Month: April 2021

During its 20 years of life, ALDA has been more and more engaged in the Eastern Partnership, especially in Ukraine, when it comes to democracy promotion, support to local authorities and civil society, and development of good governance.

Thus, on April the 20th 2021, ALDA was invited to join the “Public consultations as a tool of participatory democracy. World practises and standards”. The event, promoted by the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional and Urban Development, saw the participation of ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida, also in the capacity of expert of the Council of Europe (CoE).

The online conference followed an agenda structured into two parts: a first panel discussion focusing on the “Current state of public consultations in Ukraine and presentation of the legislative initiative regarding its improvement”. The discussion involved ministers, members of the Parliament, experts and associations’ representatives from Ukraine discussing and sharing their perspectives and insights as far as the topic of the panel concerned.

“An international experience in conducting public consultation. Lessons from Ukraine” was the theme of the second panel, which saw the participation of ALDA Secretary General, as keynote speaker, together with delegates from European and international institutions. The latter served as a platform to reflect, debate and share knowledge when it comes to democracy promotion, decentralisation and good governance. Moreover, within this framework, ALDA’s contribution was particularly relevant in light of its proven experience in the support of decentralisation processes and in the promotion of public administration reforms in Ukraine.

The video conference was held in cooperation with:

• Minister of Justice of Ukraine
• Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
• OSCE
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)
• UKAID
• USAID
• Global Communities Partners for Good
• Fond Skhidna Yevropa
• Прямуємо разом
• EU4PAR
• SIGMA
• OECD
• Council of Europe

Mobilising Against Extremist through Countering and Diverting Radicalisation of Young people” RADEX, is an Erasmus+ funded project on the span of two years. The project targets young people, youth workers, social workers, youth   organisations and equip them with the tools needed to identify patterns, methods, and different processes of youth violent radicalisation.

The project objectives are:

• Designing and implementing a methodological framework and to collect data on youth radicalisation in Europe, then a report will be drafted with the findings.
• Preventing and diverting young people’s radicalisation, through supporting the building of the capacity to identify and understand the different types of online youth radicalisation, by providing real data in the form of relevant educational materials. Which will act as an alert for the target group against online and offline radicalisation processes.

Eventually the project aims at creating a safe space for the target group to enjoy a learning experience which includes real life examples and patterns.

Restorative Justice for All (UK) takes the lead of the RADEX project, supported by five different partners; Synthesis Center for Research and Education (Cyprus), Club for UNESCO for Education, Science & Culture (Greece), Ingenious Knowledge (Germany), Inclusive Europe (Belgium) and ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy (France).

Consecutive meetings have been held between the partners in January, March and April, to insure an efficient planning phase. The first transitional project meeting of RADEX is planned to take place on June 3^rd 2021 in Brussels.

We are trigger to announce the launch of the International Training for Trainers “Road to Digitalisation for workers 4.0: ICONS method and tools”.

The core of such training is to present the ICONS BIM – oriented training module and app for an easy and functional understanding of BIM to non-specialised blue-collar workers and students approaching the construction sector, developed by 7 European organisations (Scuola Costruzioni Vicenza Andrea Palladio, Coventry University, Universitat de Valencia, Fundación Laboral de la Construcción, Bildungszentren des Baugewerbes e.V., Gospodarska Zbornica Slovenije e Westdeutscher Handwerkskammertag) active in the field of education and construction sector and coming from 5 European countries (Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Germany and the United Kingdom).

These tools represent an opportunity to increase the workers’ digital skills and BIM knowledge, as well as promoting the productivity and sustainability of the construction sector in Europe.

The training sessions are targeted to expert trainers from 5 European countries (Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Germany and the United Kingdom).

Keynote speakers in the BIM and innovation sector from Italy and Spain will provide advanced training to participants about the methodology, functioning and application of the ICONS training module and app.

Furthermore, valuable experts will have the chance to take part in the digital transformation of the building sites and to improve the quality of blue collars’s working conditions in the construction sector! Indeed, trained expert trainers will concretely contribute in the testing and validation process of the ICONS BIM-oriented training course and app, through their involvement in the organisation of national training and pilot sites in the building sites in 5 European countries.

Finally, trainers will collect students’ and blue collars’ feedback, thanks to those ICONS BIM-oriented training model app will be adjusted and validated.

Useful information:

• 28-29-30th April 2021
• 2.00 – 4.00 PM CET
• Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3din5cV
  
• Read the full agenda here

Thursday and Friday the 22^nd and the 23^rd of April were two meaningful days for the online introduction of the project VALID – European Towns – Enacting Common Values of Solidarity and Intercultural Dialogue. This two-days online event was organised by the municipality of Larissa (Greece) together with various stakeholders placed at different level:

• The municipality of Peja (Kosovo*) as the lead partner;
• The municipalities of Zadivovici (Bosnia and Hezergovina), Niksic (Montenegro), Knjazevac (Serbia), Patos (Albania), Kumanovo (North Macedonia);
• The cities of Ravenna (Italy), Larissa (Greece);
• The Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (Slovenia); and
• The Local Democracy Agencies such LDA Kosovo and LDA Subotica and ALDA, as partners of the project.

The main objective of the project, as M. George Soultis said during the first meeting, “is to build connections between European cities”. Indeed, the VALID project aims to build a strong network of towns committed to intercultural exchange by using dialogue and open spaces through the promotion of cultural participation and civil society in decision-making. This strong network of cities was thought as a way to build bridges and connections while establishing a common legal frame.

Moreover, this international event offered an opportunity to reflect on different European matters such as, for example, on candidates to the EU adhesion. Additionally, it was the occasion to share experiences and knowledge about certain facts that might inspire other stakeholders; empathising – among other things – on the role of cities and municipalities in the establishment of a well-functioning democratic society; by insisting on the idea that changes can be made at the local level.

Over these two days of cultural interaction and discussion, a lot of speakers got involved and shared their visions and progresses made at their own level: the principle of local participation is a key factor in making sustainable cities in the future. Hence, speakers underlined the necessity to facilitate interactions between the local governments and stakeholders coming from the civic society. The example of the municipality of Larissa showed as a successful story, encouraging and giving inspiration to other participants.

As the different speakers were sharing their experiences, the conversation lead to a couple of reflections on social inclusion, such as:

• It goes before cultural inclusion;
• It has to do with social identity which in some countries can lead to exclusion due to different opinion, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity;
• Despite the fact that inclusion should belong to a moral consideration, societies would actually benefit from a clear process of inclusion as it would generate economical assets.

Furthermore, the event served as a moment of discussion also as far as the multi-stakeholder approach within a project concerns. More in depths, it will quite often be a beneficial practice, especially when it comes to countries motivated by the same outcome. Yet, education, work, or school but more importantly, local governments could play a key part by implementing functioning tools to avoid discrimination – be it exclusion of some people due to their origin, ethnicity, race, or belief.

At last, the level of transparency and of public consultation was also addressed. As a matter of fact, young people have shown a high level of interest in political actions, making them potential “change promoters”, who will present a positive impact on decision-making process.

Concluding, this project is placing intercultural dialogue and exchange at the heart of it and aims to address exclusion and marginalisation while giving power to the citizens.

***
VALID project engages 12 partners in 10 countries and it is financially supported by the Europe for Citizens programme

On Monday, April 26th, on the occasion of the World Democracy Forum (WDF), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has organised an online event. This ninth edition of the WDF foresees monthly debates on different topics, ending on November 2021 with the final event. Having that in mind, let’s see what the April edition was about!  Focusing on the environment, the debate served as a moment of discussion and reflection on the actions taken at local level as far as green transition initiatives and citizens’ participation  are concerned.

In light of her expertise on environmental issues, Ms Nataša Vučković , ALDA Governing Board member, was among the keynote speakers of the event. Representing the Center for Democracy Foundation, Ms Vučković shared key insights on the topic as well as good practices of green transition measures, with a specific focus on the Balkan Region. Furthermore, she has a proven track on rule of law, human rights and parliamentary procedures; being also a member of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). 

On behalf of ALDA as a whole, we take the occasion to thank and congratulate the Congress for the organisation of this  event: we are deeply convinced that promoting debate among institutions and representatives of the civil society is an essential factor to raise awareness and stimulate concrete actions and cooperation among stakeholders. 

Watch the video about WDF

Although this year has been particularly difficult for the cultural and touristic sector, SMART is even more determined to support local and international tourism; to strengthen organizations and to promote communities’ resilience!

Thus, we are thrilled to announce the launch of three SMART International Webinars which will take place during the month of May:

• 12th May – 3.00 – 4.30pm CET – Inclusive web accessibility for all – Federico Poda, Web developer from Independent L.

• 18th May – 3.00 – 4.30pm CET – Museums go digital: best practices and tools for innovative design & extraordinary experiences – Lukas Grundner, MA\ Junior Researcher and Mag.a Stefanie Wallinger\ Researcher (University of Salzburg)

• 26th May – 3.00 – 4.30pm CET – Silent play: cultural heritage and new participatory practices through theatre – Carlo Presotto (La Piccionaia), Paola Rossi (La Piccionaia), Stefania Zardini Lacedelli (Dolom.it)

During the three webinars, relevant and valuable speakers from SMART partners organizations will share their views, know-how and practices on the link among museums, citizenship, accessibility and digitalization. During the theoretical and interactive sessions participants can experience interesting best practices while reflecting and discussing with experts.

All the above-mentioned webinars are free! Participants only need to register (click here to register!). Professionals and organizations working in the tourism, culture and accessibility sectors cannot miss this chance!

It represents a great opportunity to increase their knowledge and capacities and take an active role in the re-launch of European culture and museums!

The webinars will be delivered in Italian, German and English including simultaneous translation in one of the three languages. The translation in English Sign Language is available.

For more information please contact info@smart-museums.eu or visit SMART project website and the Facebook and Twitter page 

*The webinar is organized within the project SMART-Small Museums Representing Territories and funded by the European Union and Interreg V-A Italy-Austria 2014-2020 and lasting 30 months (September 2019-March 2022).

Excellencies, dear all participants and friends from the panel,

It is a great privilege for ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy, to take the floor in such a distinguished panel addressing you all those difficult times. I speak on behalf of our 350 members (local authorities and civil society groups) from all over Europe and beyond, committed to the cause of local democracy and citizens participation. We were established by the Councill of Europe 20 years ago and we have structured relationship with the Congress of local and regional authorities and now with the Centre of Expertise for good governance. We implemented so far almost 450 projects, which had an impact on  about 25 millions of people.

Do not miss the first international meeting of VALID project!

First of all, do you know what VALID stands for? It is the acronym for: European Towns – Enacting Common Values of Solidarity and Intercultural Dialogue and it will be implemented for the next two years by a consortium of 12 partners in 10 countries across Europe

More in depth, the kick off meeting will be the perfect occasion to discuss different aspects of the project itself. On April 22nd, participants, after a first overview, will reflect on key objectives, such as: 

• Local practices in social inclusion and intercultural education and dialogue;
• Participatory processes in policy decision making and 
• Integration and cohesion at local level

Furthermore, during the second day of the event, April 23rd, the kick off meeting will tackle several aspects, among which participants will discuss:

• Raise awareness in civic engagement
• Capacity building and facilitation methods and tools for intercultural dialogue

Those who are willing to participate can find more information here:

• When: April 22nd and 23rd 9.30-12.45
• We kindly ask those interested to register
• You can find the specific agenda of meeting here

The 3^rd Transnational Meeting organised within the FOREST project took placed both on 15 and 16 April, focusing on the topic of certification and qualification in the forestry sector. The meeting, held in virtual mode, was hosted by the project partner Grm Novo Mesto.

The agenda was full of great initiatives and updates. Thus, on April 15^th, following the institutional greetings of the project partner Grm Novo Mesto, a public conference served as the perfect occasion for each partner to present an overview of the existing certifications and qualifications at national level, outlining both the legislative and training aspects. Furthermore, criticalities in terms of standardisation compared to other European countries were also discussed. Forestry technicians and trainers from 5 European countries (Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria) working in the project partner organisations joined the meeting.

Moving on, the main focus discussed on the second day was the development of a manual for the standardisation of forest workers’ competences. The technical book represents, in fact, one of the main project output. More in depth, the latter will collect all the good practices that emerged from the project including: safety in the workplace, certification, sustainability and innovation, and female inclusion in the forestry sector. In particular, the handbook will also contain a comparative analysis of forestry training programs among the 5 project partner countries, highlighting strengths and gaps; while proposing recommendations and suggestions to achieve a European standardisation of forestry training.

From a general perspective, partners discussed what were the main issues to tackle within the project; how to develop the manual, while defining key points of the publication and a possible index. In particular, special attention was given to comparative analysis. Hence, through interactive brainstorming, partners reflected and defined which are the main targets to address in the publication; and what are the objectives they want to achieve.

Finally, partners started to discuss and reflect on methodology and the activities that will follow.

Last but not least, the latter aspect will be further analysed in a next meeting scheduled for May. Join us and do not miss any updates!