Archive for the ‘Study Session 2015’ Category

After the end of the Study Session in Budapest, we asked some participants to deliver their feeling about the past week. Ioanna (EKNE Greece) and Chiara (FUCI Italy) accepted to give us their impressions.

“The ” ’Digital Natives’ advocating for Human Rights” Study Session 2015, took place from the 22nd February to the 1st March in the European Youth Centre in Budapest. The session was attended by 37 participants (including the preparation team) from Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Romania, Italy, Malta, Greece, Armenia, Nairobi (Africa) and Jakarta (Indonesia), who shared their ideas, experiences and knowledge based on their culture.

All the participants worked hard being focused on human right issues as discrimination, equality, freedom, free speech, right to education, right to health etc. The main methodology of that Study Session was the one of See-Judge-Act. After long discussions, presentations and role-plays, the participants moved on the use of social media and internet (creation of websites and online magazines) for the better information of people not only all over their countries but globe in general. So, two days before the end of Study Session, the participants separated into smaller groups and prepared videos, challenges, photos, magazines etc in order to pass the message of everyone’s right to equal confrontation.

Of course, parts of JECI-MIEC’s Study Session were both Spiritual development, with morning and lunch prayer, Opening and Closing Mass, and Intercultural evenings, with presentations of each member’s country, culture and traditional products.

Thanks to every member of the preparatory team and every single participant’s contribution, the activity managed to be completed properly. We all owe a huge “Thank you” especially to the people of the European Youth Centre, who were of any possible help every time it was needed, during our stay in Youth Centre, the experts, who dedicated their free time to give us a beautiful lection and last but not least the European Youth Foundation!”

Ioanna Vidali (EKNE Greece)

“From the windows of the lobby of the European Youth Center the sun peeps through the dense fog of Budapest, it is fiery red almost wanting to burn. I can always picture the sun how it was the door lock of the sky through which God looks at us!

Here everything is quiet at 7:15 am! It is silence except for some small noise that comes from the cleaning staff! Silence eliminates the flooding of the words and the overflowing of something that must be said, preparing for a day that is to begin, I am expecting my fellows of international adventure with which, for the entire stay at the Study Session held in the Hungarian capital (February 22-March 1st), I ran every morning at dawn from our accommodation to reach a church where to attend mass. An Italian, a Polish, two Romanians, two Maltese who go to Mass in Hungarian may seem like the beginning of a joke, but it was the only way in which a special friendship between the rows of JECI-MIEC was formed, that is much more than an international association: is the meeting of young people with suitcases targeting Europe from every nation on the continent, willing to live together for a week’s study session! It ‘hard to describe in words this experience (there are things that must be tasted to be understood, such as chocolate) because inside there is much more! It’s about getting pleasantly lost in the lives of others. Immersed in English accent accommodated the source language of each, the theme of study focused on Human Rights and Media. We have endeavored to undertake group work creating concrete projects for the protection of human rights through the new media. Human rights are something that often is known only in theory and is printed on the glossy page of a subsidiary of Civic Education as almost not wanting to meddle with our ordinary, real and personal life. We are individual people but not anonymous. Anonymity makes people run from the responsibility of the piece of the world entrusted to the hands of everyone. The fight is difficult because of some digital platforms that are sweeping the tradition today not facilitating the task of education to transparency: there the anonymity acts as a master. In order to raise awareness of human rights will therefore be necessary to demolish this anonymity and start again from the particular, from the very detail of the relationships: between me and myself, between me and you that is sitting next to me, between you, me and the others. Knowing each other helps getting empathically in the shoes of the other, to respect them, to understand and accept them – to recognize their right of humanity that they deserve.”

Chiara Capponi – FUCI Italy

Original source: http://www.fuci.net/index.php/news/11-news/1551-digital-natives-advocating-for-human-rights-conclusa-la-study-session-di-jeci-miec

The ”’Digital Natives’ advocating for Human Rights” Study Session is approaching and the prep-team is not sitting for nothing. It’s true, they are split, each working in their home country, in front of their personal electronic device searching for relevant information. Some go deep, searching for innovative techniques, some go for the basics since that’s where everything starts from. But they are never alone. Since they address the digital natives, they are in a constant contact to one another, testing the devices and means that most young people are using today. And if considered easier, they put their hand on the cell-phone and just greet their colleagues in order to ask for help or for an opinion.

While participants were asked to bring in some national cases of Human Rights’ violations, members of the prep team are searching for some as well. And since we’re talking about Human Rights, we want to keep everything legal. For that, visa requests and liability papers for underage participants are dealt with to ensure that everyone is accepted and warmly welcomed to our activity.

Beginning of January also the Info-Pack has been prepared in order that the participants know what to expect, what to bring and what not to forget. In the same document, one can find indications on how to arrive to the venue. The experts have been contacted, and put up to date with all the requests and the main desired outcomes. The ongoing process at the moment is putting in concrete steps all the activities, adjusting them one to the other and making sure they are exciting enough. Please make sure you are following all the instructions provided and that you keep an eye on your inbox. You never know what’s still to come.

Mihaela

Between 30th-31st October 2014, took place the preparatory meeting of the Study Session “’Digital Natives’ Advocating For Human Rights” in the European Youth Center of Budapest, Hungary. The study Session is organized by JECI-MIEC European Coordination in collaboration with the Council of Europe and will take place 22nd-28th February 2015.

The preparatory team consisting of Jacques Neyens, Michele Giovanardi, Mihaela Sopon and Simon Fischer received help and support from the Council of Europe’s educational advisor, Zora Csalagovits, who joined all the way through. Menno Ettema, educational advisor himself joined us as well in order to get acquainted to one another and prepare for the work that will be done in February.

The sessions have been split, the timetable and tasks have been aproached and the team is ready to prepare the activities in order that the Human Rights be advocated for as they deserve to, as us Christians should defend them, of course, using the media tools at hand. We look forward to also meet our experts and to the interventions of the Council of Europe in this regard.

The weather treated us nicely and allowed us to visit as well a small corner of the city. It looks promising.

See you all in Budapest!

Kind regards,

The preparatory team

Dear friends from the national organizations,

The European Coordination JECI-MIEC has the great pleasure to invite your organization to nominate candidates for the JECI-MIEC Study Session «‘Digital Natives’ advocating for Human Rights», which will be taking place in the European Youth Centre Budapest, Hungary from 22nd February to the 1st March 2015 (including arrival and departure day).

The Study Session is designed for members of the organizations. This means that participants in the meeting should be actively involved in projects at national / local level or to be members of the national / local board of the organization. Participants should have a good knowledge about their National Organization, be motivated towards the given subject and be willing / able to function as multipliers back in their organizations.

The Study Session is targeted to both: Secondary and University Students.

What is our Study Session about?

Our organization’s “Orientation Guidelines 2012-2016” ratified at the European Congress 2012 foresee the issues “Media and Technology” as well as “Dialogue and Human Dignity” to be of great importance to our member organizations. As a follow-up of these issues, the European Committee voted in favor of having a study session in 2015 focusing on the interrelatedness between media / technology and Human Rights as well as human rights education and developing further potential from this interrelatedness. The thematic area of media and technology was considered relevant to young people in general and students in particular, while the area of Human Rights concerns us not only as responsible European citizens, but also as members of an organization sharing an identity as Catholic believers.

Our organization’s experience with the topic of Human Rights can be illustrated as follows: In 2004 the study session “Human dignity in global society” dealt with Human Rights and Human Rights education in general. In 2005 “Human Rights education” concentrated on Human Rights Education promoting it within the approach of Integral Education (holistic and lifelong learning) and empowering students to make a step forward in developing concrete actions in their local and regional reality. In 2006 “Religion contributing to Human Rights Education” focused on developing new methods introducing religion and faith as important and influential actors in the society as well as contributing to the protection and promotion of Human Rights and fostering inter-religious dialogue. In 2007 “Empowering Young People through Human Rights Education” focused on equipping young people to take up their responsibilities in relation to the promotion and protection of Human Rights through a Human Rights’ educational approach. In 2009 “Looking at Immigration in Europe through a Human Rights Perspective” rose awareness and understanding of the responsibilities that citizens have in relation to Human Rights exemplified with one particular problem at stake in Europe. In 2012 “Creating Empowered Students in Human Rights through Integral Education” faced the interrelatedness between Human Rights Education and Integral Education as a holistic formation of the person in the field of intercultural dialogue and learning.

JECI-MIEC already provided formation in the thematic areas of Human Rights and the methodologies of Human Rights Education as well as Integral Education through previous study sessions. That is why we believe it is now the time to apply this knowledge by taking up an important factor of the everyday life and a field of expertise of young people. In regards to media Human Rights can on the one hand be at stake in various ways, but on the other hand media bear a lot of potential to overcome Human Rights infringements and to provide Human Rights Education.

In order to apply for this activity, you have to fill-in the application form (you can find it attached here) and sent it by email (office@jeci-miec.eu) from the national office of your organization (official email address).

The deadline for receiving the applications is the 7th December 2014.

After receiving the applications we will inform your movement of the participants confirmed and we will send them the “Participants’ Info-Pack”.

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

With best regards on behalf of the preparatory and the European team

Simon Fischer

European Coordinator

Study Session 2015-Application-Form

Study Session – Participants Call