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Celebrating
of Solidarit25 stages
. . . the journey so far !
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Solidarit is a humanitarian activities and
social awareness activity started by the
trainees of the European Commission which
facilitates and encourages involvement in
benevolent humanitarian and social activities.
Its Mission is to support and provide
opportunities to :
D pri miri vrwork in our communities
Irs wrss f miriand social issues, and
Ris rsrs p miriand social issues
Its through our common feelings and shared humanity that we are most
connected... and through which we learn that in many ways, we are all the same.
(Tim, 2010)
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Information does not
easily change people
- experience does.
(Angela, Summer
2008)
Solidarit is cellebrating its activities over 25 consecutive
Traineeship periods. This booklet is a tip of the iceberg celebra-
tion of what it has done.Sidri is ms sigi, vis d sssf pr-gram ever undertaken by trainees on the largest, longest run-
ning and most prestigious traineeship program in the world.
It has been informally inherited and run by trainees themselves
each Traineeship period. It was begun by trainees on the
1998/99 Traineeship and since then carried out approximately
60 different types of humanitarian and social projects, some
ongoing from Traineeship to Traineeship.
Up to 200 trainees have been involved in Solidarit projects in
some way each traineeship - ranging from collecting clothes for
the p d the s wes te see i Cmmissi cesto 55 trainees cycling 170 km together to raise money for street
children in Nepal.
It operates as a sub-committee of the Association of Trainees of
the Cmmissi which is cmmittee tiees epesetigother trainees, formed each traineeship.
See cuet me Cmmissies, Pesidet Bss,me Pesidet the Eupe Pimet, Hs-Get Pet-teig d He Mjest, the Quee the Begium he beeinvolved in or aware of Solidarit, often opening events or pre-
senting fundraising cheques.
Solidarit has attempted, purely through the private volition
of consecutive trainees for 25 Stages; to enshrine the leg-
acy and promotion of humanitarian and social conscious-
ness in one of the most unique and continuous streams of
ig qid, mi-ig, ig ivig d mbiisassemblies of potential future leaders and policy-makers
anywhere in the world. This opportunity is without parallel.
Your world is yours to change
SolIDaRIt IntRoDuctIon
Solidarit is also about
taking the opportunity to
share yourself.(Ei, Wite 2003/4)
It is an extremely
enriching and rewarding
experience. Its
rs im I vparticipated in this kind
of charity activities, but
Im delighted to take
part in it and hope to
continue even after the
Traineeship.
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The Solidarit philosophy stems from the wise words of the
mother of a former trainee:
Solidarit is the result of the practical application of this simple philosophy.
It ws ispied b the beie tht it wud be mgicet t deep mes b which thisattitude of helping others in simple ways, was inspired in, and available directly and in a
pctic w t the pepe shpig u wd wig t the Eupe Ui Istitutis.
The best way to be happy is to just go out and live
your life and be a good person. Dont worry about
what people think.
The world is yours to change, but dont worry about
trying to save the whole world, just think globally
and act locally, and play your little part.
Sometimes its the smallest action that can make adifference. besides you get back what you give,
and the action itself can be incredibly fullling.
SolIDaRIt PhIloSoPhy
The Solidarit experience made my Traineeship...it provided me with a sense of
empowerment and a feeling of hope and optimism, the idea that we really can change
things both at grass roots and at policy level - in short its pretty mind blowing!
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Love, freedom,good and beauty
Rsp fr idivid
Pp-crd Srvi
Integrity
cmmim d abii
Trust
Leadership and Teamwork
Transparency and being Impact Focussed
SolIDaRIt ValueS
Solidarit gave me so much!! my job, and whole career was due to that, I would have not
g m rs ps if I d b i Sidri.. I w s m.. giv, g.. tsdamned cloakrooms, endless meetings in the hairy canary, going to the old peoples home,being audited in such a nice and professional way.... what a great time! Long live Solidarityd lg iv Dvid Brs!!!
(Jess, Sidit Tesue, Wite 2001-2)
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h Sidri frids, sfor your continued spirit and
i! Im dig i g set up a program for young
people in my small area run by
our government organisation,
with my own laptop, desk,
phone and promotional t-shirt,
so I dont know how youve
kept managing to do it for
the whole world with none of
the above. Keep at it, good
thoughts are forthcoming.(Che 2004)
Pjects ctiities he ged m gisig d ptici-
pating in sporting events with orphans or refugees to singingin the street to raise funds for those in need. Such as:
1. Arranging forams Iri cards and letters toPises Csciece t be siged d witte t p-ties now thats a cool party.
2. Hepig t axii to teach the disabled, sick or sociallyexcluded.
3. The c Rm/ Vsiir - Wh cud get this e Whees tht sc! We u the cm t scievents and Trainee parties to raise money and awareness
for those in need.
Sidit Pjects d gd deeds t hep thes dmake a positive difference in our world - believing that
every small action makes a difference.
They are based on community and common humanity,
aiming to bring about social change and improve
peoples lives, and may aim to help both local andglobal causes.
They involve positive social or uplifting activities.
Hds- utee w is usu cussed local communities in the vicinity of those involved,
awareness-raising and resource-raising activities focus
on both local and worldwide interests.
SolIDaRIt PRojectS
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The essence of Solidarit is that
you dont have to be Mother
Teresa to make a wonderful
diffr i r wrd. Rr,that you always make a difference
when you play your part and
that it doesnt take much to make sigi diffr w
everyone plays a part.
(Did, Wite 98/99)
4. cs/ts/Gms/B ci afantastic project to help the poor Thou-
sands of toys, books and truckloads of
clothes collected to help others. This isCentral to DG COMP, come in DG COMP.
DG COMP, DG COMP? DG COMP, thetruck is coming to your DG to pick up yourstuff, get your ^&%$ out to meet the truck!
5. l Pi c, cete i Bussesthat hosts about 800 refugees and asylum
seekers - activities or outings for the chil-
dren, teaching computer classes, helping
with homework, arts and crafts, picnics
and games and generally sharing posi-
tive energy. I had one of the most fun af-ternoons there in about 10 years playinghide and seek around the chateau with thekids I couldnt remember the last time Ilaughed so much.
6. Service with the Little Sisters of the
Prde pepes hme i Busses home for those who are on a pension and
cant afford any other care facility - we help
with food and company, we hope we havethe same in our last days!
7. Missionnaires de la Charit: hep MtheTeresas Sisters prepare and serve a meal
and friendship for the homeless and peo-
ple of disadvantaged backgrounds.
were all trying to make this
world better. Every day people
are awakening and I hope we can
i is prss. I ws,we are bringing the world to the
light again. So, Solidarite, continue
r i wr, m frids. Gr
achievements begin with humility.(Fabian 2008)
SolIDarIT IS aBoUT SIMPlE
aCTIonS THaT MakE a
DIffErEnCE
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8. nr Dm x Ris cirs - teach-ing computer skills and languages at the
community of Notre Dame aux Riches-
Cies i Busses.
9. Solidarit humanitarian and socialawrss Risig Prs: confer-ences, petitions, discussions, photo-
gphic ehibitis, m estis, theEupe Stgiie Ju (ESJ),luchtime Discussi Gups.
10. Cooking to raise money and awareness
specic cuse: the Cies k-sovo project for example saw a team
of trainees calling their mothers aroundEupe ecipes d hppi bigcookies together all weekend sold to
st t suppt ks.
11. Brsss hf Mr we trained,we carbo-laoded, we designed the t-shirt
and we ran, (ok, and walked) as a huge
team for a cause.
12. Ss D csss learn to danced meet ieds i Cmmissi C-ference room at lunchtime, and at the
same time show solidarity with those in
need by raising awareness and funds
those that step on land mines.
Rgrdig sbmissifor the Central Charity
fd fr assiifr Df cidr hr Wrd, i Pd: Iremember when I heard
that my project won (at
the farewell conference)
- I was crying - that
was amazing for me
that among so manyprojects, mine won (for a
foundation from a small
vig i Pd)! evnow my heart is touched.
Bs grigs,
(J, Summe 2003)
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For me, Solidarity was like a life boat in the either too stormy or too calm waters of the stage.It allowed me to work on something that I really believe in, something with a greater purpose,
but which is also done in a fun and friendly atmosphere. It took a lot of work - probably more
m frm ss (d is m dvisr ;-P ) - b i ws d wi sismd psiiv driv. crdiig rs Sidri Prm tm vr ws gr for me, as I was always informed about was going on in the whole Committee and worked
wi wdrf grp f dsigrs d PR fids. Sig i f fr rs work on the 10th version of a poster was just part of the game, and Ive never felt so proud
as when receiving nice comments on the newsletter ads we were publishing every week.
Co-coordinating the Solidarity 25th stage celebration was the cherry on the cake, allowing me
to contribute to the crowing of 12 years and a half of Solidarity efforts, a colourful, fun andenergetic event like the Commission has never seen before!!I really hope that Solidarity will
not only continue to be passed on from stage to stage, but also become better, stronger and
bigger, making a positive change in the lives of even more people!
(I, Wite 2010/11)
nGos t he eceied suppt mSolidarit extend as far as np (a child
welfare scheme), India (programs for
street children and providing medical relief
to inhospitable regions of northern India),
the formerSvi Rpbi f Grgi(funding in support of an orphanage for
neglected and abandoned mentally and
physically disabled children) and Kosovo(fundraising for refugees via the Interna-
ti red Css d MSf).
Prs Risig Rsrs - One way Solidaritexpresses its concern for the problems faced by less
fortunate people is by raising resources and trying
to use it wisely for humanitarian purposes.
We he suppted pepe d pjects
all over the world.
FInanceS
Solidarit also provides
ways of creating balance
professionally,
socially and personally...
based on the simple
principal, that if you want to
be happy; help others.
(Ptici, Wite 2007/8)
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Its a project that can be supported in a uni-
ed w which eceies 30% the pts the Cmmissi Tieeship ntiPties (d the udisig). EupeThid Wd, gisti EU ciscollecting a percentage of staff income to
support aid and social projects outside the
Union, now helps with the impletation of this
initiative.
Cpeti with ETW heps Sidit sup-port a wide variety of projects in developing
countries. It helps with the assessment of
project proposals and the monitoring of the
projects supported thanks to staff and train-
ees in solidarity.
Becuse Sidite hs bse, it hsbee hd t cect ccumutie cigues. Sidite, i gee d thugh
the CCf hs ised hudeds thu-sds Eus chities: m Misdets reie Mie Heiette, shete hmeess chide i Begium (1,500);t PrEDa, nGo wig with chidei seu epitti i the Phiipies(21,000); t the He the Wd fud-tion, a program for the hearing impaired in
Pd (10,076.51) d it hs s giee 10,000, empe, t: Mic-ce
pjects the p i Meic; ehbiit-ti pgm d mie ictims i Cm-bdi; educti pgm ictims the Gecide i rwd; phge iGegi d shete t eed d eductechide i Bzi.
The Solidarit Central Charity Fund (CCF) has
been a fund organised each Traineeship period
tht cects ci suppt e demcti-cally selected humanitarian project carried out by
-pt gisti.
Brv pr SolIDaRIte.
jis r d i assistant la remise du
cheque pour lassociation
qui lutte contre
lexploitation sexuelle
ds fs. j ris qle mouvement est pris et
que cela continuera pour
pri sg. trsamicalement!
EaCH nEW SET of TraInEES arE THE CUrrEnT rEPrESEnTaTIvES of PaST
GEnEraTIonS - SolIDarIT PlaCES ParTICUlar IMPorTanCE on THEParTICIPaTIon of nEW TraInEES froM EaCH TraInEESHIP anD a lIaISon To
THEM InvITInG oWnErSHIP of ITS STrUCTUrE, InforMaTIon anD valUES.
THIS HaS ConSTanTly BEEn a CHallEnGE.
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I was in winter stage 2002 and took part in Solidarit activities throughout the
5 months: soup kitchen, cloakrooms, website, etc. I found it was great way of
meeting other stagiaires who shared the same values and drive to help others.
It was also a lot of fun and I cannot recall exactly how many evenings we spent
drinking coffees and beers at the pub while working for one or other Solidarit
vs. I di md m sg frgb xpri d gv i mrhuman-focused taste!
(Silvie, Summer 2002)
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Sme es g me tiee met MtheTees i Ccutt. She spe the phsi-
c pet pepe i the Est d thespiitu pet pepe i the West. Shespoke of how we are happy when we give.
She spoke of how when we have an experi-
ece giig d hepig thes, we dmeaning in ourselves and our existence
and this was one of the inspirations to begin
Solidarit...
Solidarit was begun by trainees very sim-
p t the Tieeship opeig Ceecein October 1998 with a notepad and a pen,
walking around during a wine and cheese
reception taking the names of people who
expressed an interest in humanitarian and
charitable activities.
It has been an extra-curricula activity of the
trainees with the aim of using the skills and
gifts of potential future leaders and policymakers to help others and to raise their
awareness of humanitarian and social is-
sues.
On the rst Stage (Oct98-Mar99) we just
sat in ECHO, in rue Belliard 68, on Tuesday
evenings like it was the 1960s. The Director
would walk passed the door and look in (I
still havent worked out what that look was).
The conception du projet of Solidarit oc-curred. A bunch of people with similar ideals
became friends and worked hard to providea link with the rest of the Stage to perform
small humanitarian activities and to makethe most of the goodwill and energy on the
Stage.
It was realised that the initiative should be
pssed . the me Hed the Cm-
missi Tieeships ce, J Sctt, theEupe Cmmuit Humiti oce(ECHo), specic the me Diect ECHo, abet n, the me as-
This all began as a day dream, listening and looking.
It continues because people dream, listen, look and act.
SolIDarIT ProvIDES
a STrUCTUrE WHICH
SUPPorTS PraCTICal
oPPorTUnITIES To HavE
oWnErSHIP for aCTIvITIES
To HElP oTHErS anD To BE
ExPoSED To anD InCrEaSE
UnDErSTanDInG of
HUManITarIan
anD SoCIal ISSUES.
hoW It all BeGan
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t Fr-GrmVis pr (drigwhich I was nominally
in charge of an army of
Solidarit comrades in the
cloakroom) will foreverremain engrained in my
memory, thanks to adrenalin
rushes caused by pretending
that lost garments were in
fact completely not lost and
in utterly competent and safe
hands, copious amounts of
cheap white wine, the cameo
appearance of a set of camel
lips and the perfect timing
3 m f Rig Sid FrdsIm too sexy blaring across
pd d r.
(name withheld, no idea why)
sistt t the Diect, Dtiee CesBet d the me assistt t theStge C-dit Heidi fhm, shedthe vision of Solidarit and were supportive
of its development. They saw possibilities to
get things done and empathised with the
values of Solidarit to make it possible for tiee im emi t the Cmmis-sion for 6 months after their Stage in order
to develop Solidarit and pass it on to the
future.The second Traineeship of Solidarit
(M99-Ju99) ws teie w-shop incorporating ideas and developing a
system so that it could last and be an integral
pt the Stge the Cmmissi.
The second Traineeship of Solidarit(M99-Ju99) ws teie w-shop incorporating ideas and developing a
system so that it could last and be an integral
pt the Stge the Cmmissi.
Thus, Solidarit was set up to belong to every
tiee withi the Cmmissi - wheeb 600completely new trainees would come and go
ee e mths with e itte pes t pe-son contact from the trainees of one Trainee-
ship period to the next to continue to develop
and work on Solidarit.
An informal request was made of the Train-
eeship oce duig this time m sup-pt Sidit (d gi i 2003) d thisdeemed to be beyond the resources available.
SolIDarIT ProJECTS anD aCTIvITIES aIM To
MakE SMall HUManITarIan anD SoCIal aCTIonS
MorE aCCESSIBlE anD EnCoUraGE THE SHarInG
of a onES aBIlITIES, BraInS, IDEaS, IMaGInaTIon,
HanDS, PoSITIvE aTTITUDE, laUGHTEr anD TIME
To Do SoME SIMPlE GooD DEEDS UnDEr THEPrInCIPlE THaT eVeRy SMall actIon MakeS a
DIFFeRence In MoRe WayS than one.
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a cp Mste fie ctiig wws et with ECHo d the Tieeship o-ce. I Septembe 1999, espsibiitfor Solidarit though was left in the hands of
Association of Trainees Summer 99 Liaison
Cmmittee i de t pss it t the Wi-
ter 99/2000 Traineeship and from there ontoall future traineeships in the same manner.
Since then, Solidarit has been passed on
from Traineeship period to Traineeship. It is
re-formed each traineeship period and con-
tinues to be run independently by trainees
that wish to get involved. Its existence and
therefore activities are dependent on the
interest and involvement of trainees each
Traineeship period.
I octbe 2003, tiee psiti ws ce-ated allowing a trainee to work part-time
each Traineeship period for Solidarit. This
position was discontinued after a few years.
Over the last 12.5 years, 25 Stages, Soli-
darit has continued to exist and do
many good deeds because it is real and
good and because there have been peo-ple ready during their traineeship to step
forward and to work together to run it in
its true spirit.
Trainees have walked the talk and had
a great time over the years. They have
dreamed, been brave and faced fears in
order to inspire others and to help others
they have had some very moving and mean-
ingful moments and they have at times beencompletely disheartened and they have
said I will not give up they have shared a
swit Guiess d bgs chips die
SolIDarIT EnCoUraGES
PEoPlE To UTIlISE
ITS STrUCTUrE anDrESoUrCES To rEflECT
THEIr oWn IDEalS
anD aSPIraTIonS anD
To BUIlD UPon THE
knoWlEDGE, ExPErIEnCE
anD ProGrESS MaDE
WITH HUManITarIan anD
SoCIal ProJECTS By
SolIDarIT In THE PaST.
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Solidarit has been an
experience full of joy and
enthusiasm and - at times of
pain it has been an invitation
to go beyond my limits and
out of myselfin order to reach
out to others. It has taught
me the meaning of tolerance,
fraternity, compassion, charity
and patience towards othersbut also towards myself. It
has made me aware of the
fact that in the end what one
gives is what one gets and that
we are all a part of the Whole
and that that Whole is in you
and me. It has shown me how
sharing, caring and relating
to others shows you how you
relate to yourself and that the
respect and love towards othersbrings you to a higher form of
yourself. It has revealed to me
the huge potential that I have
and how this potential expands
when it is shared in a group
or community. Solidarit has
helped me in relationships
with others to know myself
br d d wi
path I want to take in my life.a i i s b prisexperience that has left a
profound imprint on me.
(Iee d Mii 98/99)
to both celebrate successes or to plan how
to share humanity within the commission...
at times its been like an action movie with
thousands of emails and calls at all hours of
the day planning and organising and usingtheir hands for others.
The transient nature of the Stage has always
peseted cheges; with imti st simp t pssed d the dicut d-ing practical things and the reinvention of the
wheel each Stage. There has been a little
help from former trainees around the world
t ispie ew tiees; t et them wsuch things as dont spend energy rede-signing a logolook in the bottom drawerof a particular former stagiaires desk on the
4th oor of a different DG to you and see
if there is still a CD marked logo!...or, thebroom at the soup kitchen is kept behind the
cupboard marked linen (just call and ask for
Larry, Sister Dina or Sister Bonaffortunata,
the number is on a post it note in the stage
committee ofce). There is no permanentpresence of Solidarit and the challenges
d ieciecies iuece its eectieessconsiderably.
Yet, successful it remains! Pimithrough deeds not words, Solidarit just
does simple good deeds to help make the
world a better place. Trainees involved in
Sidit Pjects he hessed pe-
ples skills and continually provided a goodexample to civil society in helping others,
they have improved lives and helped peo-
pe t gss ts ee i Begium, thehe ised hudeds thusds Eu chit d mst sigict, the hecontributed somewhat to an elevation of
consciousness of trainees about humanitar-
ian and social issues around the world ...and
they did something about these issues theyshared thoughts, time, energy, prayers, food
and hands in helping the spirit of Solidarit to
ie d t gw; u ee w whee suchblessings stop. Thank you to all!
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The dream...
We would love to share Solidarit with
the staff and trainees of all the European
ui Isiis. trg spprigand helping to provide creative and easily
accessible opportunities to be involved
together in benevolent humanitarian
and social activities, Solidarit hopes to
make a positive difference in our world
and, essentially, to foster this spirit of
humanitarian and social consciousness
and action within and amongst current and
future leaders and policy-makers.
The full realisation of what a large groupof multi-cultural individuals can achieve if
their energy is coordinated and united is a
resource and opportunity that is worthy of
thought and encouragement.
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