april 2013

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APRIL 2013
REFUGEES & INTEGRATION
al
editori
editorial
Dear FIMCAP family!
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APRIL 2013
What does ’home’ mean to you? Is it
a house or a country; is it family,
your friends or your parish? Is
home a place you long for or a
place you can return to? Now try to
imagine not having a place called
home. Imagine you had to leave
your country, your family or your
culture; there is no place you belong
and you depend on the goodwill, the
politics and the cultures of others;
strange to you. Maybe
you may find yourself a country that is
e of yourself. Millions of children around
you are not even old enough to take car
den, a
they are not welcome and seen as a bur
the world are refugees. Often enough
and
m,
the
are scared of them, even angry at
problem or a threat to society. People
not ready to give them a new home.
y of
e for children and young people and man
FIMCAP organisations are often a hom
ds,
oun
kgr
tion of people with different bac
our organisations work for the integra
child
gration work in our organisations? No
like refugees. So how can we make inte
a
ome
e – what can we do to make this bec
should grow up without feeling at hom
reality?
ng
helping others, but also about becomi
And what if this work is not only about
t? Is it possible that this child, this
inspired – have you ever considered tha
r
your organisation, your society and you
stranger, has something that enriches
r
ht be a sign for you to change you
mind? It might be possible and there mig
perspective.
l
ment; it is also the year of our Genera
This is the year with the topic of develop
ons
visi
d, to develop ways forward and
Assembly. In 2013 we want to look forwar
ngers,
a LINK issue about the others, the stra
for the future. It is the right year for
e
hav
cities or countries, but still do not
and the children who are in your towns,
tives
CAP family is not only a family of rela
the feeling of belonging there. The FIM
ter
mat
no
where everybody can have a home,
and neighbours; it is a family in spirit
issue
ngth and our connection. Let this LINK
where they come from. That is our stre
inspire you!
Lea Sedlmayr, President of FIMCAP
Link April 2013 | Editors: Pascal Vonlanthen, Marvic Debono, Lea Sedlmayr |
Translation: Ramon Canal, Celia Martín Andrade, Marleen Deblonde, Queralt Alsina, Annette Leimer | Layout: Jan Van Bostraeten, Valerie Van der Looy | Contact: link@fimcap.
org, www.fimcap.org, info@fimcap.org |
CALENDAR
FIMCAP Activities
EuroCourse
European Bureau Meeting
EuroCamp
Intercontinental Bureau Meeting
FIMCAP Day
Extraordinary AfroConference
Asian Conference
European Bureau Meeting
FIMCAP Latin America Regional Meeting
General Assembly
EuroCourse
Jong Nederland
ZAK
ZAK
eRko
FIMCAP
eRko
eRko
eRko
eRko
eRko
CCCCCE
Netherlands
Malta
Malta
Slovakia
Everywhere
Slovakia
Slovakia
Slovakia
Slovakia
Slovakia
Catalunya
9-12 May 2013
8-9 June 2013
3-10 August 2013
13-15 September 2013
20 November 2013
24 Nov & 1 Dec 2013
24 Nov & 1 Dec 2013
24 November 2013
24 Nov & 1 Dec 2013
25-30 November 2013
2014
Seminar
FDF
Denmark
April 2014
Eurocamp
EuroConference
Chiro
Belgium
2014
2014
Member organisations’ and partners’ activities (open to international guests)
EasterCourse
General Leaders’ Meeting
Teenagers Meeting
72 hours activity
Krinkel
Senior Festival
Eastercourse
National Summer Camp
Eastercourse
National Camp
European Fellowship
CCCCCE
CCCCCE
KJG (and others)
Chiro
FDF
European Fellowship
Katholische Jungschar
European Fellowship
FDF
Iceland
Tarragona
Barcelona
Germany
Belgium
Denmark
England
Austria
Malta
Easter 2013
20-21 April 2013
11-12 May 2013
13-16 June 2013
25-30 August 2013
13-15 September 2013
Easter 2014
July/August 2014
Easter 2015
2016
LINK: Editions 2013
(Send articles and photos to link@fimcap.org. Maximum length: 4000 characters)
Edition
03/2013
04/2013
01/2014
Deadline for articles
15 May 2013
15 September 2013
15 December 2013
Send out
July 2013
November 2013
January 2014
«Almost half of the world’s forcibly displaced people are children and many
spend their entire childhood far from home. Whether they are refugees,
internally displaced, asylum-seekers or stateless, children are at a greater
risk of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking or forced military
recruitment. They may also have witnessed or experienced violent acts
and/or been separated from their families. However, children are highly
resilient and find ways to cope and draw strength from their families
and communities. By learning, playing and having space to explore their
talents and skills, children can be active members of the community.»
(UN refugee agency http://www.unhcr.org)
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THeMe
AFRICA’S REFUGEE DILEMMA
ss.
The actual moment of Exile is like an illne
You are ill with rage.
r on
To every family, It means closing the doo
friends, culture, your native country.
One year is an exile
Compared to ten years.
Ten years
Means nothing
In the history of the country.
But for a human being
It is a long time.
For a child
A lifetime.
Some of us
n
Are bor in Ethiopian camps.
Peace is 'round the corner,
What I call home
Will still be
Another exile.
Because
't
I don know home.
What an irony
To become a refugee.
refugee, presented
(14-year-old Deng Duot, a Sudanese
gee Day commethis poem during the 2004 World Refu
morations in Ethiopia.)
A refugee's life, regardless of age, is never an
easy one. But for some reasons, exile is particularly hard on the young. In addition to
the usual emotional strains associated with
coming of age, young refugees must often
confront the torments of war, violence,
bereavement, sexual abuse and forced
conscription.
4
Many young refugees are also deprived of
the protective shield of the family, making
them especially vulnerable to various forms
of abuse. In some parts of the world, boys as
young as 15 are forcibly recruited to fight in
somebody else's conflict, often for reasons
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they cannot possibly comprehend.
According to the UN, they are among
the more than 300’000 young people
between the ages of 15 and 17
fighting in some of the world's most
violent wars. Even if they escape
death or injury, they are traumatized for life by the brutality of the
experience. And while boys can end
up as cannon fodder, young female
refugees are often the prime targets
of abuse, especially in areas where
the social position of women and
girls is weak.
What is a refugee?
According to the 1951 Geneva
Convention, a refugee is any
person who, due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for
reasons of race, religion, nationality, belonging to a particular
social group or political opinion,
is outside the country of his/
her nationality and is unable or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling
to avail himself/herself of the protection of
that country…
The African Union expanded this definition.
The term refugee shall also apply to every
person who, owing to external aggression,
occupation, foreign domination, or events
seriously disrupting public order, in either
part or the whole of his/her country of ori-
gin or nationality, is compelled to leave his/
her place of habitual residence in order to
seek refuge in another place outside his/her
country of origin or nationality.
All of us want a brighter future, and strive
to provide ourselves with the means to
build happy, successful lives. Unfortunately,
young refugees do not enjoy these same
opportunities. Just visit any school in a
refugee camp and you will see the pupils’
remarkable determination to learn and excel
in the face of enormous odds and an uncertain future. This is a testimony that young
refugees know that education is the surest
way out of poverty.
Young refugees need our help. Much is
already being done by the Office of the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees, other UN
agencies and Xaveri South Africa, through
educational and other youth-related programs, to make their lives fuller, safer and
more meaningful. But while humanitarian
involvement can help to ease the hard lot of
young refugees, it can never be a substitute
for serious and sustained efforts to find solutions for the problems that cause displace-
ment in the first place.
Last year, World Refugee Day (June 20)
was dedicated to the millions of young
people whose future has been jeopardized
by war, hatred and exile. At an age when
they should be dreaming of life's limitless
possibilities and building up their skills in
preparation for adulthood, they are instead
bound by the harsh reality of poverty and
displacement, and condemned to what
often seems to be a life without hope.
On World Refugee Day 2013, let us reaffirm
our commitment to saving future generations from growing up without hope.
Martin Mande, Xaveri South Africa
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STATUS OF REFUGEES  A CASE STUDY OF SIERRA LEONE CIVIL WAR
AND DISPLACEMENT OF CITIZENS
when the first bullets were fired in Kailahun,
and has since continued through May 1997
to January 1999, with most Sierra Leoneans
seeking refuge in countries around the sub
region, notably Guinea and Liberia given the
geographical set up. Other affluent or simply lucky Sierra Leoneans sought asylum in
Europe and the Americas whilst a good half
of the country became internally displaced.
Perhaps it’s worth starting this work of art by
taking a retrospective look at who a refugee
is. A refugee is a person who is outside
their country of origin or habitual residence
because they have suffered (or fear) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or because they are a
member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such
a person may be referred to as an 'asylum
seeker' until recognized by the state where
they have presented their application.
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status
of Refugees defines a refugee as any person
who, owing to well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular
social group or political opinion, is outside
the country of his/her nationality and is
unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to
avail himself/herself of the protection of that
country.
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The 1969 Convention of the Organization
of African Unity on refugee problems in
Africa and the 1984 Cartagena Declaration
on refugees have broadened that definition
to include people fleeing events which
seriously disrupt public order, such as armed
conflicts and disturbances. This to a very
large extent draws into play a subset of what
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is usually referred to as Internally Displaced
Persons (IDP); there are no legal definitions
for this status, but generally IDP means
persons who have been forced to flee or to
leave their homes or places of habitual residence. For the purpose of this essay we shall
consider them as being mutually exclusive.
The refugee problem is a global one: today,
no region or continent lacks refugees –
people caught between danger at home
and loss of identity in a strange land. Fear
of persecution has led millions to flee their
homes and seek safety in strange societies
where they may be isolated, different, and
often impoverished. Although the refugee
problem has existed for a long time and has
created great suffering for refugees, and
major difficulties for those who have tried
to assist them, there has been little refugee
research – research which might relieve the
suffering of the refugees and assist those
who try to aid the refugees. Despite tens of
millions of refugees in this century, refugee
research is sporadic, unsystematic, isolated
and cursory.
In Sierra Leone the civil war was catalogued
with the systemic displacement of the
Sierra Leonean populace at all levels. This
displacement traces back to March 1991
With the signals of the end of the war in
Sierra Leone, the government, with the
support from other donors, commissioned
a body corporate to disarm combatants,
reintegrate them in societies and resettle
communities which had been displaced. In
2004 the United Nations country team put
together an integrated Transitional Appeal
for Relief and Recovery. This programme,
implemented alongside NaCSA, met both
emergency relief needs and immediate
recovery requirements, and not only catered
for Sierra Leonean refugees but other refugees residing in Sierra Leone.
Support to Liberian refugees and host communities: Provide protection, emergency
assistance and care and maintenance for
70’000 Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone.
Voluntary repatriation of Sierra Leoneans:
Promote and support the voluntary repatriation of 30’000 Sierra Leoneans in safety
and dignity and provide initial reintegration
support. Being a former refugee myself, I
will attempt to bring forward the negative
effects of being either a refugee or an IDP.
In most cases, the presence of refugees does
not have a significant negative impact on
the political and security situation of the
host countries. However, in some circumstances, the presence of refugees can have
negative political and security impacts, the
influx of refugees from neighbouring countries can destabilize neighbouring countries
in the following ways:
Refugee camps located close to the
boundary of the country of origin can
provide sanctuary to rebel organizations,
and a base from which to carry out operations and fertile grounds for recruitment. For
example, It was observed at the break of the
civil war in Kailahun, eastern Sierra Leone,
that the rebel group was made up of mainly
Liberian refugees, most of whom had been
residing in that part of the country. This to a
very large extent facilitated the spreading of
arms to combatants and ideologies conducive to conflict.
At times, refugees can pose a security and
political threat to the host country; and this
in turn can create tensions in bilateral relations between neighbouring countries.
There are also environmental impacts; the
presence of large influxes of refugees has
also been associated with environmental
impacts on land, water, natural resources
and slum growth, with in effect also causing
health hazards in areas where there is a
limited supply of basic services.
According to the UNHCR refugees are scattered in all corners of the globe, the total
number amounting to 10'395'553. Refugees
from Sierra Leone account for 8’092 people,
but a significant number of people are still
living as IDPs but have taken necessary
steps to acculturate themselves to fit in the
living conditions of these communities.
Let me close by saying that, for many
refugees, the choice is between the horrific
or something worse. Every minute eight
people leave everything behind to escape
war, persecution or terror.
«Refugees have no choice; we do.»
Anthony A Senesie, CYO Sierra Leone
MIGRANT SMUGGLING
Migration has always been a fact: stories
of people on the move have been recorded at various points in the history of
mankind. Today, however, migration has
become a deadly business, being operated through networks of organised crime,
crossing borders and affecting several
states.
Even though the nature of clandestine migration makes it very difficult to determine
the real proportion of the problem, estimates indicate that the number of people
who resort to illegal migration are in the
thousands. According to the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as
many as 300’000 African migrants without
proper documentation, for example, try to
reach Europe each year.
Migrant smuggling has recently been
defined as a crime under International Law,
and it essentially refers to the act of paying a sum of money for being transported
illegally from one place to another. In this
illegal activity, the migrants are not consi-
dered criminals, and therefore not punished
under International Law. It is the smuggler,
who receives some form of payment from
the migrant, who is the perpetrator under
International Law.
The increase in the number of persons who
resort to the service of people smugglers
has one direct result: an increase in human
tragedy. Illegal migration, in particular
migrant smuggling, brings along tremendous human costs. In 2004, the International
Centre for Migration Policy Development
(ICMPD) estimated that almost 10’000 people had died in the previous 10 years trying to
cross the Mediterranean. In addition to this,
those who are fortunate enough to make it
are generally subjected to extremely harsh
journeys. Reaching North African ports
entails travelling through the Sahara Desert;
and many migrants recount the desert
journey as the most dangerous part. The
jeeps, vans and trucks that cross the desert
are always overloaded and it is extremely
common for someone to fall off and be left
behind in the desert.
Women are especially vulnerable, and it is
even recorded that some were also raped
during the journey. It is common practice that migrants face thirst, hunger and
hypothermia. Reaching the port of embarkation is merely a part of the journey; this
is normally followed by an even more dangerous journey: the sea journey. Migrants
generally cross the sea on very flimsy boats,
with an insufficient amount of fuel to reach
the country of destination. It is commonly
known that the conditions of the migrant
smuggling vessels are extremely harsh, normally overloaded, exposing people to grave
danger, and sometimes even death.
Migrant Smuggling is a phenomenon so difficult to control because so many perspectives and interests are linked to it. States
tend to emphasise their right to protect
their borders. However, even though state
security arguments should always be taken
into account, the human rights element
should never be neglected. Regardless of
the perspective, human rights should never
be compromised. Malta, along with other
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Southern European countries, is facing
the difficult challenge of continuous boat
arrivals. The island is already overpopulated, and very often cooperation from other
European Union States is lacking. However,
even though the challenge seems to be
greater than Malta’s ability to tackle illegal
migration, the extreme suffering of these
people is a serious humanitarian issue,
which can never be sidelined. Only through
an effective cooperation of states can we say
that we have started to tackle this humanitarian problem.
Carina Nagiah, ZAK Malta
Intercontinental
FIMCAP GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMING UP!
The General Assembly is the most important meeting within the structure of
FIMCAP. The General Assembly takes places every three years and each member
organization is asked to be present at this
meeting.
All major FIMCAP decisions should be taken
and supported by the General Assembly. It
is in particular the General Assembly who
elects the presidium for the following three
years and determines the direction of the
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federation. Apart from these important
tasks, the General Assembly is also the best
opportunity to personally meet the other
FIMCAP member organizations.
Date: 23 November – 2 December 2013
Venue: Modra, Slovakia
Study Theme: Children’s rights
All member organizations are expected to
arrive on Saturday, 23 November. Continental meetings are planned on Sunday, 24
November, and Sunday, 1 December.
An invitation including all practical information and the inscription form has been
sent by post and by e-mail to the national
secretariats of every member organization.
The deadline for inscriptions is 1 May, 2013.
If your organization has not received an
invitation, please contact the FIMCAP secretariat at info@fimcap.org
SUPPORT FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS 
THE 0,7 FUND OF CHIRO FLANDERS
Since 1970 the United Nations had called
upon countries to spend 0.7% of their
Gross National Product on development
cooperation and solidarity projects. Chiro
Flanders supports this call.
Therefore, every year Chiro Flanders puts
0,7% of its budget aside to support youth
work in the South. It is not a huge amount,
but it is a financial support that we want to
offer our colleagues in the South.
The 0,7 fund of Chiro Flanders give priority
to projects that want to promote the expansion and consolidation of youth movements
on a regional, national or international level.
Training, awareness raising and dissemination are important aspects.
The last two years we supported several
projects:
CYO Ghana: training on leadership and
climate change awareness
eRko Slovakia: the enlargement of their
training center
Chiro Philippines: national camp to celebrate their 60th anniversary
Xaveri South Africa: project on using the
young as change agents in themselves
and in their larger community
Kiro Haïti: the organization of trainings
for leaders in the different dioceses
Xaveri Rwanda: a national camp for
Xaveri students
If interested, more information and the application form for the 0,7 fund can be asked
at internationaal@chiro.be. There are three
deadlines for applications each year:1st of
January, 1st of May and 1st of September.
Evy Hoeben, FIMCAP Secretary General
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Africa
VISITING XAVERI UGANDA
service in Bujumbura, he was laid to rest in
Bukavu in the Centre Bandar, a centre he
had founded. «A life for Africa», those were
the words the press used to describe him.
His spirit lives on; I was able to witness that
in Uganda. I saw how young people used
music and drama to break the taboo of corruption. Young people are the best protagonists of change.
Erik Desmet, Friend of FIMCAP
Within FIMCAP, those member organizations
carrying the name «Xaveri» form a kind of a
group of their own. You can compare it with
twins or triplets, who are slightly closer to
each other than to the other brothers and
sisters they have.
A trip to Uganda, in the scope of my profession, brought me in contact with one of
the strong branches of the Xaveri tree,
Xaveri Uganda. Ben Mutebi, the national
coordinator, received me warmly at their
headquarters, located within the compound
of the Ugandan Bishops Conference. Xaveri
Uganda is a blooming movement, spread
over almost all Ugandan dioceses.
The visit was also an opportunity to reminisce on the person of P. Georges Defour
(1913-2012), who passed away at the age
of 99. In 1952 it was him who founded, in
Bukavu (DRC), the first Xaveri group. Three
central ideas came together:
A movement rooted in the African culture, and not imported from abroad
An engine of social change, using their
own pedagogical method
Directly connected to the Church community
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Over the years, Xaveri spread to many Afri-
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can countries. FIMCAP has Xaveri member
organizations in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, in Rwanda, in Burundi, in Uganda
and in South Africa.
As the result of a painful fall, P. Georges
Defour was obliged to return to his native
country, Belgium. He stayed at the home
Saint Joseph, close to the river Maas in
Liège. Many FIMCAP friends, who were in
Belgium, paid a visit to Liège to see Father
Defour. The priest always revived when he
heard somebody talking about the movement.
P. Georges Defour died on 21 August 2012.
At the request of the Archbishop of Bukavu
and the whole Church community there,
his body was flown back to Africa to rest
in peace there, something that only rarely
happens with a missionary. After a worship
GHANA CATHOLIC YOUTH ORGANIZATION RECOLLECTION
The Accra Archdiocesan CYO began the year 2013 with a recollection for all officers from the
Unit to the Archdiocesan level, held on 5 January at the St. Patrick Catholic Church, Dome.
The recollection, which was based on
leadership, was chaired by Rev. Fr. Hilary
Agbenosi. Using a scripture from Peter chapter 5 verses 1-4, Fr. Agbenosi called on the
officers present to look after the crusaders
they are leading like shepherds.
He went on to say that in order to emulate
Christ the Good Shepherd, we should reflect
on the following
Our motivation to lead should come from
God
We should not expect someone to provide what we need to do our work
We should be ready to sacrifice
As leaders, we should have personal
contact with our crusaders
We should work gladly
He encouraged the officers to work not for
pay but as a service to God who has put
them in charge of His people. As leaders
we should avoid pride and remain humble
in anything we do, just as Jesus taught us
humility during the Last Supper where he
washed the feet of his disciples. He concluded by reminding officers of the oath of office taken during our installation, and asked
that we always keep it in mind to guide us in
leading our people.
Elizabeth Mademe,
National Assistant Organizing Secretary
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Asia
CHIRO pilgrimage 2012 as witnessed by
a Nigerian student for the first time
27-30 December 2012, Cebu City, Philippines. Youth from all over the country meet in Cebu
City for the CHIRO Pilgrimage 2012.
The account of the pilgrimage can never be
complete without reference to the inspirational and spirit-filled talks given during
the course of the program (talk on charity,
stages of faith development or challenges
of faith). Other activities of the pilgrimage
included: Taizé Prayer, Benediction, and
Praise Night.
The youth who came for this four-day
program had great things to learn during
its shows, how we can worship God besides
attending daily mass, doing the work of
service as his Disciples with the three core
values Sacrifice, Obedience and Conviction.
The pilgrimage ended with mass on Sunday
30 December 2012 with the Cebu CHIRO
Bishop leading mass. There wasn’t a day
that went by without us having the CHIRO
Cainta, giving us an illustration of the life of
St. Pedro Calungsod through plays or dramas. And his statue followed us wherever
we went, as our inspiration and protection
during the program.
Leader Badette Felix called the program to
an end by introducing the theme for CHIRO
in the year 2013, «Let’s ActiFAITH», with an
inspiration from the book of James 2: 26. I
was so excited when I was asked to write an
article, because as a Nigerian who attended
the CHIRO Philippines pilgrimage for the
first time, it was really an eye opener.
CHIRO is one of the many Catholic youth
organizations in the Philippines with the
major objective of bringing the youth and
children together under one umbrella and
closer to God. This, I believe, is wonderful
and achievable, especially with a program
like the pilgrimage.
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Approximately 120 participants from the
Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas regions of the
Philippines attended the program. Registra-
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tion was followed by a grand opening mass
in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, where the Assistant National Leader of CHIRO, Richard Balang, gave
a talk on what pilgrimage is all about. Immediately after the opening mass, pilgrims
went on a tour and visited different parishes
around the Archdiocese of Cebu, from the
north to the south and to the southwest of
Cebu. This tour was really an exciting experience for everyone.
Magdalene Ucheh, CYO Nigeria
Europe
SPEEDATING IN MALTA!
I went to Malta to attend an exciting seminar called Speedating. I was expecting to learn
about youth exchange and meet fun people while doing so.
My experience went way beyond that. I
met a lot of new people, all from different
backgrounds, cultures and with different
personalities. In addition to learn everything
there was to learn during the workshops
and lectures at the seminar I also learned a
lot of new and helpful things, such as games
and more interactive workshops that will
help me as a youth leader. I also managed
to make new contacts with people from
different European countries, and this was
one of the aims of Speedating – creating
contacts and keeping in touch. All in all my
stay in Malta with ZAK was very pleasant
and productive and I recommend anyone
who has a chance to go to a similar seminar
to do it, because it is a fruitful experience.
Hjörtur Freyr Sæland, ÆSKÞ, Iceland
Last December I had the opportunity to
attend a seminar: «Speedating», in which
my knowledge about youth organizations
abroad, my concept of youth initiatives and
opportunities were expanded. I am really
pleased to say that during this seminar I managed to learn and increase my knowledge
about the culture of other foreign countries.
Thanks to representatives from EUPA I
became more acquainted with the process
of applications within the «Youth in Action»
Program and also about the Europass. I
believe that the organisation/group I come
from will surely benefit from this seminar, as
we have found a partner and together we
are working on a youth exchange. Talking
from a first hand experience I strongly
recommend such seminars since you gain a
genuine amount of useful information, and
apart from that, you can make new, international friends.
Marija Xerri ŻAK Malta
CHIRO BECAME FDF
During the summer of 2011 almost 300 Belgians from Chirojeugd Vlaanderen participated
in the FDF national camp in Denmark. One of them, Hanne Sauvillers, was at that moment
a young leader. A year later she went on Erasmus (European study programme) to the city
of Copenhagen.
The Danes asked her to join their leaders’
group in FDF Stenlose/Vekso. Dubbelpunt
(leaders magazine of Chiro) interviewed her
on her experience. Now we want to share it
with the FIMCAP world.
Dubbelpunt: What/who is FDF?
Hanne: FDF is a sister organization of Chiro.
It’s one of the biggest Christian organizations for children and youngsters in Denmark.
In each region there are many local FDF
groups with their own activities. The two
parishes Stenlose and Vekso make one
group in which I engaged for some months.
They gather weekly and go on weekends
and a camp just like we do. The activities
and the games are more or less the same as
in Chiro, but their adventurous activities are
top priority.
What makes them so special?
You can find almost all ages in one local
group. Small children may join at the age
of five. But there is no age limit; the oldest
member in my group was 68 years old.
The leaders’ group doesn’t only consist of
youngsters but also people in their thirties
or older. I found that it is not always easy,
but it’s their passion, that’s obvious. This is
what connects them.
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Are there other differences with Chiro?
The differences are the adventurous activities. Children get to know nature from
the start. There is so much to discover and
explore. Adventure and nature are a central
theme through the activities. It goes from
playing games, climbing, rope walk, to fire
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making, building camps, etc. FDF also pays
attention to religion. This makes the feeling
of togetherness very strong.
What can Chiro groups learn from them?
The way in which FDF does creative things
in and with nature is fantastic. With one
branch of a tree you can do a thousand
things. The cooperation between young and
old is different from Chiro, but it works. It’s
even possible that your father or mother is
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a leader in your group. In Denmark there
is no age limit to playing games and doing
adventurous activities. Isn’t it great to play
hide and seek until you turn fifty?
What is your nicest memory?
When I returned young and old was there
to welcome me. And I also remember the
old cups and lemon cake they always had at
the camps. It reminded us of nice things and
let us make plans for the future. The leaders
became friends for life, and when I left they
made one thing very clear: even if I wasn’t
always there, I would still be a member of
the team. I will see them again, and then
we’ll canoe from Denmark to Sweden.
Good luck with that and thanks for the interview!
Children’s good deeds and 72 hours – what is the result in Slovakia?
Children from eRko did more than 17’000
good deeds during the campaign «Children help» in October. This campaign
motivates children to help others. More
than 2200 children from 110 groups and
two primary schools were involved. The
main motto was «Helping is good!» and
the children counted their good deeds
accordingly.
Twelve years ago there was a need to guide
children to be careful towards the needs of
the others. In this project big acts are not
important –it is rather about the responsibility and personal engagement through
doing small things every day. From 19-21
October this campaign was connected
to the volunteering marathon in whole
Slovakia – 72 hours without compromise.
Twelve eRko groups were officially registered; they wanted to help and thereby show
the importance of volunteering with various
activities: cleaning the village, preparation
of creative workshops, renewing an old
Jewish cemetery, performing for people
in a retirement home, organising a fun
afternoon for children and their parents,…
All the activities showed how creative they
were.
On the campaign’s website eRko offered the
leaders methodical and motivating materials for three meetings with children. The
12th edition of «Children help» was motivated by the story of the abandoned «Goodtown» and the children helped the town’s
mayor to clean and renew it. For every good
deed they received money called «eRcoin».
At the second meeting the groups agreed
what they wanted to do together as part
of the volunteering weekend of 72 hours.
They realized this at their third meeting. In
comparison to the previous year 800 more
children were involved.
The campaign 72 hours took place in Slovakia for the second time. The same activity
has been organized in other European
countries, such as Switzerland, Austria and
Germany. This year more than 4500 volunteers in whole Slovakia were involved in 169
different projects.
Juraj Králik and Veronika Švitková, eRko.
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ERKO IS ASSOCIATED MEMBER OF CIDSE
On Sunday 20 January 2013, the CIDSE
board of directors welcomed Slovak
Catholic development movement eRko
as 17th member of the international alliance of Catholic development agencies.
This year’s meeting of all directors of CIDSE
member organisations was hosted by FEC
in Cascais, Portugal. CIDSE President Chris
Bain said: «With the entry of eRko, CIDSE
strengthens its ties with Central and Eastern
Europe, which is both an increasingly important region in EU decision-making and
an emerging actor in international development. We welcome eRko and believe
they will make a vital contribution to the
network’s efforts for global justice.»
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The abbreviation CIDSE stands for the organization’s French full name «Coopération
Internationale pour le Développement et la
Solidarité» which can be translated as International Cooperation for Development and
Solidarity. CIDSE was officially registered
as a non-profit organisation under Belgian
law in 1967. However, Catholic charities
had already been meeting since 1964 with
the intention of creating an ‘international
working group for socio-economic development’. CIDSE was founded to coordinate
tasks identified by the Second Vatican
Council as important tasks for the Catholic
Church, namely, to care for the poor and the
oppressed and to work for more justice on a
global level.
Marián Čaučík, Director of the Development
Cooperation Program of Erko, Dobra Novina,
said: «We are eager to work alongside
CIDSE’s member organisations in our quest
for more just and equal societies worldwide
and we look forward to contribute our
particular perspective in defining CIDSE’s
common voice.»
The annual CIDSE board of directors
meeting also endorsed increased network
efforts in the area of sustainable development, in light of current discussions in
the United Nations on a set of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and a new
development framework which will replace
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
after 2015.
INVITATION KRINKEL 2013
Every 4 years Chiro Flanders, Belgium’s
largest youth movement organizes a big
summer camp for its leaders: KRINKEL!
Taking part in Krinkel is an extraordinary
experience. More than 2.000 youth leaders,
living and playing together for 6 days,
sleeping in tents, no luxury, the warmth
of camp fires, games in small groups and
spectacular shows with everybody together.
It’s a perfect opportunity to have great fun
without technical gadgets and with very
nice people!
The International Campground
at Krinkel
For Krinkel we invite our friends from all over
the world!
All our international guests will be part of a
separate international campground within
Krinkel. They will follow a slightly different
program, but will take part in all the big
events of Krinkel.
During Krinkel participants will be part of a
«living group» of about 10 people (5 international guests and 5 Flemish leaders). Every
international guest will have a «buddy», a
Flemish youth leader who speaks one of the
languages you also speak (English, French or
Spanish).
Do you want to get an idea about what
Krinkel is?
Check http://vimeo.com/6302209 for one of
the games of Krinkel 2009.
Or check the Krinkel website at http://krinkel.chiro.be/ (only in Dutch at the moment)
Practical Information
Date: Sunday 25 of August, starting at 11
AM until Friday 30 of August, ending at
4 PM
Place: Landloperskolonie, 2330 MERKSPLAS,
BELGIUM
Price: The participation fee for 6 days of
Krinkel is € 100 + your travel costs to
Belgium
Criteria for participants:
You have to be an active, enthusiastic
youth leader
Between the age of 18 and 27
You are able to express yourself in English, French or Spanish
Krinkel is a very active summer camp,
playing games is a central part of Chiro
and of Krinkel. Therefore active participation in every activity is expected from
each participant. It is very likely that you
will get dirty during some games.
The camp will be very basic: sleeping in
tents, no showers, no electricity to charge
your mobile phones or laptops. Be prepared for this!
ons yet. It will depend on these subventions if we will be able to refund travel
costs or not. In the best case scenario
Chiro Flanders will refund the travel costs
of 2 participants per organisation. In the
worst case scenario the participants will
have to cover their own travel costs or at
least a part of it. Please keep this in mind
and contact your organization for more
information.
All participants will have to cover their
own participation fee which will be € 100.
If it is more comfortable to come a day in
advance or to stay the weekend afterwards, we will try to look for suitable
accommodation. Especially if you are
coming from far away we will do our best
to host you in a nice host family before or
after Krinkel.
Interested?
The national office of your youth organization is the first contact point. Ask them to
send in your inscription form. Your inscription should reach us before 15 April 2013. Pay
attention to the fact that national offices can
implement extra participation conditions.
We welcome you for this fantastic summer camp and are looking forward to
meet you!
Remarks!
It is very important to know that at the
moment that we are writing this invitation, we don’t have a view on the subventi-
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MASSABIVAK
25 TOT 30 AUGUSTUS
LANDLOPERSKOLONIE MERKSPLAS
INFO EN INSCHRIJVEN: CHIRO.BE/KRINKEL
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] VU: Roos Newton | Chirojeugd Vlaanderen, Kipdorp 30, 2000 Antwerpen | Foto’s: Paul Bert, Merijn Gouweloose | Met steun van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap [
VOOR LEIDING EN ASPI'S
OUR LENTEN JOURNEY OF FAITH
We are products of an unpredictable and
busy world. There is an ongoing commitment to compete and succeed while wars
and struggles among nations continue to
plague us. We strive to meet the demands
of an uncertain economy, while we struggle
to keep up with the advanced and changing
technological society that both excites and
overwhelms us. In addition, we strive to live
balanced lives which take care of our children, our homes and most of all our personal
physical, emotional and spiritual health.
The Lenten season offers once again an
opportunity to reflect on what is at the very
heart of Christian life, namely, Faith. This is
the most favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as communities, with the help of the word of God
and the Sacraments. This journey is marked
by prayer, sharing, silence and fasting, in
anticipation of the joy of Easter.
In our journey of faith, we often face the
temptation of accumulating material things
and the love of money, which both undermine God’s primacy in our lives. The greed
of possession leads to violence, exploitation
and death; this is the reason why the church
recommends practicing charity. The practice
of charity reminds us of God’s primacy and
turns our attention towards others, so that
we may rediscover how good our Father is
and receive his mercy.
In order to take our journey towards Easter
more seriously and prepare ourselves to
celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, what
could be more appropriate than allowing
ourselves to be guided by the word of God?
The word of God leads us to a particularly
intense encounter with the Lord, calling us
to mend our lives and walk in the path of
the Gospel. It is also the time to recognize
our weaknesses and to accept, through a
sincere inventory of our life, the renewing
Grace of the Sacrament of Penance and walk
resolutely towards Christ.
When the spirit of love and the spirit of faith
meet in the heart of a person gifted with
freedom and good will, there is the possibility for a positive transformation. Love
provides the person with creative energy
that helps to overlook hatred. Faith instead
supplies so much of that creative power that
a person is able to forge ahead in spite of
everything. The person experiences great
inner strength and true peace.
The preparation of the journey of faith helps
us to celebrate Easter in a meaningful manner. He has overcome death and brought
us new life. Let us rejoice and say, Christ
has risen. The Resurrection experience may
continue to live in our hearts and strengthen our faith. Let us share this good news
with our brothers and sisters. May the Risen
Christ bless you all.
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter,
Fr. Gregory Monteiro, FIMCAP Chaplain
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