Khalida Brohi reports that Sughar, a program of Participatory Development Initiatives in Pakistan, is off to a strong start. Sughar seeks an end to tribal traditions like honor killing and child marriage in Pakistan by providing women with socio-economic empowerment opportunities. Learn more and view photos of Sughar’s embroidered products.

Marita Cheng, founder of Robogals, was recognized as Young Australian of the Year for her outstanding achievement in empowering young women to pursue careers in engineering and technology. Since its inception, Robogals has reached nearly 3,000 young women across 80 schools throughout Australia. Congratulations Marita!

Rajeeb Dey, founder of Enternships in the UK, announced a new partnership with Santander Bank designed to link university talent to Santander’s business banking customers. Says Rajeeb, “It’s a great example of how a start up like Enternships can work with a corporate bank to unlock opportunities within SMEs at a time of record levels of youth unemployment.” Read Rajeeb’s 2012 Enternships predictions.

Andeisha Farid, founder of the Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO), reports that the six AFCECO youth now touring the U.S. are having an experience they will never forget. The youth and their English teacher, Ian Pounds, visited the International Youth Foundation’s offices in January. The event is captured in an IYF blog.

George Gachara, who co-founded Plan B to encourage young Kenyans to take an interest in current and civic affairs, announces the launch of a new online radio channel.

Sarah Gogel, co-founder of Global Potential (GP), is poised to expand GP’s work from its two U.S. locations in New York and Boston to Paris, France. Sarah recently visited IYF’s Baltimore headquarters to update staff on GP’s accomplishments and future plans.

Eugeniu Graur writes that CERTITUDE, an organization he founded to promote youth entrepreneurship in Moldova, has been selected as Regional Partner for Europe by Youth Service America and will play a lead role in organizing Global Youth Service Day on April 20-22, 2012.

Lilit Simonyan, founder of the Stepanavan Youth Center (SYC), writes of its efforts to strengthen the leadership skills of hundreds of Armenian girls, ages 13 to 16, with support from a Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grant. Read Lilit’s blog.

Antonella Vagliente, founder of the Toolkit for High Schools in Argentina, was a featured speaker at TEDxRíodelaPlata. View her presentation.

www.youthactionnet.org

”Follow their example”, recomm from Danube.EDU team

The Presidency will also prioritise creativity and entrepreneurship under the flagship initiative “An Agenda for new skills and jobs”. During the Presidency, the Council will also deal with the question of active participation of youth in society as part of the Structured Dialogue. Creativity, innovation, performance and talent among European youth will be promoted as part of active citizenship and the transition from education to employment. Regarding the Structured Dialogue, the Presidency will work under the overall heading of youth participation. The national priorities of “creativity and innovation” will be debated at the EU Youth Conference on 18th-21th March in Sorø.

The Youth Forum welcomes progress on a Council recommendation promoting and validating informal and non-formal learning. Non-formal education is emerging as an important way in which to bridge the gap between education and employment. The Forum also regards “An Agenda for new skills and jobs” as a positive step in allowing young people to access new opportunities. The Forum will continue to work with the Presidency to make sure that youth needs are addressed.

Useful Links:

“Europe at Work: Programme of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2012”, Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2012

“Conferences and Other Events in the Field of Education and Youth During the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union”, Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2012

“The Danish Prime Minister’s speech in the European Parliament”, Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2012, 18th January 2012

www.youthforum.org

AICI

www.ies.org.ro

We are pleased to inform you that CYBERALL ACCESS organises the following seminars that you can receive funding for participating at the indicated dates and places.

Our two seminars are the following:

1st Seminar: Successful Project Planning and Management of European Educational Projects Ref. no.: CY-2011-068-008 as officially registered in Grundtvig/Comenius database Location: Athens/Greece Dates: 16th -20th Jan 2012 For further info (outline, venue, accommodation arrangements, costs and fees, trainees impressions, etc)  and guidance on applying please also visit this link

Location: Limassol, Cyprus Dates: 16th -20th Apr 2012, or 9th – 13th July 2012 or 17th – 21st Sept 2012 For further info  (outline, venue, accommodation arrangements, costs and fees, trainees impressions, etc) and guidance on applying please also check on the links above and navigate across the different tabs

Previous trainees impressions: Our previous trainees rate this course from very good to excellent!

2nd Seminar: GO E-LEARNING!   Learn to easily  develop and run e-Learning courses to reach wider   audience! How to offer  your face-to-face or blended training fully   through efficient  e-Learning practices

Ref. no.: CY-2011-069-008 as officially registered in Grundtvig/Comenius database Location: Athens/Greece    Dates: 13th -17th Feb 2012 For further info and guidance on applying for this course, please also visit this link

Location: Limassol, Cyprus    Dates: 23rd -27th Apr 2012, 2nd-6th July 2012, 10th-14th Sept 2012 and . For further info  (outline, venue, accommodation arrangements, costs  and fees, trainees impressions, etc) and guidance on applying for a grant, please also check on the links above and navigate across the different tabs

Previous trainees impressions: Our previous trainees rate this course from very good to excellent.

Important Notes regarding the participation costs: All our seminars in Athens and in Cyprus during Jan 2012-Apr 2012, it is confirmed that they will actually take place, i.e. between 16-20 Jan 2012, 13-17 Feb 2012, 16th -20th Apr 2012 and  23rd -27th Apr 2012. There are some limited places left and these seminars are an excellent opportunity also for individuals that they have received a Comenius/Grundtvig In Service Training but their course was cancelled or for organisations involved in European projects and can take this opportunity for disseminating their project. In regards both our seminars above taking place in beautiful Cyprus on 2nd-6th July 2012, 9th – 13th July 2012, 10th-14th Sept 2012 and 17th – 21st Sept 2012, anyone involved  (even as a volunteer) or wish to get involved in  adult or school education can receive a Grundtvig/Comenius In Service  Training grant to cover all their expenses (travel, accommodation and subsistence, course fee). For full info (outline, venue, accommodation arrangements, costs  and fees, trainees impressions, etc) and guidance on applying for a grant please also check on the links above and navigate across the different tabs.

All participants will receive a certificate upon their    participation in our seminars that along with the knowledge and network    to be acquired will be a valuable tool in the employment arena and   personal development.  CYBERALL-ACCESS applies in all their training,   the  learn-it-easy or drop-it-easy method. Check also our portal www.learneasy.eu . Our vision is to advance skills that impove employability as well as personal development.

Check some photos from previous seminars  taken from our trainees in our learn-it-easy facebook page.

We are looking forward to hearing from you and we remain at your disposal in case you have any further enquiries.

Mrs Efi Gotsi

Liaison/Administration Manager

Email: info@cyberall-access.com

Fondul International de Cooperare si Parteneriat al Marii Negre si Marii Caspice are placerea sa anunte publicarea materialelor: SBS Good Practice Handbook si SBS Training Tool, elaborate in cadrul proiectului “Side by Side for the Black Sea” (http://www.sbs-project.info ). SBS a fost un proiect pilot ce poate fi considerat un instrument pentru pregatirea noi generatii de tineri activisti in domeniul prevenirii poluarii apei. Proiectul a fost finantat prin programul CE Tineret in Actiune, implementat in perioada iulie-decembrie 2011 si a adunat 27 de participanti din 9 tari europene (Romania, Bulgaria, Ungaria, Ucraina, Moldova, Rusia, Turcia, Azerbaijan,  Georgia).

SBS Training Tool prezinta atat continutul tematic al trainingului implementat in cadrul SBS, cat si contributiile participantilor. Materialul a fost conceput pentru a servi ca instrument pentru alte ONGuri, activisti tineri si lucratori de tineret, doritori sa multiplice acest proiect in regiunea lor sau sa foloseasca continutul tematic in diverse activitati educationale din domeniul protectiei mediului. SBS Good Practice Handbook este alcatuit din scurte prezentari de proiecte, implementate anterior de o parte dintre participantii la trainingul “Side by Side for the Black Sea” , desfasurat in perioada 5-14 Septembrie 2011, la Gura Portitei. Toate proiectele abordeaza probleme legate de protectia mediului, cu legaturi mai mari sau mai mici cu prevenirea poluarii apei. Manualul este menit sa ofere o perspectiva asupra a ceea ce se poate face de catre tineri- fie ca membri ai unui ONG, fie individual- la nivel de grass-root.

Materialele sunt disponibile in format electronic la: http://www.sbs-project.info/#!results. Speram ca aceste instrumente vor inspira viitoare actiuni ale altor tineri, activi in domeniul protectiei mediului, dornici sa inverzeasca aceasta tara si nu numai.  Iar pentru ca ne dorim ca acestea sa ajunga “pe mainile” a cat mai multi dintre ei, va invitam sa trimiteti informatia catre toti cei carora le-ar putea fi de folos.

Mentionam ca publicarea materialelor marcheaza incheierea proiectului pilot “Side by Side for the Black Sea” la data de 30.12.2011. Pentru mai multe informatii, asteptam cu interes sa ne contactati.

Acest proiect a fost finanțat cu sprijinul Comisiei Europene prin programul ”Tineret în Acțiune”. Această comunicare reflecă numai opiniile autorului, iar Comisia nu este responsabilă pentru orice eventuală utilizare a informațiilor pe care le conține.

Echipa SBS

La nivel european, Comisia Europeană a adoptat în decembrie 2009 Noua Strategie de Tineret “Investiţie şi capacitare 2010 – 2018” ale cărei priorităţi acoperă cele mai importante nevoi ale tinerilor în sfera social-politică si economică. De altfel, dialogul structurat între tineri și responsabilii politici este acum mai bine pus în valoare prin Rezoluţia Consiliului de Miniştri care recomandă în mod explicit realizarea de consultări naţionale cu tinerii în vederea dezvoltării politicilor de tineret în mod sustenabil, la toate nivelele.

România, semnatară a Rezoluției Consiliului de Miniștri, a preluat noua formulă de realizare a dialogului structurat prin crearea, la iniţiativa Autorităţii Naţionale pentru Sport şi Tineret-A.N.S.T., a Grupul         lui Naţional de Lucru, în care este membru şi Consiliul Tineretului din România-CTR, având rolul de a realiza consultări în rândul tinerilor pe temele specifice discutate în cadrul Conferinţelor Europene de Tineret.

Consiliul Tineretului din România, în calitate de platformă care reuneşte principalele organizaţii neguvernamentale de/pentru tineret la nivel naţional, afiliate internaţional şi Fundaţiile Judeţene pentru Tineret, având rolul de principal partener neguvernamental în raport cu autorităţile şi instituţiile administraţiei publice centrale abilitate în domeniul politicii pentru tineret, în parteneriat cu o serie de organizații neguvernamentale de și pentru tineret de nivel local, lansează dezbaterile cu tinerii din în cadrul celui de-al doilea ciclu de implementare al dialogului structurat, pe tema ’’Participarea tinerilor la viața democratică – stimularea creativității și a inovării’’

Dezbaterile regionale în cadrul dialogului structurat au ca principal scop consultarea directă a tinerilor și a altor actori direct interesați de problematica tineret cu privire la participarea tinerilor în spațiul democratic național și european în vederea îmbunătățirii și dezvoltării cadrului legislativ pentru tineret la toate nivelurile decizionale și dezvoltarea sustenabilă a comunității din care aceștia fac parte.

Acestea se vor desfășura după cum urmează:

• București

23 ianuarie 2012 – organizație parteneră: Fundația pentru Tineret a Municipiului București, locația: Biblioteca Metropiloitană; persoana de contact: dl. Dan Ioan Trestieni – trestienion@yahoo.com

24 ianuarie 2012 – organizație parteneră: Asociația Studenților din Universitatea București – ASUB; locația: Casa de Cultură a Studenților din București; persoana de contact: Alina Cărădeanu – caradeanu.alina@yahoo.com

• Baia-Mare, jud. Maramureș

26 ianuarie 2012 – organizație parteneră: Asociația DEIS; locația: sediul Direcției Județene pentru Sport și Tineret Maramureș; persoana de contact: Diana Sabo – diana.sabo@yahoo.com

• Craiova, județul Dolj

18 ianuarie 2012 – organizație parteneră: Centrul pentru Dezvoltare Comunitară Durabilă – CDCD; locația: Facultatea de Mecanică; persoana de contact: Adina Călăfățeanu – adina@cdcd.ro

• Cluj-Napoca, județul Cluj

20 ianuarie 2012 – organizație partenră: Asociația Tineretului Român Unit-ASTRU Cluj; locația: Casa de Cultură a Studenților; persoana de contact: Raluca Fernea: cluj@astru.ro

• Timișoara, județul Timiș

26 ianuarie 2012 – organizație parteneră: Fundația Județeană pentru Tineret Timiș; locația: Casa Tineretului Timișoara; persoana de contact: Cătălin Iapă – catalin.iapa@fitt.ro

Vă rugăm să diseminați această informație în rândul Direcțiilor Județene pentru Sport și Tineret, respectiv în rândul organizațiilor neguvernamentale alături de care colaborați în vederea participării la dezbaterile regionale. Menționăm că organizatorii nu asigură costurile de cazare, transport (intern și în afara orașului) și masă, acestea urmând a fi suportate de către participanți.

Mai multe detalii pe www.ctr.ro si pe paginile web ale organizatiilor partenere.

“Actionam responsabil! – Reţeaua sociala RSC”, proiect initiat de JCI România, împreună cu partenerii săi,Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării, Tineretului şi Sportului şi AsociaţiaInstitutul pentru Politici Social, a  demarat cercetarea privind identificarea bunelor practici in parteneriatele pentru responsabilitate sociala din intreagaRomanie.

La finalul acestei cercetari, proiectele selectate ca exemple de bune practici vor fi incluse incadrul unui ghid de promovare a responsabilitatii sociale ce va fi publicat inpeste 1000 de exemplare cu distributie targetata si disponibil in formatelectronic pe www.actionamresponsabil.ropentru a fi accesibil publicului larg, platforma online pe care activeaza maimult de 300 de organizatii.

Astfel, cercetarea reprezinta o oportunitate excelenta de promovare a proiectelor pe care le desfasurati deoarece face posibila prezentarea acestora ca modele de succes in urma unei analize bazate pe indicatori de performanta clar definiti si intr-un context ce asigura transparenta si obiectivitatea demersului. Printre beneficii, mentionam: Promovarea     organizatiei la nivel national; Prezenta     in cadrul unui ghid de referinta in domeniul responsabilitatii sociale,     distribuit targetat in peste 1000 de exemplare; Recunoasterea     rezultatelor obtinute: element motivational pentru echipele de     implementare.

Daca organizatia implementeaza proiecte in parteneriat care au fost derulate începând cu 1 ianuarie 2007 va invitam sa completati formularul de inscriere atasat pana la sfarsitul lunii ianuarie 2012. Mentionam  ca setul de criterii de evaluare pentru cercetare a fost elaborat pe baza contributiilor membrilor Retelei Sociale RSC reprezentatila workshop-urile derulate pana acum in cadrul proiectului.

Totodata, va invitam sa  activati in comunitatea “Actionam responsabil! – Reţeaua sociala RSC” inregistrandu-va pe site-ul www.actionamresponsabil.ro sau ca partner al proiectului, completand protocolul de proiect pe care deasemenea il atasam acestui mail. Printre beneficii,mentionam:

·        Acces la o platforma vie care incorporeaza atat resurse cat si un network bogat si specific. Promovarea organizatiei si a proiectelor sale in cadrul retelei;

·        Crearea unui network regional puternic prin participarea atat online cat si la diverse workshopuri tematice;

·        Participarea activa la elaborarea si promovarea de initiative legislative.

More about their work and activities you can find on the dedicated blog: http://life-in-romania.weebly.com/index.html 

We expreess our gratitude for their work and dedication: Thank you Martin!  Thank you Isa!

…a big ‘‘MULTUMIM” for our partners, volunteers, professors and community members that volunteered for this project!

Danube.EDU team

Culture Action Europe, în parteneriat cu European Cultural Foundation, a lansat în toate ţările membre ale UE o campanie de strângere de semnături intitulată „We are more – act for culture in Europe”.

2012 este un an important pentru că vor fi votate de către deputaţii Parlamentului European şi miniştrii din statele membre deciziile referitoare la bugetul UE pentru perioada 2014-2020. Este în joc sprijinul UE pentru cultură în următorii şapte ani, iar negocierile din primele patru luni ale anului vor fi cruciale. Campania „We are more – act for culture in Europe” îşi propune să colecteze 100.000 de semnături şi să le prezinte miniştrilor culturii din toate statele membre ale UE la întrunirea Consiliului Miniştrilor Culturii din mai 2012. Pentru a face această sarcină mai realizabilă, campania a stabilit obiective naţionale de semnături pentru fiecare ţară, pe baza dimensiunii fiecărei ţări (din România ar trebui strânse 5.029 de semnături).

Mai multe informaţii despre semnarea Manifestului pe pagina www.wearemore.eu/manifesto

primit si semnat de Dunare.EDU

John Coleman, HBS ’10, is the author of Passion and Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders. Bill George is professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and the author of five books, including True North and True North Groups. Follow them on twitter @johnwcoleman and @bill_george.

Five Resolutions for Aspiring Leaders

As the New Year approaches, people will be making resolutions to eat better, exercise more, get that promotion at work, or spend more time with their families. While these are worthwhile goals, we have a more important challenge for young people: Think seriously about your development as a leader.

These are tough times. Many leaders of the baby boomer generation have failed in their responsibilities by placing their self-interest ahead of their organizations. In so doing, they have failed to serve society’s best interests. As a result, more young leaders from Gen X and the Millennials are being asked to take on major leadership responsibilities. To be prepared for the challenges you will face, we propose the following resolutions this New Year’s:

Find a trustworthy mentor: Mentorship is a critical component of your development as a leader. A 2004 study showed that young leaders with mentors were more likely succeed professionally and experience career satisfaction. The essence of effective mentoring is developing a trusting relationship between the mentor and mentee. Identify someone with whom you have a genuine chemistry and who is committed to your development. Although many mentees do not realize it, a sound relationship is a two-way street that benefits both parties — not just the mentee. We suggest looking for mentors whom you admire for their values and character more than their success.

Form a leadership development group: Most of us have little time to reflect on the values and characteristics we want to define us as leaders, the difficulties we’re facing, or the long-term impact we hope to have. Forming a leadership development group can give you the space you need to think deeply about these subjects. Leadership development groups are groups of six to eight people who meet to share their personal challenges and discuss the most important questions in their lives. Find people you can trust, and make a commitment to be one another’s confidential counselors. Meet regularly, and share openly your life stories, crucibles, passions and fears, while offering each other honest feedback.

Volunteer in a civic or service organization: Have you served your community this year? In the Facebook era it’s easy to lose touch with our real-world neighbors. Long hours often cause us to avoid volunteer opportunities. Participating in local organizations — from religious organizations to civic groups — can give you early leadership experiences, provide real connection to your neighbors, and offer opportunities to serve others. It adds a dimension to your life that work can’t, and helps you develop and solidify your character while giving back to the community. You will find your time serving a community organization is highly rewarding while broadening your outlook on people and life.

Work in or travel to one new country: “The world is flat,” as Tom Friedman puts it, so it has never been more important to get global experience. In the future cultural sensitivity will be a more important characteristic for leaders than pure intellectual ability. John’s survey of more than 500 top MBAs found that on average they had worked in four countries prior to entering graduate school and expect to work in five more in the next ten years. Having a global mindset and the ability to collaborate effectively across cultures are essential qualities for aspiring leaders of global organizations.

Finally, ask more questions than you answer: With the high velocity of change in the world, it is impossible to have answers to all the important questions. Much more important is a deep curiosity about the world and the ability to frame the right questions in profound ways. The world’s toughest problems cannot be solved by you or any one organization. Your role will be to bring the right people together to address the challenging issues you raise. Our research demonstrates that the biggest mistakes result from decisions made by people without deep consideration of thoughtful questions.

Young leaders will soon be asked to take on major leadership responsibilities in their organizations and their communities. We believe it is essential that they take steps like these in order to be prepared for the difficult leadership challenges they will face. There’s no better time to get started than the coming year.

Harvard Review