YES 2006 - "Promoting Tolerance by Means of Intercultural Dialogue"

The Young Europeans' Seminar 2006 gathered 420 YFU exchange students in Werbellinsee, Germany for four days on their journey back from their host country to their own country. The theme of the seminar "Promoting Tolerance by Means of Intercultural Dialogue" was discussed in many ways through a variety of workshops. These included workshops on Mind (Borders of Tolerance, Interpreting Culture through Media, Islam in Europe, Debate, All different- all Equal, Minorities in 2006 and 2060 – where do I stand?, Democracy and school, The Tracker Breaking news), Body (body in balance, Problem solving by teams in dialogue, experiencing interdependence, no man is an Island) and Arts (Culture and communication, exploring culture through Drama, exploring culture through dance, coloured glasses, tolerance. Now! and Video Group). Together with exploring the topics in depth, the workshops proved a great way for students and volunteers alike to get to know each other better! In addition, it was of interest for participants to know that the YES was one of the first activities to be held under the European youth campaign All different – All Equal, with a workshop of the same name been held at the YES.

YES Parliament

The highlight of the YES was the YES Parliament, held on the last day of the seminar. The participants of the parliament discussed the topic of sexual diversity, including what rights these different groups are entitled to in Europe today. In the YES Parliament the debate centred on what the students had learnt about the culture, people and the history of their host country during their exchange year. The guest speaker Mr. Valerio Bonvini, the EU Representative for Youth and School in Germany, addressed the parliament members with a piece of advice: ”Tolerance and respect for the rights of all people is vital and these rights should be upheld and granted to everyone as long as their actions do not harm anybody else”. The students showed excellent opinions and debating skills in the general discussion in the parliament. After active debate in the parliament, the participants cast their personal votes. The majority voted for resolution A, which stood for legalising and accepting gay marriages by law.

Organisers

YFU Finland and YFU Estonia were in charge of the content of YES 2006, while YFU Germany once again took good care of the logistics.