FEATURES May 2010 CONTENTS: Anna Lindh News May 2010 www.euromedalex.org News and Events 2 Anna Lindh on the international stage Board of Governors meeting Training in Romania for civil society networks Combatants for peace conclude regional tour Latvia hosts Euro-Mediterranean summer school Featured Activities 3 Supporting Intercultural learning: new initiatives for Euro-Med youth Evaluating the Forum: results of the evaluation carried out in the 43 countries of the region Inside the Networks 5 Tunisia: Network activities in Carthage and Tunis Slovakia: Meeting of four regional networks Portugal: Performance Arts Fair in Tavira Hungary: Syrian daily life in photo exhibition Egypt: Capacity building with network members Resources and Opportunities 7 Dialogue Award 2010 Online Networking Tools Calendar and upcoming agenda www.euromedalex.org 6
HIGHLIGHTS May 2010 ANNA LINDH NEWS AND EVENTS ANNA LINDH ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE The Anna Lindh Foundation played a central role in the Euro-Med Civil Platform gathering in Alicante, Spain. Bringing together around 250 civil society representatives and experts, the Platform was an opportunity for the Foundation to present the outcomes of the Anna Lindh Forum 2010 with a focus on priority actions in favour of improving intercultural relations. At the end of May, the Anna Lindh Foundation has also been invited to play a leading role at the third global forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Rio de Janeiro, with special sessions on the forthcoming Anna Lindh Report and on Media. http://www.euromedalex.org/news/anna-lindh-international-stage BOARD OF GOVERNORS CONVENES IN BRUSSELS The Board of Governors of the Foundation, composed of the representatives of the 43 Union for the Mediterranean countries, convened together on 18 May in Brussels. The meeting, which was initially proposed to take place in Alexandria, took place in the Belgian capital due to the need to convene the day prior a senior officials meeting, received a comprehensive positive feedback by Board members to the outcomes of the Anna Lindh Forum presented by the President and Director. The Board also examined the budget of the Foundation for 2011 as well as the status on member States contributions. http://www.euromedalex.org/news/coming-age-anna-lindh-foundation TRAINING IN ROMANIA FOR CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORKS The Anna Lindh Foundation s Secretariat has finalised the selection of 60 candidates, among the 192 applications received from 41 countries, to participate in the capacity building and project development training which will take place in Romania from 1 to 6 June 2010. Selected participants represent civil society organisations from different backgrounds and work, including local to national NGOs, local authorities, networks, and universities, working in many fields such as youth, formal & non formal education, culture, arts, religion, migration, peace, minorities, media and social work. http://www.euromedalex.org/news/network-training-romania COMBATANTS FOR PEACE CONCLUDE REGIONAL TOUR From 25 April to 1 May, representatives of Combatants for Peace, of the Israeli-Palestinian social movement who won the Euro-Med Dialogue Award 2009, concluded their region-wide tour in promotion of a culture of peace, with meetings in Prague and Bratislava. During the visit, Combatants for Peace met with civil society activists, university students and local authorities to share their grass-root experiences in the field of coexistence and to give an insight to the various joint actions created by the project, in which Palestinians and Israelis are engaged in the promotion of peace culture within their societies. http://www.euromedalex.org/news/prague-bratislava-host-winners-anna-lindh-euromedaward INTERCULTURAL ENCOUNTERS - MEDITERRANEAN AND EASTERN EUROPE Over twenty Euro-Med students, including active young professionals as well as youth leaders, came together during May in Valmiera, Latvia to participate in a two week International Summer School. The project, which is granted by the Foundation in the framework of the its call for proposals, has been organized by Anna Lindh Latvian Network member Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with other member organisations from Egypt, Tunisia and Lithuania, with the aim of promoting educational encounters between the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe. http://www.euromedalex.org/news/intercultural-encounters-between-mediterranean-easterneurope 2
FEATURES May 2010 Supporting Intercultural Learning From preparation of the Peace Bag toolkit to an Arab- German exhibition in Kiel, the Anna Lindh Foundation and partners are facilitating new initiatives for youth participation, cultural exchange and capacity-building PEACE BAG FOR EURO-MED YOUTH Twenty-four youth workers and youth leaders from 14 Euro-Med countries have come together through the ALF supported project Peace Bag, with the goal of understanding peace and intercultural dialogue and how it can be translated and promoted through day to day work with young people. The first phase of the project was held in Vilanova i La Geltrú, Spain, on the eve of the Anna Lindh Forum 2010, from 25 th February to 4 th March, with the focus of the group training on consolidating the team, drafting the peace toolkit and setting out project milestones. Throughout the training course, activities focused on non-formal and educational methodologies. It was an intercultural learning platform that created a participatory and inclusive atmosphere among participants. This process encouraged their creativity and developed their skills in conflict transformation, negotiation and nonviolent communication skills. Participants collectively worked on the objectives of the programme given a combination of presentations, group work, simulation exercises, individual reflection as well as fun group dynamics and games. The training team organized more informative and knowledge based sessions in cooperation with experts in the field who engaged participants into exploring the concepts of peace, violence and conflict, as well as conflict analysis and conflict transformation. The overall goal of this programme is to develop the capacities of young people in peace-building and dialogue as well as connect different organisations in a consolidated intercultural peace constituency in the EuroMed region with the aim of developing a PEACE BAG toolbox on intercultural understanding in youth work and then promoting the use of the toolkit across their local communities. PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH ARTS The project Cultural Partnerships was initiated by the Heinrich-Böll- Stiftung and three Palestinian organisations with the support of the ALF to initiate partnerships between German and Palestinian youth organizations working in the field of cultural education. The cooperation took place in different fields of art (music, theatre, visual arts) and are realized by long experienced partners. The project came to fruition through concrete project activities including a common Arab-German concert in Kiel and an exhibition in Shofat Refugee Camp. TRAINING OF EURO-MED ACTIVE TRAINERS The Anna Lindh Foundation attended a regional meeting with the Council of Europe, the League of Arab States, the Youth Partnership, Salto EuroMed and the European Youth Forum, together with professional trainers, to review the existing needs and opportunities to train youth workers in non-formal education, project management and intercultural learning in Euro- Mediterranean and Euro-Arab youth projects. The Consultation took place on 6 and 7 May in Strasbourg where the five partners expressed their strong will to work together on a common Training for Trainers, to bde developed between 2011 and 2012. SEA OF WORDS WINNERS IN BEIRUT A writing workshop was organized from 8 to 7 May by Assabil Organisations, member of the Anna Lindh Lebanese Network, for the nine winners of the annual competition Sea of Words, supported by the Anna Linhd Foundation with its Spanish Head of Network IEMED. The workshop aimed at providing creative exercise to write short stories in French on intercultural issues with specific focus on the peace and coexistence, the theme of the 2009 Sea of Words short story contest which successfully involved National Civil Society Networks in nominating and promoting the leading short stories by young writers on Euro-Mediterranean issues. 3
FEATURES May 2010 Evaluating the Forum 2010 Following March s conclusion of the first Anna Lindh Forum, the Foundation has been carrying out evaluation work with Civil Society Networks and partners across the 43 Euro-Mediterranean countries The originality of the Anna Lindh Forum, in terms of gathering and the format used, has been deemed as one of the reasons why the event was able to attract such a high level of participation from across the 43 national civil societies of the Union for the Mediterranean. Following the close of the first Forum at the start of March, organized in partnership with the Anna Lindh Spanish Head of Network IEMED, the organizers have been putting together a comprehensive evaluation of the event based primarily on the feedback of participants and civil society partners. The survey carried by the Foundation at the closing of the Forum indeed shows an overall highly favorable assessment of the event. As highlighted by the participants, the structure of the Forum itself offered a concrete platform for active participation and real interaction between people. Thanks to the feedbacks received from the different organizations, a list of priorities and recommendations can be drawn, to be used as basis for the further development of this model: the Forum should become a place where civil society actors can receive concrete tools and hints to develop their work: sharing best practices, innovative ideas, methodologies and content outputs; attending participatory workshops; enhancing the opportunities for active involvement; facilitating the practical implementation of their work on ALF priorities and policies. Regarding follow-up activities, several ideas and proposals have been received. The most desirable action highlighted by the majority of respondents to the survey concerns the empowerment of the cooperation between ALF Networks. Despite the complexity related to managing an event involving a high number and different typology of participants as well as diverse components, this first experience can be considered a successful concrete attempt of participatory democracy in action. THE ANNA LINDH REPORT AT THE HEART OF INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ON PERCEPTIONS The major international conference Europe and the Arab Countries: Views, Opinions and Perspectives took place on the 7 th May in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Organised by the Anna Lindh Foundation in partnership with Casa Arabe and the CIDOB, the two day conference examined the state of the complex relations in different fields related to Arab-European relations, with a focus on the perceptions and expectations of people from the Arab region towards Europe and of Europeans towards the Arab Region. At the heart of the international conference have been two new studies on mutual perceptions The European Union and the Arab World: What do Arabs think of and expect from Europe, conducted by Casa Arabe and the CIDOB, and the forthcoming Anna Lindh Report on Euro-Med Intercultural Trends which contains a public opinion survey on perceptions and values with 13,000 people across the two shores of the Mediterranean and will be officially launched region-wide in September 2010. The conclusions of the Madrid Seminar will be disseminated by the ALF among its 43 National Civil Society Networks in the Union for the Mediterranean and will be also published on the online portal of the three partner institutions. 4
NETWORKS May 2010 INSIDE THE NETWORKS An insight into activities taking place this month across the forty-three National Networks of the Anna Lindh Foundation. Tunisia: Choreographic encounter in Carthage and Network meeting in Tunis Member of the Tunisian Network, Ness El Fen, had its 9th edition of the Choreographic encounter of Carthage which took place from 1 to 8 May on the theme «Dance makes comedy». The event included choreographic performances from all over the Euromed region, including France, Egypt, Belgium, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia. From the other side, the Anna Lindh Tunisian Network had its regular meeting in Tunis and included presentations by the Head of the Network on the different projects achieved during the third phase of the Network Common Operations, as well as the main objectives and plan of the upcoming phase. http://www.euromedalex.org/networks/tunisia Portugal: Performance Arts Fair in Tavira Slovakia: Meeting of 4 Regional Networks From 28 April to the 1 May, EuroMed Award Winners Combatants for Peace participated in the Slovak Network Common Operation which gathered members from 4 regional Networks including Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria and that will include a meeting of the Slovak National Network. In the framework of the event, on 29 April, Sulaiman Katib from Palestine and Avi Yehoudai from Israel spoke at the international seminar People in Dialogue, sharing their experience with the public. From 11 to 14 May, the second edition of the Performance Arts Fair FORMAS took place in the Portuguese city Tavira. The event, which is supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Municipality of Tavira, is carried out by Procur.arte, member of the Portuguese Network of the Foundation. FORMAS is an annual meeting aimed at bringing together arts professionals, but also opened to the main audience. Its second edition will be centered on artistic creations and contemporary dynamics on the Mediterranean, with presentations from different artistic domains, a Pitching area for project ideas, and debates with local and international guests. On the 13th of May, a Conference on the theme 'Contemporary Creation on the Mediterranean, took place in the framework of the fair, followed by a second conference the day after with the title 'Performance Arts Internationalization Presentation of the Study on International Mobility'. http://www.euromedalex.org/networks/portug al http://www.euromedalex.org/networks/slovak-republic Hungary: Syrian daily life in a Photo Exhibition The Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism, member of the Anna Lindh Hungarian Network, has hosted on the 5 th of May a photo exhibition entitled I Believe in Syria. The Exibition aims to present the traditional, cultural and daily life of the Syrian society, through the lens of the Hungarian Photographer Zsuzsana Rozsa. http://www.euromedalex.org/networks/hungary Egypt: Capacity Building with the Network Members The Head of the Anna Lindh Egyptian Network has been preparing in Alexandria a Training Course for raising the capacity of its member organizations in developing and managing quality projects and as well as providing guidelines on how to apply the Anna Lindh Foundation s calls of proposals. With the participation of around 40 representatives of the Anna Lindh civil society network in Egypt, the training will also aim to share experience and developing fundraising skills, in addition to raise the awareness on the thematic priorities of the Foundation. http://www.euromedalex.org/networks/egypt 7
NETWORKS May 2010 Faces of the Mediterranean The two-week Photo Exhibition, held simultaneously in communities across the two shores of the Mediterranean, concluded successfully with many hundreds of visitors having the opportunity to have an insight into daily life around the Region. A photo exhibition was held simultaneously in six Mediterranean cities, between the 25 th of April and the 9 th of May 2010, where the work of respective artists from those countries exhibit faces, places, scenes from everyday life, monuments and traditions common to all Mediterranean countries and to their heritage. The aim of the exhibition goes beyond the simple presentation of the countries and their culture and heritage, with a focus on stimulating the reflection and ideas of the audience in relation to the message of the photo and their origin. In the spirit of the Anna Lindh Foundation s mandate, this common project was dedicated to the approach of improving perceptions, celebrating cultures and deconstructing stereotypes of the countries from the Southern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, as a way to promote social cohesion. Visitors were asked to write their impression on note books and blackboards, to give an insight into their feelings, thoughts or ideas of the location of each respective photo. The photo exhibition was organised with the financial support of the Anna Lindh Foundation and brought together a cooperation with international partners from Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, Greece and Lebanon. The comments of visitors will be published in a final catalogue of the exhibition, which will include an introductory text by André Azoulay, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, as well as photographs, and short biographies of the artists who contributed in the Exhibitions. 6
NETWORKS May 2010 RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES DIALOGUE AWARD 2010 20 th of May is deadline for Members of the Anna Lindh Foundation to nominate an individual or an organization which is known for its efforts in dealing with the environment and biodiversity preservation, sustainable development, climate protection, and sustainable lifestyles. The Award, which was cofounded in 2006 by the Foundation and its Italian Head of Network 'Fondazione Mediterraneo', is a unique prize recognizing the achievements of individuals and organizations working for the promotion of intercultural dialogue in the Euromed region. www.euromedalex.org/dialogue-award ONLINE NETWORKING TOOLS The newly launched ALF online portal features a number of resources and networking tools for civil society organisations. They include a Project Ideas wall, where organisations can post their project ideas and comment on other s proposals, in order to look for partners and sponsors, a Good Practices database of intercultural dialogue projects, and a Publications database, that aims to become a reference point for researchers and the general public looking for books and articles on intercultural dialogue issues www.euromedalex.org/resources AGENDA OF UPCOMING EVENTS Day Event Further Information 27 29 May UN Alliance of Civilizations forum (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) More information on www.rioforum.org 28 May Egyptian National Network, training on project writing 1 6 June Capacity Building Training Seminar in Romania Organised by the Head of the Egyptian National Network, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina In cooperation with the Black Sea University Foundation, Head of Romanian Network 14 June 18 19 June EMUNI Second EuroMed Research Souk (Alexandria, Egypt) Hip Hop Concert - Europe Street day (Alexandria, Egypt) More information on http://res.emuni.si/ In cooperation with the EC Delegation to Egypt, the Goethe-Institut, the French Cultural Centre and the Turkish Consulate in Alexandria About the Anna Lindh Foundation The Anna Lindh Foundation is an organisation shared and resourced by the forty-three countries of the Union for the Mediterranean, with a mandate to bring people together for dialogue between cultures. With its headquarters in Alexandria, the Foundation runs a Euro-Med Network comprised of many hundreds of civil society organizations, forming the back-bone of the Foundation s programme which centres on leading and supporting actions in fields impacting on mutual perceptions. Anna Lindh Foundation: P.O. Box 732 El Mansheya, Alexandria 21111- Egypt E: info@euromedalex.org W: www.euromedalex.org 7