European Young Women Learning and Sharing
Flip chart full of drawings and information covered the walls as clusters of young women gathered in huddles, strategising how to best publicise the work of their associations and how to sustain the networking at the European YWCAs Study Session 2010. Young women engaged in laughter and serious conversations that build friendships on the first day of study session in Budapest. This meeting has united 37 young women from 20 European countries from April 12 to 18, 2010.
The first day of the study session was heavy, but participants took up the challenge with energy, grace and good will. The sessions began after a welcome speech from Antje Rothemund, Executive Director of the European Youth Centre in Budapest. Presentations about the Council of Europe, about the structure of the YWCA movement and on the upcoming World YWCA Council 2011 were very useful for many participants working in local branches. “The whole structure of our movement and how we all interact with one another makes a lot more sense to me now”, commented Marisa from the YWCA of Bristol during the session on World YWCA Council, which included a jigsaw puzzle of our movement that participants had to put in order.
The afternoon was devoted to new communications technologies such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogs. The young women felt proud to have created a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook page and to be in the process of creating their very own Facebook group. “I had never touched a blog in my whole life”, says Divinia from the YWCA of England and Wales, West London, and “I feel confident to use them more now that I know the basics”.
Even after a full days work, participants gathered after dinner in the conference room to watch the movie Lilja-4ever, a tough yet necessary movie on human trafficking by director Lukas Moodysson, followed by a conversation on their own experiences related to this issue.
The next day opened with a devotion facilitated by the YMCA of Armenia. This was followed by World Board Member Kirsty Kelly who read out a message from World YWCA General Secretary, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda and words of support from the European Regional Programme Director for Europe Kristin Roaldseth Moyer. The speech was followed by an energiser, which sent participants out onto the balcony to scream the word “great” at the top of their lungs.
Refreshed and filled with energy, participants attended a presentation given by Ms Beatrice Fihn from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) on gender and disarmament that sparked a discussion about peace with justice and the UN system. Ms Fihn's testimony was inspiring, especially since the WILPF runs different programmes to the YWCA.
The remainder of the morning is devoted to violence against women, both in times of conflict and at times of peace, while the afternoon will be articulated around the concept of “Safety”. Participants will be asked what “safe” means to them. To support their reflection, Ms Taina Nakari from SUPPORT will run a workshop on female condoms and condom programming, while members of the prep team will run parallel sessions on Safe Spaces and Safe Communities.
At a time where it is often heard that young people lack commitment in social and human rights issues, it is humbling to meet with young women whose commitment never falters. “I'm amazed by the outstanding skills and competences that I'm finding in this room, says Nakari. It is truly mind-blowing.”
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