NEWSLETTER

rule of law

decision making

communication

responsibility

No. 01/2013

Citizenship

ACT
in

civil
society

human
rights

knowledge
attitude
skills

European policies

DEMOCRACY
Accreditation: 2010-RO-22
Authorization: IS 000603

This Newsletter is realized

within the international project
Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy
project developed by
EuroDEMOS Association
and funded with support of the European Youth Foundation
of the Council of Europe

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

Project Motto: Democratic society has at the basis of its functioning the social
responsibility formed through involvement and civic participation
(Morel Bolea)

Accreditation: 2010-RO-22
Authorization: IS 000603

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

TABLE OF CONTENT
Nr.

Article

1.
2.
3.

EuroDEMOS International Association

Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy
ACT in DEMOCRACY International Newsletter

4.

Democracy between myth and reality

5.

E - Democracy Web Portal

6.

Individual freedom and democratic governance

7.

Representative Democracy

8.

Democracy For Everyone But How?

9.

Power of civil society

10.

Youth Participation in Democratic Greek Institutions

11.

Youth Participation

12.

Walk Together in Democracy

13.

Be brave and embrace Volunteering

14.

We Want Action!

15.

Involved Youth Coalition

Author

Page.

Presentation
Presentation
Presentation
Morel Bolea,
EuroDEMOS President
Biljana Stojceska,
Youth Alliance Krusevo - FYRO Macedonia
Vali Huseynov
Fulbright Alumnus - EuroDemos Azerbaijan
Lyudmil Hubanov,
Business Club - Sofia University St Kliment
Ohridski - Bulgaria
Ahmet Furkan zyakar,
Konya Metropolitan Municipality Klarslan
Youth Center - Turkey
Ciorchina Ilie,
Kasta Morrely - Republic of Moldova
Labrini Kouriti,
Hellenic Youth Participation - Greece
Jetmira Zhuri,
Walk Together - Albania
Edison Frangu,
Walk Together - Albania
Simone Cocco,
TDM2000 - Italy
Liana Enli Manusajyan,
Global Youth Union Foundation - Armenia
Mihaela Clincu,
Coordinator of the Involved Youth Coalition

1
2
3
4
6
7
8

9
10
11
13
15
16
17
20

EuroDEMOS International Association

EuroDEMOS is an independent non-governmental association of human rights

defence, civic school of volunteer involvement, training and promotion at international level of
young future opinion leaders, through applicative programs of European interest.
EuroDEMOS is an association with a history of 23 years gained through constant civic
performances. In the last 8 years of activity at international level EuroDEMOS Association
specialized on European policies of training opinion leaders.

EuroDEMOS is the first independent organization from Romania which since 1990,
has been constantly occupied with promoting the importance of civil society by involving
citizens and young people for training future opinion leaders, through programs and projects
of community interest.
EuroDEMOS is an umbrella type association composed of five organizations (Youth
Organization, Students Organization, Pupils Organization, Women Organization and
Organization of Young Romanian Ethnics Citizens from Moldova) and 12 departments
specialized in areas of civic interest.

EuroDEMOS initiated and coordinated numerous civic programmes of community

interest on domains such as: youth, human rights, sustainable development, ecology and
environment protection, special education, social assistance, culture etc.

EuroDEMOS trainers are specialists in non formal

education with numerous training programs developed at
national and international level, having as beneficiary: youth,
people from disadvantaged areas, civil servants from public
administration, etc.

International newsletter

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International newsletter

ACT in
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ABOUT THE PROJECT

No. 01 / 2013

Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy

EuroDEMOS Association developed the international project Act by Knowing the Means of
Democracy. The project was carried out with the financial support of the European Youth Foundation of the
Council of Europe.
The project approaches themes of European interest such as democracy and active youth participation.
Project activities:
International training Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy
Creation of the international newsletter Act in democracy
Workshops on democracy and youth participation in high schools in Iasi
The project main activity was the international training Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy
which took place in Iasi, Romania, on 10th - 19th of April 2013.
Participants were youth leaders and youth workers from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Italy,
Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Spain and Turkey.
One of the project results was the foundation of the INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER ACT IN
DEMOCRACY on youth and democracy which aims to make accessible to young people at international level
information on democracy and human rights, useful tools and opportunities for youth.
The international training Act by Knowing the Means of Democracy aimed to promote active
participation of young people at local, national and European level by knowing the means of democracy.
The information offered by the trainers, facilitators as well as the informational exchange among the
participants and non formal methods focused on democracy from a practical perspective, working on
structures, tools and methods that the participants may use and apply further on in their activities and develop
youth active participation.
The project topics included: democracy values and tools, Council of Europe tools on democracy and
youth participation, exchange of knowledge on youth participation in the participants' countries, youth policies
and European instruments to support the work on human rights and democracy, ways of participating in
democracy, financing opportunities for youth activities, intercultural exchange, creation of the international
newsletter on youth and democracy and others.
The training was conducted by multi-qualified and professional team of trainers, quality auditors,
evaluators of professional competencies, master of ceremonies, events organizers, project managers, socioeducative animators and others.

The project increased the participants' competences as active citizens in democracy and strengthened the
partners' organizations cooperation. The project has at basis applying non formal methods to actively involve
the participants. At the training was combined theoretical information (inputs, presentation) with practical
activities (workshops, analyses, study visit at Iasi City Hall, role play, TV show simulation, etc).

International Newsletter

ACT in DEMOCRACY

Democracy is a governance system that is based on respect for human rights,

separation of powers, rule of law, freedom and correctitude of elections. One of the conditions
for having a democratic system is the participation of citizens in decision making process.

The International Newsletter ACT IN DEMOCRACY is a useful tool to develop the

activity of actors working in the field of democracy, human rights and youth and to strengthen the
cooperation at international level.

THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER ACT IN DEMOCRACY, on

youth and democracy, was founded within the international project Act by Knowing
the Means of Democracy and it aims to gather articles to make accessible to young
people at international level information on democracy and human rights, useful tools
and opportunities for youth.

The newsletter will be published periodically and distributed worldwide among various
stakeholders, organizations, institutions, networks involving youth.
The International Newsletter ACT in DEMOCRACY
offers the framework for youth all over the world to express and to
share their experiences and knowledge in the fields of democracy,
participation, youth work, opportunities for youth, etc.
ACT in DEMOCRACY team invites all
interested citizens to support with pertinent information
and articles the active civil society that militates for
promoting democracy values and European active
citizenship.

Youth and Democracy

The newsletter articles reflect the views only of the authors and
EuroDEMOS Association cannot be held responsible for the information
contained therein.

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

Democracy between
myth and reality

Reinhold Niebuhr said Man's inclination to justice makes democracy possible,

but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. Individual rights in a
democratic country constitute a dam against abuses of power by a government or
political majorities. A democratic government that is elected is accountable to the
citizens. It is not the enemy of the individual rights but is their defender. Nobody is above
the law which is created for the people and not imposed on the people. Citizens of a free
and democratic society pursue their interest of their welfare, exercise their rights and take
responsibility for how they live their own life.
They decide themselves where they work, what work will make, where they live,
whether or not they will join a political party. These are personal decisions not political
decisions. Governors are employees or servants of the state. In Romania some complain
that the education system it was destroyed showing a lack of training and the fact that they
don't know the democratic freedoms. Thomas Jefferson wrote: If a nation expects to be
ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, then he is expecting for something that has not
been and would never be. Totalitarian societies (authoritative) by their policies of
economic oppression and acculturation level deliberately cultivate at mass level a passive
acceptance attitude of everything they do those who call themselves power of the
people. Diane Ravitch said: totalitarian political system promotes a policy of passivity
and apathy. The totalitarian regime seeks to form a docile and obedient people.
A nation who walks on foot is a nation easy to lead. I mean by this poor
people, who have limited horizons and to whom is promoted by every means the
idea that the ruling power is almighty and you as a man of the people are nobody
and must obey because nobody listens or defends you if you complain. There
aren't others better than them; you cannot choose other than them. Wealth and
well-being is the right of those who own the power and you must shut up or else
you stay on the streets. Politicians and governments that have succeeded so far (in
the last 20 years) have no connection with the people who should they govern,
don't represent them and don't resemble as mentality. It is excluded the phrase
interest for the good of the nation. It's strange because normally a politician or a
governor should know that politicians or governors from all countries of the
world are interested in the world around them and have the necessary levers to see
the reality in the field beyond the official reports.

Democracy

Therefore as not to cause economic crisis politicians from other countries when they
commit a mistake that divulge their incompetence, they resign. A political crisis saves from
an economic crisis or can trigger an economic crisis. It's better to provoke a political crisis
that demonstrates the seriousness and honorability of the politicians than to trigger a
nationwide economic crisis. In representative democracy citizens choose the officials who
take political decisions, formulate laws and administer realistic programs for the public
welfare. In a democratic society there are and function thousands of private organizations,
local or national. They assume roles that aren't in governmental forums responsibility.
NGO's offer individuals the opportunity to exercise their rights and responsibility of citizens
defenders of the democratic society's interests.
The governors and politicians support and finance in democratic society
organizations that are attacking mistakes and come up with concrete proposals
to deal with the problems that appear in the community. In what is hiding under
the name of totalitarianism democracy, nongovernmental organizations are
controlled and supervised by governmental forums through preferential
funding. NGO's that are of the government parties have money without doing
nothing because they support without question everything that governors say or
do. Totalitarianism always hides behind the phrase: civil society organizations
legitimize the right decisions of our governments. In conclusion, what could I
tell more, as a representative of the civil society for over 23 years after I
presented transcripts of text that highlight the elementary differences between
totalitarianism and democracy? The reality is that at least in our country all the
organizations of the active independent civil society would disappear if it had
not been for the responsible professionals from Council of Europe and European
Commission interested in the promotion and appliance of the real democracy.

Morel Bolea,
EuroDEMOS President

International newsletter

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International newsletter

ACT in
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No. 01 / 2013

E - Democracy
Web Portal

Introducing the E-Democracy web portal is a response to the need for introducing a
new modern method of public hearing. It is expected to allow more common and more
accessible way for citizens' participation in policy creation with support of modern
information and communication technologies.
Having in mind the fact that democratic processes in the Republic of Macedonia have
been supported by the information technology benefits over the past years,
introducing of the E-Democracy web portal should be understood as some kind of
continuity.
This portal solution should allow citizens of the Republic of Macedonia to present their
views on draft documents of the Government in a simple and easy accessible way and
be actively involved in decision making process.
The Portal will provide the following contents:
Legislation in preparation a part directly connected with contents of the Electronic
Register of regulations of the Republic of Macedonia..
Strategic documents review of all strategic documents of the Government, both
final (work program, policies, strategies, action plans, decrees, etc.) and draftdocuments (draft-programs, draft-strategies, etc.). It will give citizens the possibility
for general and advanced searching and sorting, as well as for making
comments/suggestions to certain documents.
Forum (Thematic debates) a part intended to portal users for having thematic
debates.
Blog a part intended to advanced portal users (nongovernmental organizations,
economic chambers and other groups of citizens) with possibility for placing articles,
posts and comments.
Administrative barrier elimination (Suggest) a part where any citizen can make
direct comments, views and suggestions that will contribute to more e f f i c i e n t
functioning of the public administration and to administrative barriers elimination.
Registration
(Plug in) a part allowing physical and legal subjects to register in the web portal and
provide a two-way communication between administration and citizens. Registered
users can make a pick from different offered fields/categories for getting notifications
on their e-mail addresses about published new documents or new topics on the portal,
etc.
Provide an idea a part where citizens can submit a brief elaborate of their ideas.

Biljana Stojceska,
Youth Alliance Krusevo

FYRO Macedonia

Individual freedom and

democratic governance
We, human beings strive to compete for better resources in order to meet our life
important expectations. Whether it is western political freedom or eastern economic
equality, the individual freedom (without socially constructed mindset) has no barriers
in itself for the manifestation of human potentials. However, the extent of our selfexploration in everyday community interaction is mostly defined by our character and
relationships with one another. Self-education plays a great role in the development of
personal qualities and recognition of differences, which eventually reflect our attitudes
toward ourselves and other individuals. Thus, the nature of democratic governance is
defined by personalities, who believe in their own power and trust others to collaborate,
rather than to compete. As a result of trainings and self-awareness, leaders are shaped to
build up instruments, which will encourage self-expression, recognition of differences,
equal opportunities and equal treatment in the democratic governance.
I believe in the power of self-education and valuable
relationships I built over the course of years in my
young life, which provided me with well-grounded
pillars to become a leader for many young people in
Azerbaijan.

Vali Huseynov
Fulbright Alumnus
EuroDemos Azerbaijan

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International newsletter

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No. 01 / 2013

Representative Democracy
Representative democracy is based on defending someone else's interests. Let's take for
example the farmers they organize themselves and choose a person, most often a leader by
character, who represents their interests in front of the representatives of the other organized
groups, such as workers, ecologists, businessmen etc.
Although it sounds really simple, I found out that a lot of young people in Bulgaria don't
understand this concept. They don't believe in it, they have no faith in it, nor do they trust it. I found out
that the best way to truly understand something is through practice. Last year we had a simulation about
the negotiations over the adhesion of a country in the European Union. Since I'm studying European
studies at university, I had studied and I knew all the theory there is. Yet after the simulation I felt that I
now know much more about the whole process, I saw all of the opportunities for defending your own (or
the state's) interests. That's something you can't think of while reading the book.

I believe that a series of simulations would improve the young people's knowledge of the process
and would also provoke a certain amount of curiosity. The mechanics of the decision-making process is
hard to understand, so a simulation that divides the people according to their interests, full of debates
would be really useful for the youth. Seeing the process, achieving an accord with so many interests to
consider will help the young people to better understand how democracy functions. It worked for me.
Once I got curious I couldn't stop looking for more information and opportunities.
The goal of the simulations is not only to teach the young people how the process works. It is
supposed to provoke them, to encourage them to look for means of participating, so that they can defend
their own interests.
The role of the civil society is crucial. During these simulations the participants must understand
how the civil society functions and how does it supervise the government.
The Bulgarian Foreign ministry had organized a simulation of negotiations on an international
level. Everybody could participate and there were a lot of people that weren't members of any
organization that participated in the simulation. That is an example that the other institutions should take
into consideration.

Lyudmil Hubanov,
Business Club - Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski
Bulgaria

DEMOCRACY FOR EVERYONE

BUT HOW?
For many years, while we are trying to study and develop democracy, we suddenly find ourselves in a
different dimension. Our application to European Union in 1959 contributes us in terms of the development
process of democracy most. In this process, our position towards human rights has developed and get better.
Today, there is less case in Court of Human Rights in Turkey. Progress in this case, is not the thing we can do
ourselves. Our democracy has become higher order with the contribution of European Union. Making a
comment like that will be not wrong: European Union make a democratic country in the middle east but this
country has a strong economy and maybe this reality make them to think: We did something wrong.

Turkey's noviciate come to an end in terms of democratic development process and step
in semiskilled rating right now. That is, Turkey, for the first time met with democratic and civilian
constitution, and still go on its work. In the process of making constitution, all ideas from all layer is
taken and it demonstrates that Turkey has no totalitarian regime anymore. If Turkey's constitution
becomes a part of an activity with functions, the structure will be much stronger and more
dynamic in a national and international area.

The other situation that has taken place recently in Turkey is the process of Kurdish initiative. We have
struggling since the beginning of 1980's and thousands of martyrize that away and from now on, unattempted
method will be applied. A new process was initialized for them by AKP. They have a voice in our democracy and instead
of fighting they can speak after this. This way is the last way untried and everything will come to an end or maybe we
will find ourselves in a different situation democratically.

Once and for all, these initiatives, explanations will be

effective to some extent, and what will happen after this? The
other ethnic groups or the people in minority status maybe want
new rights and how democracy will be worked upon them? If we
find the answers, we could ensure the democracy to everyone with
the same rights.

Ahmet Furkan zyakar,

International newsletter

Konya Metropolitan Municipality Klarslan Youth Center

ACT in
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Turkey

No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

Power of civil society

Example of Transnistria
Moldova is an eastern European country that gained its independence in 1991. In 1992 young
Moldavian democracy was disturbed by civil war. The eastern part of country, that is situated on the left
bank of Dniester river claimed independence. After that war Republic of Moldova was actually divided in
two parts: a big part that is still administrated by Chisinau administration, and a separatist part
Transnistria, that actually acts like a different state.
After civil war in Transnistria started a very dangerous political process of subversion of
democracy and democratic processes. They start to build a kind of dictatorship with mafia's interferences,
Transnistrian region became in this way one of the darkest part of European continent. Since 1992 to 2000
there didn't exist a strong and real opposition, maybe because of their electoral procedures for parliament
that promote people not political parties.
But at parliamentary election of 2000, a small group of business men that were chosen like deputies
in their electoral districts started a non formal group and after a civic-political movement named
Renewal. They started as a civil society organization because any possible political enemy of president
political party was constrained to give up their ambitions in different ways, especially in non-democratic
ones. After election of 2005 they gained more places in Transnistrian parliament, and with stronger power
they transformed civic-political movement in a de jure political party. In 2010 political opposition became
stronger and they succeeded in 2011 to change the president of separatist region.

The main goal of this article is not to discuss political situation in Transnistria or relationship
between Moldova and separatist region, the main goal is to see how powerful can be civil society even in
front of an authoritarian political regime. Renewal movement is a very good example of collaboration
between business sector and civil society, and also building of a strong and operational political opposition.
Dictatorships or authoritarian regimes are static and very strong in military and police structures,
this is the reason why it is very hard to fight with them in classical violent and armed way. Is more
successful to use the soft power, even if it takes more time, but it takes less human victims and results are
more sustainable.

10

Ciorchina Ilie,
Kasta Morrely
Republic of Moldova

Youth Participation in
Democratic Greek Institutions
Democracy is a form of government which enables citizens of a country to participate in
social, economic and cultural events freely and equally. The term is coined from two Greek
words, and . means people and means power. So, people show
their power by electing representatives who form the Government and meet within the
building of the Parliament. In Greece, this hasn't always been the case since in the 1830's
only men of a particular age could vote and the women started to cast their vote in 1934.
Things were very difficult those days whereas today all people above the age of 18 have the
right to participate in the National and Municipal Elections which are held every four years.
Although young people have a very powerful tool in their hands, they refuse to use
it. It is very important to mention that the rate of abstinence among young people
is high considering that 60% of them refuse to participate in any political process.
Unreliability of the political parties, lack of meritocracy, progressive
marginalisation of different social layers, and decline in the level of education are a
few of the reasons why people aged between 15 and 29 refrain from any political
behaviour. However, the most important deterrent is the belief that their voice is
not going to be heard.
The truth is that both the Greek Government and the European Union cooperate in an effort to
provide Young Greek people with useful institutions. First of all, the Local Youth Councils were
founded on March, 2008 in order to promote the problems and concern young people face to
the municipal boards. This process initially faced difficulties as various factors contributed
negatively. Later on, the Greek government imposed a law which covered the empty space of
these Councils and gave them the necessary fund to become an effective instrument.
One of the most important institutions is The Greek Youth Parliament, which started in 1995.
It aims to cultivate positive attitudes, raise awareness on the principles, values and rules and
the function of democracy. Young people are given the opportunity to use constructive
dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding in order to make their voice be heard and
discuss extensively critical current issues. Each year, the Building of the Greek Parliament
accommodates 350 teens from all around Greece and 25 teens from Cyprus, 25 teens from
the Greeks that live abroad and 12 state deputies for one week. The procedure which is
followed is the regular procedure that the Greek Government follows during its meetings.
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International newsletter

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Voluntary Services offer young people the opportunity to deal with local issues which affect them
one way or another. Nowadays, young people feel the urge to go out of their houses and try to help
the community by offering their services in every possible way. This tendency is increasing
especially for the people aged 15 to 29, and based on a survey held by the 'Volunteer Expression'
magazine, 55.7% of young people are willing to offer time for volunteering. Lead by feelings like
altruism, solidarity and love they learn how to develop skills by helping vulnerable social groups. In
this way, they enhance abilities and conquer experiences of a life time, raising awareness towards
social problems. Finally, the voluntarism of young people is enhanced by European Mobility
Programs. Every day a large number of your people have the chance to participate in this type of
programmes and work voluntarily in other countries.

In Greece the number of the non voluntary organisations has raised during the last decade.
According to recent surveys, there are about 1,200 already registered organisation and 400 of them
are active. These organisations offer help and support to people in disadvantageous situations like
immigrants, mentally and physically disabled, orphans and old people. At the same time, they work
on various projects based on social issues such as environmental pollution, discrimination, racism,
homelessness and unemployment.

Although there are many increasing efforts done towards the participation of young people in
public matters, the percentage of involvement is still low and young people should be given more
incentives to act freely within a democratic environment. All of us together, have to work with a
view to accomplishing greater achievements, for a better future.

12

Labrini Kouriti,
Hellenic Youth Participation
Greece

Youth Participation
Youth participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their communities.
Youth participation, also called youth involvement, has been used by government agencies, researchers,
educators, and others to define and examine the active engagement of young people in schools, sports,
government, community development and economic activity. Youth empowerment is an attitudinal,
structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make
decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults.
Youth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to intergenerational equity, civic engagement and
democracy building. Many local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international government
agencies and non-profit community-based organizations provide programs centred on youth
empowerment. Activities involved therein may focus on youth-led media, youth rights, youth
councils, youth activism, youth involvement in community decision-making and other methods.
Many politicians and party leaders in Albania have not yet convinced that the
involvement of young people in citizenship and community activities plays a key role in
achieving the best results. Therefore, in Albania the right of young people to participate
in the question remains just yet. Experience to date indicates that this lack of active
participation, damaging the interests of young people and make their voices
nonexistent. As we see all Albanian youth lack access to most decision-making
processes, have no political support and institutional little access to media, very few
youth organizations and centres that work to help young people.
The situation in Albania / How Youth Activism is in Albania?
Youth Activism in Albania is still in the beginning, but is moving at very good rates. Many people have the
desire and willingness to engage in something and if we notice there are many organizations and youth groups
which forces every day trying to organize their activity, to do something, despite the lack of proper support.
We can mention some very motivating initiatives, which have given a tremendous boost Youth Activism,
which as a group of young squad overactive, such is the "Eco-Movement", the such student groups, sports
and cultural organizations, as well as many other organizations that work with tremendous energy and have
managed to offer something no matter how small, but very positive effect with regard to youth Activism.
If we see that the new generations change and has changed the way many of the youth organization. For
example if sometimes youth organizations were structured, with the support of the state, functioning culture
centres, holiday camps for young people, encampments for various actions, etc., unfortunately today we have
a Minister of Youth that de facto there is no budget for youth, we have a Minister of Education, who does not
have a political and not a fund for extramural education, (very important, for the activation of the youth, for
cultural activities, sports, etc.), have a Director of culture, near City Hall where there is no access or
municipality itself, and is an endless calvary to develop an activity entirely lacking infrastructure for youth
activities, and moreover there is no policy to encourage these kinds of organizations. Therefore, without
support, Albanian youth have shown that they desire to be organized.

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International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

The main fields of community activities include:

Providing housing for families in need.

Providing food for families in need.
Providing clothing for families in need.
Organizing special days, anniversaries different environmental days, days of children, the elderly,
including holidays or specific days for each neighbourhood.
Cultural activities, concerts, cinema, talks with writers and art personalities, activities that
somehow enliven social and cultural life of our community
Sports activities such as mini-football tournament, volleyball or basketball that attract people to
each - other and help create a sense of community.
Voluntary Actions for cleaning and keeping clean neighbourhood facilities, planting trees and
disposition of common areas.
Activities for various problems they may encounter residents of a neighbourhood to continue to
address the problem to its solution.
Entertainment activities to bring people to each other, as screenings for kids cartoons or films made
with the neighbourhood kids.
Fundraising activities and infrastructure in your neighbourhood.
Activities for the prevention of natural disasters, multiple precipitations, storms, snow, etc.
Educational activities for children of your neighbourhood, for example, to be familiar with traffic
rules, conditions of hygiene, etc.
Information dissemination activities, aiming to inform neighbourhood residents about a new law or
regulation.
Activities awareness about energy saving and its efficient use, about the latest techniques for
saving, etc.
Join activities with municipalities or municipalities for infrastructure and common areas.
Activities awareness about health education and health needs.

There are also some individuals part of the Youth in Albania that organized according to their
volunteering work, different activities in the capital city, social activities. Such activities that are focused
on individuals that have social problems and in the general problems of the community: for example one
day in the week to clean the city or rural parts of it. Organize some small protest for their rights and claim
for participation etc. Also by volunteering they help some groups with special needs in some
nongovernmental organizations in Albania.
As you read from this article the youth desire in Albania to participate in youth activities or youth
promoting is a great desire! But for the moment it is only a big desire without so many things to do..
Because in ALBANIA for the moment youth is only part of the politic and the govern see them only in
this part of involvement. They don't like to create a social youth involvement, because of this kind of
involvement they maybe are not able anymore to survive in the top of the state!
Because a strong youth is a big threat for their governance!!!

14

Jetmira Zhuri,
Walk Together
Albania

Walk Together in Democracy

Walk Together Organization is a youth movement
in which ideas and energies of our youth are the
most valid capital. Being a youth movement we
pay a particular attention to youth on democracy
and human rights.
Democracy has been practiced in different ways
and in different contexts. Even though we live in
different cultures, speak different languages, and
eat different food we believe that we share the
same universal values and aspirations, which
transcend our differences.
Probably every country claims that it is democratic, but some still have human rights violations, and
we believe that youth can play a vital role in reducing the number of these violations and bringing
about peaceful cooperation and co-existence.
It is very important for us to make young people get engaged and be more active in building
democracy and human rights. In this regard, we think that we should do more trainings and
meetings, with students and youth in general, on democracy in order to increase the efforts and
initiatives of the young people. To take them more seriously and help them on keeping on trying,
participating more actively, becoming progressive leaders and advocates of freedom, democracy and
human rights. It is also crucial to teach them democratic values and provide them with tools they can
use to strengthen democracy. At the end of the training it would be good to conclude by an essay
contest on youth and democracy.
Lack of democracy brings the violation of human rights which is still nowadays a very important and
sensitive issue in the world. Organizing roundtables, seminars, trainings, conferences, simulation
games, ect, for young people from different countries would give the opportunity to them and to the
world to inform them about human rights issues. In this way the young generation would
understand the concern regarding human rights and be able to play a key role on promoting human
rights in their countries. Providing human rights educational materials for the participants and for
interested people in order to spread across the world the message.
We are particularly focused on combating racial discrimination. Roma community is one of our main focuses.
They face persistent discrimination, social exclusion and a very high risk of poverty and unemployment. We are
on the process of writing a project which aims the inclusion of Roma through education, employment and social
services, to help them to get involved better in the society. The main activities will include identification,
selection and dissemination of best practices in the anti-racist field, conferences, workshops and campaigns,
which will eventually bring the following outputs: publications, handbooks, info leaflets, etc.
We think that youth has all the possibilities to be a great promoter of democracy and human rights. Young
people are very active on social networks, and the new technology should be used to attract them to democratic
processes and to encourage them to participate in decision making processes.

International newsletter

15

Edison Frangu,
Walk Together
Albania

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY

Be brave
and embrace Volunteering"

No. 01 / 2013

My experience as volunteer started very randomly,

It all began in 2010 when I was looking for a travel in some Russian speaker places so I could improve my
language skills and also to have the opportunity to meet people and have something constructive for my
personal professional side; so I've got to know my organization called TDM2000 from Cagliari which
offered me a youth exchange in Latvia and I decided to go.

It was the experience which changed my life and my personal course; thanks to this experience I discovered
the Youth in Action projects and all the actions that the European Union is giving to the youth people from
Europe and you can get contacts with people from all over the world, you can have your say in democratic
environments, sharing your opinion about thousand of different themes ( democracy, environment,
human rights, healthy life style, European awareness and so on) with other youth participants and of
course, start new friendships that are going to be a personal treasure.
After this little project I decided then in 2010 to be an EVS volunteer (European Volunteer Service) which is
another EU opportunity for youngsters, and here I was volunteering in 4 schools in the Latvian countryside,
organizing Italian lessons and guitar lessons. And then I participated in many other projects from 2010 till
now, either abroad either in the local community.

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The power of these experiences gathered made me increase my abilities in languages, schedule time
management and most of all life management and how to care about the personal economy.
These are the keys to succeed in the business life, and volunteering is giving you the possibility to show to the others how
much you are able and how much you can contribute in a specific field, but also it let you discovers sides of your
characters and sides of your skills which you would never ever thought you had.
I really suggest, for the people, for youngsters who really want to understand and to learn more about their expectation,
to embrace the world of Volunteering, because from this world you can find the light you need for your dreams and you
can start from yourself to work in your character, soul, and see after that this life is changing you in a better way.

So for those who are interested in volunteering in Europe I really suggest to check this site
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index_en.php where you can see better also the structure of the EU projects
and activities.
If you want also to apply in some projects http://www.salto-youth.net/ is the beginning of the research,
just go and visit the projects all around Europe with info pack attached for further information regarding
the theme.

If you want to find out about the EVS project and be a long term volunteer (from 1 up to 12 years
opened for age 18-30; accommodation and transport for free 100% for the whole duration of the
project ) you can check the data base at http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_en.cfm and find
out more about the thousand of projects opportunities all around Europe and some other places
over the EU.

Of course, volunteering it's much more fascinating to do it abroad, but there are also many NGO
around you ready to help you and ready to clarify your doubts in this wide world of youth projects so
I can suggest you, whenever you are, to check at the site of SALTO the list of NGO and localize the
closest one to your home.
I really hope that my little article was a help for those who wants to read it and I wish you a great
volunteer life!

Simone Cocco,
TDM2000
Italy

International newsletter

17

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY

WE WANT ACTION!

No. 01 / 2013

The world begins the process to define a development agenda for the years to come after 2015.
Most people just don't care about voices of young people what they think, what they see and what they
want to change. It's time that the voices of youth around the world are heard and taken into account. That is
what this article about.
What I'll present now I collected from Armenian youth, through a series of conversations and discussions at
the School for Young Leaders, of which I'm a member. I will summarize some of the ideas of young people
from Armenia who are ready to take the necessary steps to have a positive impact on their reality.
First, I would like to point out what we children and youth have identified as priority issues that directly
affect us:
The lack of civic skills and awareness of rights and responsibilities. We want an education for global
citizenship that emphasizes ethical global responsibilities.
The lack of trust between youth and government institutions and political parties.
Inequalities, including issues related to wealth distribution; access to services, information and
opportunities; and discrimination.
The lack of adequate access to information and communication technologies.
The rights of non-citizen or migrant people.
There are several challenges to the political inclusion of youth. These need to be overcome if we want
youth to effectively exercise their right to participate in policy- and decision-making:
The legal, regulatory and policy frameworks are weak or inadequate.
There is a lack of support and commitment towards young people, including support to youth branches of
political organizations.

People in positions of authority are either ignorant or indifferent towards the benefits of youth
participation.
Public institutions are not leading by example, and there is a lack of transparency and merit in accessing
political participation.
There is a lack of leadership skills, know-how and access points for participating in decision-making.
Political processes are inaccessible to those who have a lower socioeconomic status.
We are aware of these challenges and we are
ready to take action. For example, we propose:
To promote global, regional, and national
youth volunteering programmes to engage
youth.
To develop i-Government or e-Government
platforms as formal channels for soliciting
feedback and developing policy.

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To develop transversal public policies on youth, strengthening opportunities for developing skills and
civic engagement.
To strengthen or establish democratic and representative mechanisms of youth participation at
national and sub-national levels, for example through youth councils.

Inequalities are of particular concern to children and young people. These inequalities are based on
age, disabilities, national origin, membership to a particular social group, and sexual preferences.
Political processes are inaccessible to those who have a lower socioeconomic status.

What do we propose to address these inequalities and their impact on the lives of children and youth?
Include youth employment targets in employment policies and national development frameworks.
Provide or improve training and vocational education in the classroom and in the workplace, such as

internships, volunteering and on-the-job training.

Support and develop financial incentives for employers to hire youth and provide them with training

and work experience.

Provide protection for vulnerable youth, including migrants, pregnant women, youth with
disabilities, and indigenous youth.

Furthermore, there are important challenges regarding education:

The lack of availability and recognition of vocational training and education.
The lack of relevant guidance, counselling services and information.
The lack of education and information on health issues that affect the ability of young people to

perform and participate.

The prejudice against the education of girls and young women.

To address these challenges we propose:

To promote non-formal and informal education, by emphasizing its recognition and funding.
To make education more affordable, and abolish school fees for primary and secondary education.
To develop and agreater access to distance learning and e-learning opportunities.
To provide information and education about health behaviors and conditions, as well as where to

access health services.

To provide opportunities for adequate nutrition and physical exercise on school premises.

International newsletter

19

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

Youth are also concerned about the protection of their rights, and the state of human rights in the world.
These are the most important issues for us:
The lack of awareness about human rights.
Violence towards and amongst youth, including gender-based violence.
Poverty.
Conflict and war.
Trafficking of youth, especially girls and young women.
Restrictions on the right to information, expression, communication and the right to assembly.
Discrimination.

What should be done to promote and protect of rights of youth?

Increase awareness about human rights, and improve access to youth friendly information about
rights and how to exercise them.
Counter violence among and against youth, including trafficking and gender-based violence,
focusing on prevention and promotion of rights.
Establish or strengthen the mechanisms to enforce human rights legislation that relates to young
people.

What will be the input of youth in this on-going process to formulate the next development agenda?
When we/ Youth want, there is nothing that can prevent us from connecting and communicating. We are
above language and geographic barriers.
So does it mean that Armenian youth, Romanian youth or Italian youth have common issues? Yes, it does.
I will try to continue learning about concerns of youth and listening to their voices.
Youth have something to contribute and you can count on us. We like not only theory, but also actions. We
are full of energy waiting to be transformed into action.
I'm asking you to open your borders for youth, because we need your help and promise to give you our
help in return.
We want action!

20

Liana Enli Manusajyan,

Global Youth Union Foundation
Armenia

Involved Youth Coalition

Involved Youth Coalition is a European Network to Promote Youth Involvement
in the Decision-Making Process.
The network was founded in 2008 within the international project Youth in the
decision-making process developed by EuroDEMOS Association in Iasi-Romania
with the financial support of European Youth Foundation of the Council of
Europe.
Participants at the project were 21 young leaders from 12 Council of
Europe countries: Romania, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Italy,
Latvia, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova and Turkey.
Since its foundation there were developed over 25 national and international
projects under its aegis on themes such as: democracy, youth participation,
human rights, active citizenship, European citizenship, sustainable
development, intercultural learning, arts, traditions and culture, volunteering
and others. The network webpage was accesses all over the world ensuring a
global visibility of youth active participation.

Where have we started from?

Civic and political participation of young people is relatively low. Most of them declare
that they don't participate at activities of civic or political interest because they don't
know the opportunities opened by this type of activity. The proportion of young people
that are part of an association is maintained at a low level. The young people expect
from associations possibilities of personal affirmation and the offering of the framework
for pleasant spending of free time but most are oriented toward the informal group of
friends as a form of association. Majority of young people aren't willing to participate as
volunteers of some nongovernmental organizations; some of young people manifest
their availability for volunteering activities, meanwhile just a small part of those actually
participate in actions made by NGO's. In most cases, youth express a big lack of interest
towards the political life, both speaking of it in the local level, and at national or
European level through the attitude of non involvement in no sorts of manifestation
connected to this political domain.

21
Involved
Youth Coalition

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY
No. 01 / 2013

International newsletter

ACT in
DEMOCRACY

What have we noticed?

No. 01 / 2013

A very important conclusion that EuroDEMOS Association reached in 23 years of

activity, after analyzing the results of the activities of youth involvement in the
decision-making process is the fact that the involvement raises the level of social
responsibility and respect towards the democratic values. Also the increasing of youth
involvement in the decision-making process is well received in order to develop the
communities. Unfortunately, youth ado not know the advantages and necessity of their
involvement in the decision-making process and they are not enough encouraged by
their communities to get involved.

Purpose of the network:

To create and develop a European network of youth leaders trained and prepared
to contribute to the youth involvement in the decision making process.

Mission of the network:

To develop and increase the successful active involvement of youth in the decision
making process at local, national and European level, in all the social spheres.

Objectives of the network:

-

To encourage and directly facilitate the active involvement of youth in all level of
decision making process through concrete projects and activities
To train and involve youth leaders and youth workers as active factors to increase youth
involvement in the decision making process
To contribute to the education and training of young people to be able to get involved
efficiently and successfully in the decision making process
To promote among youth a clear and positive image about what involvement means,
about the opportunities, advantages and benefits of volunteer civic participation
To develop partnerships and collaborations with all the important social factors for the
active involvement in supporting youth in the decision making process
To facilitate the communication, sharing and transfer at European and international
level of the knowledge and expertise level of the partners needed to develop youth
involvement

For more details we invite you to contact us on: Email: contact@involved-youth-coalition.com

Fax: 004 0332803634
Phone: 004 0742 256 654
www.involved-youth-coalition.com

22
Mihaela Clincu,
Coordinator of the Involved Youth Coalition

International Newsletter realized within the project

ACT by Knowing the

Means of DEMOCRACY
project developed by EuroDEMOS Association and funded with support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

ylp

Newsletter promoted by:

Involved
Youth Coalition

Youth
Leaders Platform

EuroDEMOS Association
Iasi, 20 Pacurari street,
Phone/fax: +40 332 803634, Mobile: +40 742 256 654,
E-mail: eurodemos_youth@yahoo.com, Web: www.eurodemos.org
Web project: www.involved-youth-coalition.com/act_knowing_democracy.html