EUROFAX 90
March 2000 Home

"Eurofax is the monthly newsletter of the European Scout Region. It is produced by the European Scout Office and is distributed to all member associations in the European Region, and others. Reproduction of articles without alteration is encouraged but Eurofax should be acknowledged as the source of the information."


International Year for the Culture of Peace

The year 2000 has been declared the "International Year for the Culture of Peace" by the General Assembly of the United Nations. A group of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates has drafted MANIFESTO 2000, a plea to transform the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence, to be presented to the United Nations in September. We encourage Scouts all over the world to sign the manifesto on www.unesco.org/manifesto2000 and make their own personal pledge to:

  1. Respect all life (respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice).
  2. Reject violence (practise active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents).
  3. Share with others (share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression).
  4. Listen to understand (defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others).
  5. Preserve the planet (promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet).
  6. Rediscover solidarity (contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, to create new forms of solidarity).

The European Scout Region is contributing through its "Children for the Future" project, to encourage peace, justice and reconciliation in south-eastern Europe. It is also planning a special autumn gathering of all the participants from last year’s Peace Cruise. This will enable the Peace Sailors from European and Arab countries to stay in touch with each other, evaluate the lasting impact of their training in conflict prevention, and plan support and follow-up.


Young People write Peace Legends

Encourage young people to create a culture of peace through the magic of myth and story. Create new heroes and heroines who demonstrate the power of non-violence, co-operation and respect. This approach was tested at the last World Scout Jamboree and proved to be very popular with the participants. You can order a Legends of Peace Project Pack (in English, French, German, Spanish or Russian) by email from peacelegends@gn.apc.org or download it from www.gn.apc.org/peacelegends.


Help make a Global Development Village at Expo 2000

The German Guide and Scout Associations are organising a Global Development Village at the World Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The GDV will be held from 7-27 August. The overall motto is "Human-Nature-Technology". If you would like to organise a workshop or a walk-in activity you are very welcome to do so. For 4 days’ work, you will receive free entrance, food, accommodation and one day off. For further information and applications for workshops, contact: Sandra Gehrke, fax: +49 30 61285009, email: expo2000-gdv@scoutnet.de


FuturoScout 2001 underway

The Scout associations in France, Poland, Spain and the UK are working together to prepare an exciting programme for FuturoScout 2001 – the European Jamboree for girls and boys aged 11-15. All patrols will be twinned with patrols from other countries and will camp together from 21 July to 2 August 2001. During the first 4 days, they will explore different regions of France and then they will meet at the main camp at Jambville, near Paris. More information can be obtained from the Scouts de France – FuturoScout 2001: scouts@scouts-france.fr


Face-lift for the European Scout Web Site

We hope that you like the new design of our web site: www.scout.org/europe. Thanks to Ian Webb, a volunteer from the South African Scout Association, the site has been completely overhauled to make it quicker and easier for you to obtain the information you need. There is an improved library and download area. Future improvements will include online databases such as EuroSteps.

The 6 sections are:

  1. Programme and Events – what’s on in the European Region, including regional and international events, seminars, EuroSteps and the emergency in the Balkans.
  2. Library – publications, newsletters and reports of the European Scout Region, including Eurofax and Where to Stay in Europe.
  3. About the European Scout Region – information about the European Scout Conference, European Scout Committee, European Scout Office and the European Scout Plan.
  4. Links – to national Scout associations in Europe, other organisations and other Scout links.
  5. Networks – including the Overture and North-South Networks, the Sea Scout Network and the European Scout Centre Managers’ Conference.
  6. What’s new – the latest additions. The World Scout Bureau (www.scout.org) and the Asia-Pacific Scout Region (www.apr.scout.or.jp) have also redesigned their web sites.

UK to host International Commissioners’ Forum

All international commissioners of national associations which are members of the European Scout Region or the Europe Region WAGGGS are invited to attend the International Commissioners’ Forum at Gilwell Park, UK, from 19-21 May 2000. The aim of this event is to help international commissioners develop their network, improve their working methods and develop international education within Guiding and Scouting in Europe.

The keynote speech will be on, "What the international dimension brings to the education of young people today". Other topics include: the role of the international commissioner; strategies to strengthen the international dimension of Scouting/Guiding; how to develop networking using information technologies and network groups; international activities and youth exchanges; partnerhsips with other non-governmental organisations and European institutions. You can find the application form in November’s EuroPak.


The Netherlands to host Tailor-made Training Seminar

Following the decision of the Co-ordinating Group not to hold a Programme and Training Forum in April in Berlin, Scouting Nederland has kindly notified us of an alternative opportunity for Training Commissioners from all over Europe to meet. The International Tailor-made Training Seminar will take place in The Netherlands from March 23-26. The programme focuses on how to adapt an association’s training system to the needs of leaders. The deadline has been extended. For further information, contact Jo Peeters, Scouting Nederland: jopeeters@wxs.nl


Turkey welcomes Rover and Ranger Leaders

Come to Turkey if you want to share ideas and experiences on how to improve programmes for young people over 16. Members of national and regional teams responsible for developing programmes for Rovers or Rangers, as well as managers of EuroSteps and participants in the Europe For You ! programme will meet in Olympus, Turkey, from 20-26 May 2000. You should be aged 18-30, reasonably fit and willing to take part in challenging activities. You can download the invitation from the regional web site.


EuroSea 6 sets sail for Poland

The next European Sea Scout/Guide Seminar will be held in Poland from 8-12 June. It will enable national associations to share ideas and experiences on how to develop Sea Scouting and Guiding or water-based programmes in general. Participants should be: members of national or regional teams responsible for Sea Scouting or Guiding or for developing water-based programmes; representatives from associations interested in introducing Sea Scouting/Guiding; able to communicate well in English or French. The participation fee is CHF 300 and there is no age limit. Contact Piotr Borys, ZHP, for more information: gkzhp@polbox.pl


New EU Youth Action Community Programme

The Youth for Europe III programme formally ended on 31 December 1999. The new programme, called the Youth Action Community Programme (YACP), should have come into effect on 1 January 2000. However, it remains deadlocked, as the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have not yet agreed on the programme’s budget. It is likely that the YACP will not be up and running before April. However, projects will be selected soon after this, with the first ready to begin in June or July.

The main actions of the new programme are:

  1. Youth for Europe: Groups of young people can take part in exchange arrangements, in participating countries or in a third country, based on cultural diversity, the environment or discovering Europe.
  2. European Voluntary Service: Young people can volunteer to work on a public service scheme in one of the participating countries or in a third country for a period of between 3 weeks and a year.
  3. Youth Initiatives: Young people devise and take responsibility for projects, e.g. setting up a small business, organising neighbourhood activities, or taking up training. They are given financial aid and back-up to work together beyond national borders.
  4. Joint Actions: Decompartmentalised initiatives on issues that affect young people and concern education and training.
  5. Support Measures: Better information for young people, training for youth workers to improve mutual co-operation and try out new methods.

The programme will be accessible through the network of national agencies, as well as through the European Commission in Brussels. Associations wanting to apply through national agencies are advised to prepare their applications on the old Youth for Europe forms, and to submit the application to their national agency. Associations wanting to apply through the centralised procedures are advised to be ready to finalise and submit their applications on the new application forms, in April or May. You are advised to be prepared and ready to work with new procedures. Please note that for each of these cases, no specific closing date has been announced yet. There are likely to be delays in selections and payments in this first year.


PHARE Multi-Beneficiary Programme

For recent information, see www.multi-bene.org


Deadline Check-list

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The above message is from:

European Scout Office

E-Mail: eurofax@euro.scout.org
Official Eurofax home page: www.scout.org/europe/eurofax

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