelong friends to whom we address our heartfelt thanks. CEIPES celebrates seven years, seven years of success, of ups and downs, certainly seven years of constant change. It is said that the capacity to adapt to change is one of the most obvious symptoms of an organization’s intelligence… well, if that is true, we are genius.
From the 25th of October to the 1st of November some members of CEIPES (Irene la Pera, Emanuela Firetto and Inge Arends) participated in a partnership building training course in Craiova, Romania. The topic of the project was about HOW best to manage all the stages of a project and implement them successfully. During the days of activities new E-learning methods such as Big Blue Button were discovered, , the pros and cons of E-learning were discussed and a test panel was created. Even though the weather was quite challenging for our Italian participants, they had a wonderful time meeting with the other participants from Georgia, Jordan, Turkey, Armenia and Romania. They shared about the current situation in the different countries and brainstormed about future projects that could be implemented. Here are some quotes from our participants: Irene: ‘I met great and interesting young people from different countries and I hope to cooperate with them in the future for interesting projects’ Inge: ‘I am a big believer in a world of peace and one-ness, this project showed me that no matter where we all come from and what our religious backgrounds are, It is possible!’ (cont. next page)
WH AT O UR VO LUN TEERS SAY… I worked in the kindergarten and a little bit in the office. Actually I didn't like the office work so much, so I will rather speak about the kindergarten. At the start, it was quite difficult. I thought I couldn’t do it. Because I was a stranger for the children and they didn't know me, I couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand me. But I played with them, helped them and smiled at them. They did the same. I learnt it is enough to love each other. Sometimes there were some problems; sometimes I wanted to speak too much with them. But generally we could communicate. Maybe if the Italian course had started earlier, it could be easier. And now I miss all of them, I don't want to forget their smile. The best smile. From Ankara to Palermo with love. Burak. 20, Turkey
WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS? “ Recognizing that peace is the universal aspiration of mankind and that peace and justice are indispensable to the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms…” Proclamation of Teheran, 1968 P r After the Second World War, in 1945, the United Nations noted the need that everyone should enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms, so considering the dignity as a base, Human Rights were proclaimed on 10 th December 1948 in Paris. The only purpose was that they were respected by all peoples. Nowadays there is much talk of Human rights, but in reality there is too much ignorance even though they have been around for over 60 years. We should ask ourselves something: are these rights met worldwide? Does everyone know the Human Rights or even his own rights? Are we aware of their importance? Without thinking too much, we would give negative answers to both questions. To acknowledge their importance we must first understand that every one of us is different but that does not mean that there is someone inferior to another. Regarding this issue, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; are entitled to life, liberty and security; no one shall be held in slavery or inhuman treatment; all are equal before the law; no one can be banished; have the right to free expression; to seek asylum in any country; to work, to enjoy their free time and education. And likewise, everyone has duties to the community. It is important to know Human Rights be-
cause this is how we can defend ourselves against any abuse; without the knowledge of the rights we could not really ask for justice. Ignorance of rights is largely due to the society which had a wrong idea about what are Human Rights, and the narrow dissemination of them, but the main point is that when they come into force in the country, there is no planning to inform the people what they are and what their purpose is. On the other hand, conflicts and violence have accompanied our societies at all times in our history, it is an evil with which we live with every day and which have not yet learned, despite the many experiences lived (World War II 1939-1945, Cold War 19471991, Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991, invasion of Iraq in 2003, War on Terror 2001-ongoing). So where is the real importance of knowing what are exactly Human Rights? Based on the humanity’s history of violence and in our capacity as individuals with beliefs of "own truths", which often do not want to accept the remote possibility of being wrong, the real importance of knowing about Human Rights can be defined through the knowledge of these instruments of protection for all mankind, which contain patterns and behaviour concepts to follow, either individually or and socially, as set out common desires of all societies on the planet.
CEIPES WAS PRESENT AT FA’ LA COSA GIUSTA SICILIA This year, CEIPES is ‘doing the right thing’, and thus we were present at the fair for critical consumption and sustainable lifestyles ‘Fa’ la Cosa Giusta’, which took place in Palermo between the 5th and 7th of December. We were present not only as spectators, but putting all our human resources in action at the fair. Our volunteers and trainees from Portugal, Spain and Turkey have actively participated during the three days of the fair, by providing support to the staff of the fair, helping with logistical aspects,
Furthermore, CEIPES organized two workshops for kids focusing on the subject of human rights, and in particular on the right to food. On Friday (December 5th) with the workshop “I biscotti del re” (The King’s Biscuits), we aimed to make kids understand in a simple way the reality of inequality among the global population regarding access to food. On Saturday (December 6th) we held our workshop “L’avventura del cibo” (The Adventure of Food), in which we used a funny life-size board game to explain to the
to food. The fair was an important occasion to get a general overview of all the different Sicilian forces that are driving towards sustainable development and the respect for human rights, to raise awareness among the population towards behaviours that are ethical and respectful of one’s own community, and to invite the people to participate in moments of sharing that have allowed exchanges of opinion and experiences of cultural diversity.
CEIPES HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK 2014 Marking the 66th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that is celebrated on December 10th every year, CEIPES promoted this year several local and online activities that took place over a week – from 5 to 12 December – in order to raise awareness for the importance of human rights in today’s world. Learn more about these initiatives in our website.
I T- C A L L TO O L I S N O W A CC E S S I B L E ONLINE CEIPES is a partner organization in athe project IT-Call: Integrated e-Training and e-Stage for People with Physical Disabilities to Work at Home as Call Center Representatives. During October 2014 we tested the portal it-call.net in order both to assess the capacity of the website itself and to evaluate the educative impact
backgrounds who voluntarily took part in the testing. The testing phase was followed by an assessment test performed as a questionnaire. At the end of the testing phase it was important to assess the feedbacks regarding the accessibility of the platform, easiness of use, quality of the contents,
On the 10th of December Emanuela and Inge have flown to Hatay, Turkey, to attend the 2nd part of the project. They will discover more about E-learning and have an online training session with Irene and 4 volunteers back in Italy. Will E-learning hold the future?
I N T E R N AT IO N A L D AY S 15 SEPTEMBER International Day of Democracy 21 SEPTEMBER International Day of Peace 1 OCTOBER International Day of Older Persons 2 OCTOBER International Day of NonViolence 16 OCTOBER World Food Day 17 OCTOBER International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 24 OCTOBER United Nations Day 16 NOVEMBER International Day for Tolerance 20 NOVEMBER Universal Children’s Day 25 NOVEMBER International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 3 DECEMBER International Day of Persons with Disabilities 5 DECEMBER International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development 10 DECEMBER Human Rights Day
CALLS Training or experience in the field of assistance to disabled and elderly people and some knowledge of the English language: these are the basic requirements to apply for the Leonardo da Vinci project “Training on taking care of people with disabilities”. There are 6 scholarships for young people, residing in Italy, who have obtained the OSA certificate or other, graduates, unemployed, searching for a first job or actual workers who want to carry out a period of traineeship abroad in a context of professional training, and who have never taken part in a Leonardo project. The project aims to develop the technical and assistential skills of italian young people, in order to provide them with tools that can be useful in the labour market, thus reducing the unemployment rate. Such an opportunity will be essential for their human growth, also offering them a set of strong intercultural skills. The application must be submitted by sending a CV and motivation letter, both in English, and a copy of an identity document, to the e-mail address imborgia@ceipes.org. Submissions must be made until the 12th December 2014.
CEIPES TAKES ACTION TO “ORANGE” PALERMO by Ana Silva & Patricia
On November 25th CEIPES team took to the streets around Palermo with a street action to raise awareness about the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This International Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999. This date was chosen in honor of the Mirabal sisters, activists of the Dominican Republic killed on 25th November 1960 for their opposition to the dictatorial regime. During the morning and part of the afternoon our volunteers walked around in different areas of the city, including Ballarò, Danisinni, Central Station and the University main campus, approaching people to distribute informative flyers about the international day and asking them to take photos holding our posters with statements on violence against women. The response from the audience was quite positive, as most people showed interest in the cause and were curious to read the sentences written in the posters while choosing which one they would prefer to hold. Some of the people were already aware of the international observance on November 25 th, but most did not know that the date marks an important occasion. We managed to collect interesting photos that can now be found on our Facebook page, in an album created specifically for the activity held on this day.
Orange the World in 16 days The Secretary General's Campaign UNITE to End Violence Against Women has proclaimed the 25 th of each month Orange Day. Among other actions, the Orange Day invites us to wear something orange to highlight its calls for the eradication of violence against women without reservation, equivocation or delay. Our activity ran under the United Nations campaign “Orange your Neighborhood”. It has two aims: firstly, raising awareness of the local community regarding violence against women, and secondly increasing visibility of the topic on social networks. Matching the colour of the campaign, for this street action our volunteers wore t-shirts with the word “Basta” written in orange. This year, the UNITE Campaign is extending Orange Day to 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, starting on November 25, International Day to End Violence Against Women, through December 10, Human Rights Day.
HUMAN RIGHTS NINJAS by Mariana Mesquita We started this journey without knowing exactly what to expect. Neither of us had been already a teacher nor something similar; we were two European volunteers willing to do develop a Human Rights class in Palermo. The classes were developed in Scuola Cuore Immacolato di Maria, which has a long history of cooperation with CEIPES. Waiting for us were fourteen little ninjas of fourth grade, age of nine. As a bottom line for the classes we used DUDU – Dichiarazione Universale dei Diritti Umani – a simplified version of the Declaration for kids created by Amnesty International. The lessons were divided
Into different main topics where we approached the respective articles from the Declaration. Always based in non-formal education methods, the lessons were prepared entirely by us with the simple recipe of creativity and passion. Their acceptance to these new foreign girls was immediate and the class engaged into the subject really fast. Their curiosity, interest and sensitivity for the issues defined the rhythm of the classes. We could not have asked more from these little ninjas. They were committed into each activity and their questions and reviews were surprising and amazingly mature.
The right to be free and equal, the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, the right to choose a religion or the right to vote, were some of the topics that have been discussed. These lessons were based on the assumption that Education for Peace can create generations who believe that human rights and social justice are the basis of our society. Robbie, Alessio, Viviana, Emanuel, Francesco, Leslie, Enrico, Anastasia, Marta, Angelo, Shirley, Lulu, Andrea and Alice are getting ready to change this world, and nothing more than “one child, one teacher, one book, and one pen” were needed.
EDITORIAL TEAM ALESSANDRO IMBORGIA ANA CATARINA SILVA IRENE CAPPOZI MARIANA MESQUITA PATRICIA RIVERA PRIETO