EYCE Annual Report 2012

“YOU WERE CALLED TO JUSTICE” (Galatians 5:13)

Activity and Development Report 2012

ECUMENICAL YOUTH COUNCIL IN EUROPEConseil Œcuménique de la Jeunesse en Europe aisblRue Brogniez 44, B - 1070 Bruxelles, BELGIUMTel. +32 2 510 6171 Fax +32 2 510 6172 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.eyce.org

Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe aisbl | Conseil Œcumènique de la Jeunesse en Europe aisbl

Rue Brogniez 44 – 1070 Bruxelles – BelgiumPhone: +32 2 5106171 – Fax: +32 2 5106172 – E-Mail: [email protected] – Web: www.eyce.org

Bank details: KBC Bank, Argence Marnix – BIC/Swift: KREDBEBB – IBAN: BE30 7340 0440 4011

Ecumenical Youth Councilin Europe aisbl

Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3

2. EYCE’s activities .................................................................................................................... 5

EYCE training course"Human Rights for everyone? Right!" ....................................................... 5

EYCE training course "Taking Steps Towards Ecologically Responsible Society" ...................... 7

EYCE training course "Acting Together to Overcome Poverty!" ................................................ .. 9

EYCE study session "Gender: Revised?!" ................................................................................... 11

EYCE Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice........................................................................... 13

3. External Relations .................................................................................................................. 20

4. EYCE structural development ............................................................................................... 25

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1. Introduction

The year 2012 has brought many exciting moments, newinvolvements and challenges to EYCE. There have beenremarkably positive developments regarding the expertiseof EYCE in thematic fields, such as interreligious dialogue,ecological justice and youth employment. It was onceagain reaffirmed that EYCE speaks out loudly on behalf ofyoung Christians all over Europe, sharing the knowledgeand expertise available in its network! It has been a very rich and inspiring year!

In 2012, EYCE addressed through its programme a varietyof themes important to young people in Europe today, still following up the mandates from the 38th GeneralMeeting. The programme included a training on human rights and ethnic minorities, which helped EYCE tostrengthen its cooperation with its member organisation in Italy - FGEI, as well as with the Church andSociety Commission of CEC, but also was the starting point for slightly more practical activities of EYCE,involving more the local community and leaving a more tangible impact.

The year 2012 was also the second year of EYCE's Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice, which nowlooked more deeply into the issues of ecological justice and in particular the links between economy, politicsand ecology. Within the framework of the campaign, EYCE organised a panel discussion, following up theoutcomes of the Rio+20 meeting. This panel discussion was another innovative approach in EYCE's usualworking methods and made a good use of EYCE's location being Brussels, Belgium. During the thematic campaign event, which took place in Minsk, Belarus, EYCE kept the well startedtradition of a low-consumption day, as well as continued the activities with local society to leave a practicalimpact, e.g. garbage collection.

EYCE also maintained its engagement into the field of youth politics, especially through the European YouthForm, e.g. by addressing various themes in Thematic Squares or by contributing to a number of thematicstatements and activities with its expertise. Special attention was brought to the planned changes in theYouth in Action Programme. Furthermore, the relations with the ecumenical organisations, e.g. Conferenceof European Churches and World Council of Churches, were increased and EYCE further strengthened itsposition as the transmitter of the voice of young European Christians and as the expert in many fieldsconnected to social justice and Human Rights. The highlights of this engagement were the participation ofEYCE General Secretary Ms. Kristine Jansone in the Meeting of High Level Religious Leaders with thepresidents of the European Institutions, as well as an invitation for EYCE’s Executive Committee memberresponsible for EYCE's Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice, Mr. Benjamin Mlynek, to be part of theWorking Group on Climate Change of the World Council of Churches.

A special highlight was the biannual meeting of EYCE's National Correspondents, which took place inWarsaw, Poland. This was a great opportunity for EYCE’s member organisations to come together in order

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to share their work and experiences, to network, introduce the news in EYCE and more.Important outcomes of the meeting were the joint contribution to the campaign and in particular the initiative,which will be launched in 2013 to make EYCE and its member organisations more sustainable. In addition,creative solutions were sought together for more fundraising for EYCE.

It must be noted that in 2012 EYCE also faced quite few challenges, mainly in the financial aspect, as thefundraising became more and more difficult. Nevertheless, EYCE managed to discover and make use ofnew funding possibilities and became more creative and innovative regarding its programme. All the plannedactivities were carried out successfully and with remarkable results. For all activities the participants gavevery positive feedback.

Altogether, despite the challenges and difficulties EYCE faced in the year 2012, it has been a successfulyear for EYCE, which has led to strong and innovative programmatic developments, stronger memberorganisations and better equipped young people on the grass roots level. The ExCo and EYCE office arelooking forward to strengthen the weak aspects of EYCE's work in the future and hope to maintain thedevelopment oriented work also in the years to come!

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2. EYCE’s activities

EYCE training course "Human Rights for everyone? Right! A training course for young Europeans to overcome racism and d iscriminationagainst ethnic minorities"18th - 25th of March 2012 Palermo, Italy

Developments in the past two years in theNorthern African and Arabic countries,show the great importance of awarenesson Human Rights, both by the oppressedgroups and the broader society, includingpeople in other countries. Firstly, it isimportant that the oppressed people knowtheir rights and are able to stand up forthem in order to make use of their humanrights. Secondly, it is important to beaware of human rights and theiroppression in order to be able tosuccessfully advocate for the rights of theoppressed, in cases of a violation ofhuman rights of those who cannot speakfor themselves.

Human Rights Education (HRE) with young Christians in Europe has always been important for EYCE. Withthis project EYCE wanted to further deepen its focus on HRE, especially with regards to the rights ofminorities, migrants and other oppressed groups in Europe and beyond, as well as training young peoplefrom church backgrounds to address these issues within their contexts. In many European countries thoseoppressed groups are mostly ethnic or religious minorities, migrants and people who suffer from racistoutbursts. Furthermore, many young people in EYCE's networks are already working in addressing theseissues in their churches and organisations, however they often still lack a proper training and expertise. Inaddition, the international group of participants allowed the young people to look beyond the local contexts,in which many young people grew up with certain stereotypes and prejudices towards minorities in theirregions or towards minorities in other parts of the world.

Furthermore, with this event EYCE contributed to the European Action Week Against Racism, which istraditionally taking place around March 21st, the International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of RacialDiscrimination.

This training course aimed at empowering young Europeans with knowledge and skills to overcome racismand discrimination against ethnic minorities.

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In order to reach the aim, several objectives were developed: • to provide knowledge about situations of ethnic minorities in Europe; • to provide an overview of positions in European churches regarding ethnic minorities and racism

towards them; • to analyse concepts of human rights in the light of different ethnic minorities; • to learn from good practice examples on the local level in Italy; • to equip the participants with tools and methods to address racism and discrimination in their own

context; • to develop a common contribution to the European Action Week Against Racism, which traditionally

takes place around March 21st; • to provide a safe space for intercultural sharing and learning.

The training course brought together 30 participants (age 18-35) and team members from all over Europeand from various cultural and denominational backgrounds. The training course was prepared andimplemented by a team of volunteers from the EYCE network. The team was coordinated by an EYCEExecutive Committee member and supported by the EYCE General Secretary. A local team member wasengaged to assist the team with practical arrangements.

Non-formal education was the main methodology used during the project. The programme consisted of threethematic and methodological aspects. Firstly, setting the basic knowledge through an overview of the variety of social aspects related to racism andethnic discrimination, an analysis of the main terms used when addressing these issues and the explorationof different situations regarding racism and ethnic discrimination in various European countries, includinggood practice examples. Secondly, providing the participants with the main concept of Human Rights regarding issues of racism andethnic discrimination, as well as giving them the opportunity to experience the debate and analyse these HRconcepts. Finally, the role of churches and religious communities in general in addressing these themes was analysedand practical examples on local level in Palermo experienced through presentations and voluntary work.

The practical aspect of the training course focused on equipping the participants with knowledge, skills andtools to address the issues of racism and ethnic discrimination in their local contexts, e.g. advocacy, pastoralcounselling with migrants or Human Rights based approaches. Participants were also offered the possibilityto put the knowledge and skills acquired during the training course into practice by preparing a commoninput for the European Action Week Against Racism - workshops for local young people. Learning by doingand a creative approach was an important aspect of the training course. The highlights of the programmewere the simulation game prepared by one of the guest speakers, as well as the practical workshops offeredto the participants.

The project was very successful and brought many good outcomes for the further work of EYCE, especiallythrough various thematic aspects emerging from the discussions by the participants. Also, it was beneficialfor EYCE in order to increase its visibility and role in the ecumenical movement, by providing expertise andcontribution to certain sections of the Human Rights Manual for Churches, developed by Church and SocietyCommission of Conference of European Churches. The training course also helped to identify young people

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in the EYCE network, who would take an active role in the further involvement of youngpeople and youth organisations in addressing racism and ethnic discrimination.

EYCE training course " Taking Steps Towards Ecologically Responsible Society"24th June - 1st July 2012Minsk, Belarus

The training course was the central eventof the second year of EYCE's Campaignto Promote Ecological Justice. During thisyear the relations between ecology,economy and politics, including reviewingecology issues as basis for numerousconflicts, were explored. How can habits,policies and products, which are hinderingideas of ecological justice, be recognised?In which way can young people influencepolicy making processes? Especially afterthe expiration of the Kyoto protocol andecological justice being one of the centraldebates globally, it is important to provideyoung people with knowledge of ongoingprocesses, as well as to equip them with

skills to address these issues in their own context.

The aim of the training course was to enhance the understanding of complexity of ecological justice amongyoung Europeans by exposing the links between social inequality and environmental degradation, ecologicaland socio-economic issues, and to increase ecological responsibility in European civil society through activecontribution of young people.

To reach the aim of the training course, following objectives were set:• To provide the participants with good factual knowledge on various situations of ecological injustice

in different contexts, at both European and global levels;• To give an overview and examples of basic notions and concepts related to the links between

ecological, political and socio-economic issues (e.g. bio-piracy, fair access to water, greenwashing,land-use changes, agroecology);

• To facilitate the understanding of mechanisms influencing the processes of ecological justice, suchas political negotiations, economic transactions and the consequences of those mechanisms.

• To analyse in depth the governance and economic mechanisms of distribution of wealth, naturalresources and land in Europe and at a global level;

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• To analyse the possible consequences and the outcomes of international events witha significant impact on environmental policy;

• To develop together with the participants ideas for the contribution of young people to promoteecological justice and fairer distribution of wealth, land and natural resources;

• To enable and inspire the participants to actively take part in decision making processes on all levelsin order to overcome ecological injustices on their local and national levels;

• To equip the participants with practical methods and tools to address the issues of ecological justiceand implement concrete projects in their own context;

• To provide a platform for the intercultural exchange of experiences and good practices among theparticipants;

• To provide space for practical implementation of ecological responsibility by reducing the CO2emissions as much as possible, reducing consumption connected to the implementation of thetraining course and providing useful knowledge for the participants to improve their daily ecologicalresponsibility.

Through these objectives EYCE wanted to stress the importance of young Europeans in addressing globalchallenges and actively taking part in civil society with regards to issues of ecological justice. Solidarity andjustice need to be addressed on multiple levels - starting from personal to local and then global.

The training course gathered more than twenty young people from Europe and beyond, as well as fromvarious denominational and national backgrounds. During the week of the training course, the participantsgot the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of different aspects of ecological justice and acquirepractical tools and skills for further promoting the ideas discussed.

Several guest speakers contributed to the programme of the training course with their knowledge andexpertise. Ecological knowledge and practical tools were offered to the participants by using a variety of non-formal learning methods. Rev. Henrik Grape, Officer on Sustainable Development at the Church of Sweden,shared his own life experience of advocating for sustainability from a religious perspective. He provided theparticipants with a deeper understanding of the global situation through the use of data and by pointing outthe main challenges sustainability as an ideal is facing.Mr. Evgeniy Lobanov, a local guest speaker from Belarusian environmental organisation "EnvironmentalSolutions" gave a broad insight of the Belarusian situation according to the environmental issues. Theparticipants could become aware of the reality of the situation in a country they might not know about andbenefit from the practical example of experience Mr. Lobanov shared with them.

The highlight of the week was the "Challenge your Lifestyle!" day, where participants and the teamrestrained from using electronic devices, excessive water consumption and learned some practical skillsthrough the up-cycling workshops. The garbage collection organised as a follow-up session to Mr. EvgeniyLobanov's input, was the opportunity for the participants to actively contribute to improving the localenvironment and raise awareness among local inhabitants!

The final part of the programme provided the participants with knowledge and ideas for use in their practicalwork through sessions on advocacy, exchange of best practices and local experiences with youth groups.Participants also brainstormed on the implementation of the outcomes of the training course in morepractical terms. They came together through a series of ideas how to address the issues of ecological justice

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in their own contexts and inscribed them on the official training course Charter.

The participants contributed actively to the process of the training course with their experiences andknowledge of the subject, and enriched the atmosphere of the event greatly with creative approaches to theactivities. Finally, to mark the end of the training course a tree was planted at the venue of the trainingcourse, in the outskirts of Minsk.

"Acting Together to Overcome Poverty! Young people address socialinjustice through interreligious cooperation" 2nd - 9th of September 2012 Paris, France

The training course "Acting Together toOvercome Poverty!" was the annualinterreligious event organised by EYCE,together with its interreligious partnerForum of European Muslim Youth andStudent Organisations (FEMYSO). Thistraining course aimed at strengtheningthe role of young people from variousreligious communities in overcomingpoverty and social injustice on variouslevels and promoting collaborationbetween religious communities indeveloping joint initiatives.

In order to achieve this aim, several objectives were developed:

• to provide good factual knowledge on mechanisms behind poverty and social injustice on global,national, or local level;

• to give an overview on definitions of poverty and social welfare models in various religious traditions;• to analyse the role of religious communities in tackling poverty and collaboration between them; • to study poverty and social inclusion in the context of basic HR; • to discuss the causes of poverty in the framework of multilevel discrimination; • to share best practices; to raise awareness of the creative potential of young people and empower

them to increase their active engagement on local, national and global level; • to equip participants with tools for addressing poverty and social injustice; • to increase the participation of young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds;

• to provide a safe platform for sharing and interreligious dialogue.

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The training course brought together 29 participants (age 18-35) and team members from allover Europe and from various cultural and religious backgrounds. The training course was prepared andimplemented by a team of volunteers from the EYCE and FEMYSO networks. The team was coordinated byan EYCE Executive Committee member. The support from two local organisations - Coexister and Étudiantsmusulmans de France (member of FEMYSO) was received in assisting the team with practicalarrangements.

Non-formal education was the main methodology used during the project. The programme consisted of threethematic and methodological blocks. Firstly, the basic knowledge about poverty and social exclusion was set, through an analysis of the mainterms used when addressing these issues and an exploration of concrete examples brought by theparticipants about the situation regarding the theme of the training course in their countries, thus mappingthe reality in Europe and beyond. Several guest speakers contributed to the training course, sharing their knowledge and expertise onidentifying and combating different kinds of poverty within Europe. They also provided information on relatedsocial challenges and the lack of human rights for certain social groups, using a variety of non-formallearning methods. Ms Catherine Mallet, Representative of Eurodiaconia, shared her experience on advocacy for social justicefrom a religious perspective. Ms Mallet provided the participants with a deeper understanding of theEuropean situation in times of economic crisis, analysing the new stakes and challenges our societies haveto cope with, through the use of data.

Ms Danuta Wisniewska-Casals from the Department of the European Social Charter and European Code ofSocial Security of the Council of Europe, gave a broad insight of the European situation towards poverty andits stakes in terms of respecting basic Human Rights. The participants became aware of the current reality inEurope and the importance of the situation they might not know about and use that newly acquiredknowledge to advocate for Human Rights for all people residing in Europe.

Secondly, through the case studies and role game, the participants explored poverty and social exclusionfrom the perspective of Human Rights and multi-level discrimination. The role of religious communities inaddressing poverty from practical and moral aspects was explored through text studies and discussions.

Finally, the practical part of the training course offered an opportunity to acquire skills and concrete tools toaddress poverty and social exclusion within the communities the participants come from. Participants hadthe opportunity to participate in four different practical workshops, focusing on advocacy, motivation andempowerment, organising creative awareness campaigns and practical projects with youth and children. Theparticipants could also learn from good practice examples shared within the group. In addition, theparticipants were offered a day of volunteering, when they could join an initiative in Paris to experience thework of organisations working against poverty and social exclusion. This experience was one of thehighlights of the training course.

The highlight of the week was the celebration of a Jubilee of cooperation between EYCE and FEMYSO. Itwas a time to look back on successful common projects achieved and the improvements they have led to,before planning the upcoming ones! That celebration gathered people who worked on different joint projectsand provided an opportunity for them to discuss their experience and reaffirm the strong partnershipbetween the two organisations. The Jubilee celebration was also linked to the thematic focus of the training

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course through the panel discussion “The role of religious communities in tackling the risingyouth poverty”, which focused on the contribution of religious communities in addressing youthunemployment, and was complemented with a photo exhibition with a retrospection of the cooperation.Other faith based partners of EYCE, such as Religions for Peace (RfP) and Conference of EuropeanChurches (CEC) took part in the Jubilee celebrations.

The project was very successful and brought many good outcomes for the further work of EYCE, especiallythrough various thematic aspects emerging from the discussions by the participants. The participantscontributed actively to the process of the training course with their experiences and knowledge of thesubject, and enriched the atmosphere of the event greatly with creative approaches to the activities.

EYCE Study Session "Gender: Revised?!" 11th - 18th of November 2012 European Youth CentreBudapest, Hungary

Gender identity is only one aspect ofidentity, however it is the most easilystereotyped, pigeonholed, overlookedaspect, and very often is the cause ofsevere violence, discrimination andjeopardisation of Human Rights on a dailybasis. In many societies around the world,gender equality, especially the role ofwomen, and violence against women, is anissue which calls for urgent action. InEurope as well, less visible, yet stronglypresent gender inequality needs to befurther addressed.

Thematically inspired by a publication byWorld Council of Churches (WCC)"Created in God’s Image: From Hegemony

to Partnership – a set of guidelines for discussion, theological reflection and bible study", which emphasizesthe need to develop a sense of positive masculinity in order to counter increasing levels of violence by menagainst women, EYCE together with its partner World Student Christian Federation (Europe) decided toorganise a study session, addressing the matters of gender.

Further thematic discussions within EYCE and WSCF-E led to the conclusion that it is important to speakabout more than positive masculinity, to do more than gender mainstreaming. It was important to addressthe gender not only in terms of human beings' physical embodiment of gender, but in terms of genderidentities going beyond the physical body and strongly shaping one's identity in a positive manner. It was

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important to develop the concept of gender plurality, which would reflect the many-fold natureof each gender identity and reveal its potential. Looking past the historical and cultural pre-set gender roles,healthy and fruitful gender partnerships, highlighting respectful and mutually complementary cooperationshould be inspired and promoted to be developed in society and in youth organisatons, as well as in churchinstitutions.

The aim of the study session was to enhance the recognition and positive use of gender plurality amongyoung people in order to further promote an inclusive view to all gender identities and to build genderpartnerships in society and churches.

To achieve our aim we developed a number of specific objectives:• To establish a common understanding of concepts defining gender.• To study the historical concepts of gender roles and to analyze social and cultural frameworks of

gender construction perception.• To explore the theological concept of human being created as image of God in order to look beyond

gender stereotypes.• To understand the connection between one’s gender identity and human rights.• To provide good examples of gender partnerships.• To provide tools and resources in order to promote positive use of gender plurality.• To empower young people to speak and address the issues of gender plurality in churches and

society.

The study session brought together 25 participants from different corners of Europe. The participants wereyoung people and students from EYCE and WSCF-E networks. They were youth leaders aged 18-30, whohad the potential to bring a change to their own social contexts. They were willing to implement concreteprojects on gender identity, thus contributing to achieving the aim of study session and to the follow-up of itsoutcomes.

Through the objectives and the thematic focus of the study session, participants explored and touched manyaspects of a person's life and discussed many different ways how gender is manifested within society. A variety of non-formal education methods was used to enhance the exploration of the theme and thelearning processes of the participants: prayers (ecumenical and denominational), Bible study, Open spacemethodology to enable contributions from the participants, theoretical inputs by the guest speakers, smallgroup work, simulation exercises and role plays, structured debate, practical workshops to develop skills ofthe participants, movie and video screening (“Tough Guise”, Jackson Katz; “Tropes vs Women”, AnittaSarkeesian), as well as social programme of the study session and informal interaction between theparticipants.

In order to achieve the aim of the study session the programme was thematically divided into two mainblocks. Firstly, the participants received theoretical inputs from the experts, in particular about issues such asthe differences between gender and sex, the historical background of gender, theology and gender, andtheology and human rights. In addition, the participants discussed and analysed the themes of the studysession from perspectives of different cultures and faith backgrounds. In particular, the approach to genderby faith communities and church institutions, as well as theology of gender was highlighted. During the study

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session it became clear how important the role of young people can be in the struggle tomake churches and church institutions more open towards gender plurality and gender partnerships.

Secondly, the practical approach to the follow up and outcomes of the study session was ensured throughworkshops and practical activities. Workshops were held to empower the participants and to equip them withskills on conflict resolution, advocacy and using Bible study as a tool in their own context. In addition,practical sessions on project planning and fundraising were offered to the participants, in order to facilitatethe implementation of follow-up projects.

It can be said that the main goal of the study session has been reached, especially with regards to raisingawareness among the participants on the importance of gender issues in society today and especially inchurches and church institutions. However, it is clear that more discussions are needed about the genderissues in the church context, such as women’s ordination or marriages of homosexual couples. Yet, theparticipants were equipped with sufficient tools in order to make a first step regarding the theme of genderand its different aspects, in their own context. Participants coming from more conservative churches orchurch institutions experienced confrontation with the views their churches express regarding gender andgender roles. Many participants felt encouraged and empowered to start activities in their own context.

Both EYCE and WSCF-E consider this event as a synthesis of the experiences of both organisations andfurther exploration of the theme jointly. The most important follow-up to the study session will be theimportance of tackling gender issues among young people in EYCE's and WSCF-E's networks in order toempower them to be promoters of a society, where gender partnerships based on a positive view on genderplurality are a reality.

EYCE Campaign to Promote Ecological JusticeThematic focus 2012: links between ecology, economy and politics

In 2011 EYCE launched a 3-yearCampaign to Promote Ecological Justice,which will last from 2011 - 2013. TheCampaign is being built upon the strongparticipation of young people coming fromvarious denominational backgrounds fromall around Europe - sharing best practices,working on the grassroots level, as well ason an intensive cooperation with otherecumenical/church/environmentalinstitutions and/ or organisations, who

work on similar issues, e.g. European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN), International Young NatureFriends (IYNF) and others, thus creating a stronger network to address issues of ecological justice.

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In the first year of the campaign general awareness raising questions were addressed, the basic concepts ofecological justice explained and greener day-to-day habits promoted. The second year (2012) of thecampaign focused on exploring ecological justice beyond the immediately visible, which brought up thefollowing questions: how can habits, policies, products, which are hindering the ideas of ecological justice,be recognised? In which way can we as young people influence policy making processes? How can weaddress and influence ways of excessive consumption, excessive exploitation and cultivation of the earthand its natural resources, as well as excessive economic growth in general? What are the possibilities for allof us to become more aware of the causes and consequences of processes such as poverty, unsustainablemanufacturing, bio-piracy, greenwashing and others? How can we promote solidarity and justness of fairlabour, fair trade, migrants' rights and renewable energies?

Being a community of young Christians, it was important for EYCE to link the campaign processes also tofellowship and solidarity among people and different social groups, as well as responsibility of variousreligious communities for increasing this solidarity. How can we promote more solidarity among peoples?What needs to be done to reach modesty in consumption? How can one's conveniences be diminished orovercome in order to allow people who live in other continents and are severely affected by the climatechange, to lead a life that is appropriate to their dignities as our sisters and brothers?

To address all the questions, the relation between ecology, economy and politics, including reviewingecology issues as basis for numerous conflicts, was reviewed. The contributions of participants of variousactivities of the campaign was essential, as it provided an overview of the various situations across Europeand beyond, as well as personal encounters among young people, which served as a good tool forincreasing solidarity and receiving inspiration to transform things.

Preparation of the campaign materialsDuring the second year of the campaign the publicity materials were prepared inorder to raise awareness of the campaign itself and the thematic focus of the year.The following campaign materials were produced: campaign leaflet, bookmarksand buttons. EYCE ensured that as far as possible all printed/produced materialsfor the campaign were taking into account sustainability and fair trade, e.g. byusing recycled paper and other recycled materials and ensuring the usage of fairtrade and/ or local products.

During the second year of the campaign the leaflet was printed in a slightlydifferent design, thus achieving a two folded effect - on one hand highlighting the thematic focus of thesecond year and the specific issues to be addressed, on the other hand preserving the imagery of thecampaign and providing recognition and follow-up. The leaflet was one of the limited printed publicationswithin the framework of the campaign. It was printed in 300 copies in the first half of the year 2012 and wasdistributed in all the campaign related activities, as well as all meetings, where EYCE was represented. Thedesign of the leaflet was created by one of the volunteers from the Pool of Interested People - Mr. NikosKosmidis (Greece).

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In order to promote the campaign and a sustainable way of living in a youth-friendly waybuttons were created containing the ideas of the campaign and catchy slogans. Being one of the mostpopular visibility products among young people, campaign buttons served well, especially among theyounger people in EYCE's network. There were 5 different designs of the buttons available: "Green andHot", "be Green", "Eco-hero" and a "Green heart". The buttons were a good tool, both to promote thecampaign and advocate for ecological lifestyle. These materials were available at EYCE's events for adonation. Special attention was given to promoting the buttons on the campaign Facebook page, thus linkingeach of the buttons to a specific issue of ecological justice.

In addition, campaign bookmarks were created with the logo and slogan of the campaign and a green heartsymbolising love and solidarity towards all the creation. The bookmarks were produced in 100 pieces andwere available at EYCE's events for a donation.

The Campaign was also promoted through various means of social media, especially the EYCE website andcampaign Facebook page. The CCT took special attention to develop a systematic strategy for Facebookposting, which greatly increased attention to the campaign itself, as well as initiated a discussion aboutvarious themes related to the thematic focus of the campaign, addressed in those posts. Special attention was paid to the Rio+20 conference and developments before and after it. EYCEcollaborated with its German member organisation aej, which organised the Green Hand Day to raiseawareness on Rio+20 conference and engage young people in the discussions about it. EYCE providedmaterials for its member organisations to become active in awareness raising and education about Rio+20and its follow up.

Meeting of the Campaign Coordination TeamDuring the second year of the campaign the work of the campaign was organised mostly through internet(Skype, email). However, a meeting took place in the first quarter of the year in order to fine-tune theimplementation of the plans for the year 2012 and draw the initial outline for the last year of the campaign(2013). The meeting was held from 2nd - 4th of March 2012 in Dijon, France , which was chosen due toaccessibility for all the participants. In particular, the CCT planned the concrete themes of the campaignmagazine and other materials, developed the idea and video for the Earth Day activities and madepreparations for the dissemination visit. Another possibility for the CCT to meet was the dissemination visit,which took place from 12th - 16th of April 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal, where the CCT was preparing for themeetings and activities of the dissemination visit. However, there was also time dedicated to evaluate thefirst year of the campaign, prepare the further campaign activities and draw an initial plan of the MEMSprocess (Making EYCE More Sustainable), which will be implemented in 2013.

Dissemination/ study visit in PortugalThe dissemination/ study visit took place from 12th - 16th of April 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal for the annualdissemination/ study visit of the campaign. The visit was a good opportunity to share the results andachievements of the campaign, as well as gain valuable knowledge of the organisations and projects inPortugal. One of the most important parts of the visit was the meeting with Quercus - National Associationfor Nature Conservation and its representative Vanda Marques. The CCT was introduced to the vast work ofQuercus, starting from simple recycling projects to preserving biodiversity and offering alternative energy

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sources. The section for Education for Sustainability was particularly interesting for the workof EYCE's Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice, as it offers good opportunities for further cooperationand exchange of experiences. The CCT also met with the representatives of EYCE’s Portuguese member organisation, the PresbyterianProtestant Church of Portugal and the Methodist Youth in Lisbon in order to introduce the work of thecampaign and to develop ideas for further collaboration and for projects on the local level. The meeting wasvery successful and brought great interest in the work of EYCE and the campaign. Together with theMethodist youth group the CCT developed an input for the Earth Day activities of the campaign, which werecarried out on the 22nd of April.

Activities for the Earth Day 2012One of the objectives of EYCE's Campaign to PromoteEcological Justice is to raise awareness about the responsibilityfor creation and to achieve more sustainability on a daily basis,as well as to involve young people in EYCE's MemberOrganisations on the grassroots level in the activities of thecampaign. To achieve this objective the CCT decided toorganise the Earth Day Activity, which would mobilise youngpeople across Europe to participate in the celebration of theEarth Day 2012.

Earth Day is a day early each year, when events are heldworldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of theEarth's natural environment. Earth Day was fist celebrated in1970 in San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint ofecology. From 2009, the United Nations designated the 22nd ofApril to be International Mother Earth Day and nowadays EarthDay is celebrated in more than 175 countries.

The CCT proposed to young people in EYCE's network to takepart in a street action during the Earth Day. CCT created a shortvideo promoting the initiative proposed and prepared theinformation about the action to be taken and materials to be

distributed on the local level. In addition, it was proposed to organise a workshop or small activities with the youth groups on local level.The materials prepared by the CCT contained information about the Earth Day, campaign, as well as raisedawareness of various aspects of consumerism - water, food, energy etc. The people receiving the materialswere challenged to consume less in order to diminish their carbon footprint.

The Earth day activities were successful and provided a certain activity among the EYCE memberorganisations. After the evaluation of the activity the CCT decided to make more effort in promoting thisduring the last year of the campaign, as it is directly linked to sustainability and plans to involve the memberorganisations to an even larger extent.

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Training Course "Taking Steps Towards Ecologically Responsible Society: Links between ecology,economy and politics"This training course was the thematic event of the second year of EYCE's Campaign to Promote EcologicalJustice. It aimed at enhancing the understanding of the complexity of ecological justice among youngEuropeans by exposing the links between social inequality and environmental degradation, ecological andsocio-economic issues, and at increasing ecological responsibility in European civil society through activecontribution of young people. Please see earlier sections of this report to read more about the trainingcourse!

The project was very successful and brought many good outcomes for the further work in the framework ofthe campaign, especially regarding the MEMS (Making EYCE More Sustainable) process to be implementedduring the last year of the campaign. Also, it was beneficial for EYCE in order to increase its visibility androle in the ecumenical movement, proving to be able to offer expertise in matters of ecological justice amongEuropean churches. The training course also helped to identify young people in the EYCE network, whowould take an active role in the further involvement of young people and youth organisations in advocacy forecological justice, as well as to establish good partnerships in Belarus.

Panel discussion “ What hope after Rio+20? Contributions of various st akeholders to a sustainable future"

The most visible event regarding climate change and internationalclimate negotiations during the year 2012 has been the United NationsConference on Sustainable Development or so called Rio+20conference. During the course of its Campaign to Promote EcologicalJustice, EYCE has been following the developments of thenegotiations and raised awareness of the processes among youngpeople in its network.

Many actors, especially the representatives of the civil society, haveconsidered the outcomes of the conference disappointing. Moreover, ithas been criticised by many, for both its inefficiency and lack ofconcrete measures to be taken and tangible results. The gap betweenthe need for urgent actions and lack of understanding of this urgencyby stakeholders reaches slowly, but surely a point of no return. Seeingthe vague outcomes of the conference and clear lack of willingness to

act from the world leaders, can we still hope for a more sustainable and brighter future?

In the framework of the campaign EYCE organised a panel discussion, which explored the possiblecontribution of the various stakeholders, e.g. youth organisations, media, scientists, businessmen toachieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes for the society in the situation, when the internationalnegotiations fail. The panel discussion sought to look at the question: what are the concrete things that weas individuals and representatives of these particular groups can do to change the course of the internationalclimate negotiations and diminish the effect of the climate change?The panel discussion took place on the 17h of October 2012 in Brussels, Belgium.

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The panel discussion brought together 3 guest speakers to contribute to its content: Rev. Peter Pavlovic,representing Church and Society Commission of Conference of European Churches (CEC), as well as theEuropean Christian Environmental Network (ECEN), Mr. Lloyd Russel-Moyle from European Youth Forum(YFJ) and Mr. Rob van der Meer, representing Heidelberg Cement on the side of industry.

Mr. Russel-Moyle , representing European Youth Forum, pointed out that the outcomes of the Rio+20conference cannot be regarded as entirely negative and explained the “hooks” where the outcomes of theconference can be turned into the positive results. He pointed out that the conference has managed todiscuss moving beyond measuring wealth entirely by GDP and looked onto alternative ways to measurewealth. Mr. Russel-Moyle highlighted the importance of necessity to move beyond the current economicsystem and emphasize more the role of civil society, which might lead to change the patterns of people’sthinking.Rev. Peter Pavlovic , representing Church and Society Commission of CEC, mainly drew up the generaldifficulties in making new substantial international agreements dues to many-folded nature of internationalrelations today. He pointed out the fact that the Rio+20 report has been agreed beforehand, which made thenegotiations pointless and vague. Most importantly he highlighted the ethical and spiritual aspect ofsustainable development, growth and negotiations between different actors involved in the negotiations. Heunderlined the need of cooperation between the governments and civil society, churches included to ensurefruitful sectoral approach and reach out to wider target group.Mr. van der Meer , representative of Heidelberg Cement revealed an attractive and practical approach to thesustainable development issues from the side of industries. He explained the measures of sustainabilityalready being taken by a number of world’s industries, based on voluntarily, non-binding agreements. Heelaborated on failures of multilateral and unilateral approaches, highlighting the need to look into the sectoralapproach in order to secure more sustainable approach to industries. Similarly to the other speakers he drawupon the current economical model and the mindset of wealth and unlimited growth, which created greatobstacles for sustainable development.

The campaign magazine The LeafDuring 2012, the campaign magazine "The Leaf" was developed in the first edition (Issue 3) during the 1sthalf of the year 2012, and the second edition (Issue 4) in the second half of the year 2012. The on-linemagazines are available for downloading on EYCE’s website and are promoted on both EYCE andcampaign Facebook pages, as well as shared among EYCE member and partner organisations.

The Issue 3 of the magazine focused on ecology and its social implications. It featured articles about growthand how it is affecting various groups of society, civil responsibility in relation to poverty on a global scale. Italso reflected good practice examples from the local level and drew attention to the global perspectives ofecological justice through a focus on deforestation in Brazil. The Issue 4 of the magazine focused onrelations between ecology and the rising risk of conflicts, the interdependence and interconnection betweenEconomics, Politics and Ecology. In addition to the written content, there were comic strips, photographs anda film review, focusing on the relevant themes. Both of the issues provided presentations of the localprojects, thus increasing the awareness on problems and initiatives in various countries across Europe.

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The campaign magazine is one of the most useful tools of the campaign, as it allowsaddressing a much wider spectrum of issues, than a specific event would allow. It also adds the Europeandimension to the content of the campaign and uses the potential and knowledge of young people in EYCE'snetwork.

Cooperation with other organisationsDuring the second year of the campaign the cooperation with other organisations working in the field ofecological justice was an important element of the campaign. The cooperation with the Church and SocietyCommission of Conference of European Churches, as well as with European Christian EnvironmentalNetwork (ECEN) was successfully continued and knowledge and expertise was exchanged among theorganisations.

Through the training course in Minsk a good relationship with the Church of Sweden was established,especially significant for MEMS. The Church of Sweden has a well established framework to increasesustainability within the churches, both regarding the maintenance of church buildings and the service/activities carried out. Also, the cooperation developed with the "Environmental solutions", the localorganisation in Minsk, has been very effective and provided good experiences and examples for theparticipants of the training course.

The campaign provided a possibility to reach out and receive contributions from young people on variouslevels - international, European or local. The good practices shared through the training course,dissemination visit and other activities, provided a variety of creative and inspirational ideas, variousviewpoints from the perspective of different cultures and inspirational ideas.

EYCE also actively contributed to the work of other organisations, e.g. European Youth Forum, regarding thedevelopments around the Rio+20- conference, by providing perspectives of young people from all overEurope, both from the professional background matching the issues discussed, but also providing expertisein other fields.

A member of the CCT took part in the stakeholders consultation regarding sustainability "CLIMSAVE", whichtook place in Tallinn, Estonia, Prague, Czech Republic and Brugges, Belgium, where he represented EYCEand the campaign.

Also, EYCE updated its website and campaign Facebook page with news from various other programmesand activities. In the need of guest speakers it was always sought to use the expertise available in otherorganisations or ecumenical bodies.

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3. External Relations

Council of Members of Youth Forum Jeunesse20th - 21st of April, Brussels, Belgium From 20th - 21st of April 2012 the Council of Members of the Youth Forum Jeunesse took place in Brussels,Belgium. This meeting was a good opportunity for EYCE to network with other youth organisations inEurope. EYCE representative Catharina Covolo (EYCE Chairperson) attended the meeting. The Council of Members itself was dedicated to discuss different thematic themes, such as youthemployment and precarious work, EP elections, democracy, new media and globalisation. In addition,statutory changes of the Youth Forum Jeunesse were discussed, as well as the report from Advisory Councilon Youth received.For EYCE the engagement in YFJ is important, as it allows good networking and cooperation possibilitieswith other youth organisations in Europe, thus strengthening the voice of young people.

EYCE – WSCF-Europe Joint Strategy Meeting 27th - 29th of April 2012, Brussels, BelgiumThe annual strategic meeting brought together the Treasurers and General Secretaries of two majorinternational youth NGO’s, EYCE and WSCF-Europe. This meeting provided the space for exchangingexperience and review the previous cooperation. These included common aims as well as joint funding proposals and a strategy to promote active democraticinvolvement of the Christian youth in Europe. Since EYCE and WSCF-E work in the same field, it wasagreed to build an even closer network to better communicate the needs of young people. An important part of this meeting was discussing the ever more disappointing financial and fundraising situ-ation of both organisations, as well as finding better approaches to the church donors and seeking newsources of funding for their work.

Press and Communications Meeting of European Youth Forum15th of May, 2012, Brussels, BelgiumThe Press and Communications Meeting of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) brought together communica-tions officers and/or Secretaries General of member organisations within YFJ. EYCE was represented at thismeeting by the General Secretary Kristine Jansone. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss and de-velop communication strategies and concrete tools to be used in the communication of the organisations.Both, through networking, exchange of experience between the organisations, the participants created draftsof further developed communication strategies for their organisations. The various tools for implementationof a good communication strategy were discussed. For EYCE this meeting has been beneficial, as it helped developing ideas for improvement of the internal/external communications of EYCE, as well as for the campaign. In addition, better contacts have been es-tablished with other member organisations of YFJ and YFJ itself.

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European Interfaith Youth Network (EIYN) Youth Summ it20th - 24th of June 2012, Lillehammer, NorwayThe meeting brought together 35 young leaders from Europe, Middle East and North Africa, representingEIYN member organizations, as well as social activists and journalists from Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco.EYCE was represented by Mr. Christian Arffmann, from the Danish member organisation.The meeting was conducted in 2 parts - a seminar and summit of EIYN. The seminar was mainly focusing on3 subjects: dialogue for solving conflicts, Arab Spring and economical crisis. The seminar was followed by1.5 days long annual summit of European Interfaith Youth Network. The summit was attended by 20 peoplerepresenting EIYN members.Having in mind current thematic focus of EYCE on ecological justice, the EYCE representative joined theworking group on Ecology in order to propose concrete actions and ways to cooperate between the differentorganisations. This representation and interreligious cooperation is crucial in the work of EYCE and it is continuing its en-gagement in this work.

High-Level Religious Leaders meeting12th of July 2012, Brussels, Belgium

On the 12th of July 2012, EYCE GeneralSecretary Kristine Jansone representedthe voice of the young Christians at theannual High-Level Religious Leadersmeeting, which took place at the EuropeanCommission. Upon the invitation of JoséManuel Barroso, President of theEuropean Commission, the meetingbrought together more than twenty seniorrepresentatives from Christian, Muslim andJewish religions and from the Hindu andBahá'í communities from all over Europe.The meeting was co-chaired by HermanVan Rompuy, President of the EuropeanCouncil, and László Surján, Vice-Presidentof the European Parliament representingPresident Martin Schulz.

The meeting was held under the headline 'Intergenerational Solidarity: Setting the Parameters forTomorrow's Society in Europe'.

Drawing upon the demographic challenges in Europe and challenges caused by the economic and financialcrisis, the leaders outlined the causes and solutions of the present crisis. The crisis in interpersonalrelationships and lack of values was often pointed out as crucial elements lacking for a fully functional andsolidarity-based society. In addition, many leaders called upon cherishing the value of the traditional family

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and intergenerational solidarity was highlighted as a basis for the wider solidarity betweenvarious age groups in the society, where wisdom and advice is transmitted.

In her input EYCE General Secretary Kristine Jansone, strongly emphasized the situation of young people inEurope and the need to involve young people to a larger extent in the processes where long term decisionsabout the present and future of young people are made. Especially highlighting the role of solidarity andeducation, Ms. Jansone stressed the work of the youth organisations in enhancing solidarity andparticipation, as well as pointed out the need for structural support for the International NGOs.

The meeting clarified the strong need of the involvement of religious communities and related organisationsin enhancing the solidarity in the society and showing example of interaction and cooperation between thedifferent social and cultural groups in the society. Also, president Barroso encouraged religious leaders toengage in public dialogue and show the specific contributions that churches and religious communities canmake to explain the need for solidarity.

CoE Exchange on the religious dimension of intercul tural dialogueTaking responsibilities for tomorrow’s Europe: the role of young people in the religiousdimension of intercultural dialogueSeptember 3 rd-5th, Dürres, AlbaniaEYCE Chairperson Catharina Covolo represented EYCE in the CoE exchange on the religious dimension ofintercultural dialogue, which took place under the Albanian chairmanship. Young people discussed togetherwith representatives from member states, as well as journalists and experts the role of young people in thereligious dimension of intercultural dialogue. Catharina Covolo gave among others an input on the panel fordiscussion of the plenary. Next to discussing these issues, the group was taken to different religious site inAlbania to experience the coexistence of different religions in Albania.

Working Group on Climate Change of World Council of Churches1st – 3rd of October 2012, Kolymbari, CreteEYCE Executive Committee Member Benjamin Mlynek took part in a meeting of the Working Group on Cli-mate Change of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which was held to plan and synergise next steps inclimate change advocacy. The meeting was hosted by the Institute of Theology and Ecology of the OrthodoxAcademy of Crete in Kolymbari, Greece and took place from 1st to 3rd October 2012. Fifteen representatives from various churches and Christian NGOs from Africa, Asia, South and NorthAmerica, Europe and Pacific evaluated work on climate change done so far, as well as outcomes from tworecent major conferences: UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa and the UNConference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Members of the working groupstressed the need to overcome frustration towards the poor outcomes of the conferences and to enhancecooperation among ecumenical partners in support of responsible and effective international climate andsustainability negotiations.Moreover, the working group planned future steps in global advocacy. The need of advocating for theestablishment of a Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights by the UN Human RightsCouncil was reaffirmed. The working group also developed an action plan in order to get ready for the WCC

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General Assembly in Busan, South Korea which will take place in October/November 2013.Participation in the meeting helped EYCE to link its activities regarding ecological justice to global initiativesbeyond Europe. In addition, it was a perfect opportunity for networking and giving the EYCE campaign morevisibility.

3rd Assembly of Church Action on Labour and Life (C ALL)8th - 10th of October 2012, Brussels, BelgiumFrom 8th - 10th of October 2012 the 3rd Assembly of Church Action on Labour and Life (CALL) took place inBrussels, Belgium. EYCE General Secretary Kristine Jansone represented EYCE in this meeting.The main focus of the meeting was the precarious work and EU2020 in this context, including the issues ofyouth unemployment. Among representatives of different churches and church related organisations, also 3 youth organisations -EYCE, YMCA and Syndesmos, were represented, which gave a different aspect to the discussions on youthunemployment. Together with the representatives with other youth organisations, Ms. Jansone took part inthe working group on youth employment. In the framework of the activities of this working group, it wasdecided to organise a conference in Germany during the second half of the year 2013 in order to bringtogether churches and young people to discuss challenges of youth employment and seek solutions.Eventually Ms. Jansone was elected to be the facilitator of the working group.

Launch of the Water Campaign of Religions for Peace19th of November, Brussels, BelgiumIn August 2012 there was a meeting held with the President of Religions for Peace Europe – Ms. Yolande Ili-ano in the EYCE office to discuss the possible cooperation between the two organisations in the field of eco-logical justice, including access to clean water. Following this meeting, upon the invitation of Ms. Iliano, EYCE General Secretary Ms. Kristine Jansone tookpart in the launch of the Water Campaign of RfP – campaign for availability of clean water for all human be-ings -, as well as moderated a panel discussion in the framework of this launch. The campaign will focus on a variety of issues related to water: availability of clean water, safety, poverty,peace, clean environment, development, gender issues. Solving problems related to water will help solvingmany other problems. The biggest project planned so far, in the framework of the campaign is a 2013 cruise on the Danube foryoung Europeans aged 13-18, under the title “Our Sacred Water. “Youth Ambassadors for the EuropeanDream”. EYCE will support and participate in this project within the framework of the Campaign to Promote EcologicalJustice.

Council of Members of Youth Forum Jeunesse21st - 25th of November, 2012 , Maribor, Slovenia

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From 21st to 25th of November the autumn session of the Council of Members of the YouthForum Jeunesse took place in Maribor, Slovenia. This meeting was a good opportunity for EYCE to networkwith other youth organisations in Europe. EYCE General Secretary Kristine Jansone together with EYCEExecutive Committee member Benjamin Mlynek represented EYCE at this meeting. Among otherdiscussions and networking meetings, a meeting between faith based member organisations (JECI-MIEC,MIJARC, EUJS, YMCA, YWCA etc.) of YFJ took place to strengthen the cooperation of these organisationsand bringing joint input to the work of YFJ. Special attention was given to the response to current crisisaffecting young people and looking beyond the obvious causes, through the value-based approach.The Council of Members itself was dedicated to discuss different thematic themes, such as climate change,Youth in Action Programme, democracy, new media and globalisation. In addition, statutory changes of theYouth Forum Jeunesse were discussed and a new board of YFJ elected.For EYCE the engagement in YFJ is important as it allows good networking and cooperation possibilitieswith other youth organisations in Europe, thus strengthening the voice of young people.

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4. EYCE structural development

Executive Committee Meeting23rd - 26th of February 2012, Brussels, BelgiumThe Executive Committee of the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe met for their first meeting after electionat EYCE's 38th General Meeting October 2011. The ExCo meeting was held from 23rd - 26th of February2012 in EYCE's Office in Brussels, Belgium. In order to establish mutual understanding and develop acommon working style, in its first meeting EYCE's ExCo undertook a team building training. The first meetingof the new ExCo also provided the space to set up working priorities, to develop the future split ofresponsibilities within the ExCo and to carefully steer EYCE into the next year.

Chairperson Ms. Catharina Covolo (Lutheran, Germany) will take the responsibility of the overall programmeof EYCE, youth politics and external relations with the Conference of European Churches. Vice-ChairpersonMs. Adriana Florea (Lutheran, Romania) will be responsible in the fields of interreligious dialogue,Ecumenical leadership training, as well as future development of EYCE. Treasurer Ms. Sini Tyvi (Lutheran,Finland) will take over the responsibility for Finances, Relations to Church donors and External relations withthe World Council of Churches (WCC). Ms. Zofia Kozlowska-Socha (Baptist, Poland) will be responsible forEYCE communication and Public Relations, as well as parts of the interreligious dialogue. Mr. Andrea Aprile(Baptist, Italy) will work mainly in the field of relations to Member Organisations and NationalCorrespondents, as well as with volunteers and office supervision. Mr. Benjamin Mlýnek (Hussite, CzechRepublic) will mainly take over the responsibility of coordinating EYCE's Campaign to Promote EcologicalJustice. Mr. Slavi Spasov (Orthodox, Bulgaria) will work in the field of spirituality within EYCE, as well assupport Zofia in Public Relations. All the ExCo members will share the responsibility of additional fundraisingfor EYCE and strongly support each other in their tasks, as well as share responsibilities.

The ExCo dedicated much time of its meeting to follow-up the decisions and recommendations of the 38thGeneral Meeting. The first steps have been taken in order to pursue the mandate of the GM and to establishthe Financial Advisory Committee. The active involvement of EYCE's Member Organisations in the work ofthe Council and the improvement of the communication between actors within the Council was discussed, aswell as the external relations with EYCE's partners in various fields of work.

The meeting also provided time for meetings held alongside the working sessions. The ExCo met withrepresentatives of EYCE's long standing inter-religious partner Forum of Muslim Youth and StudentOrganisations (FEMYSO), Ola Himmat and Najatte Kaaoiss, with whom a Memorandum of Understandingwas signed, as well as plans to mark and celebrate the anniversary of 10 years of cooperation werediscussed. A very fruitful meeting was held with the representative of Church and Society Commission (CSC)of CEC Rev. Frank-Dieter Fischbach, which resulted in concrete ideas and proposals for cooperation ofEYCE and CSC in 2013.

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Volunteer TrainingMay 2012, Brussels, BelgiumStarting at 1st of May 2012, Ms. Alicia Hamet joined the EYCE Office as the new volunteer, in cooperationwith YMCA France.In the beginning of the volunteering, a training was provided for the new volunteer by EYCE GeneralSecretary Ms. Kristine Jansone, as well as a special meeting was arranged with the project coordinator inFrance, Mr. Cedric Graser.

During the meeting with the coordinator, on the 15th of May 2012, issues such as reviewing the aims of thevolunteer, her expectations and fears, introduction to the structures of EYCE and the role of the volunteer inthem, the positive and negative experiences within her work so far, as well as the possibilities for theimprovements were discussed. Also, the further communication arrangements were made together with thecoordinator.

During the training with the EYCE General Secretary at the beginning of her voluntary stay, the volunteerwas introduced to the main working areas of EYCE, especially highlighting the special working focus of thevolunteer – ecological justice. Ms. Hamet was assigned a mentor from the side of EYCE to support her inthe mission - a former EYCE volunteer Ms. Vera Kockler, whose main responsibility had also been thecoordination of EYCE's Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice.

In addition, during her voluntary stay Ms. Hamet underwent several special trainings, e.g. first aid training byRed Cross France, as well as special training for volunteers coordinated by YMCA France.

Executive Committee Meeting31st of May - 4th of June 2012, Svätý Jur, Slovakia

The Executive Committee of theEcumenical Youth Council in Europe metfor their scheduled meeting from 31st ofMay to 4th of June 2012 in Svätý Jur,Slovakia. The ExCo also took theopportunity to travel to Vienna in order tomeet with the representatives of EYCE'sAustrian Member OrganisationÖkumenischer Jugendrat in Österreichand the Community of ProtestantChurches in Europe (CPCE). In addition,the ExCo met the former EYCE ExComember Dr. Július Filo. Of great interestwas also a meeting with Marek Hrivňàk,who represents youth ministries in

Bratislava, which encompass a vast network of young people.

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The ExCo reviewed and evaluated the work that has been done since their last meeting inFebruary 2012 in Brussels. Much time during the meeting was dedicated to the preparation of the events ofthis year, especially the work done on EYCE's Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice. Also, thecooperation with various partners of EYCE, such as Forum of European Muslim Youth and StudentOrganisations (FEMYSO), Conference of European Churches (CEC) and World Council of Churches (WCC)was discussed. Special attention was given to stabilizing EYCE's financial situation and the newlyestablished Financial Advisory Committee.

The ExCo took time to further plan the upcoming Meeting of National Correspondents, which is foreseen totake place in Poland in October 2012. The ExCo also continued outlining the themes and events for 2013,planning the events in the second half of the year more concretely. Alongside other activities in 2013,EYCE's 39th General Meeting was planned and will take place in October 2013.

The meeting also provided time for meetings held alongside the working sessions. In Vienna the members ofEYCE ExCo met with Ms. Katherine Jolly, the National Correspondent of the EYCE's Austrian MemberOrganisation Ökumenischer Jugendrat in Österreich, as well as young people being part of the organisation.The work and cooperation of both organisations were discussed, as well as possibilities of Austrian youngpeople to participate in EYCE's activities. The ExCo was also taken for a short tour in Vienna before leavingfor Bratislava.In addition to that meeting, the ExCo met with the General Secretary of the Community of ProtestantChurches in Europe (CPCE), Bishop Michael Bünker, in order to discuss a possible cooperation betweenCPCE and EYCE, as well as discuss the role of young people in CPCE.

In the town of Svätý Jur the ExCo had a unique opportunity to reconnect with one of EYCE’s alumni, as itmet the former EYCE ExCo member and Vice-Chairperson Dr. Július Filo. Dr. Filo is also an emeritus Bishopof the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Slovakia and a professor in the Faculty of Theology. The ExCo wasdelighted to hear about EYCE's life in the early 1980-ties and discussed challenges shared with Dr. Filo. TheExCo received a kind invitation for an informal meeting with Dr. Filo and Mrs. Filova, which offered a greatopportunity to further discuss and exchange experiences.

On its day in Bratislava the ExCo had an opportunity to meet with Marek Hrivňàk, who represents youthministries in Bratislava, which encompass a vast network of young people. The work of both organisationswas presented and possibilities for cooperation discussed. The meeting offered a good perspective ofincreasing the number of Slovakian young people at EYCE's activities.

Meeting with a Member Organisation9th of July 2012, Brussels, BelgiumOn their annual visit to Brussels, among other organisations and EU institutions the group of delegates fromEYCE’s German member organisation aej met with EYCE's General Secretary. During this meeting EYCE'sinvolvement in youth politics was discussed, as well as the mechanisms, how to emphasize the impact ofEYCE and its member organisations to the legislative and decision making processes with regards to thematters related to young people. The future of Youth in Action Programme was high on the agenda.

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EYCE National Correspondents Meeting26th - 29th of October, Warsaw, Poland

The biannual meeting of the EYCENational Correspondents took place from26th – 29th of October 2012 in Warsaw,Poland, and brought together the NationalCorrespondents, the Executive Committeeand the Office staff of EYCE. The meetingalso offered a possibility to meet withrepresentatives of the Youth Committee ofPolish Ecumenical Council and towelcome a representative from theEuropean Baptist Federation Youth andChildren Workers.

During the National Correspondentsmeeting issues concerning the current

work, as well as the future of EYCE were discussed, in particular focusing on EYCE's Campaign to PromoteEcological Justice and the sustainability of the organisation and its member organisations. The criteria andmethods of evaluating the sustainability of EYCE and its member organisations, as well as developing thetools for more sustainability were discussed and developed. In addition, the National Correspondentstogether with the EYCE ExCo developed creative ideas on sustaining the organisation financially.

During the meeting the National Correspondents were updated about the work and achievements of theExCo since the General Meeting last October, as well as got the opportunity to share the work of theirorganisations with one another. In addition, the National Correspondents had the possibility to welcome Mr.Jeff Carter from the European Baptist Federation Youth and Children Workers who presented the work ofEBF and discussed the possibilities for further cooperation with the representatives of EYCE. In an informalmeeting the EYCE National Correspondents also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with Julia MariaKoszewska from Religions for Peace, European Interfaith Youth Network.

After the meeting of National Correspondents, the EYCE Executive Committee met for their regular meeting.During the meeting the ExCo evaluated the activities of the council in 2012, discussed the current work ofEYCE and continued planning for the year 2013. The agenda of the meeting included also discussions onthe future cooperation with the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Forum of European Muslim Youthand Student Organisations (FEMYSO) and European Youth Forum (YFJ).

The ExCo also took the opportunity to meet with the representatives of EYCE's Polish Member Organisation- Youth Committee of Polish Ecumenical Council. Both organisations and their current work were presented,as well as the possibilities for a stronger cooperation and more involvement in EYCE in future wasdiscussed.

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Meeting with a Member Organisation22nd - 25th of November 2012, Plön, GermanyParticipating in the annual meetings of EYCE member organisations is an important part of staying informedof what is happening and how could EYCE and the member organisation benefit from each other the best.EYCE Treasurer Ms. Sini Tyvi visited the EYCE member organisation aej in Germany at their annualmeeting. She met with aej board members and participated in a working committee on ecumenical andinternational youth work. Many fruitful discussions and new ideas were shared during this meeting. Ms. Tyvialso shared the visions and plans of EYCE for the coming year.

Volunteer ProgrammeMay - December 2012, Brussels, BelgiumEYCE’s Volunteer Programme aims at providing training for young people as youth leaders/workers involvedin European/ national organisations. It also provides an opportunity for young people to work in aninternational organisation and get involved in intercultural learning.

In 2012 EYCE was privileged to host one long-term volunteer Ms. Alicia Hamet. The main focus of the work of Ms. Hamet in 2012 has been on EYCE's Campaign to Promote EcologicalJustice, where she has been coordinating the team of the campaign, researching the resources anddeveloping the publicity materials relevant to the campaign, as well as organising meetings and events in theframework of this campaign. Ms. Hamet also worked on the preparation, implementation and follow-up of theEYCE training course "Acting Together to Overcome Poverty". Apart of working directly with this EYCE eventand the campaign, Ms. Hamet represented EYCE in various events and trainings regarding her theme.During her work with EYCE Ms. Hamet added the practical experience of planning, implementing andevaluation work with young people, thus giving a practical aspect to her placement.

The placement of Ms. Hamet was arranged in cooperation with the YMCA in France.

EYCE is grateful to all the volunteers in its netwo rk - ExCo, members of various committees, officevolunteers and many more - for their commitment, en thusiasm and creativity, thus greatly enrichingthe work of EYCE!

The work of the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe has been supported by the European Commission and the Council of Europe. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and neither the European Commission, nor Council of Europe cannot be held re-

sponsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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EYCE Annual Report 2012

Documents

Transcript of EYCE Annual Report 2012