The YES 2005 was held in Werbellinsee, Germany from June 30 to July 4. Almost 400 participants from 22 different countries together with 75 volunteers took part in creating a great atmosphere and YES spirit. The theme for the YES 2005 was "Conflict resolution and mediation". Through workshops and a simulation game called "Peace in Dubrownoluka" the participants got the chance to work with the theme and to achieve concrete tools they can use now having returned to their home countries.

Thinking back on this years YES, I would like to share a few thoughts on YES and voluntary work in general. It is going to be a few since probably no text can express all the wonderful excitement of this years fantastic YES. Firstly and most importantly we want to say a great thank you to all the volunteers and participants that made this possible. We appreciate your effort and thank each other and ourselves. THANK YOU!

I frankly think it is nothing short of amazing that a big event like YES can take place. Not many youth organisations have the ability, skill and courage to set up something like this. It is truly a platform that offers us the opportunity to grow and learn. It is a vital contribution to the advancement and education of the European civil society which we are not just a part of. We are the civil society.
I encourage you to feel proud that our organisation has the resources and the willingness to carry out such an important event. It is very important that we learn to organise ourselves across cultures and countries. Not only for YFU to grow, but for the world to grow. It is such an inspiration to meet with so many human beings at the YES. Celebrating our differences and especially our similarities. Working with our own understanding, building tolerance, spending important time reflecting on oneself. We should all take the spirit of understanding into our everyday life. We must all make an effort. Every day. With every being we meet. This is the spirit of Youth For Understanding

Often when I do YFU work, I find myself teaching others, giving them a possibility to learn and reflect. And it is very rewarding. This year, during the YES project we had some different approaches to our YFU work.

One of the main things we did differently was that the international organizing team members all made a personal plan for their own learning. A plan for personal growth and learning during the project. Each team member sat down at the beginning of the project and asked him/herself: What do I want to learn? What personal skills would be beneficial for me to practice/develop? How can I develop my professional profile? We as a team took up the challenge of organising this personal learning.

For me, this has been a very motivational and important change. We gave attention to our own personal and professional development and learning. We took time to care. The seriousness of equally doing YES for ourselves and for the participants was brought into YES 2005. And this WE feeling shined through the whole process and also affected the YES spirit, when the YES finally was held.

In order for YFU and the world to grow in mutual understanding, we all need to take learning seriously. We need to work with and for ourselves all the time. Stagnation and forgetting self is not an option. This is what being on exchange is about. Growing and learning. Working with oneself. A project like the YES is a unique opportunity to learn and grow. YFU is a great opportunity. We must use it skilfully with intelligence and compassion.

- on behalf of the YES 2005 international organizing team
Peter Haselmann

YFJ Press and Communications Officers Meeting in Larochette, Luxemburg, June 10-12, 2005

Three EEE-YFU volunteers had the chance to participate in the Press and Communications Meeting, held by the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and the Luxemburg Presidency. The event took place in the small town of Larochette from June 10 to 12. EEE-YFU intern Julika Bake, Joerg Jacobsen and Daniel Abel (both YFU Germany) took part in workshops on internal and external communication and - together with 45 other press-experienced participants - developed communication strategies in regard to the Youth Pact as well as the European Constitution.
Panel debates offered an insight not only on the work of European journalists, but also on youth organisations in Luxemburg. Networking possibilities were explored during dinner and a champagne reception with the Luxemburg Minister of Communication, Louis Schiltz. This YFJ meeting of Press and Communication officers was the first of its kind and a good start. It would be great to continue exchanging experiences with and learning from other youth organisations in this very important and practical field.

- Daniel Abel, Jorg Jacobsen and Julika Bake (YFU Germany)

EEE-YFU Study Session "Towards a Culture of Peace", Strasbourg, May 22-29, 2005

You might already have heard it through the EVN grapevine: the team and participants will assure you that this years study session was a great success! The event with a very multifaceted program on "Towards a Culture of Peace" took place in Strasbourg, May 22-29. It was a joint event of YEU (Youth for Exchange and Understanding) and EEE-YFU. The participants came from 22 different countries, had very different professional backgrounds and the age range was quite something (18-30). But to some degree it was exactly this diversity that added flavour to the seminar. The topic was very much appreciated. The participants came from conflicts in their own regions to individual possibilities to contribute to peace-building. There were lectures, small working groups, movies, exhibitions, theatre, daily reflection groups and also individual work to cover a wide range of different methods. In addition the group enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere at the European Youth Centre (EYC) in Strasbourg, including great cooking and parties.

The organisational traditions of YFU and YEU went along well and the EYC educational advisor Darko was a great asset to the team. Especially a session on possible cooperation between the organisations, chaired by Asa Nilsson (director of EEE-YFU) and Nuno da Silva (YEU) found big interest. So we are all eager to hear on future initiatives. The team found it enriching to share methodologies and exchange approaches and ideas with the other team members. Lets hope for and work on more seminars like this - they do not only motivate volunteers by bringing them closer together. When facilitated in cooperation with other organisations they also offer a new view on YFU seminar traditions - and we will never get tired of learning, will we?

- Erik Jentges (YFU Germany), Ieva Dirvonskaite (YFU Lithuania) and Dora Raphael (YFU Hungary) from the Study Session IOT

EEE-YFU Workshop at YFU Germany Bundestreffen, Karlsruhe, May 26-29, 2005

From May 26 to May 29, 2005 about 300 German YFU volunteers got together in Karlsruhe for the 3rd federal volunteer meeting ("Bundestreffen"). The four days included great sunny weather, innovative workshops and three nights of party. EEE-YFU volunteers Knut Grahlmann and Melmun Bajarchuu facilitated a workshop on YFU in Europe, supported by Julika, the current intern at the EEE-YFU office.
20 experienced and inexperienced volunteers met to receive information on EEE-YFU as well as to develop ideas for new activities. Proposals included joint orientation seminars with neighbouring countries, a European Union Simulation plus a regional or national workshop on European issues. The latter called "Interessenseminar Europa" (ISE) is organised by Melmun and a team and will take place in December 2005. Dreams of a European volunteer meeting gathering a few hundred volunteers were put on hold for this year, but will definitely be followed up.

- Knut Grahlmann, Melmun Bajarchuu and Julika Bake (YFU Germany)

2nd Council of Europe Youth Summit in Warsaw, May 14-16, 2005

Between 14th and 16th of May I represented EEE-YFU at the 2nd Council of Europe (CoE )Youth Summit that took place in Warsaw. Also Peter Torp Madsen (YFU Denmark) and Oliver Wagner (YFU Germany) attended the event as representatives of the European Youth Forum. The CoE Youth Summit was organized by the CoE Directorate of Youth and Sport, the European Youth Forum and the Polish Ministry of Education and Sport. Participants came from all member countries of Council of Europe so you can just imagine this diversity housed in one hotel or one conference room!
Also the program provided a great variety of topics as it included a wide set of different workshops as well as interesting panel debates with speakers such as former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa plus EU Commissioner for External Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner. A Youth Declaration and the participation in the "Schuman parade" - a kind of festival of European unity - contributed to the special atmosphere of the event. For more details of the Summit and for the Youth Declaration go to http://www.yforum.pl/szczyt/home_en.php

- Jakub Pilch (YFU Poland)

"Turkey/Europe, their relations and the role of Youth NGOs", April 8-16, 2005

From 8-16 of April I participated in a seminar arranged by the Council of Europe about "Turkey/Europe, their relations and the role of Youth NGOs". We were 28 participants whereof 24 were locals coming from Turkey and 4 were international participants coming from Syria, Azerbaijan, Poland and Sweden. The programme was designed to approach the topic through learning of the experiences of the participants. We had several workshops on identity, intercultural learning and the reality of youth in Turkey and Europe.

A hot topic for the Turkish participants was the so called "European Identity". What is it to be a European? Am I as a Turkish a European or not? Should we feel European in order to enter the European Union? Many Turkish felt that we in Europe want to force the Turkish to feel European if they want to enter the European Union. We, the "Europeans" on the seminar, tried to explain the Turkish that there is no clear European identity. The concept of Europe is diffuse and difficult to define, even for us living in Europe. But through e.g. our common history we have a kind of a shared identity which is actually also the case for Turkey as Turkey in history has had close relations to many countries in Europe.

This seminar was a very interesting experience and it gave me the possibility to learn a lot about Turkish people, culture and youth in a very short time. This is especially valuable for me as several European YFU organizations are currently building up links to a Turkish organization in order to start cooperation with Turkey.

- Jenny Hennecke (YFU Sweden)

Last Updated ( Sunday, 04 January 2009 )

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Reports and documents from the activities

"We can make a difference..." - a personal reflection from Peter Haselmann (YFU Denmark) on the YES 2005, June 30 to July 4, Werbellinsee, Germany

YFJ Press and Communications Officers Meeting in Larochette, Luxemburg, June 10-12, 2005

EEE-YFU Study Session "Towards a Culture of Peace", Strasbourg, May 22-29, 2005

EEE-YFU Workshop at YFU Germany Bundestreffen, Karlsruhe, May 26-29, 2005

2nd Council of Europe Youth Summit in Warsaw, May 14-16, 2005

"Turkey/Europe, their relations and the role of Youth NGOs", April 8-16, 2005

"We can make a difference..." - a personal reflection from Peter Haselmann (YFU Denmark)
on the YES 2005, June 30 to July 4, Werbellinsee, Germany