From the 19th to the 21st on May of 2016, a meeting organized by the AMSED association took place in Strasbourg with the representatives of different associations from Romania (Mirela RUSU, Act Integration), Estonia (Riin LUKS, Youth Center Paide), Greece (Mohamed CHABOUNI, Solidarity Tracks) and Morocco (Lotfi JOUDAR, Espace Solidarité et Développement). The meeting was directed by M. Djilali KABECHE, the director of AMSED association and animated by Mrs. Saïde ATMANI, European Projects Coordinator. The reception of the representatives and the logistics of the meeting were also insured by Mrs. Saïde ATMANI and Mrs. Selma EL KAILANI, an intern of AMSED.
During the meeting, the partners discussed the possibility of working and creating new projects together, and the ways to follow for a best collaboration within the network. The new partners introduced their association, their activities and discussed the integration of these activities in the network operation.
The morning meeting ended on the capitalization of actions carried out by the partners.
After the lunch, offered by the AMSED in a Lebanese restaurant, the meeting continued in order to identify a strategy for disseminating the network beyond its partners.
During the discussion, the question of how young people are sensing the impact of directed activities related to them was also addressed; how they can benefit from the multiple intercultural skills, socio-educational staff and professional development leading to employability.
The feedback was very constructive and the associations had an exchange on their future projects before going to the FEC for a projection/debate of the short-term SVE that took place in Morocco. This volunteering project was organized in collaboration with the association Espace Solidarité et Développement directed by M. Lotfi JOUDAR. M. Joudar started the debate with a feedback of this collaboration, accompanied by some young participants. They talked about their work experience on the work of vertical garden, pastry, bakery, drawing, painting, and music workshops for disadvantaged children and the way it changed their lifestyle and enriched them personally and professionally.
The living library that took place later that evening concerning the fight against online hate speeches with living books about the refugees, women and youngsters of disadvantaged areas was a success and impressed the network’s members associations.
After a short debate and the feedback on AMSED’s activities, the network’s members and the guests attended an improvised music show with songs from the different cultures in Strasbourg.
The AMSED association also animated two workshops on the green entrepreneurship and recycling in the framework of the European Forum for Youth (EYE 2016) held at the European Parliament the following day. The network’s members participated at those workshops and also visited the European Parliament.
The last day of the meeting was also held interactively with the participation to a “laboratory of ideas” called “Young Migrants: New kids on the block”, organized by two German associations and a representative of the European Commission.
At the end of the meeting, all participants were happy about the activities proposed by AMSED. They were full of confidence in a future collaboration between the network’s members and they were grateful for the opportunity to share their experiences with others participants of the international mobility.
Pictures copyright: AMSED and Joudar Lotfi (Espace Solidarité)