Compañeras y compañeros,
We, the 15M STOP-DESAHUCIOS platform from Córdoba (Spain) and EYFA want to invite you to participate in our “Community Organising against exclusion and precarity” youth meeting.
It will take place in Córdoba (Andalucía, Spain) between the 20th and 27th of October 2014 and aims to gather young community activists to shared and develop knowledge and practical skills to combat exclusion and precarity as well as to self-organise alternative ways out of the crisis.
The deadline for applications has been extended to the 20th of September.
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
The idea of the meeting comes from the needs and challenges that we have detected within our network, maybe shared by other communities in Spain and other countries. We have defined the following objectives and we want the meeting to help us achieve them:
1. Develop participant’s understanding of ‘community organising’ and ‘building sustainable alternatives’ for social and ecological justice.
2. Develop participants’ skills needed to ‘develop and maintain community lead campaigns and projects’ and ‘strategise and plan for positive social change.’
3. Support the development of local/regional community campaigns and projects initiated by young people.
With the meeting we want to reinforce our bonds within the movements against precarity and exclusion but also to exchange our experiences with topics that affect the functioning of our groups.
The meeting consists of 8 days (from the 20th to 26th of October) of sessions. It aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences between young communicty organisers.
We have chosen popular education as the methodology for the training because it creates a space of exchange between equals. We will work with a reduced number of people that will allow us to get to know each other, build group and go deeper into the topics. For this reason we have to limit the spots available.
The selection will be based on geographical, gender and group diversity, to obtain the bigger possible multiplication effect.
A diverse group of international activist will prepare and facilitate the different sessions that will cover the following topics: community organising, exclusion, housing rights, food sovereignity, consensus, strategising, empowerment and dealing with conflict.
PRACTICALITIES
During the meeting days we will work together with people who speak different languages. To facilitate the communication, we count on the support from the collective BLABLA that will coordinate the translations whenever they are needed.
The organization of the meeting its supported by a local kitchen which will coordinate the food (vegan, biological, seasonal and regional). Accommodation will be offered to the people coming from outside.
We don’t want money to be a barrier for people to participate. We count with a budget (although limited) to support the people that can’t afford to travel for economical reasons.
To avoid a negative impact of this meeting on the planet we want to encourage everyone to travel by land instead of using planes. Please note that we won’t reimburse plane tickets, except for justifed reasons.
APPLICATIONS FOR THE MEETING UNTIL THE 20th OF SEPTEMBER
If you want to take part in the meeting we need you to apply before the 20th of September answering the questions below. This will help us to calculate the necessary logistics and ensure that the content will include us all. We have limited capacity, therefore we will try to ensure that the biggest number of groups can be present. Please send your answers to: cordoba2014 AT eyfa.org
1. Which group are you part of?
2. Are other people from your group applying? Who?
3. Do you need help to cover your travel costs?
4. Do you want to propose a workshop, make a presentation or have a debate?
5. Do you have any allergies we should take into consideration?
6. Do you need translation from Spanish or English?
7. Anything else we should be aware of? (accessibility, children…)
8. What do you hope to gain from attending the meeting?
9. What experience of social change practice/activism do you have?
10. In which community groups have you been involved?
11. How do you want to use what you learned during the meeting in your work for social change? (on a personal and group level)
Apart from all the arguments that we have expressed, there‘s another reason for you to come to Córdoba: It is a thousand-year old, beautiful city full of history and a bunch of the most beautiful corners you can imagine. During the ENTRAD we will have a lot of work to do, but for sure we will find time to also enjoy a walk by the Mezquita-Catedral, the Jewish quarter, the Roman Bridge, the courtyards… We‘re expecting you!
Yes, it‘s possible!