They renovated youth work institutions, built experiential gardens, worked with refugees and participated in environmental projects: On Saturday, the 19th of September 2015 youths and professionals from twelve youth work organisations from North Rhine Westphalia met in Bochum. Together with international partners, over the course of three years they realise a total of 36 sustainable projects in 15 European countries. In Bochum they presented their projects so far, exchanged experiences and continued planning further projects.
The result of the workcamp summer of 2015 is something to behold: Nine of the 36 workcamp projects planned as part of the ewoca³ support programme until 2017 were already realised this summer. Three more international youth encounters will follow in the coming weeks. In the fall break, youths from Cologne, Russia and Ukraine will work together. Among other activities, they will collaborate at a high ropes course in Wissen an der Sieg. Irrespective of current political conflicts, they cooperate to create an environment, which allows them exciting holidays. In another project in Dortmund, youths from Italy and Belarus join local youths to support an educational farm.
Thomas Eiskirch, member of state parliament and Social Democrat candidate for mayor of Bochum came to see the international commitment in this programme, funded by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. “I am impressed to see how diverse all the approaches are, which the workcamps are using to improve something at their location”, Eiskirch said. “Funding ewoca³ is money well invested. When, in such a project, young people from different countries organise European solidarity in a practical fashion, this creates experiences which are also politically very important.”
In North Rhine-Westphalia, ewoca³ already is a successful funding programme. Youths from other federal states however, so far were unable to participate. “I am very happy this year we were able to lay the foundation for changing that”, said Elke Wegener, General Manager of the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.) “This summer, funding from the Innovation Fund within the Federal Government’s Children and Youth Plan enabled us, for the first time, to also support three project partners from Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Schleswig-Holstein. The other federal states have great potential as well, and that should be used. To make this possible, we are currently talking with the politicians.”
On the 2nd of November 2015, IBB e.V., together with the regional youth council Brandenburg, will organise a symposium on perspectives of international youth work. The symposium takes place at the Brandenburg State Parliament. International youth work professionals, youths involved into the project and representatives of politics and science are invited.
