This year, EYFA provided a diversity of spontaneous small-scale workshops and trainings for youth groups working in post-conflict zones and for anti-war activists. Due to the strong interest and active participation from our network, we extended this activity from its scope of 12 workshops in previous years to, in total, 14 workshops in 2017.

What happened?
As this project aimed to strengthen young activist groups in the face of conflict, either internally, locally, or regionally, the facilitators offered their support on the recurrent topics of conflict in our groups and conflict mediation. One-off support can help groups to overcome conflict and existing hierarchies within their structures.

Our partner groups, through the framework of this project, were able to address several interrelated topics by sending or requesting workshop facilitators to improve community-based, grassroots campaigning against nationalism, war and xenophobia. Much attention was given this year to support media and campaign work, which touched on political hot topics (eg. inclusion, anti-racism, combating xenophobia) throughout Europe and how to address them. In the second half of the year, our facilitators also shared newly developed resources, specifically a guide to integrating the input of women affected by armed conflict into anti-war campaigning, which came out of EYFA’s July event Empowerment thru Collaboration.

Objectives
– Strengthen popular education as a tool for grassroots groups to promote inclusive and peaceful societies;
– Respond immediately to emergency situations in our network;
– Disseminate and test the resources created as part of the WorkPlan.

Outcomes
Shared concrete tools and skills with 151 youth grassroots youth activists;
Among the 17 trainers and the 7 volunteers and interpreters, non-formal education was supported as a tool for the promotion of inclusive and peaceful societies.

This project was made possible with the financial support of the European Youth Foundation – Council of Europe.