E pur si muove... /01

"E pur si muove" is Italian, meaning "And yet it [the Earth] moves" - The legend says that the famous astronomer, philosopher and physicist Galileo Galilei muttered this phrase quietly under his breath, after being forced to recant, in front of the Inquisition, his belief that the earth moved around the sun.

In this issue:

• Foreword
• Interview with René Weingärtner
• The Secretariat folk
• Agenda

Foreword
by Hanjo Schild

Since the formal decision to run a new European youth campaign “All Different – All Equal for Diversity, Human Rights and Participation” a wide range of activities were organised at European level as well as on a national level in various countries. Based on the results of the symposium, held in October last year in Strasbourg, and the discussions / decisions of the European Steering Group that has already met 5 times, the campaign is beginning to take a more definite shape.

The secretariat to the campaign started its work on 1st January 2006 (see extra article in this issue). Since then the campaign preparation has taken on a new dynamic which will increase even more since a number of working and project units have been created which will coordinate the whole implementation process. 

The National Campaign Committees met for the first time on 3rd and 4th February in Strasbourg to prepare and coordinate their work and to gather information on the different initiatives and activities that are planned for the campaign. So far these Committees exist or are going to be created in 29 countries, others will follow. In some countries first activities will already be organised before the official launch of the campaign in the last week of June 2005.

Also the picture of the Campaign activities at a European level is gradually becoming clearer: thematic events, symposia, conferences, educational and training activities, cultural events, such as festivals or sport events and knowledge collection are key elements of the campaign. However, the core element of the campaign will be the communication strategy which aims at raising awareness on the key topics of the campaign and at providing a practical tool for communication for and between all campaigners. This communication strategy (read more about this strategy in this issue or on the web portal) consists of six pillars, amongst which are the web portal and a newsletter that regularly informs on relevant activities and initiatives.

This issue is the first going public and we hope to create with the newsletter a relevant information tool for all campaigners.

Interview with René Weingärtner
by Giulio 'Mac' Maistrelli

Q - René, as Director of the Directorate of Youth & Sport, can you put the Campaign “in perspective” alongside the regular DYS work?

A - I see the Campaign as the main focus of our work throughout the years 2006 and 2007. The forthcoming Campaign builds onto a consolidated “culture” we developed with the first Campaign, ten years ago. It is building in particular on the anti-racist action and awareness which is a core element of both campaigns.
All the units of the youth department will be involved and the regular activities of the DYS (training, research, study sessions, projects funded by the EYF...) will all have a strong campaign focus. I wish also to stress that the sport department will be involved with the organisation of specific events: sports can play an important role in fighting racism and discrimination.
The campaign themes (diversity, human rights and participation) are tightly connected with our work. Among them, participation is being illustrated in our daily practice, as the co-management structure is the most visible and concrete manifestation of participation in decision-making processes.

Q - I noticed that you referred more to anti-racism than to anti-discrimination in general. Would you like to qualify?

A - The campaign will not only focus on fighting racism and anti-Semitism but it will embrace the fight against all forms of discrimination including islamophobia, homophobia, etc...
Nevertheless, fighting racism is one of the top priorities of the CoE as such and the Campaign will be one of the major tools in implementing this policy. Also, the SG has stressed that his working priorities are anti-racism, democracy and the prevention of torture (one can also observe that the first two totally fall within the domain of the Campaign)..

Q - What are your expectations on the campaign, in terms of outcomes/results? Could you mention some characteristics that – if present in the Campaign – would, in your opinion, guarantee its success?

A - My first remark is that the Campaign should not end in September 2007, when it is formally over. On the contrary, it should provide a new impetus to our activities, it should provide a solid input for strategical choices concerning our future work.
Secondly, the Campaign should aim at people we never reached before. It will be a success if it manages to reach new “untouched” target groups, convey and deliver to them the messages we want to promote.
A third element is that the Campaign should empower further those multipliers committed to the promotion of diversity, human rights, participation and the fight against racism. They can be of great help to reach those people I just mentioned who haven't been reached before and might even be hostile to the ideas of the Campaign.
The last characteristic I would like to mention concerns innovations with regard to the previous campaign. This Campaign will need to have a strong national, regional and local dimension. It will also have to use effectively the new media that were less used then (the Internet, SMS, etc...)..

Q - It is a common understanding that all the staff of the DYS should contribute to the Campaign. Therefore my question is: how will you, Ralf-René Weingärtner, Director of Youth & Sport, contribute to the campaign?

A - As many already know, I am committed to securing the financial coverage we need for the implementation of the Campaign. We are very dependent on voluntary contributions for financing the European-level activities and I will put a lot of effort into getting them. I will make every effort to increase the visibility of the Campaign, being as much present as possible at the actual events and trying my best to ensure media coverage. I will also foster the participation of other directorates in the Campaign, as well as support from other European institutions and organisations. Last, but not least, I will continue to be committed to DYS staff, to accompany, help and motivate them in their daily work.

The Secretariat Folk
by Emilie Pereira

The Secretariat of the Campaign begun its work on 1st January 2006. Three of its members are employed full-time for the Campaign, two have part-time contracts and four are Senior Students from the Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, and work in the Secretariat on a voluntary basis for a period of six months.

Hans Joachim (Hanjo) Schild  is the acting Campaign manager. His role is to co-ordinate the action within the Secretariat, which then coordinates actions at a national level. He has one main expectation for this campaign which is to have a strong team which needs additional support inside the Council of Europe but also outside.  According to him, “the team needs to be dynamic” and work in real harmony.

Marta Medlinska works on the Campaign as the Director's assistant. She enjoys working with the different NCCs who give real life to the Campaign. According to Marta, the Campaign needs to be attractive, to get many people involved and finally to consider young people not as the main target but as real participants.

Giulio ‘Mac’ Maistrelli  works as Communication Strategy Coordinator for the Campaign. He coordinates the implementation of the different strends in which the strategy is articulated and supervises a team of four people: Laura, Mariétou, Fadila and Emilie. His main expectation for this campaign is to achieve a communication which is really participative and involving all the different actors.

Laura Salque is a member of the communication team since 13th February. She’ll be working on the campaign for six months. She’s first working on a “call” the Council of Europe needs to make in order to get some publicity material for the campaign. She wishes that the Council will respond to all the NCCs’ expectations and that this campaign will have a strong impact.

Mariétou Diallo is the second member of the communication team working on the Campaign through a portal. She aims to make the website accessible to anyone who wants to get some information concerning the Campaign.

Fadila Betthar, the third member of the communication staff has started working on the meeting which took place on 2nd and 3rd February with the NCCs’members. Her work consists in gathering all the ideas that were given during this meeting concerning some activities, some gadgets, etc… in order to organize and promote the campaign.

Emilie Pereira is the fourth member of the communication team. Her first work for this campaign consists in gathering all the useful information to be used for the editorial of the newsletter.
Nina Kapoor works full time as the clerical assistant for the campaign. She backs up all the administrative work.

Geraldine Grenet is working in Budapest and backs up all the administrative work in relation to the Educational Side of the Campaign.

In addition to the Secretariat, various other colleagues of the Directorate of Youth and Sport support the Secretariat on the basis of specific tasks.

Ralf-René Weingärtner is the director of the Directorate of Youth and Sport. He hopes this new campaign could aim at as many people as possible, particularly the new “untouched” target groups. He thinks this campaign needs to take a strong national, regional and local dimension. He’s committed to securing the financial coverage for the campaign and is also working to increase the visibility of the campaign.

Peter Lauritzen is the Head of the Youth Department. He works on aspects such as developing partnership with the various services of the CoE and partner organisations. According to him, the main aim of the campaign is to give full access to citizenship and have a fully inclusive society. He hopes the campaign will reach individual young people.

Micheal Ingledow is the secretary to the European steering group for the campaign “All different-All equal”. He’s the person who looks after the different meetings of the steering group. With this campaign he hopes people’s minds and attitudes will change.

Rui Gomes is the head of the Education and Training Unit at the Directorate of Youth and Sport. Rui is based in the European Youth Centre Budapest. Coordinator of the Human Rights Education Youth Programme, Rui Gomes was the main organiser of the "all different-all equal" symposium.

Guy-Michel Brandtner is supporting the Director of DYS and the Communication Unit in their effort to find resources for the Campaign (money and contribution in kind).

Evelyne Care-Colin works on the finances for the Campaign. She is the person in charge of the budget and of the implementation of the actions. She also facilitates the administrative approach of the Campaign and delivers the purchase order for any expenses that need to be made.

Agenda
by Udated on the 7th of March

13th March – Bilateral meeting Flemish Ministry for Youth (Bruxelles).

15th March – Presentation of the Campaign to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the CoE: Plenary meeting Committee on Culture and Education (Strasbourg).

27th and 29th March – Presentation of the Campaign to the 19th Plenary Meeting of Directors of the Council of Europe Information Offices and Centres (Strasbourg).

19th to 23rd April – National Communication Officer training course (Budapest).

25th and 26th April – 6th ESG meeting (Strasbourg).

10th to 14th of May – Research Seminar on Diversity, Human Rights and Participation (Strasbourg).

If you wish to comment on this issue of "E pur si muove..." you are welcome to do so on the Campaign Preparation Website! From there you can also subscribe/unsubscribe the newsletter. http://alldifferent-allequal.info