Mese: Aprile2015

The conference “Studiare e Lavorare in Europa” – Studying and working in Europe – took place last Friday 10th April 2015 from 10:30 to 13:00 in Vicenza, in the high school “Liceo Scientifico P. Lioy”. The event was organized in cooperation with European Federalist Movement and ALDA.

Relevant speakers participated to the debate, such as, Giorgio Anselmi, Director of the European Unity, Lucio Battistotti, Director of the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, and Alberto Majocchi, Professor of Financial Science at Pavia University. Focus of the conference was the importance of being active students, participating to all the different and several opportunities proposed by the European Union (such as Erasmus, Erasmus+).

Among the speakers were also two members of ALDA’s staff from Vicenza office: Elena Debonis, Assistant to the Communication Officer, and Oldian Metaj, Logistics Officer. These young active people were there to share with the students their experiences abroad, concerning internships, Erasmus and scholarships provided by the European Union, motivating students to participate in these programmes to build up their future in a multicultural context, and explaining the importance of being not only relevant Italian students, but also European citizens.

At the beginnin of April in Caen (France) the Cooperation Lower Normandy – Macedonia is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The celebration gathered the French and Macedonian partners that have participated in the cooperation in the previous years. A conference was organized with presentations and testimonies from participants in the programme. It was followed by many cultural events: exhibitions and concerts for presentation about the Macedonian culture.

“This cooperation was innovative right from the start. The engagement of both territories and the dynamics from the people involved contributed to the growth and development of the partnership. We are happy that ALDA had a chance to be in this cooperation just from its creation and to contribute to its development” said Antonella Valmorbida, General Secretary of ALDA, for the opening of the 10th anniversary celebration.

The political will for continuation of the programme was strongly stressed by the institutional partners: the Regional Council of Lower Normandy, the Macedonian Ministry of Local Self Government and Secretariat for European affairs, as well as the French ministry for foreign affairs. The cooperation was presented to all the regional councilors in Lower Normandy.

Since 2005, the Region Lower Normandy and the Republic of Macedonia have engaged a decentralized cooperation that has brought tangible actions on the two regions. This cooperation brings together more than 50 partners: NGOs, local authorities, educational and cultural institutions from Lower Normandy and Macedonia. The outcomes of this cooperation are visible and grounded in our societies.

For this reason, the decentralised cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia is an outstanding example for its stability and its sustainability, made possible by the commitment and the support of its numerous partners from both regions. The decentralised cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia goes on with a renewed impulse and with bigger ambitions.

Should you wish to know more, please visit the website of the cooperation between the Region Lower Normandy and the Republic of Macedonia.

Célébration du 10° anniversaire de la coopération entre la Basse- Normandie et la Macédoine à Caen

Au début d’avril à Caen (France) la Coopération entre la Région française de la Basse- Normandie et la Macédoine a fêté son 10° anniversaire. L’événement a réuni les partenaires français et macédoniens qui ont participés au programme au cours des années. Une conférence avec les présentations et les témoignages des participants au programme a été organisée. De nombreux événements culturaux ont suivis, parmi lesquels concerts et expositions pour la présentation de la culture macédoine.
“Cette collaboration a été fortement innovatrice depuis le début. L’engagement des deux territoires et le dynamisme des personnes engagées ont contribué à la croissance et au développement du partenariat. Nous sommes contents qu’ALDA ait eu la possibilité de faire partie de cette collaboration depuis le début de sa création et de contribuer à son développement”, a dit Antonella Valmorbida, Secrétaire Générale d’ ALDA, à l’ouverture de la célébration du 10° anniversaire.
La volonté politique pour la continuation du programme a été fortement soulignée par les partenaires institutionnels: le Conseil Régional de la Basse Normandie, le Ministère macédoine de l’Autogouvernement Local et la Secrétaire pour les Affaires Européennes et le Ministère français pour les Affaires Extérieures. La collaboration a été présentée à tous les conseillers régionaux en Basse -Normandie.
Depuis 2005, la Région Basse- Normandie et la République de Macédoine sont engagées dans une coopération décentrée qui a permis des actions concrètes dans les deux régions. Cette coopération réunit plus de 50 partenaires: ONG, organismes locaux, institutions éducatives et culturelles de la Basse- Normandie et de la Macédoine. Les résultats de cette coopération sont visibles et enracinés dans la société.

Pour cette raison, la coopération décentrée entre Basse Normandie et la Macédoine est un exemple exceptionnel pour sa stabilité et sa durée, rendue possible par l’engagement et par le soutien de ses nombreux partenaires dans les deux régions. La coopération décentrée entre Basse- Normandie et Macédoine continue avec de nouveaux élans et avec plus d’ambition.
Si vous désirez en savoir plus, consultez le site de la coopération entre la Région Basse -Normandie et la République de Macédoine.

Celebrazione del 10° anniversario della cooperazione tra la Bassa Normandia e la Macedonia a Caen

A inizio aprile a Caen (Francia) la Cooperazione tra la Regione francese della Bassa Normandia e la Macedonia ha festeggiato il suo 10° anniversario. L’evento ha riunito i partner francesi e macedoni che hanno partecipato al programma nel corso degli anni. É stata organizzata una conferenza con le presentazioni e le testimonianze dei partecipanti al programma. Hanno seguito numerosi eventi culturali, tra cui mostre e concerti per la presentazione della cultura macedone.
“Questa collaborazione è stata fortemente innovativa fin dall’inizio. L’impegno di entrambi i territori e la dinamicità delle persone coinvolte hanno contribuito alla crescita e allo sviluppo del partenariato. Siamo felici che ALDA abbia avuto la possibilità di essere parte di questa collaborazione sin dal momento della sua creazione e di contribuire al suo sviluppo “, ha detto Antonella Valmorbida, Segretario Generale di ALDA, all’apertura della celebrazione del 10 ° anniversario.
La volontà politica per il proseguimento del programma è stata fortemente sottolineata dai partner istituzionali: il Consiglio Regionale della Bassa Normandia, il Ministero macedone dell’Autogoverno Locale e la Segreteria per gli Affari Europei e il Ministero francese per gli Affari Esteri. La collaborazione è stata presentata a tutti i consiglieri regionali in Bassa Normandia.
Dal 2005, la Regione Bassa Normandia e la Repubblica di Macedonia sono impegnate in una cooperazione decentrata che ha portato ad azioni concrete nelle due regioni. Questa cooperazione riunisce più di 50 partner: ONG, enti locali, istituzioni educative e culturali della Bassa Normandia e della Macedonia. I risultati di questa cooperazione sono visibili e radicati nella società.

Per questo motivo, la cooperazione decentrata tra Bassa Normandia e la Macedonia è un esempio eccezionale per la sua stabilità e la sua sostenibilità, resa possibile dall’impegno e dal sostegno dei suoi numerosi partner di entrambe le regioni. La cooperazione decentrata tra Bassa Normandia e Macedonia prosegue con rinnovato slancio e con ambizioni maggiori.

Se desiderate saperne di più, visitate il sito della cooperazione tra la Regione Bassa Normandia e la Repubblica di Macedonia.

Празднование 10° годовщины сотрудничества между Нижней Нормандией и Македонией в г. Кан

В начале апреля в Кан (Франция) сотрудничество между французским регионом Нижняя Нормандия и Македонией отметило свою 10° годовщину. На мероприятии собрались французские и македонские партнеры, которые принимали участие в проекте на протяжении этих лет. Была организована конференция с выступлениями участников программы. За этим последовали многочисленные культурные мероприятия, среди которых выставки и концерты, для презентации македонской культуры.
“Это сотрудничество уже с самого начала было весьма инновационным. Усилия обеих территорий и динамичность вовлеченных в этот процесс людей повлияли на рост и развитие партнерских отношений. Мы счастливы, что у ALDA с самого начала была возможность быть частью этого сотрудничества и способствовать его развитию”, сказала Антонелла Вальморбида, генеральный секретарь ALDA, на открытии празднования 10-летнего юбилея.
Политическое стремление продолжить программу, было усиленно подчеркнуто партнерами со стороны властей: региональным советом Нижней Нормандии, македонским Министерством местного самоуправления, секретариатом по европейским делам и французским Министерством иностранных дел. Сотрудничество было представлено всем региональным советникам Нижней Нормандии.
С 2005 года регион Нижняя Нормандия и Республика Македония заняты в децентрализованном сотрудничестве, которое привело к конкретным действиям в обоих регионах. Это сотрудничество объединяет более 50 партнеров: НПО, местные органы, организации воспитательного и культурного характера Нижней Нормандии и Македонии. Результаты этого сотрудничества заметны и укрепились в обществе.
Таким образом, децентрализованное сотрудничество между Нижней Нормандией и Македонией является необыкновенным по своей стабильности и устойчивости примером, что стало возможным благодаря усилиям и поддержке многочисленных партнеров из обоих регионов. Децентрализованное сотрудничество между Нижней Нормандией и Македонией продолжается с новыми силами и еще большей устремленностью.
Если вы желаете узнать об этом больше, посетите сайт сотрудничества между регионом Нижняя Нормандия и Республикой Македония.

Proslava 10. godišnjice saradnje između Donje Normandije – Makedonije u Kaenu

Početkom marta, u Kaenu (Francuska), program saradnje Donja Normandija – Makedonija je proslavio 10 godina postojanja. Proslava je okupila francuske i makedonske partnere koji su učestvovali u saradnji u prethodnim godinama. Konferencija je organizovana kroz prezentacije i iskustva učesnika u programu, a bila je propraćena mnogim kulturnim događajima: izložbama i koncertima koje su promovisale makedonsku kulturu.
” Ova saradnja je bila inovativna od samog početka. Angažman obe teritorije i dinamičnost uključenih ljudi doprineli su rastu i razvoju partnerstva. Srećni smo što ALDA ima priliku da bude deo ove saradnje od njenog samog početka i da doprinese njenom razvoju”, rekla je Antonela Valmorbida, generalni sekretar ALDA, na obeležavanju 10. godišnjice.
Politička volja za nastavak programa je bila snažno naglašena od strane institucionalnih partnera: Regionalnog saveta Donje Normandije, makedonskog Ministarstva za lokalnu samoupravu i Sekretarijata za evropske poslove, kao i francuskog Ministarstva za inostrane poslove. Saradnja je predstavljena svim odbornicima regiona Donja Normandija.

Od 2005. godine, region Donja Normandija i Republika Makedonija su uključeni u program decentralizovane saradnje koja je dovela do opipljivih rezultata na ove dve teritorije. Ova saradnja okuplja više od 50 partnera: NVO, lokalnih vlasti, obrazovnih i kulturnih institucija iz Donje Normandije i Makedonije. Ishodi ove saradnje su vidljivi i utemeljeni u ovim društvima.

Iz tog razloga, decentralizovana saradnja Donja Normandija i Makedonija je izvanredan primer zbog njene stabilnosti i održivosti, koja je omogućena zahvaljujući predanosti i podršci brojnih partnera iz oba regiona. Decentralizovana saradnja između Donje Normandije i Makedonije se nastavlja sa dodatnim zamahom i većim ambicijama.

Ukoliko želite da saznate nešto više, posetite sajt o saradnji između regiona Donja Normandija i Republike Makedoniije.

On 27th – 29th March the Iezer Muscel Mountain Community Association, Romania launched the testing phase the project DECIDE by implementing the “Youth Council” – one of the measures of the Democratic Compact promoted by the Slovakian Center for Community Organizing and the Municipality of Banska Bystrica. The aim of this phase of the project is to test existing forms of participation and to analyse the possibilities of forming new activities based on the experiences of other municipalities.

Seven youth counsellors were elected to the “Youth Council” with the general objective of strengthening youth engagement and representation in decision-making process at the local level, gain experience in doing responsible services for the local community benefits and allow young people to experience democracy and participation in their daily life. The local stakeholders in this phase (Godeni and Domnesti municipalities, schools, youth association and unemployed young people) were identified through the cooperation between IMMCA and local actors.

The Municipality of Reggio Emilia is launching the testing phase of the project DECIDE by implementing and assessing two measures of the democratic compact. The local seminar will take place on 10th April 2015. The objective of this activity is to increase the participation of young people in the democratic life of the city through the measure “Young people citizenship gym” which aims to educate the youth from 5 Reggio Emilia High Schools in active citizenship and democratic participation; and project “Troviamoci” (Get together) which creates a database of young people’s associations in the municipality.

Both measures are being implemented on the basis of the “Community center” and “Student advisory council”, presented by the Center for Community Organising in cooperation with the Municipality of Banska Bystrica, from Slovakia. The practices have been adapted to the local context in Reggio Emilia and connected to similar experiences that have already taken place in the city. The purpose of the local event is to create a network of local authorities and civil society organisations and establish a dialog concerning the issues of youth participation. The seminar will be followed by meetings of thematic working groups involving number of local actors working in this field.

In the frame of decentralised cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia, from the 19th to the 27th of March, a group of high school students from Bitola visited Lower Normandy.

The exchange between the schools focus on the topic of Remembrance and aims at developing a perspective on the First and the Second World Wars through the perspectives of the pupils. The students will learn historic facts and increase their awareness of the role of history through field experiences following the traces of the conflicts, which are still visible in Normandy and in Macedonia. Furthermore they will engage with the local population and gather testimonials from those turbulent times.

During the exchanges in Vire the pupils also created a bilingual blog, where they publish the developments of their research but also their impressions and comments. You can visit the blog qui.

The project enables the pupils to get acquainted with the topic of Remembrance, but also offers the opportunity to the youngsters to discover a different culture, to spend time in a new environment, and to put into practice the values of sharing and opening up to new experiences.

This project is the result of a seven year long cooperation, between the high school “Josip Broz Tito” in Bitola, the vocational school “Jean Mermoz” in Vire and Alliance Française in Bitola. The project is implemented in the framework of the call for projects 2015-2016 of the decentralised cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia.

The programme for Decentralized cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia is coordinated by ALDA. For more information please visit the official website.

Les lycéens de Bitola visitent Vire

Du 19 au 27 mars 2015, 20 élèves du lycée Josip Broz Tito de Bitola visitent la Basse-Normandie grâce à leur longue coopération fructueuse avec le lycée professionnel Jean Mermoz de Vire.

Les échanges entre ces deux établissements scolaires sont sur le thème de la Mémoire. Le but de ces échanges est de développer un regard croisé sur les conflits de la Première et de la Seconde Guerre mondiale entre les élèves de ces deux établissements scolaires. C’est par l’observation sur le terrain des traces encore visibles de ces conflits dans les régions touchées, mais aussi par le travail sur le souvenir de ces périodes tempétueuses auprès des populations locales, que les élèves vont pouvoir prendre conscience de ces faits historiques et se sensibiliser au rôle de l’histoire et des échanges pour la paix et la réconciliation.

Lors de ces échanges, les élèves ont aussi créé un blog bilingue où ils publient les avancées de leurs travaux de recherche ainsi que leurs impressions et commentaires au moment des échanges scolaires. Vous pouvez visiter leur blog ici.

Au-delà du thème principal du projet, les échanges permettront aux jeunes concernés de découvrir une autre culture en passant du temps dans un environnement nouveau, et de concrétiser les valeurs de partage et d’ouverture.

Ce projet s’inscrit dans la lignée de la coopération menée depuis 2008 entre le lycée professionnel Jean Mermoz de Vire, le lycée Josip Broz Tito de Bitola et l’Alliance Française de Bitola. Il est développé cette année dans le cadre de l’appel à projets 2015-2016 de la coopération décentralisée entre la Basse-Normandie et la Macédoine.
Средношколци од Битола во посета на Долна Нормандија

Од 19 до 27 март 20 ученици од средното училиште „Јосип Броз Тито“ од Битола ќе ја посетат Долна Нормандија благодарејќи на нивната долга и богата соработка со стручното училиште „Жан Мермоз“ од Вир.

Двете средни училишта работата на темата сеќавање и Првата и Втората светска војна. Целта на оваа соработка помеѓу двете училишта е да се развие свежа перспектива за светските војни. Учениците ќе се запознаат со условите и низата историски настани кои довеле до избувнувањето на овие два светски конфликти преку истражување на терен во погодените региони како и преку разговори со локалното население.

За време на оваа посета учениците направија и блог на француски и македонски јазик каде ги објавуваат нивните откритија како и импресии од училишната посета. Блогот можете да го посетите овде.

Покрај главната тема на проектот, размените ќе им овозможат на младите да откријат една нова култура и нова околина, и да ги дефинираат вредностите на споделувањето и отвореноста кон различните култури.

Овој проект е плод од долгата соработка помеѓу стручното средно училиште Жан Мермоз во Вир, Гимназијата Јосип Броз – Тито во Битола и Француската Алијанса во Битола и се спроведува во рамки на повикот за проекти 2015-2016 година на децентрализираната соработка помеѓу Долна Нормандија и Македонија.

Jean-Marc Todeschini, Minister of State for Veterans and Remembrance was on official visit in the Republic of Macedonia from the 9th to the 11th of March 2015. The aim of the visit was the launch of the commemorations of the Eastern Front, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the First World War in Macedonia.

Mr Todeschini partook in the Ceremony of Commemoration of the First World War at the French cemetery in Bitola, where the State Secretary laid the foundation stone of the new museum. Subsequently, an inauguration was held in the Parc de la Francophonie in Skopje for the commemorative plaque honouring the French soldiers who fought on the Eastern Front. These events were held in the presence of a large number of Macedonian elected officials as well as the French community in Macedonia.

This was an important event for the Decentralized cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia as well as the French Embassy in Skopje because it strengthened and legitimised the activities that we lead on the topic of the Eastern Front. The Decentralized cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia, coordinated by ALDA, is working on several projects on the topic of Remembrance and the First World War in Macedonia:

A territorial project with the Municipality of Novaci which aims to promote memorial tourism;
A project which involves two high schools from Macedonia and Lower Normandy and Alliance française in Bitola and aims at developing a perspective on the First and the Second World Wars through the viewpoints of the pupils;
An educational project on the topic of the Eastern Front and the First World War in Macedonia with the French Institute in Skopje.

For further information on the Minister of State’s visit, consult the articles in French on France 24 e dell' French Embassy in Macedonia.

Photo credit: Petar Stavrev

ALDA General Assembly 2015 will be held in Podgorica (Montenegro) on 9th May 2015, Europe day. It is a very important year for the Association, as it marks ALDA’s 15th anniversary, and deserves a special celebration with our members and friends where it all started, in the Western Balkans.

La agenda of the General Assembly on 9th May 2015 is very tight (.pdf).

Also, a variety of events and projects related activities will take place, including induction for new members, closing conference of IPA Montenegro project “Local Coalitions for Community Development”, LDAs partners meetings, Meeting on social economy, Europe for citizens meeting with multipliers, etc. See the agenda of all events from 6 to 9 May (.pdf).

The invitations for this important event are already sent to all members of ALDA. The whole organizational team is working very intensively to provide all invited member with the best services possible, and we invite all members to register asap via the online form provided. We are looking forward to meet you all on the General Assembly 2015 in Podgorica, Montenegro!

Draft agenda of the General Assembly (.pdf)

Draft agenda of all events – 6 to 9 May 2015 (.pdf)