And it is very likely that so many of those who consider Ukraine to be a European country and believe that it should be part of the vibrant economic, political and cultural life of Europe also willingly adhere to this creed.
The European societies are increasingly becoming multicultural societies. If only we could say the same about youth organisations! Unfortunately the exclusion, discrimination and lack of participation of minorities somehow seem to be reflected in many youth organisations striving to prevent this very same tendency.
In order to both develop consistent strategy in the field and to raise the awareness of youth leaders, facilitators and trainers of the possible enrichment that people from different social positions and cultures can bring to youth work the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) with the support of the Council of Europe organized a study Session on the Subject of Inclusion of Minorities in and through Youth work. Youth leaders representing nearly every European state from Ukraine and Finland to Portugal and Spain were taught methods of communication, diversity management and conflict management to foster fruitful team work, to empower ethnic minorities and increase their participation in youth organizations and through this in society in this area.
From 29th of February to 7th of March in the European Youth Center in Strasbourg, France more than 30 national youth organizations’ representatives gathered to:
• Achieve a common definition of the concept of ethnicity, culture, and how it is related to social positions and power.
• Explore multicultural group dynamics that give a true voice to both the majorities and minorities.
• Receive training in management of diversity and development of tools that can prevent and transform conflicts in culturally sensitive ways.
• Discuss volunteer management in light of above-mentioned issues.
• Apply and adapt the outcomes of the discussions and trained tools to the specific contexts of the individual participants.
The above mentioned was shaped by the organizers into worthy PowerPoint Presentations, which preceded work in Reflection groups, round tables, improvisational forum theatres and etc. As a result of the tools for inclusive team-work, diversity management, flexible and innovative methodology was developed.
It was very inspiring to see how gladly the initiative of Ukrainian and Romanian delegates to launch an informal network of youth organisation following the Study Session and thus provide a means of thought exchange, debate, discussion and likewise to dress member-organisation for international work and to guarantee international publicity to their initiatives, was unanimously accepted and is now gradually fulfilled. It is even more so to witness it resulting in concrete actions now, as new initiatives and projects embracing more and more people in Europe and Ukraine are being proposed planed and put into practice.
It is symbolical that ICYE applied for Strasbourg to conduct this seminar as there is also a European Youth Center in Budapest, Hungary.
Strasbourg shares with Geneva and New York the privilege of being the seat of international institutions without being a national capital. At the heart of the European continent, Strasbourg maintains an international university tradition.
Strasbourg houses numerous international institutions, for example the seat of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Court of Human Rights.
In 2001/2002 Strasbourg’s three Universities had more than 7 000 foreign students, nearly 19 % of the total number of students, from more than a hundred countries. Strasbourg is the most international French University City after Paris.
The event is seen as at one hand part of the European Commission’s efforts together with National youth agencies to implement a Strategy for the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities into the Youth programme where the term “young people with fewer opportunities” refers to the obstacles to participation and is not intended to stigmatise this group. These obstacles can be of socio-economic, cultural and geographical nature as well as the result of physical or mental disability. The inclusion strategy aims at areas such as information, motivation and training; creating networks; co-operation between national youth-agencies in the field of inclusion; transfer of best practices and experiences; and quality monitoring.
On the other hand the Study Session can be seen as one of the products of the Wider Europe Initiative launched by the European Commission. George Sorose has rightly expressed an opinion that even though the initiative looks great on paper the plan will be doomed to obscurity if it is allowed to moulder in the European bureaucracy.
Plausibly one of the ways to escape such unfortunate destiny is to give European youth without regard for nation, race and borders – most dynamic and vibrant group on the continent opportunities to influence European policy making via participation in preparation of major European projects, initiatives in legislation process.
Youth policy is of course about inclusion and access, where they are assured, policies function, where this is not the case, they don’t. There are many reasons from armed conflicts to political and economic system crises that may explain short and medium term unbearable differences within the social situations and the life prospects of young people in Europe. This is however is not a reason to leave behind key values of European society such as social justice and equality of opportunity.
However no solution will come out of the blue. Next to political and social action young people will have to take their share of the effort needed to live in a better world.
Participation of two Ukrainian youth leaders representing respectively Liberal-Democratic Party of Ukraine (Irpin organization) and the Union of Hungarian Youth in Ukraine (Uzhgorod) – Olexiy Kuzmenko and Robert Casso in this event is but a vindication of the fastest growing engagement of Ukrainian youth into European affairs and likewise of strong determination to overcome obstacles on our way to Democracy.
Let’s put aside the weighing past to start Ukraine anew!
Irpin (City inKyivska oblast) Organization of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Ukraine delegated its representative to the Study Session with the idea of sharing experiences with European fellow youth-workers and rapprochement with European youth organization working in the fields of human rights, cultural exchange and conflict prevention and other areas just as important for contemporary Ukraine.
Definitely the Study session was good in reformatting the issue of minority inclusion bringing a group of people from minority and majority background from all over Europe to talk and work with each other. Te subject was critically approached, turned upside down and participants started focusing on the benefits of truly multicultural team work. I believe that knowing these benefits and knowing how to increase them is the first step towards true inclusion.
I also entertain myself with a thought that young people must play a special role in the process of establishment of public, democratic state in Ukraine. I am deeply assured that due to timely support of well-thought-out initiatives outgoing from young Ukrainian people, Ukrainian government once it got rid of discriminatory attitudes would be able to count on active involvement of the most potent forces of the society into state building.
And such government is yet to come.
« return.