Good news just before Christmas!

[Noel Selegzi]

Great News, Sanne.  

Congratualations and happy holidays!

-----Original Message-----
From: ideaconsortium-bounces at list.idebate.org on behalf of Sanne de Kieviet
Sent: Fri 12/21/2007 5:29
To: Debate-l at list.idebate.org; Programdevelop-l at list.idebate.org; ideaconsortium at list.idebate.org
Subject: Good news just before Christmas! 
 
Dear everyone,

 

I am happy to share some good news with you, just before the holidays! 

 

IDEA, together with members from Romania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia, have submitted a project proposal "Unity in Diversity Exchange" to the Dutch National Agency of the EC for the November 1 deadline. I have been contacted by the National Agency that they liked our project, but ran out of money under this specific action (it is the last deadline of the year). The National Agency has requested a budget change in Brussels, hoping they could use money from a different action. Brussels has approved this informally, meaning that the official letter is yet to arrive in January 2008, but the National Agency told me we can start preparations.

 

The project summary is as follows: 

IDEA would like to celebrate the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue by proposing a Unity in Diversity Exchange which would bring members of youth debates clubs from 6 countries together to debate and discuss different aspects of cooperation within the EU (political, social, cultural, economic) as well as to engage one another in the process of intercultural learning and dialogue. We will do so around the Day of Europe (May 9). The exchange will include trainingsessions (training on public speaking skills, parliamentary procedures etc.), intercultural activities, and simulation of youth parliament in a competitive event (to practise the skills learnt during the trainingsessions). 

This will provide the participants with an interactive opportunity to discuss and debate the issues and challenges facing the young people in Europe and the world today. By participating in the trainingsessions and simulation, the young delegates will represent their youth constituency and work with other delegates on preparing resolutions that will be later debated and amended and voted on. During the activities young people will work in teams and will be involved in resolution drafting, debates and discussions, lobbying, negotiating and voting. 

In addition the participants of the exchange we will also participate in a number of inter-cultural learning activities that will aim at exploring cultural diversity in participants' countries and regions as well as show-casing participants' cultural heritage. 

The exchange will involve participants from both disadvantaged backgrounds as well as 'normal' backgrounds. This will provide both groups the opportunity to learn from each other in an international context.

 

For now I would like to wish you all happy holidays!

 

I will be back in the office January 3, 2008

 

Best regards,

 

Sanne de Kieviet

------------------------------------------------

Project Coordinator

IDEA-NL

Molukkenstraat 200

1098 TW Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Tel/Fax: +31(0)20 6927299

sdekieviet at idebate.org <mailto:sdekieviet at idebate.org> 

www.idebate.nl