Dear readers,

With the spring on the threshold, ERYICA is glad to present to you the first ERYICA Winter Newsletter edition in 2009, informing you about the events of ERYICA through the last three winter months, somewhere frosty, somewhere shiny in our European network.

Read in this issue:

ERYICA News

• Meet the Street
• December Events in Montenegro
• Three Networks Contribution
• A Better Youth Information for New Times

ERYICA Events

• ERYICA Board Meeting

Focus on

• ERYICA Network in Croatia

Around Us

• News from the EU

• News from the YFJ

• News from the Council of Europe

December was a debut month for the Meet the Street project: Its first phase was launched on December 4 - 7, 2008 in Luxembourg.

Meet the Street is a project, in which 120 youngsters from different countries, aged between 15 and 25, interview non organised peers on different subjects of European importance for them. These interviews are recorded with mobile phones, then edited and uploaded on line (watch interviews)

The project has two phases: Meet the Street - I (October 2008 - February 2009), and Meet the Street - II (March 2009 - September 2009). There is also a follow-up initiative of the project planned: Meet the Roads, on which you will know more in ERYICA Spring Newsletter 2009!

During the first phase of the project, youngsters were trained in communication and interviewing techniques. They have even learnt how to upload videos, and how to add subtitles!

Know more on the next steps of the project!

This project is implemented with support of the "Youth in Action" Programme of the European Union.

The week of December 8 - 14, 2008 saw a number of significant events in the youth information field, taking place in Tivat and Kotor (Montenegro).

* A seminar (December 8 - 14, 2008) "Youth Information and Youth Policy: Europe and Montenegro", organised in co-operation with Forum MNE (Montenegro), CIJ (Luxembourg), MISSS (Slovenia) and ERYICA, brought together more than 40 representatives of youth information workers and policy makers. The participants gathered represented more than 20 different organisations and institutions. The guests and experts from the Council of Europe, Eurodesk, EYCA and the European Youth Forum have honoured the event with their presence. The seminar was implemented in the framework of the "Youth in Action" Programme (Action 5.1) of the European Union with the support of the Council of Europe.

* A conference "The Role of Youth Information in the Framework of Youth Policies: European and Montenegrin Instances", organised on the December 11 in the Municipality of Kotor, confirmed the strong will in the Western Balkans to develop youth information in the region and boost the enhancement of youth policy.

* The 19th General Assembly of ERYICA (December 11 - 14, 2008, Kotor) gathering ERYICA members, guests and staff, has confirmed memberships of several European youth information organisations.

As of January 2009, ERYICA welcomes:

o Coordinamento Nazionale Informagiovani (Italy) as ERYICA Member Organisation;

o Zajednica ICM (Croatia) as ERYICA Affiliated Organisation;

o Youth Information Network (Bulgaria) as ERYICA Affiliated Organisation;

o The Centre for Youth Information and Documentation (Belarus) as ERYICA Co-operating Organisation.

Three Networks Contribution

Eurodesk, EYCA, and ERYICA have put forward a contribution document in Paris on the January 19, 2009

* Calling on the European Commission to develop the national recognition of qualifications and standards for youth information work;
* Promoting the European Youth Portal as an important tool of communication channel for young people.

Know more!

A Better Youth Information for New Times

In January 2009, ERYICA launched a new project: "A Better Youth Information for New Times". The project aims to enhancing and increasing the provision of generalist youth information of quality in Europe, namely in the aspects of youth participation, quality standards, and new technologies.

The project revolves around three axes:

* Training Meetings (four meetings scheduled for 2009)
* Youth Information Platform (to be created)
* Publication (highlighting the results of the project)

Eleven ERYICA partners from 10 European countries are already participating!

Know more!

The project is implemented with support of the "Youth in Action" of the European Union.

ERYICA Events

ERYICA Board Meeting

The ERYICA Board held their first meeting in 2009 in Derry, Northern Ireland on February 5 - 7. The meeting was organised and hosted by the Youth Council for the Northern Ireland, ERYICA Member.

As an outcome of the Meeting,

* GSM Youth Services Centre, Turkey, was granted the status of ERYICA Co-operating Organisation;
* "Feel Free to Ask" was confirmed the slogan of the European Youth Information Day, celebrated on the 17th of April 2009 by the ERYICA network. The slogan is to be used together with the ERYICA logo;
* Youth Mobility Workshops were approved, and will take place in the framework of this year's Second Infomobil Training Seminar (June 10 - 14, 2009, Helsinki, Finland).

With a new inspiration for lots of tasks to be completed before the next Board meeting in June 2009, Helsinki, the ERYICA Board team are preparing themselves to the celebration of the European Youth Information Day all over Europe!

Focus On

ERYICA Network in Croatia

* ERYICA trainers and experts Alexandra Cangelosi, Tanja Novakovic, and Johan Berteks have provided a "Training for Trainers" on 16 - 20 of February 2009 in the Regional Youth Information Centre of Osijek, Croatia. The Training transferred the experience in youth information work to local trainers, and the whole network of youth information workers of Croatia will benefit from the training: The skills and tools received will be transferred by the participants of the workshop to the Croatian network of youth information workers and trainers;

* On Friday, the 20th of February 2009, PRONI Centre for Social Education in Vukovar, Croatia opened a Youth Information Centre;

Know more about the young Youth Information Centre!

* The Youth Information Centre in Sisak, Croatia, will be officially opened on Friday, the 27th of February 2009.

Both newly created centres already strive to become members of the Association of Youth Information Centers in Croatia, established in 2009.

Around Us

News from the EU

Become a Funded PHD Student!

For the period of 2009-2013, the EU will increase its support to the most talented students and professors from countries outside the EU with grants in joint programmes in Europe, enabling applicants to conduct their studies with a sufficient financial support. The financing of the EU PHD applicants has also been increased in 2009!

Know more!

News from the YFJ

Want to be the European Youth Capital 2011? Apply!

The European Youth Capital is a title granted to a European city for a year. Over this period, this city will showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. All municipalities in Member States of the European Union and/or the Council of Europe are invited to apply!

The deadline: April 14, 2009.

Know more!

News from the Council of Europe

ERYICA Participates in the Meeting of the CDEJ

ERYICA has been invited to participate in the 42nd Meeting of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) taking place in Mollina, Spain, March 23 - 25, 2009. ERYICA Director, Davide CAPECCHI, will represent ERYICA in the quality of observer.

CDEJ is a Decision Making Structure of the Council of Europe, which brings together representatives of ministries and organisations responsible for youth matters from the 49 States Parties to the European Cultural Convention.

The Council of Europe and ERYICA are co-operating in the framework of a Partnership Agreement since 1997, fostering and developing European cooperation in youth information and counselling, especially by organising training activities for persons involved in youth information and counselling.

For more information

 

Read in the ERYICA Spring Newsletter 2009

* Celebration of the European Youth Information Day all over Europe
* Launch of the Meet the Street - II
* ERYICA Secretariat Opening

And many more news and events related to the youth information and youth polices all over Europe!

To contribute to the ERYICA Spring Newsletter, send your articles to mariia.matsepa@eryica.org before the 17th of April 2009!