ECYG Translates Earth Charter into Belorussian and Organizes Migration and Integration Workshop
It is with great pride that I announce that the ECYG Youth International Education Club NEWLINE has translated the Earth Charter into Belorussian! The Belorussian version of the Earth Charter can help reach the estimated 9 million speakers of the language. Congratulations and thanks to those involved!
- Dominic Stucker, International Youth Coordinator
Article on workshop submitted by Dmitry Savelau, Coordinator, ECYG YIEC NEWLINE
On August 22, 2007 the Belarussian ECYG, Youth International Education Club NEWLINE, gave a two-hour workshop on the Earth Charter Initiative involving 60 students from various Belarussian universities interested in the issues of migration and integration. The meeting was held within a “Migration and Integration in Europe” Summer School, which YIEC NEWLINE’s team was organizing for the first time in cooperation with the UNHCR in Belarus, the Center for International Studies, the Institute of German Studies and the Internet portal “New Europe.”
The Summer School aimed at providing participants with as complete as possible an overview of international, European, and national policies on migration and integration, from the perspective of the governmental and non-governmental sectors. Here, the Earth Charter workshop was integrated into the program to discuss how these policies and legislation can be monitored and influenced in order to have a more just and sustainable society.
Workshop preparation, together with launching of the Earth Charter Youth Group in Belarus, was initiated and supported with the help of ECYI member Erik Thijs Wedershoven from the Netherlands. Erik, a former Core Group member, visited Belarus one month before the school to give consultations on implementation of the Earth Charter principles within a particular Belarussian context as well as possibilities of our integration into the Earth Charter international community.
As a result, the first workshop on the Charter gathered over 60 participants willing to learn more about the initiative, activities connected to it and particular ideas on Belarussian impact to the development and realization of its main principles. Participants discussed the links between migration/integration issues and principles of the Earth Charter, mainly refering to social and economic justice, non-violence and democracy. This stimulated thinking about several major directions of work that they could handle independently in their home universities.
Though we did confirm that migration processes are important and might be considered as one of the top issues in the European context, we also came to the conclusion that, within Belarussian society, there is a broad spectrum of other more relevant goals to be focused on, such as democratization, civic participation, and human rights protection. These causes require the active and urgent participation of every young person.
The Earth Charter Youth Group has just started its activity in Belarus; to learn more about the group, visit www.newlineclub.net/earthcharter.
To see more information about the Summer School, visit www.newlineclub.net/summerschool.
Comments
...it's so inspiring to know that other young people are workig hard to promote the earth charter.This is a proof that all hope is not lost for our world.The futuire is bright.
Posted by: Timothy Ogene | January 10, 2008 4:08 PM