Activities

Call for Prep Team: Eastern European Climate Summer Camp

Activities, Educational Activities, News, Organisational Activities, Uncategorized

Cooperation and Development Network (CDN) is announcing an open call for members of the preparatory team (prep-team) for the Eastern European Climate Summer Camp. The summer camp will take place from 5 – 13th of June 2023 in the Montenegro. More information on the project you can find here. 

With this activity we aim to equip 45 young Eastern Europeans with better understanding of climate crisis and skills for mobilising the youth around the issue, in order to empower them to bring systemic change in their local communities and regions.  

This will be done by meeting the following objectives:

  1. To equip the participants with the knowledge on climate crisis, its history and outcomes;
  2. To explore the causes and effects of the climate crisis on the Eastern European level;
  3. To empower the participants to fight for better climate, in order to sustain the society, culture and the world we live in;
  4. To equip the participants with skills and tools for mobilizing around climate crisis. 

 

If you are young person from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,  Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Bulgaria,  Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,  Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo*, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Turkey or Ukraine and if you are interested in the topic of the event, you are more than welcome to apply to volunteer as a member of this preparatory team. 

Prep-team members should speak English, be available during the preparation period, be responsible about fulfilling their tasks, have good organisational skills, be good  team players, committed to the aims of the project and CDN’s values and be familiar with non-formal education methods. We encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply for the Prep-team.

 

Main responsibilities of the prep-team:

  1. Active participation in the regular online meetings prior to the event (January-June / 2-3 h a week);
  2. Participation in two-day live prep team meeting on 18-19th of February (2 full working days), arrival day 17th, departure on 20th;
  3. Other meetings scheduled weekly or bi-weekly;
  4. Dissemination of the call and selection of participants, preparation of participants  for the event and providing them with all the necessary information  regarding the program;
  5. Preparation and facilitation of the  program of the event; designing and preparing sessions based on non-formal education methodology, invitation and communication with speakers, experts and partners in accordance with the project aims (4-6 h  a week);
  6. Helping with the promotion of the event and ensuring media visibility;
  7. Taking care of practicalities and of the general well-being of the participants;
  8. Full participation during the entire event and prep team meeting before and after: Arrival 2nd of June, departure 15th of June;
  9. Supporting the finalisation of the outputs;
  10. Helping with the reporting of the event.

 

Being a prep-team member at this event would offer you:

  1. Working in a lively international environment;
  2. Experience in managing youth projects – preparation, implementation and reporting;
  3. Getting familiar with Green values and the work of CDN;
  4. Getting to know activists from different European contexts and their work;
  5. A possibility to develop your leadership and group work skills;
  6. A lot of work and a lot of fun!

Here you can find provisional agenda.
 

 

Practicalities: 

Accommodation, food, working space, travel and visa costs for the preparatory team will be fully covered. For selection of travel means the condition is to combine the most economic and environmentally friendly way (lowest price + travel time + CO2 emissions).

DEADLINE for submitting online applications is 15th of January, 23:59 CET. You will be informed by email approximately 2 weeks after the deadline. Please add project.coordinator@cdnee.org to your contacts, so that you do not receive our reply in the spam folder.

 

APPLY HERE

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Work Plan “Bring your tote-bag, but smash the system!”

Activities, Educational Activities, News, Organisational Activities, Uncategorized


Project background

Tackling climate crisis comes as a priority for Eastern European Green youth, as shown by the outputs of the Strategic Planning Meeting 2020 of CDN and not without a cause. Contrary to popular perception, Eastern Europe faces significant threats from climate change, with a number of the most serious risks already in evidence. The climate is changing, and the Eastern European region is vulnerable to the consequences, as many other places on Earth. This issue is local and global at the same time. Many of the region’s countries are facing warmer temperatures, a changing humidity, and more extreme weather conditions, droughts, floods, heat waves, wind storms, and forest fires. As it is the case worldwide, climate crisis is disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, forcing them into climate migrations, deteriorating the work conditions and constantly changing the job and economic markets, creating a hostile environment for these groups. Vulnerability over the next 10 to 20 years is likely to be dominated by these socio-economic factors and legacy issues. Nevertheless, even countries and sectors that stand to benefit from climate change are poorly positioned to do so, while the next decade offers a window of opportunity for these actors in EE countries to make their development more resilient to climate change while reaping numerous co-benefits. We have seen efforts and changes being implemented in Eastern European countries – participations in the international climate movement Fridays for Future and the rise of local climate activism. However, the steps taken currently are not nearly enough for sustaining the life on this planet as we know it and in order to lead a sustainable change, a push for systemic change and mobilisation of Eastern European Climate Resistance movements is undeniably a regional priority. Only by practicing grassroot, youth, informed mobilisation on climate issues we will be able to build resilient, just and Green Eastern Europe, where the human rights and the environment are respected. 

To achieve this, our project aims to equip the young people from the Eastern Europe with better understanding of climate crisis and skills for mobilising the youth around the issue, in order to empower them to bring systemic change in their local communities and regions. 

This will be done by reaching the following objectives:

    1. Equip young people from the Eastern Europe with better understanding of climate crisis;
    2. Empower young people from the Eastern Europe to bring systemic change in their local communities and regions.

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Project summary:

The project will incorporate two phases: an Eastern European Climate Summer Camp which will be followed by Local, Regional and Cross-Country Actions across Eastern European countries. Both activities aim to bring a greater understanding and mobilisation on topics of climate rights and the climate crisis, as well as expand on the long term consequences of the climate crisis. These activities will help raise awareness among young people from the Eastern Europe on the importance of addressing the issues and actively campaigning for change.

 

1st phase –  Eastern European Climate Summer Camp

The first event of the Work plan is a nine days long Summer Camp with the aim to equip the young people from the Eastern Europe with better understanding of climate crisis and skills for mobilising the youth around the issue. This will be achieved by reaching the following objectives:

    1. Equip the participants with the knowledge on climate crisis, its history and outcomes;
    2. Explore the causes and effects of the climate crisis on the Eastern European level;
    3. Empower the participants to fight for better climate, in order to sustain the society, culture and the world we live in;
    4. Equipping the participants with skills and tools for mobilising around climate crisis.

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Date: 5-13 June 2023
Location: Montenegro

Call for Prep-team

Call for Participants (coming soon) 

Provisional agenda

 

2nd phase –  Eastern European Climate Campaigns

The second phase of the work plan is the direct outcome of the first phase –  participants will apply in organising local, cross regional or regional (maximum 4 countries) activities in order to kickstart context-specific discussions and campaigns on climate activism. The aim of this activity will be to empower young people from the Eastern Europe to bring the systemic change in their local communities and regions. This will be achieved by reaching the following objectives:

    1. To provide the participants with an opportunity to practically apply gained knowledge;
    2. To provide the participants with an opportunity to influence relevant stakeholders and climate crisis related processes across Eastern European countries;
    3. To showcase different practices of fighting for climate in countries of the Eastern Europe with different levels of shrinking space for the civil society.

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Funding will be provided for Climate Campaign related activities for participants from 10 countries throughout a 4 month period of preparation, implementation and reporting. In this period, campaign  organisers will create an activity which will contribute to project aims and build the capacity of organisations in implementing local and regional events.

Date: September-November 2023

Duration: Optional 

Location: Participating countries

Call for Climate Campaigns (coming soon)

 

Methodology

The program of the International Activityies will be based on the principles of non-formal education and intercultural learning. We strive for active, inclusive and direct communication and transfer and sharing of knowledge. Sessions of the International Activityies will be balanced between theoretical inputs, training, workshops, discussions, reflection, planning, brainstorming and other interactive methods of learning.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or   population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with   the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1244 and without   prejudice to the status of Kosovo

Practicalities for Delegates and Guests

Activities, CDN News, General Assembly, News, Organisational Activities, Organization

You will find detailed information regarding practicalities, financial support and reimbursement rules.

 

General Information

We would kindly ask all participants to register by January 23.

NOTE: A registration form is not enough to register as a delegate! Delegates of Member, Partner and Observer organisations need to be confirmed by their organisation. Therefore, an official email from your organisation’s email account should be sent to office@cdnee.org confirming the name(s) of your delegate(s).

In order for CDN to be able to provide financial support for the delegates’ travel costs, the above-proposed deadlines shall apply. The deadline is determined by the IRPs “Each member and partner organisation shall inform the Secretariat of the names of their representatives at least 45 days before the General Assembly”

Guests and WG members can register for the GA by filling in the same form and notifying office@cdnee.org if they would like CDN to book accommodation in the same venue.

The delegates are expected to arrive at the venue in location the on 8th in the evening (dinner will be provided) and depart on the 13th in the morning (breakfast will be provided).

Note: We strongly encourage you to follow the good practice of having one experienced delegate (preferably, someone who has been to previous GAs) and one less experienced delegate (to ensure the transfer of knowledge).

In addition, according to IRPs  8.1 Participants of CDN events can’t be older than 30 at the moment of applying. Delegates, whom we will reimburse, are considered participants. Guests, coming at their own expense, can be any age.

For any additional information regarding the financial arrangements, please get in touch with the Secretariat.

REGISTER

To whom will we be covering the costs?

If you’re coming as the 1st Delegate:

CDN will cover all of your costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) during the GA and Strategic Planning Meeting.

If you’re coming as a 2nd Delegate:

CDN will cover all of your costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) during the GA and Strategic Planning Meeting.

According to CDN IRP’s second delegates of Member Organizations have to pay a participation fee of 10 EUR, unless delegates are younger than 25.

If you’re coming as a 1st Delegate:

We will cover all of your costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) during the General Assembly.

If you’re coming as a 2nd Delegate:

CDN will not be able to cover any costs.

According to CDN IRP’s second delegates of Partner Organizations have to pay a participation fee of 10 EUR, unless delegates are younger than 25.

CDN will not be able to cover any costs (travel, accommodation, meals), however, there is no participation fee for Observer Organisation delegate.
 

We will cover all of your costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) during the General Assembly.

Non-elected EC Candidates will still have accommodation and meals covered for the duration as if they were elected.

Should get in touch with the office and financial assistance will be decided on an individual basis.

We will cover all of your costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) during the General Assembly.

CDN will cover all of your accommodation and meal costs during the event.

CDN will not be able to cover any costs of the guests of the General Assembly and Strategic Planning Meeting. 

The participation fee for the guests is 10 EUR and is to be paid via bank transfer prior to or in cash during the GA.

Other information about travel and financial conditions
 

We encourage traveling by land whenever possible and it’s the only option if the journey takes less than 15 hours (IRPs §9.1), for reducing CO2 emissions. Since it might a long way to Warsaw for some of you, flying can be the only option. However, we ask you to organise your travel in the most economic way. Only 2nd/economy class reservations will be reimbursed. This also applies to train reservations.

 

As a principle, we only cover travel expenses from your place of residence to Warsaw and back. In case you need to travel from or to somewhere else, please contact office.assistant@cdnee.org (cc office@cdnee.org) with a justification of the circumstances, after which we will let you know what to do.

 

Once you are nominated and registered as a delegate, send your travel proposal to office.assistant@cdnee.org and keep office@cdnee.org in CC. Proceed with booking as soon as it’s approved.

 

Don’t wait for the last chance to register and purchase tickets as it will get expensive. The deadline to booking tickets is 35 days prior to the GA – 2nd of February.

 

Travel to Warsaw

 

– By Land:

Warsaw Central Central is located at the very heart of Warsaw. It is reachable by train from various places in Europe: including direct connections from Vienna and Budapest that makes traveling by land from the Balkans possible. There are also connections from Ukraine and Lithuania.

You can check for the train connections here: PolRail, ÖBB, Rome2Rio, RailCC

 

You can also reach Warsaw by Bus. Check for routes here: FlixBus, getbybus, and Rome2rio.

 

– By Air:

Warsaw has two airports, so make sure you check both airports for the cheapest option.

Chopin Airport (WAW) is the main airport in Warsaw with regular flights by airline companies such as LOT Polish Airlines, Wizz Air and Smartwings. It is located 10 kilometers south of the city center. You can reach city by Bus or Train.

Modlin Airport (WMI) mostly used by low-cost airline companies such as Ryanair and Enter Air. It is located 40 kilometers northwest of the city. You can reach centre both by Bus or Train.

We recommend looking for affordable flight options here and here.

 

Reimbursement rules

There is no participation fee for the delegates and we will be reimbursing 100% of the travel costs.

In order for us to proceed with your reimbursement, we need to receive all original proofs (tickets, bank statements, bills, bank slips, invoices, boarding passes, reservations and other proofs of payments) for the expenses that you are claiming. A cost that doesn’t have its original proof, unfortunately, is a cost that never happened and will not get reimbursed!

 Examples:

  • Train/bus/ferry tickets and reservations, clearly stating the price of the ticket/reservation. This includes local transport, for example a ticket for the bus from an airport to the city centre, including the bill and bank slip (if paid by card).
  • Invoices of flight bookings (if bought online, it is usually an e-mail which states the total price of the flight) and all boarding passes (all need to be sent to office.assistant@cdnee.org). Online boarding passes are accepted. In case you do the online check in through a mobile application, please make sure to make a print-screen of the boarding pass, as they have a tendency to disappear. The flights should also have the proof of payment attached. In case you bought it through a bank transfer or credit card, it would be a statement from your bank system and if you paid in cash, you should always demand a paper bill.

All the reimbursement will happen via bank transfer after the event.

 

More details regarding reimbursement and practicalities (venue, accommodation, etc.), will be shared later with the registered delegates through e-mail.

 

Register for the 2023 General Assembly

Join us in Warsaw, March 9-12, for the most important political and decision-making event for our network.

Click Here

General Assembly 2023

Activities, CDN News, General Assembly, News, Organisational Activities, Organization

 

We are happy to officially announce the 14th General Assembly of Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe, which will take place between 9-12 March in Warsaw, Poland, hosted by Ostra Zieleń (Polish Young Greens).

 

We invite you to nominate your delegates to the General Assembly (GA) which is the highest decision-making body of CDN. GA consists of delegates from Member and Partner (factual members) organisations and brings other friends from the Green European family to share, network and discuss. GA elects Executive Committee, adopts activity and financial plan for the next year and makes other relevant decisions.

 

This year’s General Assembly is exceptionally important for two reasons. One is that we are celebrating 20 years of CDN and we will dedicate some time to evaluate the past, discuss the present and plan the future. Second, and more importantly this year we will be amending our Statutes for which we will need a higher than usual quorum – two-thirds of all factual member organisations. Therefore, your participation is crucial. In addition, 2023 General Assembly includes the Strategic Planning Meeting during which the delegates will shape the upcoming priorities, scope of work and general development of CDN.

 

 

Regarding the Delegates:

Member organisations has a right to be represented by two delegates with voting rights at the General Assembly and has the full right to nominate its candidate for any organisational group/position or submit amendments to any organisational document. We will cover the full travel and accommodation costs of the two delegates of each Member Organization.

Partner organisations has a right to send one delegate with no voting right to the GA and has the full right to nominate its candidate for any organisational group/position or submit amendments to any organisational document. We will cover the full travel and accommodation costs of one delegate from the partner organisations.

Observer organisations also have a right to take part with one representative in the GA without a participation fee however CDN will not be able to reimburse any costs.

Guests are also welcomed at the GA, bearing in mind that CDN can’t cover their GA-related costs and they will be subjected to participant fees.

 

Note: We strongly encourage you to follow the good practice of having one experienced delegate (preferably, someone who has been to previous GAs) and one less experienced delegate (to ensure the transfer of knowledge).

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Secretariat at office@cdnee.org.

Practicalities

Register for the 2023 General Assembly

Save the dates, and decide on the delegates and your participation.

Click Here

Call for Host Organisation: CDN General Assembly 2023

Activities, CDN News, General Assembly, News, Organisational Activities, Organization

9-12 March, Warsaw, Poland

General Assembly 2023

We are happy to officially announce the 14th General Assembly of Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe, which will take place between 9-12 March in Warsaw, Poland, hosted by Ostra Zieleń (Polish Young Greens).

Save the dates, decide on the delegates and your participation.

 

Check here

Dear CDN Members and Partner Organisations,

The Executive Committee is hereby announcing an open call for a host organisation for the 2023 General Assembly (GA) and Strategic Planning Meeting scheduled for (time is to be decided between the 3rd or 4th weekends of February or the 1st weekend of March).

General Assembly – which is the highest decision-making body – is the most important political event throughout the year for CDN; while Strategic Planning Meeting will determine the future trajectory and development of the organisation.

We are envisioning having a 3 to 4-day event which only adds to our excitement about holding the GA, finally, live and we will be very happy to receive applications from all MOs and POs that believe they have the capacity to host this event.

In order to have a better understanding of what it takes to organise, and what will be the responsibilities as well as the rights, you can access the guiding document HERE. The preparations will be challenging but at the same time very fulfilling and a valuable experience for any organisation of the network. In addition, hosting the General Assembly has several benefits including:

  • gaining experience in hosting an international political event
  • having a space to organise a session during the topical part of the GA
  • visibility via CDN’s social media

If your organisation is interested in hosting the 2023 GA, fill in this application form.

Deadline: Sunday, 13th of November, 2022.

The application includes information regarding the motivation, previous experience with organising events, and possible propositions for the event (location, accommodation, venue, etc.); your answers will help the committee to decide on the appropriate/suitable location.

Of course, we will follow the COVID-19 situation and organise the GA accordingly, to ensure a safe and inclusive event for all participants.

The Executive Committee will evaluate the applications and make a decision during the committee meeting in November and have a decision by the 20th of November.

For any further questions, don’t hesitate to write to us at giorgi.ptskialadze@cdnee.org.

Open call for Participants: Study Session “Green Cities for Sustainable Planet” 

Educational Activities

Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN) is announcing a call for participants for the Study Session “Green Cities for Sustainable Planet”.

The event will take place from 7th to 12th of November 2022 in the European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The arrival date for the participants is 6th and departure date is 13th.

With this activity we aim to empower 35 young Eastern Europeans in tackling climate change through exploring the intersectionality of globalisation, capitalism and environmental issues – this event will provide a holistic approach towards climate change by focusing on communities, economy, human rights and urbanism and support the participants in developing new attitudes towards climate change, through exploring how governments, businesses and citizens can enable the urban and economic shift to a greener transition. 

This will be done by meeting the following objectives:

  • To deepen participants’ understanding of climate change by exploring the role that cities should play in fighting climate crisis and how latter is connected to urbanization and post-growth economics;
  • To equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to practice and advocate for city-level climate, economic and social justice;
  • To provide the participants with the space to create a practical guide on transitioning one’s lifestyle and living environment into a more green and environmentally friendly one. 

You can read more about the project on this page.

Continue reading →

Study Session  “Green Cities for Sustainable Planet”

Activities, Educational Activities

Climate change is the most serious threat to humanity in the 21st century. According to UN Habitat, cities consume 78% of the world’s energy and produce the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions. As urbanisation is expected to accelerate even more, cities will have even bigger impact on the environment and climate. Many of them are also the first to experience number of consequences of the changing climate – rising sea levels, extreme heat, water scarcity and air pollution among others. Interestingly, the entities with the most ambitious climate goals are rarely countries – usually, they are cities. 

Continue reading →

The Future of Eastern Europe Conference

CDN News, General Assembly, News, Organisational Activities

https://www.cdnee.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Future-of-Eastern-Europe-Conference-2022.png

30 years ago a major shift has happened in global politics and Eastern Europe – states dissolved and collapsed and new ones have been established, the system has been changed. During this period there was a promise that after a long struggle we would achieve democracy and well-being.

 

But as we look back from today it is clear that this has not happened and if it did it was not sustainable.

 

These last decades have been full of hope and misery, protests and revolutions, conflicts and wars, economic uphills and downfalls, democratisation and backsliding.

 

This story has not ended, it is developing and continuing, there are more challenges and opportunities ahead. And all of us, Young Greens and activists in Eastern Europe, are part of this.

 

Therefore we in CDN decided to organise a conference where we would discuss all these issues we are facing.

 

How did we end up where we are now? What is the role of global powers such as the EU, Russia and China in our region? Should we be hopeful for the future as we see emerging environmental movements and progressive political actors? Can we achieve climate prosperity and what challenges do we have regards energy and transition?

These will be questions that we will ask during the conference and try to find answers to through panel discussions with invited speakers, informal talks and sharing our perspectives.
 
 
With this conference, we are aiming to provide a space for Young Greens from EE to discuss what is the common vision for building an authentic Green movement in EE and what is our role in it. We want to explore existing good potentials a have the space to meet with other progressive political actors from the region.
 
 
The Conference is a part of the transnational project “Future of Eastern Europe and (Eco)democracy” that we are organising in cooperation with the Green European Foundation, Green Institute of Greece, Sustainable Development Forum Green Window, Green Green Thought Association and Ecopilis Foundation.
 

Although the Conference was planned to happen prior to the CDN General Assembly in March 2022, taking everything into consideration minding everyone’s concerns and safety, the Executive Committee (EC) has accessed the ongoing situation and has come to a conclusion in agreement with GEF partners for the Conference to be postponed.

Having this in mind, The Future of Eastern Europe Conference will be taking place in Riga, Latvia on 6-7th June 2022.

Location: Rija VEF Hotel, Brīvības 199c, Riga, Latvija, LV-1039 

Practicalities:

Language: The main language of this activity will be English. But not being comfortable with interacting in English should not prevent you from applying. CDN strives to create an inclusive atmosphere at the events, where participants are encouraged to express themselves and ask for clarifications or translations from peers that speak the same language.

Costs: Anyone is welcome to take part in the conference with their own expenses. There is no participation fee.

In addition, CDN can cover the participation of a limited number of applications of young greens and activists from Eastern Europe (with a maximum age of 30). Meaning the cost of travel, and lodging (accommodation in multi-bed rooms, vegetarian/vegan food and refreshments).

In any case, take into consideration choosing the most economic and environmentally friendly means of travel (lowest price + travel time + CO2 emissions) and in case the trip would take less than 15 hours only travelling by land (train+bus) is reimbursed (IRPs §9.1).

Deadline: 20th of May (if applying for CDN to cover your participation.)

You will be informed by e-mail approximately 1 week after the deadline. Please add office@cdnee.org to your contacts, so that you do not receive our reply in the spam folder.

In case of having any questions, do not hesitate to write us at office@cdnee.org

 
Register (Closed)

Programme

Time Zone: Eastern European Summer Time (EEST) / Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) + 3

Day 1, Monday, June 6

10:00-10:15 Opening of the conference
 
10:15-11:30 Eastern Europe as a region – a story of turbulent transformation (Live Stream)
 

Speakers: 

– Sonja Schiffers, Director of Heinrich-Boell Foundation, South Caucasus Office

– Anastasiya Dorofeeva, Belarusian Green party, Belarusian anti-nuclear campaign, hub “Green foundations”

 
Description: For more than thirty years Eastern Europe is a region of independent nation-states. During this period there was the promise that after a long struggle democracy and well-being would be achieved. Looking at it today, it is clear that most Eastern European countries are far from democracy and the well-being of citizens.
In this session, we will try to analyse and reflect on the last decades of Eastern Europe, mainly focusing to find the roots of current problems and possible solutions by looking back at the recent history – what shaped the region, how the democratisation and transition took place.
 
 
12:00-13:30 Influence of Global Powers: Eastern Europe at the crossroads between democracy and autocracy (Live Stream)
 
Speakers:

– Anton Cherepenko, the Free Hong Kong Center in Kyiv

– Zarina Burkadze  Associate Professor of Political Science, Ilia State University

– Raluca Besliu, contributor of Green European Journal focusing on Eastern European affairs

– Teo Comet, European Greens

Description: Discussing political dynamics and transformation of Eastern Europe cannot take place without paying attention to global powers and their involvement in the region. 
With this session we aim to map global powers: EU – China, Russia and US – and their interests; What role do they play in supporting democracy and progressive agenda or the opposite – encouraging and financing anti-democratic, right-wing and authoritarian forces. 
 
15:30-17:00 War in Ukraine: Context, Present and the Effect on the region (Live Stream)
 
Description: Russian aggression against Ukraine is continuing. Every day we are witnessing atrocities, war crimes and violations of international law from the Russian side, at the same time Ukraine is bravely defending its people, sovereignty, democracy and even Europe as a whole.
In this session, we will take a look at a few different aspects of the conflict: the context of the war, the historical roots of Russian aggression, the current events, as well as what greens should do to help Ukraine, and how the ongoing war affects countries in the region.
 
 
17:30-19:00 Energy – a veto point and/or a chance for democracy? (Live Stream)
 
Speakers:

Manana Kochladze, Bankwatch Strategic Area Leader – Democratization and Human Rights

Yevheniia Zasiadko, Head of climate and transport department at Ecoaction – Centre for Environmental Initiatives
 

Workshop: 

Sandy-Kyriaki Fameliari, ElectaEnergy Cooperative
 
Description: The energy we choose reflects the systems we support. In this session, we will discuss energy as the core factor for sustaining authoritarian regimes and the way the energy sector influences political dynamics. As well as we are going to focus on the possibility of democratisation through energy – decentralisation, renewables and the prospect of energy cooperatives in Eastern Europe. 
 

Day 2, Tuesday, June 7th

10:00-11:30 Eco-Democracy as a new paradigm for Eastern Europe
 
Facilitators:
– Annie Maniadi and Dimitris Papageorgiou, Green Institute of Greece
 
Description: The Workshop aims to add a philosophical, ethical and institutional dimension to the conversations on the Future of Eastern Europe happening at the Conference. It hopes to bring together the different voices and ideas from the wealth of participants and facilitate a meaningful discussion on how to put Ecology at the Centre of Democracy.

How can we make democracy more ecological? What kind of changes do we need to apply to our thinking about participation, institutions and decision-making to put ecology and the environment at the forefront of our political systems?

These are some of the questions that we’ll be asking and trying to answer at our Ecodemocracy Workshop!                                         
 
 
12:00-13:30  Conflicts in Eastern Europe: the theory and beyond
 
Description: The session aims to provide participants with the basis of conflict theory and conflict resolution and analyze the conflicts in EE through case studies.  The session encompasses theoretical and practical parts that will be conducted through non-formal education methods. The objectives of the session are 1)to understand the concept of conflict (origin, causes, consequences), 2) to discuss the mechanisms of handling conflict, particularly, conflict resolution, and 3) to explore the conflicts that happened in EE in recent years, their consequences and current state.
 
 
15:30-17:00 Open Mic
 
 
17:30-19:30 Movements into politics: Green Wave in Eastern Europe (Live Stream)
 
Speakers:

– Justine Pantelejeva, Progresīvie, Latvia

– Sopo Shubitidze, Mtsvaneebi, Georgia 

– Predrag Momčilović, Ne davimo Beograd, Serbia

– Stefan Vukmanovic, Ura Montenegro

– Koray Doğan Urbarlı, Green Party Turkey 

 

Description: For the last decades, if you checked the electoral map of Europe intending to see how Green parties have been performing, you would see a clear pattern: Greens in the west and north do well – they get elected in national and regional parliaments, city councils, win mayorships and even participate in governing coalitions; while in the east – you would see a grey colour representing either absence of Green parties from the political landscape or lack of support and therefore relevance. However, in recent years the pattern is dissolving and becoming a blur, the Green wave spreading to the East.

During the panel, we will discuss the ongoing Green wave with newly established Green political parties across Eastern Europe with the aim to analyse current success, find the patterns and similarities, understand the importance of grassroots movements and civil society, map challenges, envision the future and their influence on the political landscape.

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of CDNEE and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this event.

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Call for trainers “Skills for massive youth activisation”

Activities, Educational Activities, News

CDN is opening the call for trainers for the 2nd phase of this year’s Annual Work Plan, “Skills for massive youth activisation”, which is a 5-day international training course that is going to take place in Riga, Latvia between the 8th and 12th of June 2022.

Working time: Session length – 1,5 hours; online work before the event (~10 hours per session).

Remuneration: EUR 150 per session

We are looking for someone with the following profile: 

  1. Comprehensive understanding and respect of Green values;

  2. Excellent written and spoken English;

  3. Excellent organisational skills;

  4. Efficient communication skills (in online and offline settings);

  5. Experience in non-formal education and moderation;

  6. Ability to take initiative and work in an international environment;

  7. Experience in activism is an asset;

  8. Preferably younger than 30 years of age and not older than 35 at the moment of applying.

We are looking for trainers for the following sessions:

1. Creative campaigning module:

1.1 Developing art campaign (3 sessions)

In these sessions, we expect the trainer to shortly walk the participants through the process of developing an art campaign and than mentor them through making an imaginary art campaign that is related to activism. We want the trainer to help the participants think outside the box and provide support if they get stuck. We also want the sessions to be as interactive as possible. The participants will already be introduced to some basic creative campaigning concepts and will have had sessions on visual and audiovisual creative campaigning and urban intervention examples. We need an experienced trainer to help them with practical advice on what steps need to be taken to successfully develop an art campaign and to mentor them through the common challenges.

2. Debates and public speaking module:

2.1 Debating (1 session) 

For this session, the trainer is expected to introduce the participants to the basics of debating and public speaking. The trainer should help the participants to take their debating skills to the next level, by focusing on both the content and structure of high-quality debates.
 The trainer should have experience with both debating and non-formal education.

2.2. Developing speeches and polishing (3 sessions)

In these sessions, we expect the trainer to work with the participants and do the practical exercises developing their speeches for the Local Actions. Participants should learn about how to adapt to different audiences, how to involve the audience and how to match non-verbal and verbal communication in order to deliver the message successfully. The trainer should have experience in empowering young people and enabling them to make their voices heard through captivating speeches with both meaningful content and rhetorical effects.

3. Movement organising skills

3.1 Recruiting new members in the movements/organisations (1 session)

For this very important and complex topic for all activists and organisations, we would like to attract a trainer with practical experience. In this session, we expect the trainer to cover the following topics:

– Tools to recruit new members;

– How to communicate with new members and how to involve them in current actions;

– How to motivate them;

– The practical task for the participants on this topic.

3.2 External communications – positioning of the movement (1 session)

– Definition

– Types of external communication

– Goals and strategies

– Benefits (with specific examples)

– Practical part – working with participants on press releases, positioning on the social media, networking in the name of their organisation with the partners and so on.

4. NFE methodologies

4.1 NFE methodologies in-depth and Developing the NFE elements of LAs (2 sessions)

In this session, we expect the trainer first to deliver a presentation on out of the box methodologies for NFE events. Participants will be already familiar with the methodologies such as fish bowls, role plays, world cafe, etc. We would like to hire a trainer with experience in NFE methodologies that are most useful for involving the apolitical youth in the life of society. This training aims to equip the young people implementing the local actions with NFE skills that they will use in their LA, aiming to mobilise youth for participation in the political life of the society.

You can see the updated agenda of the event with dates HERE.

Practicalities: 

Accommodation, food, working space, travel and visa costs for the preparatory team will be fully covered. For the selection of travel means the condition is to combine the most economic and environmentally friendly way (lowest price + travel time + CO2 emissions).

We encourage Eastern Europeans, Women, queer people and people from other marginalised groups to apply. Payment for the service will be done in cash for trainers that do not have an EU bank account and via bank transfer to those that have it within 2 weeks’ time after the end of the event.

The interested candidates are invited to send their CV, short (0,5-page bio/presentation of their experience and skills and filled out session outline to project.coordinator@cdnee.org by 23rd of May 23:59 CET. 

The selected trainers will be contacted within a week after the Deadline and invited for a call with the members of the preparatory team of the event to continue working on the session together. Please add project.coordinator@cdnee.org to your contacts, so that you do not receive our reply in the spam folder.

 

Call for the PT of “Green Cities for Sustainable Planet”

Activities, Educational Activities, Member Organizations, News

Cooperation and Development Network (CDN) is announcing an open call for members of the preparatory team (prep-team) for the study session “Green Cities for Sustainable Planet”  which will take place from 7th to 12th  of November 2022 in the European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The arrival date for the participants is 6th and departure date is 13th. More information on the project you can find here.

With this activity we aim to empower 35 young Eastern Europeans in tackling climate change through exploring the intersectionality of globalisation, capitalism and environmental issues – this event will provide a holistic approach towards climate change by focusing on communities, economy, human rights and urbanism and support the participants in developing new attitudes towards climate change, through exploring how governments, businesses and citizens can enable the urban and economic shift to a greener transition. 

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