Many of the challenges we see in Europe today are centered around questions of diversity, identity and inclusion. The tumultuous negotiation of Brexit and rise in nationalism, combined with a high level of immigration to and within Europe, have all contributed to increased racism, and ethnic and religious stereotyping. Many young people and the communities they belong to are still facing marginalisation and discrimination. Youth inherently wish to explore their identities, express their individuality and search for a place of inclusion and belonging. Yet too often, they experience a sense of exclusion, face social or ethnic stigmatization, amplified by media and stereotyping. During such times, the motto of the EU “United in Diversity” seems more relevant than ever. It is the responsibility of political leaders, civil society and the media to reinforce, practice and live by this principle to foster peace, prosperity and stability on the continent. In its ‘Inclusion and Diversity Strategy’ the European Commission is calling on civil society to “Invest in the intercultural and social skills of young people and youth workers as well as their competences to manage and work with diversity in all its forms.” As a European civil-society organisation, working with a diverse team of youth volunteers and serving various communities across Europe, AYUDH is aware of this need and so has created this diversity and inclusion project. The aim of the project is to explore, promote and celebrate the concept of Unity in Diversity and thereby foster fundamental European values such as inclusion, solidarity and active citizenship. The objectives are to: 1) Provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and skills related to diversity, inclusion and civic engagement between experts and peers, especially those with fewer opportunities 2) Equip youth activists with competencies to effect change in society, through youth-led projects, advocacy and activism in relation to diversity and inclusion 3) Train youth activists to become mindful and inclusive individuals and leaders, equipped with the skills to manage diverse teams 4) Support the formation of a united community of young Europeans that recognise the value of differences in norms, beliefs, attitudes and life experiences While the main focus of the project is to address the social dimension of ‘diversity’ we also wish to encourage the protection and preservation of ecological diversity on the side, which is the foundation of our peaceful social coexistence. The project is designed, implemented and evaluated by, with and for youth. It involves a team of 45 youth activists from Europe who, for nine months, explore the theme collaboratively, in theory and practice. The target group is European citizens, aged 15-30, who have the desire to effect change in society, the motivation to take leadership in their local communities, the commitment to act locally but think globally, and the openness to be accepting and welcoming to others. We pay special attention to involve many youth with fewer opportunities as participants of the different activities. The activities of the project are: 1) Local activities (February - October 2019): 20+ Civic engagement activities connected to social inclusion and diversity in all forms, carried out by the partner groups within their countries. These activities will either directly involve youth with fewer opportunities or benefit disadvantaged groups of people (of all ages). Examples are: activities for the inclusion of refugees, activities with youth with disabilities, digital campaigns to raise awareness of the situation of youth living with disadvantages, activities to protect biodiversity. 2) European Youth Summit (13 - 21 July 2019): Bringing together approximately 300 young people from AYUDH Europe e.V. and the partner organisations in Brombachtal (Germany) for an 8-day event. The programme will foster their knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to diversity and inclusion. All sessions at the summit will be learner-centered and participatory. Methods include expert talks and interactive sessions, group work, Skill Labs, creative workshops, a Human Library, peer sharing, a youth panel, etc.. The Summit will also be a platform for intercultural exchange, dialogue and to build a community of concerned and proactive youth. An outcome document will summarise statements, experiences and conclusions of participants. As a result of the project, participants will have a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity and an increased sense of compassion for people with fewer opportunities. Disadvantaged participants will feel a greater sense of acceptance, inclusion and empowerment. AYUDH will have increased its organisational capacity and competence to manage diversity and ensure inclusion both within its own organisation as well as through follow-up projects of this initiative, benefiting the wider European society.
Many of the challenges we see in Europe today are centred around questions of diversity, identity and inclusion. The tumultuous negotiation of Brexit and rise in nationalism, combined with a high level of immigration to and within Europe, have all contributed to increased racism, and ethnic and religious stereotyping. Many young people and the communities they belong to are still facing marginalisation and discrimination. During such times, the motto of the EU ‘United in Diversity’ seems more relevant than ever. It is the responsibility of political leaders, civil society and the media to reinforce, practice and live by this principle to foster peace, prosperity and stability on the continent. In its ‘Inclusion and Diversity Strategy’ the European Commission is calling on civil society to “Invest in the intercultural and social skills of young people and youth workers as well as their competences to manage and work with diversity in all its forms.” As a European civil-society organisation, working with a diverse team of youth volunteers and serving various communities across Europe, AYUDH is aware of this need and so has created this diversity and inclusion project. The aim of the project was to explore, promote and celebrate the concept of Unity in Diversity and thereby foster fundamental European values such as inclusion, solidarity and active citizenship. The objectives were to: 1) Provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and skills related to diversity, inclusion and civic engagement between experts and peers, especially those with fewer opportunities 2) Equip youth activists with competencies to effect change in society, through youth-led projects, advocacy and activism in relation to diversity and inclusion 3) Train youth activists to become mindful and inclusive individuals and leaders, equipped with the skills to manage diverse teams 4) Support the formation of a united community of young Europeans that recognise the value of differences in norms, beliefs, attitudes and life experiences While the main focus of the project was to address the social dimension of ‘diversity’ we also wished to encourage the protection and preservation of ecological diversity on the side, which is the foundation of our peaceful social coexistence. The project was designed, implemented and evaluated by, with and for youth. It involved a team of 45 youth activists from Europe who, for nine months, explored the theme collaboratively, in theory and practice. The target group was European citizens, aged 15-30, who have the desire to effect change in society, the motivation to take leadership in their local communities, the commitment to act locally but think globally, and the openness to be accepting and welcoming to others. We paid special attention to involve 212 youth with fewer opportunities as participants of the different activities. The activities of the project were: 1) Local activities (February - October 2019): 43 Civic engagement activities connected to social inclusion and diversity in all forms, carried out by the partner groups within their countries. These activities either directly involved youth with fewer opportunities or benefitted disadvantaged groups of people (of all ages). Examples are: activities for the inclusion of refugees, activities to serve homeless people, activities to protect biodiversity like tree planting and trash collection, marches for gender equality. 2) European Youth Summit (13 - 21 July 2019): This event brought together nearly 280 young people from AYUDH Europe e.V. and the partner organisations in Brombachtal (Germany) for an 8-day event. The programme fostered their knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to diversity and inclusion. All sessions at the summit were learner-centered and participatory. Methods included expert talks and interactive sessions, group work, skill labs, creative workshops, a Human Library, peer sharing, a panel between youth and policymakers and other experts, etc.. The Summit was also a platform for intercultural exchange, dialogue and to build a community of concerned and proactive youth. An outcome document, the Statement on Cultural Diversity, summarised statements and experiences of participants and states concrete policy recommendations that have been disseminated to fellow youth activists, policy and decision-makers, experts and influencers from the local to the international level. As the evaluation showed, through the project participants gained a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion, increased their motivation for civic engagement and their readiness to advocate for and support people with fewer opportunities. The project increased AYUDH’s organisational capacity and competence to manage diversity and ensure inclusion both within its own organisation as well as through follow-up projects of this initiative, benefiting the wider European society.