Hello, Cyprus calling! Interview with Eleni Michail

Eleni Michail a project coordinator in YEU based in Cyprus is sharing her experiences in the field of youth work.

 

 

 

 

Hi, Eleni could you please talk a bit about yourself?
Hello! Talking about me is not something I tend to do! But this is a special occasion! I am a project coordinator in YEU since last February and I am based in Cyprus. I really enjoy my job! As we often say in YEU, “Our lives are never boring in youth work”!

How and why did you get engaged with youth work?
It all started when I went to Erasmus. At that time, it was not in youth work, but this experience was so strong that basically changed my life. Fascinated by intercultural learning, I started looking for other experiences to expand my horizons. This is when I found YEU Cyprus and started participating in different youth projects on local and international level. In the last couple of years, I found myself having two hats on my head. I was at the same time primary school teacher and youth worker! It was impossible to continue doing both of them and a decision needed to be taken. Obviously youth work won! And I have to admit that I haven’t regretted it at all!

What motivates you to keep being a part of the magic world of youth work?
I think here you said the right word “magic”. That is what motivates me to keep being part of youth work. There is a certain magic in youth work which you feel only when you are involved in it. I felt this magic the first time I participated in a youth project. The methods used, the people and the context create new perspectives in learning and self-development. Now, as a youth worker that feeling is even stronger. In my projects I see people learning, growing and changing. This is how we create the world we want to have.

How did you get involved in YEU International?
I started being involved in YEU International as soon as I became a member of YEU Cyprus. At the beginning I was participant in different YEU projects. After I was elected for YEU Cyprus’ Governing Board my involvement grew bigger. At the same time, I had the chance to be a facilitator in different YEU projects and then became also a member of the PET. After the crucial decision to decide youth work as my profession, I applied to be a project coordinator in YEU and here I am now!

In your opinion, what makes the YEU network attractive and unique?
There are different elements that make YEU network attractive and unique. Here I will focus only on one of them which I think is very important. YEU is an organization open, inclusive and accessible by every youth. YEU doesn’t target a particular group of youth and doesn’t focus on a particular topic. That makes the network wide open to ALL young people, no matter where they come from, their educational background, socio-economic status, abilities or political opinions. That also makes the network wide open to ANY topic, from social inclusion, to environmental sustainability. The network can track, comprehend and address the needs of all and every youth. Based on that, member organizations, governing board and administrative staff operate from a point of understanding and caring about youth and the society in general. That is what makes YEU unique!

Could you please tell us a bit about the project you are involved now?
This question couldn’t be more relevant! Actually, I am answering this question on the way to my next project! I am at the moment traveling to Istanbul for the project “GREEN LEADERS – active youth participation vs. global, environmental and climate change”. This is a long-term project which involves partners from Portugal, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain. Its aim is to gather experience, information and knowledge on sustainability from different stakeholders such as local NGOs, local municipalities and institutions, regional authorities and international organizations. The project involves different activities in different countries. For example, in Istanbul, TOG will host two activities; the training course “Sustainability- Advanced level” and the “Partnership Building Activity”. During these two activities, we intent to create an online tool which will raise information about the topic (especially to not-organized youth), develop personal and group plans for action, create a support network and develop a strategy to multiply the outcomes of the project.

What are your future plans?
I don’t really have long-term future plans. I just know that I like what I am doing and I would like to continue working in this field and develop my competences!

Thank you very much!

 

Maria Strati
NM Journalist, YEU Internaitonal

 

 

 

The interview was published on “YEU INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAIL SEPTEMBER 2013″.

 

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An EVS experience outside Europe-Interview with Michal Klopocki

European Voluntary Service (EVS) gives young people between 18-30 years old a unique opportunity to spend 3-12 months in another country and learn another language and culture by providing their voluntary service in an organization in the host country. The organization covers living expenses such as food, accommodation, language courses and pocket money. Michal, one of the previous editors of our Newsmail spent 10 months in Mexico and is talking about his experience with us. Moreover, Michal created a blog in which he is sharing his experience http://mexicoenuvole.wordpress.com.

 

Hi Michal and welcome back to Europe. EVS in Mexico sounds something quite intangible and at the same time feasible. Could you please give us a brief idea regarding the procedures you had followed in order to participate in an EVS project outside Europe (i.e. find a host organization and visa processes)?
I was looking for an EVS project outside Europe for a long time. I have already had an experience with NGOs around Europe so I wanted to explore opportunities outside our continent. Some of my friends have already done EVS in Latin America so I realized that is something possible and I came in contact with the organization in Mexico through the Polish organization “Youth Initiatives Centre HORIZONS” “HORIZONTY”. Regarding visa, if you stay in Mexico up to six months you do not need a visa. After the first six months, I went for a trip to Guatemala and then I went back to Mexico.

Now, let’s talk a little bit about the project you have participated in. Which was the main topic, your daily tasks and finally which were the involved organizations (sending and host)?
The project is called Seed for Growth 2 (S4G 2). It involved the Italian organization “Associazione di Promozione Sociale Joint”, the Polish organization “Youth Initiatives Centre HORIZONS”, the Brazilian organization “Associação de Cooperação Técnicaparao Desenvolvimento Humano”, another Italian organization “PantaRei” and the Mexican organization “Fundación Alianzas Rosalico A.C”. Four of the volunteers have been hosted in Italy and two volunteers in Mexico. I provided my voluntary service in two different projects. In the first project I was working for the organization “Save the children” and I was organizing activities for children and I also participated in another recycling project in Puebla. During my EVS project, I had the chance to work with children, in a small village called San Mateo Ozolco and become aware of the dangers they are facing when they are trying to pass from Mexico to the USA. Generally, I was running different workshops based on non-formal education methodologies promoting the values of environment, identity building, rights and responsibilities, creativity etc. Moreover, I had the opportunity to inform them about the existing opportunities, intercultural learning, how to develop their own identity and organize their projects through art and other creative activities. The organization in Puebla deals with the topics of social exclusion and recycling. We were collecting used staffs, then we were recycling them and finally we were selling them in order to increase our resources and be able to finance the activities of the organization which were focused mainly on education. I was also coordinating the activities of the organization. Furthermore, I was responsible with the Facebook page and blog.

Regarding language, did you know Spanish before going to Mexico? If not, how was the communication with the locals in the beginning?
Well, with the language I did not have any serious problem. Before going there I had Spanish classes in Poland and after 3-4 months living in Mexico I was feeling more confident speaking in Spanish. Ok, I had language classes also in Mexico but since I was working with children learning Spanish was quite essential, I had no other alternative. Moreover, the interaction with the local community helped me learn the language. In Mexico they do not speak English very well so it is important to know the language.

At the beginning how did you get over language and cultural barriers?
I used to live with a girl from Italy who spoke Spanish better than me, at the beginning I was a bit depended on her but later on I learnt the language. My colleagues helped me a lot since they were hospitable. It was like a natural process every day I was learning something more. I was not shy to speak because if you have a basic knowledge of one language and you are afraid to speak then you will not develop your language skills. Of course, at the beginning speaking with the teachers at school was not easy; however, I found a way to cope with it. Regarding culture, Mexico has its own unique and profound culture with different customs and habits. On the other hand, Mexican culture has many similarities with the European culture because of the language, they speak Spanish, and religion, the majority are Catholics. Mexico was a strong intercultural experience for me but Mexican people who are very open and hospitable helped me deal with it. Living in Mexico is very different than being there as a tourist.

Let’s go back to the topic of your EVS. What is Global Education and how may contribute to democracy building, active participation, human rights awareness and conflict prevention?
Briefly, we are living in a global world so our actions have an impact on the everyday life in other countries around the world. Global Education helps us realize the influence of our action regarding the situation in other parts of the world. For example, if you consume products of large global corporate then you influence the reality in developing countries. Moreover, Global Education raises awareness about the limited resources, equality and human rights. In Europe we are well aware of the universal character of human rights but this does not mean that they are not violated. So basically global education is about showing people how it is to live in other parts of the world, what are the problems there, how people live, fest, love etc. that is first. And then to show the connections between our actions and how can we contribute or injure other communities.

How may the new media contribute to spread the main principles of global education?
Definitely, they are very useful tools. I created a blog in English about foundation’s activities, so my friends in Europe got an idea about the project. A lot of people have access to internet so they have access to a wide range of information. In Facebook I was posting photos from the activities. All in all, internet is a fast and practical way to get informed about different topics. I do not state that mainstream media are not good enough; I would just like to say that internet is another source of information. In addition, in the age of information ignorance is a choice.

 How are you planning to implement what you have learnt?
I have some plans regarding how to utilize effectively the experience I acquired. I am thinking to motivate even more other people to participate in an EVS project. Also, I am planning to work on the field of Global Education and contribute to awareness rising concerning the reality in other countries by cooperating with several NGOs.

  Thank you very much for the interview. The Newsmail team wishes you all the best.

Maria Strati
NM Journalist, YEU INTERNATIONAL.

The interview was published in the Newsmail August of the youth organization YEU INTERNATIONAL.

Youth in Action 25th Anniversary Celebration video

Youth in Action 25th Anniversary Celebration video from European YouthPortal on Vimeo.

EVS FILM FESTIVAL

evs is an inspiration a video by EVScyprus

Οι εμπειρίες του Φίλιππου Π. από τη Σύνοδο Νεολαίας στο Δουβλίνο.

Οι εμπειρίες του Φίλιππου Π. από τη Σύνοδο Νεολαίας στο Δουβλίνο..

Religious Holidays 2013: An Interfaith Calendar (Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim And More) (PHOTOS)

A very interesting article, posted in “The Huffington Post” by Jahnabi Barooah about religious holidays of nine major world religions: Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Paganism, Shinto and Sikhism.

Intereligious dialogue became an important aspect of my life after participating in the Youth in Actions projects, “Merry Holy…Days” and “M.R.I: Mythology Religion Ireligion”. Spirituality is everywhere, the point is to look for it.

Source: The Huffington Post

Young People with Fewer Opportunities

A bilingual publication of the Eurodesk Cyprus about the young people with fewer opportunities. The term “young people with fewer opportunities” defines the young people who do not have the same opportunities as their peers because they may face one or more of the following situations:

• Social obstacles
• Economic obstacles
• Disability
• Educational difficulties
• Cultural differences
• Sexual orientation
• Health problems
• Geographical obstacles

Topics:
Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.
The needs of the Young people with fewer opportunities.
“Youth in Action” Programme and Social Inclusion.
Manuals for youth workers.
Read more HERE.

Useful Links:
Social Inclusion Tkit 8
SALTO and Inclusion
SALTO Inclusion Resource Centre

A school project about  social inclusion

Application form instructions – Youth in Action

The following video was produced by the Icelandic National Agency of the Youth in Action Programme. The video provides instructions on how to fill in an application form for the all actions of the Programme except for the European Voluntary Service (Action 2) and the Action 2.1.

Don’t forget to contact your National Agency before submitting your application form.

Useful Links:

• Youth in Action Programme
• Contact details of  all the National Agencies
• Cyprus National Agency of the Youth in Action Programme

Newsletter of the Eurodesk Cyprus: Cyprus EU Youth Conference

The EU Youth Conference of the Cyprus Presidency held in Nicosia, Cyprus on 11-12-13 of September 2012. The topic of the conference was the “Youth Participation and the Social Inclusion of young people with migrant background”. The conference  broadcasted in the European Youth Portal.

The Eurodesk Cyprus participated actively in the conference by disseminating the updates in the social networks and by collecting testimonies of youth delegates.Furthermore, the Eurodesk Cyprus prepared a bilingual interactive newsletter dedicated to the EU Youth Conference.

The topics of the newsletter are:

 

• Cyprus Presidency: “European Youth Conference”.
• Interview: Mohamed Yassine Ennaem: A young person with migrant background who lives in Cyprus.
• Youth delegates and volunteers share their experience.
• Joint Recommendations of youth delegates and Directors-General for Youth.

The newsletter is available HERE.

Useful links:

• EU Youth Strategy: Structured Dialogue
• European Youth Portal
• Official Website of the Cyprus Presidency
• European Youth Forum
• Cyprus Youth Council
• Youth Board of Cyprus
• Structured Dialogue Cyprus:Youth Voice of Cyprus

Eurodesk Cyprus:Youth on the Move initiative

The interactive bilingual newsletter of the Eurodesk Cyprus for the month March is dedicated to the European campaign “Youth on the Move”.
The “Youth on the Move” is a campaign that promotes the working,training and studying mobility in Europe.
The operator of the Eurodesk Cyprus,collected some testimonies from youngsters who participated in European Commission’s programmes.
There are also useful information and resources about Mobility opportunities in Europe,Comenius,EVS,Erasmus,Youth Exchanges,Erasmus Mundus and Leonardo da Vinci.

You may find the newsletter HERE

For Mariepaz it was a really intensive experience since she had the opportunity to talk with beneficiaries of European Commission’s programmes.