This is the kick-off for a major project in European understanding: On Saturday, the 8th of November, internationally active youths and youth work professionals met in Dortmund. They want to realise a total of 45 international workcamp projects in 17 European countries over the next three years.
The 45 international youth encounters from 2015 to 2017 are made possible by the funding programmes ewoca³ and ewoca³(+). The name ewoca³ means “European Workcamps„. The concept: Three international youth work institutions from three countries collaborate for three years, to realise three workcamp projects together. The project, already in its third programme phase, is continuing to grow: In total 15 such partnerships for the years 2015 to 2017 have been formed within the ewoca³ network.
“ewoca³ connects people from many different countries and gives them the opportunity to work on exciting European projects together„, says Ute Schäfer, Federal State Secretary for Family Affairs, Children, Youth, Culture and Sports of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the occasion of the event at Dortmunder U, Centre for Art and Culture. “A strong and durable network has developed — not just here in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also between the international organisations. This significantly develops the structures of international youth work. I very much welcome the fact, that young people with special support needs are explicitly included. Every youth has valuable talents. ewoca³ makes an important contribution to the development of these talents„, Schäfer continues.
The ecological, cultural and social projects, which the partners have planned are very diverse: The ideas range from building an intercultural garden and working with refugees to the refurbishment of a truck into a mobile youth centre for young people in Siberia.
“It is good to see, how much dedication for the idea of a united and peaceful Europe is exhibited by the youths„, says Matthias C. Tümpel, Chairman of the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.) in Dortmund. “With partner groups not just from the EU, but also from Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus we overcome boundaries together. And I am very happy to see the program being further developed in additional Federal States in Germany.„
Within the framework of the funding programme ewoca³, IBB e.V. already supported and realised a total of 72 trinational youth encounters in collaboration with youth work institutions from North Rhine-Westphalia over the last six years. From 2015 on, ewoca³(+) brings youth work institutions from Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia into the network. This is made possible through funding by the innovation fund of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the years 2015 and 2016.