Partnership Building Programme (21-27 August, Loughborough)

This is the Partnership Building Programme that will take place in Loughborough (United Kingdom) in which Ágora Bracarense will be represented by its president Tiago Mourão.

This will be an excellent opportunity to present some international projects and establish some new partnerships.

More information soon in this blog.

Braga Youth City

Talking about youth issues is always appropriate because it allows to speak of a very interesting and heterogeneous group. During the last few years, when the study of the different youth profiles became necessary, society woke up and realised how important youth social and civic participation phenomena are. This was partially the result of a heritage from problematic periods in the European and world context where youngsters affirmed themselves against a closed and elitist power which marked the big world regimes to the conquer of great contributions to democracy.

Very often, significant mistakes have been made when youngsters have been seen in a very well defined stereotyped context, built on the idea that youngsters are distant from reality and from their own interests. Hence, frequently we assist to what it seems to be the creation of parellel worlds where in which youngsters and the rest of society move in different directions. It is important to try to understand why this does happen and why there is a gap which appears to be continuous in time. Or if it is only an apparent gap resulting from misunderstandings and a lack of communication.

Braga has been for some time referred to as a youth city. This definition seems to be more and more appropriate because Braga people adopted this concept and they tend to turn it into a reality with their daily practices. Such openness has been fundamental to local development. In fact in this city were developed youth plans of which some examples were transferred to other regions and countries.

Several times the question is asked about the important aspects of this youth power that have contributed to Braga’s development and growth. The answer is that youngsters are so well and deeply involved in local society that it is easy to find youth participation at all social levels, everywhere, but it is not so easy to distinguish it from other non-young stakeholders’ participation.

However, despite the excellent youth contribution to society there are still some non-desired difficulties in public participation. Therefore the implementation of policies which aim to increase youngsters’ participation is still very important.

Sharing the sights and Sounds of Europe on YouTube

On 29 June 2007, the European Commission launched EuTube, a new thematic channel on YouTube. This innovative tool aims to inform people on the activities of the European Union through video clips that illustrate the main issues facing citizens from across the 27 Member States.
This project called “Sharing the sights and the sounds of Europe on YouTube” promotes the European Union initiatives, policies and goals related to themes such as immigration, climate changes or energetic policies.
Currently, users can watch approximately 50 video clips on a wide range of topics. Among the most interesting there are some short animated cartoon such as “Everyone can Save the Planet”, “And if Europe didn’t exist” and a Galileo project documentary.
Most of the content is in English, but French and German languages clips are also being added.
Margot Wallström, Vice- President for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, said “It is very important for the Commission to use all the means at its disposal when it comes to communicating with European citizens. We can not ignore the developments which have taken place on the Internet in the past few years, in particular the popularity of video sharing sites such as You Tube”.

For more information, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/EUtube

The European Day of Languages - 26 September 2007

The European Year of Languages (2001) was successful in involving millions of people across 45 countries in activities to celebrate linguistic diversity and the benefits of being able to speak another language.
Many young and old people were encouraged to learn a language, or take special pride in their existing language skills. After this positive feedback, the Council of Europe has declared 26 September as an annual European Day of Languages.
The general objectives of the European Day of Languages are to alert the public to the importance of language learning and diversifying the range of languages learnt with the aim of increasing multilingual and intercultural understanding, to promote the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, which must be preserved and fostered, to encourage lifelong language learning in and out of school, whether for study purposes, for professional needs, for purposes of mobility or for pleasure and exchanges.
The European day of Languages will be celebrated in schools, workplaces or in public places with activities involving old and young people. The Council of Europe website offers examples, suggestions and a database to promote the event and the organization of the Day.
For more information, please visit http://www.ecml.at/edl/default.asp

FARE Football Against Racism in Europe Action Week

The FARE (Football against Racism in Europe) network co-ordinates actions against racism in and around football stadiums across Europe. Each year the network organizes an action week where football fans, ethnic minorities and football clubs stand united against discrimination. This year, the event will take place on the week between 17 to 30 October 2007.
FARE provides small-scale funding for local initiatives during the European Action Week for fans clubs, ethnic minorities and migrants organizations, refugees and asylum seekers, amateur football clubs, anti-discrimination groups, schools and youth teams. The FARE network, in partnership with UEFA, calls the entire European football family to get involved in the forthcoming FARE Action Week.
The wide range of activities will include the printing of banners, leaflets and posters, the production of fans’ choreographies etc. Specific anti-discrimination events such as matches, workshops and debates will also be organised. The main priorities of this FARE Action Week will be: the greater participation of ethnic minorities and migrants, the inclusion of women and actions against homophobia in sports.
To facilitate the organization of events and activities, eligible groups can apply for financial assistance through the following website www.farenet.org (the contribution will not exceed €400). The deadline is on September, 10 2007.

Yes Project - July Newsletter

This is the 5th newsletter of the Yes Project and it is responsibility of the german partner from Darmstadt.

The August one will be provided by Ágora Bracarense in four languages (portuguese, english, italian and spanish).