Project name:
Building Resources in Democracy and Global Environment for Youth Futures (B.R.I.D.G.E. for Youth Futures)
Project number:
HR-21-4-2011-R1
Project duration:
1. 9. 2011 – 1. 8. 2012
Coordinating/host organisation:
LDA Local Democracy Agency Verteneglio
Partner organisations:
National Centre for Youth and International Mobility, Sofia, Bulgaria
Youth Information Center of Brest, Brest, France
AIPC Pandora, Madrid, Spain
Volunteers Centre Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia
Volunteers:
Elena Tsvetanova Andreeva
Laurent Garroy
Ruben Diez Cintado
Tanja Velkovska
The EVS project B.R.I.D.G.E. took place in a small rural village Verteneglio in Istria in Croatia. The village has been undergoing had undergone a quick development fostering sustainability, youth active participation in policy making and rural tourism. As The Local Democracy Agency works on rural development and youth policy issues closely with local institutions and NGOs, volunteers were involved volunteers in these cooperation activities thought the Group EVS project “B.R.I.D.G.E. for Youth Futures”. This project was the continuation of two previous EVS projects (one individual and one group EVS) that contributed to develop the idea of multiculturalism and active citizenship among youth Istrian people. With the aim of promoting mobility and mutual understanding, we four young volunteers coming from France, Spain, Bulgaria and Macedonia were chosen for the project the group EVS project “B.R.I.D.G.E. for Youth Futures”. The duration of their service in the LDA was 11 months, starting September 1st, 2011 and ending July 31st, 2012. The service gave the volunteers the possibility to have learning opportunities and was followed into their working integration by taking part in the activities run by LDA. Their social integration was assured also too by involving them in the life of local community (international evenings, outdoor activities with local youth, active participation to rural development) and they were encouraged to act as individuals sharing their experience with local population by holding meetings about their countries, culture and their hobbies. They also got the opportunity to collaborate with local institutions (Italian Community, Tourist office, Municipality and nursery “Calimero”) and worked on the creation of a magazine in the English language (or mother language if necessary) addressed to all the young people interested in intercultural topics related to mobility, Youth in Action projects, and participation in seminars, education and youth projects. They collected testimonials of volunteers from other countries, searched for new interesting topics and themes for the magazine and collaborated on the design of the magazine. They were writing about the particularity of living in a bilingual and border territory, as Verteneglio is the “most Italian” village in Istria in which the Italian population constitutes the majority. They also participated in different events organized by local institutions during the whole year and helped the organizers with practical stuff.