Archive for the ‘Colloquium 2014’ Category

The Colloquium 2014 “Young Christians and Sexuality in the 21st Century’s Europe” – “The Choice of our lifestyle” co-funded by the European Youth Foundation, took place from the 5^th to the 12^th October in the Educational Centre for Blind in Laski, near Warsaw. The activity was attended by 17 participants from France, Spain, Portugal, Senegal, Poland, Greece, Armenia, Ukraine, Luxembourg and Romania who shared their experiences from their cultural background.

The Colloquium focused on many aspects of sexuality such as the psychological approach, homosexuality, the Church’s perspective, pedophilia, gender issues, sexual abuse within the Church and other religions’ perspective on Sexuality. The activity was run with the methodology of SEE- JUDGE- ACT and during the SEE and JUDGE it was composed of discussions, inputs, role-plays and games.

For the ACT part the participants had to come up with a common idea for an action at the city. This action was a flash mob about the respect of the child, the fidelity within the relationship and the respect of human being. On Friday 10^th of October the participants carried out the action at the city squares and spread their messages at the citizens. The last part of the Colloquium was dedicated to the debriefing and the Evaluation.

Apart from the basic part of the activity, the spiritual aspect of JECI-MIEC was expressed with the Opening and Closing Masses and the daily prayers but also the fun and cultural part was there during the evening when the intercultural evening and many games in order to get to know each other took place.

We thank everyone that made this activity possible and specially the local organisers, the experts  and the European Youth Foundation!

You can find a video of the activity created by Paul Sopon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8_Xl4-7JHE

Dear friends from the National Organizations,

Greetings from JECI-MIEC!

We are very happy to invite you to our JECI-MIEC Colloquium “Young Christians and Sexuality in the 21st Century’s Europe” – “The Choice of our lifestyle”, which will be taking place in Warsaw, Poland from 5th – 12th October 2014 (including arrival and departure day). Thanks to the hosting organization KIK Drum Bun Poland, it was possible to re-schedule and re-organize this Colloquium originally planned to take place in Ukraine hosted by AUCS Obnova.

The Colloquium is targeted to both: Secondary and University Students.

This Colloquium is co-financed by the European Youth Foundation (EYF) regularly alternating with other typical activities of the European Coordination JECI-MIEC.

What is our Colloquium about?

Understanding of sexuality in 21st century’s Europe is diverse – as the debates and controversies are. Although Europe’s history and culture has been profoundly shaped by Christian values, European secular societies are nowadays facing the “challenge”, that to the tradition of living in a two-sexes-lifestyle there are many more options, which might even will have their role to play as it regards the demographic development of future Europe. Especially as secular positions towards sexuality meet faith-based (and particularly Christian) convictions and beliefs, debates and discussions tend to become inevitable: Some topics such as sexual orientation, marriage and divorce concern particular lifestyles, while others such as contraception and abortion even have controversial ethical implications. Most recently topics such as pedophilia and sexual abuse within Church have been subjected to strong criticism globally. What does this have to do with young people in Europe?

The European Coordination JECI-MIEC is a platform of secondary and university students in Europe who share their common identity as Catholic believers. Taking into account contemporary developments, it is clear that apart from morals and values concerning sexuality also Christianity in itself has further developed. Different world-views and debates on what is, can or should be allowed in one’s sexual life do not only come up between Church and secular society, but exist also within the community of Christian and especially Catholic believers in Europe and beyond. To give an example: “What is in the eyes of a Catholic student better? A committed homosexual partnership or a ‘proper’ marriage where there is disrespect and violence?” As recognizable from this question, decisions on (especially one’s own) sexuality need to be taken individually, consciously, respectful and responsibly – even if there for sure exist collective catalogues of values from several secular and religious instances.

Our colloquium therefore aims at raising awareness about the diversity existing among secular societies and Christians in Europe as it regards the topic sexuality and the reality of young people (SEE), to enable the participants of this colloquium to take their decisions on theirsexuality more consciously and without prejudices or discrimination (JUDGE) and to make society aware of the results of these reflections (ACT).

Out of the variety of topics and issues existing, JECI-MIEC decided upon the following fields of interests to be addressed during thecolloquium:

1) sexual orientation: particularly topics such as heterosexuality, homosexuality, transgender and queer-theory;

2) sexuality and responsibilities: particularly pregnancy, abortion, contraception;

3) decisions and life-styles such as traditional family models and alternative concepts existing;

4) sexual disorders such as pedophilia;

5) sexual abuse within Church as a current global debate relevant to both believers and non-believers.

Please find attached the Call and the application form.

Deadline for completing the participants’ application form: 5th September 2014.

With best regards on behalf of the preparatory team,

Maximilian Niessen
(European Coordinator)

(co-financed by the European Youth Foundation)

Colloquium2014-Application-Form  Colloquium2014 – Participants Call

Dear friends,

please find enclosed a proposal by our European Chaplain Fr. Markus to have a joint prayer as well as intentions for Ukraine and our friends from “Obnova” in your next mass at movement level.

We would be happy if as many of you as possible could join.

JECI-MIEC invitation to pray for Ukraine and Obnova

From the 17^th to the 19^th of January the preparatory team, namely Anna Holodnytska from Obnova, Maximilian Niessen, Laura Sopon and Eirini Freri, met in Kyiv in order to prepare the Colloquium that will be held on the 23^rd to the 30^th of March 2014 co-financed by the European Youth Foundation. At this meeting, the preparatory team planned the daily program, organized the logistics and prepared the info pack. Furthermore at the 18^th the team had the honor to be invited by Obnova Kyiv at a supper for the feast of Epiphany.

We are looking forward to seeing you all!

Dear friends,

dear applicants to the JECI-MIEC Colloquium 2014,

with this notification we would like to apologize for the fact that we had to withdraw the call for the Colloquium “Young Christians and Sexuality in the 21st Century’s Europe” – “The Choice of our lifestyle” for the fact that it contained a mistake done in the process of editing the call.

Unfortunately, this mistake concerned the financial regulations related to the participants’ reimbursements mentioned in the call.

Upon the decision of the European Team it was regarded necessary to update the call with the correct information and at the same time, as a means of transparency, to communicate to you the relevant changes:

Instead of a 100% reimbursement of travel costs, JECI-MIEC is only able to cover 90% of your travel costs to the Colloquium.

At this point we would also like to mention that we will still try to do everything within our measures to assure you a 100% reimbursement, but for budgeting reasons it could not be kept in the official call.

We hope for your understanding and that this change of criteria will not be a reason for you not to apply to our Colloquium.

Together with this notification you will receive an updated version of our call (with the changes marked in yellow) which is now legally binding.

Anyway we will ask any applicants after having received their application whether they were informed about the change and whether they consent to it.

Once more we would like to apologize for the unprofessional work and this personal mistake of the person responsible for editing the call.

With best regards,

Maximilian Niessen

on behalf of the European Team

Colloquium2014 – Notification of Change and Letter of Excuse Colloquium2014 – Participants Call – UPDATED Colloquium2014 – Application Form

Dear friends,

dear applicants to the JECI-MIEC Colloquium 2014,

with this notification we would like to apologize for the fact that we had to withdraw the call for the Colloquium “Young Christians and Sexuality in the 21st Century’s Europe” – “The Choice of our lifestyle” for the fact that it contained a mistake done in the process of editing the call.

Unfortunately, this mistake concerned the financial regulations related to the participants’ reimbursements mentioned in the call.

Upon the decision of the European Team it was regarded necessary to update the call with the correct information and at the same time, as a means of transparency, to communicate to you the relevant changes:

Instead of a 100% reimbursement of travel costs, JECI-MIEC is only able to cover 90% of your travel costs to the Colloquium.

At this point we would also like to mention that we will still try to do everything within our measures to assure you a 100% reimbursement, but for budgeting reasons it could not be kept in the official call.

We hope for your understanding and that this change of criteria will not be a reason for you not to apply to our Colloquium.

Together with this notification you will receive an updated version of our call (with the changes marked in yellow) which is now legally binding.

Anyway we will ask any applicants after having received their application whether they were informed about the change and whether they consent to it.

Once more we would like to apologize for the unprofessional work and this personal mistake of the person responsible for editing the call.

With best regards,

Maximilian Niessen

on behalf of the European Team

To: All Organizations and Federations of the European Coordination JECI-MIEC

Dear friends from the national organizations,

the European Coordination JECI-MIEC has the great pleasure to invite all the national member organizations to nominate participants for the Colloquium “Young Christians and Sexuality in the 21st Century’s Europe” – “The Choice of our lifestyle”, which will be taking place in the Monastery of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Obukhiv (Kyiv region), Ukraine from 23^rd – 30^th March 2014 (including arrival and departure day).

The Colloquium is targeted to both: Secondary and University Students.

This Colloquium is co-financed by the European Youth Foundation (EYF) regularly alternating with other typical activities of the European Coordination JECI-MIEC.

What is our Colloquium about?

Understanding of sexuality in 21st century’s Europe is diverse – as the debates and controversies are. Although Europe’s history and culture has been profoundly shaped by Christian values, European secular societies are nowadays facing the “challenge”, that to the tradition of living in a two-sexes-lifestyle there are many more options, which might even will have their role to play as it regards the demographic development of future Europe. Especially as secular positions towards sexuality meet faith-based (and particularly Christian) convictions and beliefs, debates and discussions tend to become inevitable: Some topics such as sexual orientation, marriage and divorce concern particular lifestyles, while others such as contraception and abortion even have controversial ethical implications. Most recently topics such as pedophilia and sexual abuse within Church have been subjected to strong criticism globally. What does this have to do with young people in Europe?

The European Coordination JECI-MIEC is a platform of secondary and university students in Europe who share their common identity as Catholic believers. Taking into account contemporary developments, it is clear that apart from morals and values concerning sexuality also Christianity in itself has further developed. Different world-views and debates on what is, can or should be allowed in one’s sexual life do not only come up between Church and secular society, but exist also within the community of Christian and especially Catholic believers in Europe and beyond. To give an example: “What is in the eyes of a Catholic student better? A committed homosexual partnership or a ‘proper’ marriage where there is disrespect and violence?” As recognizable from this question, decisions on (especially one’s own) sexuality need to be taken individually, consciously, respectful and responsibly – even if there for sure exist collective catalogues of values from several secular and religious instances.

Our colloquium therefore aims at raising awareness about the diversity existing among secular societies and Christians in Europe as it regards the topic sexuality and the reality of young people (SEE), to enable the participants of this colloquium to take their decisions on their sexuality more consciously and without prejudices or discrimination (JUDGE) and to make society aware of the results of these reflections (ACT).

Out of the variety of topics and issues existing, JECI-MIEC decided upon the following fields of interests to be addressed during the colloquium:

1)      sexual orientation: particularly topics such as heterosexuality, homosexuality, transgender and queer-theory;

2)      sexuality and responsibilities: particularly pregnancy, abortion, contraception;

3)      decisions and life-styles such as traditional family models and alternative concepts existing;

4)      sexual disorders such as pedophilia;

5)      sexual abuse within Church as a current global debate relevant to both believers and non-believers.

Please find forwarded with this notification the call for participants in PDF format as well as the participants’ application form in WORD format.

Deadline for completing the participants’ application form: 31^st December 2013.

We kindly ask you to disseminate this call among your membership!

(co-financed by the European Youth Foundation)

Colloquium2014 – Participants Call – UPDATED Colloquium2014 -Notification of Change and Letter of Excuse Colloquium2014 – Application Form