International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) invites you to take part in the online event titled “Afghanistan – We stand in solidarity”. The event will take place online on the 23 of November 2021 at 18:30PM CET (via Zoom platform).
During the event, we would like to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan with the focus on women and children and other minority groups (for example, queer community) with invited speakers. We envision to conclude the discussion on how we as global community can support and what are the actual needs and expectations from the international community by engaging in group work and discussion.
Flow of the event
The event will consist of two parts: panel discussion with speakers and groups work, sharing and exchange with the participants.
We will send the information on the speakers and facilitators as soon as we have all the confirmations.
This year in cooperation with youth education center Kurt Löwenstein which is run by the Socialist Youth of Germany – Die Falken we will be able to have the Training of Trainers for IUSY Pool of Trainers (PoT).
Die Falken will organize a Training of Trainers 17-23 October 2021 on the topic of “Education for social change” in which participants will gain knowledge and skills how to design and run educational processes in an international surrounding.
For more than 20 years, the Kurt Löwenstein Education Centre of SJD-Die Falken Germany is an international meeting and encountering place for members and activists from IFM-SEI, IUSY and YES. In various seminars like Winter-school, Summer-school, Queer Easter and other seminars we discuss, dream and make plans how to contribute to social change.
For us it is important that these seminars and trainings are run by an international team to share different approaches and experiences, and to learn more about different realities we live in. The international team is composed of active members from various organisations from all over Europe, Israel and Palestine. They meet regularly, receive trainings and develop ideas for seminars in these meetings.
Despite many difficulties and restrictions of travel and physical meetings, we emphasise the importance of finding ways of learning, engaging, supporting each other, demanding and driving for change.
The training will be about
ideas and methods of non-formal education,
inclusion of political and cultural aspects into activities of non-formal education,
ideas of socialist education and
reflective and anti-discriminatory education.
Participants are expected (profile of participants)
To have be already involved in non-formal learning or strong interest in non-formal education
To have the need to develop training competences and perform as a trainer/facilitator for IUSY and for their member organization. There is also possible to be involved with the educational team of KHL.
Belong to IUSY member organisation (activity is aimed towards grassroot activists not leadership)
Be aged 18-35
Have a proficient level of English (the only working language during the activity)
Availability and commitment during the whole duration of the activity
To share initiative and motivation in organasing follow up activities with IUSY
Since we expect to provide all regions with trainers for their events, we’re aiming for participants from all regions and from a variety of member organisations. According to the IUSY statutes, we’re also looking to achieve a gender-balanced training so we reserve the right to select participants based on gender criteria if needed.
Participation Fee 50-100€, depending on your country of residence. For selected participants IUSY will cover the costs.
Travel cost reimbursement Travel costs for selected participants will be covered. No tickets should be purchased without the confirmation from organisers side.
NOTE: Please make sure to put your organisations name when you fill in the application and also mention that your organization is IUSY member. Otherwise we will not be able to identify.
NOTE: On the comments section please share your motivation of applying for the training and further sharing your skills within IUSY Pool of Trainers.
Registration deadline 04 October 2021
Visas
Participants needing Visa invitations, please apply as early as possible. You will receive a visa invitation of your application is selected.
Please make sure to contact the Embassy of Germany I your country in order to find out about the current procedure for applying for visa.
Hygiene? Currently our house operates under some restrictions due to health prevention. We follow special rules of hygiene (sorry, only available in German), such as covering mouse and nose in the corridors and dining hall, washing and disinfecting hands on a regular basis and separation of different groups in the house. So far, we have successfully organized several seminars under these conditions. We are confident, that the seminar will be possible. If it has to be cancelled because of the pandemic, you won’t have to pay any fees
CONTACT INFORMATION
Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact IUSY Secretariat at gohar.ghandilyan@iusy.org.
IUSY Queer working group annual meeting aims to provide young activists from member organisations with knowledge on the theme of queer issues and rights aswell as develop, skills and competences to identify and counter homophobic and transphobic attitudes in their political activismand within their organisations.
This years’ working group meeting is recap on the work done in 2020 such as reviewing the 2ndedition of the Guideline on how to be an Ally, presenting the resolution proposal on Queer Issues and Labour Rights and have the space to discuss on queer activism and mental health.
Theme
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on queer people around the world it undeniable: from social isolation, domestic abuse, higher risk of infection by being part of the risk group (HIV positive, LGBTQI elderly) to online harassment. Among these many issues that queer persons and communities continue facing there is also a huge problem connected with mental health. This is one of the topics that is not widely discussed in our societies and within our organisations. This year, we want to bring our focus on the theme of queer activism and mental health.
Objectives of the meeting
· to acknowledge, define and share on the topic of queer activism and mental health;
· to present the work done in 2020: Guideline on Allyship and proposal for resolution on queer issues and labour rights;
· to continue building a network of queer activists;
· to engage queer activists within the working group, across the different regions.
Facilitators of the meeting
The working group meeting will be facilitated by Laura Loew and Ivan Puh.
Participant’s profile
This activity is aimed towards the activists of IUSY member organisations. Please note that it is required that the participants stay for the whole duration of the activity and also to contribute to the working group after the meeting.
Participants should:
· Belong to IUSY member organisation
· Be aged 18-35
· Has worked in a field concerning LGBTQI issues or is interested in the field
· Availability to contribute to IUSY queer working group activities in future
Deadline to register for the working group is 18thApril, 12:00PM CEST.
Online Meeting
The meeting will take place online, through the online platform Zoom.
It will be in English and without any participation fee.
Participants once confirmed their participation, will receive the programme, more detailed technical information and the link and an entry code to the meeting room.
The event will take place during 2 days for about two hours a day.
Exact time of the meeting will be confirmed as soon as possible. Initially it will start either 1PM or 2PM CEST.
It is important to remember that our events are safe spaces and that we are mindful and respectful towards each other.
Every year, IUSY Feminist Working Group brings together young activists of IUSY member organisations to engage in a dialogue on common struggles and obstacles, and work together to come up with strategies to enact political and social change within our organisations and beyond.
This year, Feminist working group meeting will take place on the 15th and 16th of April under the topic “That’s enough! Let’s build feminist organisations”.
Young feminist activists continue organising across movements in an intersectional way, locally, nationally, regionally and globally even in these difficult times of pandemic. Regardless of the work and continuous fight by many feminist organisations and networks, we continue facing discrimination in our organisational structures, lack of support in political and economic empowerment and in participatory decision making processes.
In this year’s working group meeting, we want to get down to the essence of how we walk the walk and not just talk the talk in our quest to build an international socialist/social-democratic organisations that are feminist. By deconstructing old narratives, being critical, sharing good practices and highlighting topics such as intersectionality and gender discrimination within organsations, this meeting will give participants the tools and skills:
to acknowledge, define and share the main problems among our organisations
to have the space to acknowledge and share best practices for continuous work
to build a network of feminist activists and a chance to be a part of the feminist working group
Thus, the main goals of this meeting are:
to acknowledge, define and share the main problems among organisations;
to acknowledge and share best practices and achievements for continuous work;
to continue building a network of feminist activists;
to give tools and raise awareness about gender discrimination within organisations;
to engage young feminist activists within the working group, across the different regions.
What can you expect?
We will get together for 2 days (about 2.5 hours per day) in an informal and formal settings. This means we will have a space to talk, to share, to support and to act.
The meeting will start either at 1PM CET or 2PM CET. The time will be confirmed as soon as it is possible taking into account the different time zones.
More details on the programme will come soon and all registered participants will be informed of the technicalities and the content of the meeting.
The meeting will be held online on the Zoom platform. It will be in English and without any participation fee.
It is important to remember that our events are safe spaces and that we are mindful and respectful towards each other.
Who can apply
This activity is aimed towards the activists of IUSY member organisations. Please note that it is required that the participants stay for the whole duration of the activity and also to contribute to the working group after the meeting.
Participants should:
Belong to IUSY member organisation
Be aged 18-35
Have been active/working/studying in the field of feminism/feminist movement
Be willing to continue to work and be active in the field of gender and feminism
Availability to contribute to IUSY activities in future
IUSY Feminist Working Group has the pleasure to invite you to a virtual discussion on Women* & Leadership, which will take place on the 5th of November at 2PM CET/14:00 CET.
WHAT: Virtual discussion Women* & Leadership
WHEN: 5th November at 2PM CET / 14:00 CET
WHERE: Zoom / Live on IUSY Facebook page
Context
Following the discussion about the women*’s participation in social matters, the IUSY Feminist Working Group launches its second online event, a panel discussion entitled “Women* & Leadership”.
Due to their unique experiences, based on a history of the struggle for political, economic, social and identity rights, women* are powerful agents for change. Women* play a fundamental role, not only in social movements, but also in leadership positions, in establishing and fighting for a progressive agenda, improving gender equality, but also political, economic and social advances for the whole community.
However, we still observe that women* are under-represented in decision-making politics, as well as in businesses or local communities, facing several challenges to reach leadership positions.
Due to the multiple global crises, the world has been facing (economic, social, political, health-related, war-related), it is possible to observe the rise of strongman politics/authoritarian male leadership and the consequential struggle for women* leadership, representation, and equality at different levels.
Thus, this panel discussion has the following objectives:
To understand the main challenges women* face in leadership positions, especially in decision-making politics.
To comprehend the implications of gender, ethnicity and class divides in women*’s representation and leadership.
To discuss possible measures that governments, parliaments, regional and global institutions, as well as political parties and organisations can take to improve gender representation in leadership positions.
About guests
Kesha Ram recently won the Primary Election to serve Chittenden County in the Vermont State Senate at the age of 34. With her likely election in November, she is poised to become the first woman of color and youngest woman in history to serve in the Senate. Prior to that, she served four terms in the Vermont House of Representatives on behalf of Burlington, where she was elected as the youngest legislator in the country at the time. In 2018, she graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government with a Master in Public Administration. She has worked for the City of Burlington as the Civic Engagement Specialist and for Steps to End Domestic Violence as the Legal Advocacy Director. She also served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
Benedicta Lasi is a Vice President of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). She is a Lawyer and Executive Director of the Center for African Legal Studies at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) Ghana.
Benedicta holds a first degree in Political Science and Sociology and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Ghana. She holds the BL qualification from the Ghana School of Law. She additionally holds a Master’s degree in Conflict, Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) and a Master’s in Economic Policy Management from the Economics Department of the University of Ghana. She is a member of the Ghana Bar Association.
Alícia Homs (Balearic Islands, Spain – 1993) and since May 2019, Member of the European Parliament.
Graduated in a BA in Political Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a Masters in Diplomacy and International Public Administration by the Centre of International Studies of Barcelona. She worked as an intern in the European Parliament and as an advisor in the regional ministry for Employment, Trade and Industry in the Government of the Balearic Islands.
In August 2019, she was elected president of the Young European Socialists (YES), one of the most important juvenile political organisations in Europe. She is also member of PSOE and the Young Socialists from the Balearic Islands.
As a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), she is a full member of the EMPL Committee (Employment and Social Affairs) and substitute member in the ITRE Committee (Industry, Research and Energy). She is part of the delegation for Central America, and substitutes in the EuroLat and Magreb delegations.
Mafalda Infante (moderation) is a Master’s student in International Studies at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at NOVA University of Lisbon. Her main interests are gender studies, democracy studies and European Union foreign policy.
She is part of different youth projects at the European level and a member of IUSY’s Feminist Working Group.
Fill in the registration form by 5th of November midday (CET) and join the meeting. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be send only to those registered.
To fill in the registration form, please click HERE
IUSY Queer Working Group has the pleasure to invite you to the two-day virtual event on Queer Fights and Labour Issues, which will take place on the 28th and 29th September at 13:00 CEST.
WHAT: Two-day event on Queer Fights and Labour Issues
Day 1, 28thSeptember: Virtual talk on Queer Fights and Labour Issues with queer activists from all over the world. The talk will be livestreamed at IUSY Facebook page at 13:00 CEST. The event will be created on Facebook and shared with you in advance.
Day 2, 29th September: Meeting of queer activists from IUSY member organisation in Zoom platform for sharing and working on a common RESOLUTION. The meeting will take place at 13:00-15:00 CEST.
We are planning to work together on identifying queer labour issues, showing a queer-socialist perspective to labour issues and the economic and climate crises socialism as the solution, solidarity of queer-socialists with all comrades from the socialist and queer movement in our work for a just economy for young people.
Fill in the registration form by 28th of September, at 18:00 CEST and join the meeting. The link to join the Zoom meeting on the 29th of September will be send only to those registered.
To fill in the registration form, please click HERE.
We are glad to invite you to IUSY’s Training of Trainers of IUSY Pool of Trainers which will take place from the 14th to the 19thof September online.
Despite many difficulties and restrictions of travel and physical meetings, we emphasise the importance of finding ways of learning, engaging, supporting each other, demanding and driving for change.
In this Training for Trainers we aim to provide active members of IUSY the chance to acquire and develop training and facilitating skills, knowledge on non-formal education and youth work. Together we will explore non-formal education methods and discover how it can improve our activities. in addition, we will also strengthen the network of trainers to help us deliver IUSY activities and promote non-formal education within IUSY and its member organisations.
The training will consist of:
Online sessions (approx. 2 hours per day)
Offline work (home tasks)
Designing of follow up activities
The course will require a considerable time and devotion from the participants such as joining the online sessions facilitated by the trainer, offline work individually and in groups as well as designing a follow up activity and its implementation.
During the Training, we will focus on the following competences:
Understanding and facilitating individual and group learning processes (for example, group dynamic)
Understanding of non-formal education approach
Designing educational activities
Communicating mindfully and meaningfully with others in the team, in the group etc.
Intercultural competences in group activities
Participants are expected (profile of participants)
To have be already involved in non-formal learning or strong interest in non-formal education
To have the need to develop training competences and perform as a trainer/facilitator for IUSY and for their member organisation
Belong to IUSY member organisation (activity is aimed towards youth activists)
Be aged 18-35
Have a proficient level of English (the only working language during the activity)
Availability and commitment during the whole duration of the activity
To share initiative and motivation in organasing follow up activities with IUSY
Since we expect to provide all regions with trainers for their events, we’re aiming for participants from all regions and from a variety of member organisations.
According to the IUSY statutes, we’re also looking to achieve a gender-balanced training so we reserve the right to select participants based on gender criteria if needed.
How to apply
Due to limited space of 12-14 participants, there will be an application process. To apply you must complete the registration by the 9th of September the latest.
The training will be held online on the Zoom platform. Addition online tools will be used to support the learning process. The time of the training will be specified as soon as possible taking into account the different time zones.
It is important to remember that IUSY activities are safe spaces that we are mindful and respectful towards each other.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the coordinator of the project at the IUSY Secretariat:
