„Learning to live in MY Y/OURrope”
European Coordination of International Young Catholic Students – International Movement of Catholic Students (JECI-MIEC)
18-25 of July 2010, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
We, 40 students from 11 countries[1], met in Cluj-Napoca, Romania for the Summerweek 2010 with the theme „Learning to live in MY/OURrope”, organised by JECI-MIEC European Coordination and hosted by ASTRU Cluj, Romania.
The main aim of the meeting was to raise awareness and to promote intercultural dialogue among students through integral education.
Acknowledging the upcoming International Year of Youth with the theme of „Dialogue and Mutual Understanding” that will start on 12 August 2010 until 11 August 2011:
- We learned the importance of tolerance, respect and brotherhood/sisterhood regarding cultural diversity in order to respond to racism, intolerance, discrimination and other Human Rights violations.
- We figured out what it means to be a young person in Europe today. We are people with various origins, traditions, cultures and beliefs. We are different, unique and a colourful composition of textures. Together we create a beautiful coloured glass window of who we are. This plurality is what characterises us as a sign of unity, cohabitation and a living dialogue.
- We are aware that there is still a lot of work to be done to reach the Europe we hope for. Today in our continent xenophobia, intolerance, sexism, apathy, prejudice, stubbornness and other phobias still exist. We, as young people, are working to overcome this.
The Europe we strive for is not only based on economical interest, consumerism and individualism, but on humanity, freedom, liberty, the dignity of people and genuine interest for each other.
We alone cannot achieve this Europe we hope for. In order to build MY Y/OURope, we therefore:
- Call upon all people of good-will to be courageous in our common struggle and hard work for justice. Because it’s worthy.
- We challenge our fellow youth in Europe not to be passive actors but to be part of the solution with an open mind.
- We acknowledge the potential of dialogue as a process for respectful understanding (and reconciliation); we therefore request the Church to establish and promote dialogue but not only at the clerical level, but also by the everyday faithful.
- We call upon people of faith and no faith, not to be judgmental, but to be patient listeners and to stand up for what they believe in.
- We call upon governments in Europe to put their trust in young people by investing in our efforts and potential to create a new Europe, based on liberty and solidarity.
- We call upon all forms of media to be fair, balanced, objective and less sensational.
Above all, we commit ourselves to honestly live out the values and virtues using the practical tools of inter-cultural dialogue so that we will not act based on misconceptions, prejudices and stereotypes.
With our methodology of See-Judge-Act (Review of Life) we are not naïve to say that we are already perfect but we have the strong desire and willingness to change and follow what we believe in as Christian students in Europe.
[1] The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Ukraine