Friday, 26 March 2010

You can see, but do you understand?

25-31 October

Berlin, Germany

"You can see, but do you understand?"

Acive is going to do something that we have not done before! Next seminar will be organised in cooperation with visually impaired and blind people - even the application and program was written in cooperation. But why?

Quite often people do not know how to behave with disabled people, as they have no experience before. In most of the European countires, lack of experience and knowledge is the result of certain social systems that bring togehter the people with same disability and quite often these people do not feel confortable to leave this group to be randomly also a part of an average social group of young people. Additionaly, the prejudices are leading to the exclusion, because if a young person do not know how do behave while being in a same group with a disabled person, young people start avoiding this kind of situations. By gaining knowledge and personal experience on the topic of disability in today’s society, or moreover, by making friends with disabled people and vise versa, the prejudices will be decreased and there will be less cases social exclusion of some groups of young people.

Or should I just quote my blind friend...

Me: "Do you think, that you would change anything in your life, if you could see"

My friend: "Actually there's no difference, if I see or not. But it's needed to break the stereotypes personally for every single person - to represent myself as a totally normal person, who has a lot of different qualities and who also, by the way is blind - and to meet with all the people, I do not have time and energy for that.

Want to be in a PREP TEAM?

In the preparation team for the seminar, there will be 6 persons, 3 visually impaired persons and 3 persons from Active member organisations. The first preparation team member has been already chosen, Jürgen from Estonia, who has been a great help while writing the application and finding other cooperative organisations.

If you want to join Jürgen in the prep team, send a motivation letter to office@activeeurope.org

Being in preparation team means following:

  • participating a 3-days prep team meeting in September in Sweden
  • organising a very specail seminar, opportunity to bring new ideas and to create an unforgettable week for participants
  • developing a program, organising the travel and accomodation for participants
  • during the seminar being resposible for your tasks and being responsible for the general success of the seminar
  • all the travel, accomodation and food costs for prep team are covered 100%

Deadline for motivation letters is the 31th of May

And here's the greeting by Jürgen:)

Sunday, 14 March 2010

Today

After final party and a lots of " bye bye" hugs and tears conference room and participants are carrying pitiful sight- It was so sad to say good-bye.
Some left in the night, big group left straight after breakfast, some just woke up, some just went to sleep.
The rest of us, who are going away tomorrow, are brainstorming in groups about design for ACTIVE t-shirts and after lunch will prepare workshops for Norway camp (where we, by the way, all should meet again! And I am not even Petter, who is saying that!)

It was so nice to read the notes we left to each other! I would like to again and again tell you how much I enjoyed your company! You were(ARE) really great people! And I do believe that we can, ou yes WE CAN make big changes in things we don't really want to accept in this world. We all here were extremely high potential personalities- Lets use it in right way- remember, there are two kind of people- one are leading world, and other are running near by and shouting" were does this world lead to?"- in which category are you?

HUGS to everybody!
Call me if you are sad- brlbrl, laugh- free of charge-24hours 7days a week:)


Yours Sincerely,
Kristīne

Saturday, 13 March 2010

Final day

Today was the final, ordinary day of the seminar. We started the day by reflecting what we had got from the seminar. This resulted in the quiz and several interesting performances. After several more evaluations we started the farewell party by watching pictures, we also got to know our secret friends which lead to many surprises. The participants recieved diplomas and the participants from the prep team gifts from the participants. And all agreed that it had been a wonderful seminar.

Stian aka "that guy" - Norway

Last day ...

Last day last day das last forever

Evaluation all day
Party all night

Free hugs for everyone and cookies on the table
What more to wish for?
Maybe that it really would last for at least one week more!

Motivated people
Motivated members in my organisation
a feeling that we can do it!

Planning for when we can meet next in Macedonia ofcourse!

Happy 3,14 day!

By Emma - Sweden/Macedonia

12th of March

It was a loooooong , full of fun, but also quite tiring day for us.We danced alot, blowed balloons alot, huged alot, singed alot, ran alot, jumped alot, drew alot, interwieved SOME, took photos alot, smiled alot, felt the cold alot,got attention alot , played games alot, laughed alot, got fresh air alot,got famous in Bratislava alot, did not sleep alot, finally got potatoes alot. Although we were so tired as we went to beds to sleep, we all were soooo happy and satisfied because of having such a productive day and participating to change the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

We Are The World

There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretneding day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Undina and Fatih ( From Latvia and Turkey)

Friday, 12 March 2010

Bratislava streetaction!!!

Today, after few hours of preparation, 50 crazy and sober people went to the city center of Bratislava and things started to happen.

It's too difficult to put it into the words, therefore it will be in photos:)

FREE YOUR MIND!!!




Patrick (Slovakia)



Kristine (Latvia) & Bledi (Albania)



Preparing the traditional dances



Ballons with human rights

Kristina (Slovakia) & Bledi (Macedonia)


Janika (Estonia) & Lazjon (Albania)

Gabriela (Sweden), Max (Germany), Eliina (Estonia), Rosi (Germany)



No drugs, more hugs

Max (Germany) & Hilde (Norway)

People getting ballons with human rights

Traditional dances from different countries

Traditional dances from different countries

Hilde (Norway)

Meelis (Estonia) & Helena (Sweden)

Kristine, you are the sunshine of my life!

From your secret friend who loves you and your contagious Latvian laughter :)