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  • A short stay with a partner organization in another country with the aim of exchanging good practice, acquiring skills and knowledge and/or building long-term partnerships through participative observation.” YIA Program Guide. Here comes the experience of Mahmoud, joining Loesje in Berlin for a few weeks in September 2013.

     

    Part I:
    Sadaka Reut: Arab Jewish Partnership.

     

    I started Volunteering in Sadaka Reut at the end of December of 2010 in the 'Community in Action' Program, the program is Basically a Commune, A house where Arab Palestinians and Jewish Lived together, Sharing Responsibilities, discussing daily issues, which by itself a good learning process, but of course this wasn't the only thing we did, we also volunteered in different organizations, we gave workshops in different schools, got a variety of trainings. And that brought a lot of new topics to our daily discussions, that ended up with filming a short documentary, and being part of the 2011 summer protests in Tel-Aviv about the costs of living, Public Housing and a many issues that rose up during that time, that led from my skeptical start into the life of volunteering to sleep in a park in Yaffa for 6 weeks during the time of the protest, and actually extending my voluntary year for another year in Sadaka, that led to meeting new people, working with different ethnic groups in the country (Palestinians, Ethiopians and more).

    Part II
    Scotland
    BOXES / GOOD FOR THINGS / NOT FOR PEOPLE

     

    A last minute E-mail forwarded from my sister, with the title Loesje Crosses the Mediterranean, my first thought was 'more Europeans activists who wants to bring peace to the region but I have nothing to lose' so last minute E-mail, Last minute flight and I found myself in Scotland.

    Part III

     

    The Bunkhouse                                                                                                                                                           

    20 people, 7 rooms, 7 days, 6 countries, 6 organizations, one cause and zero degrees.                                                 

    In the middle of Scotland in a bunkhouse, with no connection to the outer world. We had to get along.  And we did, I was still skeptical, until the Loesje text writing workshop started, I had a lot of stuff to say, a lot to write and this gave the perfect opportunity, I wrote what I wanted, I replied and I got replies for what I wrote. My skepticism was gone, I loved it, the writing, the Final Editing.After a lot of workshops and brainstorming, we planned for the training in Germany, tied all the knots and headed home. Loesje found her place in my heart and in my heard she crossed the Mediterranean.

    Part IV

    The Training and the Birth of Emily. (TODAY HISTORY CLASS CANCELLED / TIME FOR FUTURE CLASS)
     

    After what felt like a long wait, we packed our bags, and 36 genuine people from 6+ countries flew to Berlin, first night, I started introducing myself as Emily, dinner and some drinks, and we found ourselves, like childhood friends, some of us went to find a club, because we wanted to dance and celebrate, we couldn't find anything, so table football did the trick. After a short sleep, official introduction, and a tour in berlin, we headed to KLH to start the training, more and more workshops, more and more to learn, more Loesje text writing, more Editing, and we add to that 'the Layouting', some games, and like Sadaka-Reut we celebrate everything with a good Cold Local Beer. Heading home, everybody is heading home excited about the fact he is going to give Loesje text writing workshops.

    Part V

    The Suggestion.                                                                                                                                                        

    We got back home, a workshop in Ramallah, more workshops across Palestine, we are all working.
    A lot of meeting, but we are all excited, but still, something is missing for me, it's like I need to learn more, I need more people with the Loesje Virus, and more people with the Sadaka Virus. And then comes the email from Berlin, with the title:”would you like to participate in a 2 or 3 weeks Job Shadowing in Berlin” and in the email that explained the project it was written “we only need a local organization to send you”. It all came together, Sadaka-Reut and Loesje, the best combination I could ever think of, only the thought of that made my stomach giggle with no stop, after a short introduction to Sadaka, they agreed to participate, we started the process, a bit stressful, but worth every second spent, worth all the stress, and I'm in Berlin Again.

    The Last Part
    The Job Shadowing
    A CLASSROOM CAN BE A ROOM / A TREE / A BOAT

    Week 1

    Day 1: Dinner, it's good to be here, again, you're welcomed by people you already met, and people you never met before, some of them heard about you, and other want to know more about you, cooking all together was a fun experience.

    Day 2: Let The Fun Begin. Expectation: I want to learn how to train people how to give a text workshop and how to train people themselves, I want to know how Loesje participate in different Local Activities in Berlin, and how they work in an international level, so after this short session, we started preparing for our first Local Activity: Recycling Creativity Festival, preparing the food and preparing the Loesje Publication.

    Day 3: The Festival, so after all the preparations we did the day before we are at the festival, setting all the Loesje publication, postcards and posters at the festival and getting ready for the text writing workshop, I participated in some other workshops (example: pick locking, Recycled Fashion, recycled Chairs) and after that we did the our workshop, a workshop in a festival is always a good opportunity to meet new people, to see new writing and to write more texts yourselves.

    Day 4: The BrainStorm. After the introduction to senior volunteers who came from Scotland we started brainstorming for the next loesje project, a project that aims to bring as many people and group together for a good learning experience, The School Of Freedom, we had a long discussion, but finally wrote the first sketch of the program and the schedule.
    In the ne
    xt days we worked on the school of freedom together, Expand the Program and the schedule, write the application, contact all partners (Including Sadaka-Reut), a lot of stress.

    Week 2

    Senior volunteer training:
    EVEN PANTHERS ARE PINK SOMETIMES           
                     

                                                                                                    

    During the work on the School of freedom we also prepared for the training we were supposed to give a training for the senior volunteers from Scotland. We started the two days training with a good Loesje warm-up game, and then the text writing, passing all the papers around, writing on more subjects, replying to more people, as Fun as always, and actually leading the workshop is as rewarding as it is fun. On the next day, we did the final editing, it was long, opened a lot of discussions about the topics and the texts. But it is done, now our participants are ready for Layouting the texts they came up with. And after the layouting we have a Series. And after all that we got back to writing the application of the school of freedom.

    I FOLLOW DREAMS / YOU CAN JOIN ME ANYTIME                                                                                                         

    This was a small introduction and a quick summary about Job Shadowing, just a quick peek on what you can do and learn, you can add to that, meeting new people, visiting a different country and having a good time

    Job shadowing is A short stay with a partner organization in another country with the aim of exchanging good practice, acquiring skills and knowledge and/or building long-term partnerships through participative observation.” YIA Program Guide.

    So move your fingers and start typing, apply for your Job Shadowing with a partner organization go Learn and experience new skills that will help you and your organization expand your knowledge and activities. And now I pass the paper to the right...

    The project A classroom can be a room / a tree / a boat is supported by the Youth in Action Programme of the European Commission.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Youth association Info front – Prilep / Loesje Macedonia presents: the Youth in Action 3.1 training “After brainstorm comes sunshine”

    CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

    VENUE
    The training course AFTER BRAINSTORM COMES SUNSHINE will take place in Prilep, Macedonia, from 11 – 18 March 2013.


    THEME / OBJECTIVES / ACTIVITIES
    Participants from Macedonia, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Malta, Germany and Spain will meet, discuss and learn the new ways of self-promoting, self-employment and entrepreneurship. The theme of this project is bringing someone in the process of brainstorming, developing a creative idea, realizing it and promoting it entrepreneurially.
     

    OBJECTIVES

    - to overcome skepticism and fear of failure, to work on self-confidence and self-esteem;

    - to develop and to promote own talents and innovative ideas into business;

    - to promote future (follow-up) initiatives and to encourage, motivate and inspire young people;

    - to improve social skills

    - to promote working online, using web 2.0 and new media for promoting creativity, networking and finding new contacts;

    - to create, develop or promote new methods and criteria for reaching goals and achieving successes. The activities foreseen in the project are:

    - team building workshops;

    - interactive lectures on the topics of web 2.0 and S.M.A.R.T. criteria for setting attainable goals in entrepreneurship;

    - reflection groups- open space workshop, in which the participants will reflect on learning experiences and outcomes;

    - discussions and debates, using the "Fishbowl", "World café" and "Statement game" methods;

    - Loesje creative writing workshops, using the methods created by Loesje International;

    - evaluation and follow-up discussions.

    PARTICIPANTS
    We encourage the partner organizations to choose two participants per country, who are:
    - aged 18-30;
    - preferably one male and one female;
    - able to work in English;
    - highly motivated and interested in the topic;
    - able to support any follow-up activities.
     

    COSTS
    The participation on the training is free of charge. The food and accommodation costs are fully covered by the project. The costs about the working materials and excursion are also covered. 

    ___________________

    YOUTH IN ACTION 3.1 TRAINING “AFTER BRAINSTORM COMES SUNSHINE”

    Youth association Info front – Prilep is a youth NGO that provides information to the young people regarding the 'Youth in action' programme, European Voluntary Service (EVS), stimulates creativity, creative activism, non-formal education, cultural exchanges and information distribution. The projects we work on and we prepare for near future are local and international, in the fields of sport, humanitarian actions (in cooperation with the local branch of the Red Cross), gender equality, art and culture, Loesje creative writing workshops, ecology and environment (‘info front goes green’ – project) and European awareness.


    So far, the organization worked on several projects supported by UNICEF, Council of Europe and European Commission’s Youth in Action programme.

    This YiA 3.1 training is the first one that Info front – Prilep will host.

    Since September 2011, Info front – Prilep officially acts as the Macedonian branch of Loesje International.

    Info front – Prilep is an EVS Sending, Coordinating and Hosting Organisation with EI Ref. number 2012-SI-55
     

  •  

    Job shadowing with Loesje…

    Job shadowing in Berlin…

    Well, what is this “Job shadowing”?  It’s a perfect opportunity, a wonderful experience which is unfortunately unknown to most of us. It’s a part of the Youth in Action program and thanks to this you can work (follow as a shadow) in some NGO during 7-21 days, see how they work, learn the “know how” of their successful existence, be a part of it. The travel costs are covered 70%, accommodation and food are provided. Plus you have some pocket money. Isn’t it too great an opportunity to miss out on?

    To do your job shadowing in Loesje e.V. in Berlin is another thing, it’s another story J You’re working with an international group of wonderful people with huge experience and desire to help you, to encourage you and just to spend their precious time with you. From the beginning you’re in a creative and hard working process trying to do the same work in another, more creative, new and effective way. Even having lunch there is something: everyday someone is cooking for all some new things, so all together can enjoy it and chat with each other and exchange their positive mood.

    If you’re doing your job shadowing in Berlin, you can say you’re very lucky and not at the same time, because you have so many things to do and to see after the working day and on weekends,  that a short time of stay is not enough ;) You can do all you want, find whatever you want and wherever you want: enjoy the huge parks, just walking there, have a rest, visit the museums, expositions, doing a walking tour in the city, find nice festivals, concerts, pubs, clubs, café, restaurants, etc, etc... and even more.

    So, when are you going to experience it?

    Milena Gasparyan and Hranush Shahnazaryan, Loesje Armenia

    This project was funded by: 

  • Loesje was the past week in Maastricht, the Netherlands for the 26th Caretakers of the Environment International Conference. Between other interesting activities, students from different countries joined for a creative writing workshop with great results! Check our Poster Archive.

     

    Caretakers of the Environment International  is an international organization which aims to promote sustainable development education for youth. They believe that the best way to promote a sustainable development education for youth is through having students meet and work together. So, they organize annual international conferences that act as a platform for teachers and students to exchange concerns, ideas, strategies, actions and projects in the field of environmental education.

  • The project "Loesje crosses the Mediterranean", funded by the Anna Lindh Foundation, to connect youth from the European and Mediteranean area, has been approved! The participating countries are: Egypt, Germany, Israel, Palestine, Slovenia and United Kingdom. 

    The aim of the project is to empower and mobilize young people to take action for more democracy and freedom of expression in their country and in the world, as well as, creating durable links between European and Mediteranean youth. To reach this goal, a training and a seminar, offering possibilities to network, discuss openly, acquire and create creative tools, will take place in Germany and in the United kingdom. 18 young people, 3 from each partner country, will participate in this project.

    Loesje promotes active citizenship, reflects on social topics through debates and discussions and bring these issues on the public space by sticking posters. Via her creative methods, the participants will open the dialogue for more tolerance and open-mindness.   

    Furthermore a creative writing handbook will be published and disseminated in English, German, Arabic, Hebrew and Slovene, various local workshops and exhibitions will be implemented and a documentary film produced. 

  • On the first day of Summer, 21st of June, Loesje danced her way around to the Jugendklub Linse, in Berlin to join the Fête de la Musique.

    People could rock their bones at the LiBeRo stage and chill at the LiBeRo lounge listening to singer/songwriters. Loesje had a stand where people could participate in activities taken out from the street art and DIY books from the EU4YOUTH library at Linse, while listening to all that good music.

  • A team from Loesje participated in the Otok Daily Multimedia Training Course, between the 25th of May and the 5th of June. The activities took place in Izola, Slovenia while the film festival Kino Otok was taking place.



    The participants were divided in three groups with different taks. You can see the results of their work here. They covered the film festival by using creative means and approaches, mixing a personal vision with the daily happening of the festival. The participants had the chance to improve their video, sound, writing and interviweing skills.

    Check this video about the Otok Daily team and get to know how the backstage boiled with creativity!

  • Loesje Writing Workshop at Pina, Koper, Slovenia

     

    Between the 14th and the 18th of May, the 'Loesje Communi-action project' team from Berlin went to visit their partner in Koper, Slovenia. This visit came after the visit of the Slovene team in Berlin in February. 

    The week was composed of Loesje writing workshops, shooting of warm-up exercises video tutorials, video workshop, introducing Loesje in Trieste and discovering the library in Koper. 

    The German and Slovene Handbook, printed out, are finally ready and available in e-Kavarna in Koper and at Loesje's Imagination and Jugendklub Linse in Berlin.

    You will soon see the new Loesje posters written during this week and the new Loesje video tutorials. 

     

  • IGLYO, Loesje Armeina, ISCA, CID and Egyesek in cooperation with the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe

     

    European Youth Center Budapest

    21st-28th of July, 2012

     

    The study session will gather 30 young individuals from all across Europe willing to discuss, experience and participate in activities addressing gender equality using the approach of human rights and non-formal education.

    The main aim of this study session is to raise awareness of youth leaders about gender inequality and stereotypes in an intercultural context and build their competences to empower groups to address gender based discrimination.

    Objectives:

    • exploring and understanding genderassocial construction and its effects on social expectations and influence on young people,

    • analysing the process of automatic categorization and stereotype forming,

    • empowering youthleaders and developing their competences to challenge the gender stereotypes and inequalities throughyouth work,

    • develop critical thinking in regards to gender issues in an intercultural context,

    • developing the understanding of human rights, intercultural learningandthe use of  human rights education to address gender based discrimination

     

    Profile of the participants

    - Youth Leaders interested in working with the topic of gender equality

    - Between 18 and 30 years old

    - Able to work in English

    - Committed to participate actively in the full duration of the study session

    - Committed to contribute to the follow-up activity (working on ideas for new tolls/methods and future projects)

     

    Application, procedure and selection of participants

    The application form can be found on the following link:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/vie

    wform?formkey=dGF0ek5aY3o3eWdBQjZqLUxrOGRVUnc6MQ

    The deadline is 30.05.2012

    The preparatory team will select thirty participants on the basis of the profile outlined above. It will try as far as possible to respect the organizations’ priorities, but also to ensure a gender balance,  geographical regions, different types of experiences, cultural backgrounds and organizations, institutions and projects.  A waiting list may be established. Candidates will be informed whether their application has been accepted, rejected, or if they have been put on the waiting list, by 1st June 2012.

    Travel expenses

    Travel expenses and visa fees for the Study Session in Budapest are reimbursed according to the rules of the Council of Europe. Only the participants who attend the entire training course can be reimbursed. The payment will be made in cash during the study session or bybanktransferafterthestudy session.

    Accommodation

    Board and lodging for the residential training seminar will be provided and paid for by the Council of Europe.

    Enrolment fee

    An enrolment fee of 50Euros is payable by each participant. This amount will be deducted from the amount to be reimbursed for travel expenses or paid at the EYCB during the residential seminar.

    Working languages

    English will be the working language of the Study Session.

    If you have questions related with study session, feel free to contact us by stsgenderequality@gmail.com