PEOPLE TO PEOPLE EUROPE YOUNG GENERATION

Roman, Romania Chapter

2009-07-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

The Young Generation members of PTPI’s Roman, Romania Chapter are happy to announce their project proposal has been approved by the National Agency. It is included under Action 1.1 – Youth exchange, of the Youth in Action Programme run by the EU.
The project is called ”Ready, steady... go for a healthy life!” It will take place in Piatra Neamt, the recently named green city of Romania and consist of organizing a multilateral youth exchange August 19-28. The main theme of this project is maintaining a healthy lifestyle in
a problematic and stressful environment. The activities will last nine days, and the participants will be 30 young people who represent six non-governmental associations from Romania, Lithuania, Turkey, Malta, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. The Bulgarian and Czech
Republic youth are also PTPI members, while the others are partners from different European exchanges.
The activities will mime a healthy way of living. There will be debates related to this topic, and a lot of physical outdoor events. There also will be a full day in the countryside, where everybody will take part in rural activities and taste natural and healthy products. The final day will be dedicated to putting together a Healthy Life Guide written in seven languages (six of the participants’ languages plus English). The guide will present healthy activities that can be undertaken in the participants’ countries.
All of the activities will be achieved through non-formal methods of education andwill involve every team in the organization and implementation stages.
Andrei Corduneanu, Youth Coordinator

Pécs, Hungary Student Chapter

2009-07-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed every moment of our trip to Croatia. Our hosts made it unforgettable with their warm welcome and extraordinary hospitality. All the programs were great,and we were happy not only because we learned more about Croatian people/language/history, but also because we made true friends there. On the way back, we were thinking very hard with the students if there was any way we could return all the love and affection we got from Marina, the students and their parents. We can hardly wait to welcome them here to our homes in Pécs and spend some more time with them.
April 28, we took part in a special picnic. It was organized by the American Corner of Pécs to celebrate Arbor Day, a U.S. holiday that encourages individuals and
groups to plant trees. We participated in different programs,all of which had a connection with the environment and trees. These programs included planting plants that we could take home afterwards and making our own environmental friendly by using shopping bags with different patterns.
Later that day, we had snacks at the organic buffet, where we tasted different kinds of healthy foods made from 100 percent natural ingredients. After the meal, we grabbed crayons and started to decorate the walls with drawings of trees.
Finally, we listened to an interesting presentation about environmental consciousness. Our presenter raised the issue of waste and recycling, and offered different solutions for the problem. She showed us examples of environmental friendly packages and discussed three different ways of packaging milk and dairy products.
She explained the first type of packaging needed more than 300 years to degrade, and the second had three layers and was very difficult to recycle. The third, which she suggested we buy, was the most environmentally friendly; it had two layers and could be recycled easily. She also talked about the problem of using plastic bags for shopping. To sum up, we got handy tips and some useful advice about how to be green and what products to buy if we go shopping.
Szilvia Kázmér, Adult Advisor

Oroslavje, Croatia (The Eagles) Student

2009-07-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

After the exchange with PTPI’s Pécs Hungary Student Chapter in March we coverage in the newspaper Zagorski List and we were featured in the news on Radio Hrvatsko Zagorje – Krapina and on its Internet page. We also attended a talk with a representative from the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb.
Marina Krsnik, Adult Advisor

Kurchatov, Russia (Friends Meeting Friends)SC

2009-07-21T05:26:00.000-07:00

This spring, our chapter organized two pastry sales to raise money for our service work and cultural programming.
March 12, we raised approximately $100 USD to cover the cost of our excursion to the ancient
town of Rylsk. April 28, we raised approximately $100 USD to purchase a present for a World War II Veteran and to congratulate him on Victory Day. The rest of money was used to buy presents for visiting American educators and students, as well as to put on a Russian tea party for them.
March 25, it was announced that our adult advisor Elena Tarlovskaya had become a finalist in the 2009 Teachers to Teachers Programme administered by the American Councils. This means next February she will stay in the USA for four weeks, during which she will take part in a professional development programme at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana USA.
March 26-April 5, our student Natalia Durneva represented our country at Peace Camp in Jordan. Natalia did her best to use this opportunity to make new friends, to help others to get a deeper insight into Russian culture, and at the same time she learned so much from other participants. She developed her communication, leadership and conflict management skills, and after her return, shared this valuable, unforgettable experience with the whole community. April 21, an article featuring Natalia Duryea’s participation in Peace Camp 2008 appeared in a regional newspaper.
April 19, our chapter was extremely busy and excited. A group of three professors and six students from Mount Union College, Ohio USA, arrived for a friendly visit to our school. All the chapter members were engaged in the preparation and in the cultural programme on that day. Bogdan, our first chapter president, served as an interpreter and was responsible for the excursion around the school. Elena Tarlovskaya and Tamara Burovnikova accompanied the guests all the time. Natalia Durneva, Andrey Kholodov, Roman Bysov and Vitaly Grebennikov were responsible for the tea party and the festive concert “Russia-USA: the meeting of two cultures.” Roman and Vitaly also worked as cameramen.
With the $100 USD that was raised, we organized a wonderful tea party with a real Russian tea urn and had a special cake baked; it said “Welcome to Kurchatov.”
During the concert, chapter members made a wonderful and striking presentation about Russian cultural heritage, Russian character and the mysterious Russian soul. May 19, there was a report on TV that featured the visit of the American students and teachers who came to visit our school. The report was watched by the town community, so everybody knows our chapter is active in establishing contacts with educators, trainers and students from the USA.

April 24-26, our chapter successfully participated in Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) 2009. Our members carried out three projects: “Two hours English-reading rules tuition,, “Planting trees - Green Belt Project” and the “Cross cultural awareness project - Languages of the
United Europe.” April 24, our Adult Advisor gave a fiveminute interview via Skype to László Bognár, who works for the Foundation for Democratic Youth, the Hungarian NLA of GYSD.
April 25, the Foundation for Democratic Youth aired a ten-hour live radio show about Hungarian events and GYSD. The show was aired through a community radio station and the Internet. During the interview, Elena described our GYSD projects. It was a great honor for our chapter to highlight our activities on the global level!
May 19, to attract new members and make our chapter activities more visible, we participated in the regional festival of youth movements “Childhood without borders.” We presented our Pen Friends Club experience, our participation in the PTPI School and Classroom Program, as well as our achievements in cross-cultural interaction. Our material was highly regarded by the selection committee! Our Pen Friends Club was awarded the cup and the title of “Peace-keeper.” Our students greatly enjoyed the title “Peace keeper,” along with the diploma and the cup! Our efforts to promote peace and our steps to make friends with the world have been recognized and appreciated at a regional level!
Elena Tarlovskaya, Adult Advisor

Kiev, Ukraine (School 323) Student Chapter

2009-07-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

February 26, we organized the city conference “Education as the main means of development,” during which we discussed the problems of modern education. Our students and guests from different city schools formed four groups and translated a poem from English to Ukrainian or Russian. Here is this poem:
Learning a Language
Is like doing a jigsaw puzzle of a million pieces
With a picture that keeps changing.
It’s like getting lost in a foreign city without a map.
It’s like playing tennis without a ball,
Like being an ant in a field of grasshoppers.
It’s being an acrobat with a broken leg,
An actor without a script,
A carpenter without a saw,
A storyteller without a middle or an end.
But then gradually it’s like being out in the early morning
With the mists lifting.
It’s like a chink of light under a door,
Like finding the glove you were looking for,
Catching the train you thought you were going to miss,
Getting an unlooked-for present, exchanging a smile.
And then one day it’s like riding a bicycle very fast downhill.

Olivia McMahon – Scotland

Each group represented its variant of the translation.
March 24-26, our students took part in the fourth regional conference “UN model,” in which all participants imitated the work of the United Nations. Our high school represented two countries: India and Russia. Our students expressed these countries’ views on the international economic crisis and ways out of it. Many schools from all over Kiev took part in this conference.
April 9, our school took part in a meeting devoted to the future development of school activities, which was organized by the Ukrainian Movement “Teachers for peace and understanding.”.
We also took part in Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). Information and photos about our efforts were sent to PTPI World Headquarters, and now they are available on PTPI’s GYSD Web site.
May 27, we met a teacher from Scotland named David Stolls. He told our students and teachers about his program of teaching English in many countries via the Internet.
Nataliya Tsareva, Adult Advisor

Kiev, Ukraine (Kyivites) Student Chapter

2009-07-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

PTPI’s Kiev Ukraine Student Chapter had an exciting and memorable spring! We were involved in so many interesting activities. March 1-3, we presented the project “School of the Future” in Budapest at the International Conference of European Schools with the title “Challenges in Schools”. This conference was arranged by the British Council of Europe. We used the opportunity to present our international programs and promote the activities of PTPI. Our presentation met great interest. We hope that we will have new partners in Europe soon!
March 13, at our general meeting, we proclaimed a new initiative in Ukraine that is called “Youth against Corruption as an Educational Cultural Project.” We have got support from 4 international movements: Intercultural Caravan “INTERKULTURO”, international media movement “Pure Channels”, “Nabat 2020”and the international movement “in Support of UNESCO and UN resolutions”. The initiative aims at getting rid of the corruption in our society to protect our students from it in their future adult lives. This new activity was launched at a round table meeting with the title “The events of corruption in our society and how to be protected from them.” We shared PowerPoint presentations on this theme and held lessons in law at the schools. We plan to hold science conferences and forums for students as well as poster contests and photo exhibitions. Together with PTPI’s Kiev University Chapter, we will hold the first science practical conference for students on September 10 where we will present projects on this topic.
April 22 – 26, PTPI’s Kiev Ukraine Student together with the Kiev University and Adult Chapters held the Second International Language Festival “The Ecology of Communication” in Kiev with the aim of presenting languages and cultures of a variety of nations. The event was organized in cooperation with embassies and cultural centers of 25 countries and took place in the assembly hall of the University for Economics and Law in Kiev. Participants were school and university students,
PTPI members, scientific and teaching staff members of Linguistics, Country Studies, History and Culturology departments, representatives of nations, nationalities and ethnic groups, official representatives of UNESCO, foreign embassies and diasporas, researchers, artists, travelers, journalists as well as other native- and non-native speaking admirers of national and ethnic languages and cultures.
The festival also offered extraordinary insights in the practice and use of the different languages and informed about language territories. On April 24, the representatives of cultural centers had the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices concerning the organization of international festivals. On April 25, participants joined the ethnic day of the earth, which was celebrated with concerts, the artistic festival “ethno sound”, national dances as well as a “living children gallery” that invited youngsters to create their own masterpieces as a language
of friendship. The third International Language Festival is planned for 2010.
Anna Chuiko, Adult Advisor

Khmelnitsky, Ukraine Student Chapter

2009-07-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

In April, our members took part in the action “Hear all.” We helped students to collect money to help purchase medical equipment for the city hospital.
April 8, the 15-16-year-old students went outdoors to work on the school grounds. They planted bushes, dug trees, gathered dry leaves and cleared away rubbish.
May 11, we conducted a meeting on the topic “Result of activity of the student chapter, reelections and presentation of activity to new members.”
May 16, we conducted an exhibition of pets with the name “My four-footed friend.” Members brought their pets from home, and they were exhibited near the high schools. There were dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs on display. Everyone who visited the exhibition gave some money to the donation box. It was decided the money collected should go to a local animal refuge.
May 22-23, we conducted the “European Fair of Creation and Innovations” for the representatives of Euro Clubs in three regions. More than 30 delegates came from different towns and villages. We presented the activities of our chapter and conducted the project “Iranian Children.” We will communicate with the organizers of the project and send our gifts.
May 23, our members celebrated Europe Day in the city of Ternopol. This event is described on a Web site of our high school.
We have created a booklet, in which we present the activities of our chapter for 2008-2009. Our children will gather paper on May 21. After gathering money, dinners will be cooked and handed out at the local homeless shelter.
Svetlana Shengilevich, Adult Advisor

Kharkiv, Ukraine (Children to Children)

2009-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hello dear colleagues. Our chapter has finished both the academic and working quarter, and here is a summary of our activities.
In the past, we briefly told you about a great event called International Candy Day (ICD), which was held February 25. Every chapter member produced project work about the national cuisine of countries such as the USA, France, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, China, Mexico and so on. They brought a specimen of candy from the chosen country. It was very interesting to learn more about the cuisines and common peculiarities of cooking.
We are planning many other interesting, informative events like ICD. Knowing about the problem of pruning first spring flowers such as snowdrops and primroses, which can badly influence the ecological balance, and knowing that selling them is illegal, we distributed booklets containing this information. Chapter member Marina Bocharova with Nika Berdnik prepared a project about the consequences of such actions and the punishment for lawbreakers. It was called "Sprout of the Future," and a speech about the actions and consequences was given to every pupil of our high school.
April 3-7, a Newspaper Contest was held. The content’s topic was PTPI’s history and our chapter’s activities. Grades 7-10 took part. Because we do many activities and many students know the details about them, the contents wasn’t a problem for them. The main topic of PTPI was divided into the categories: Famous People Cooperating with PTPI, Dwight D. Eisenhower's Biography, Activities of the chapter and others. The contest’s curator was Yana Nichiporenko.
April 15, we held a global conference about the harm of fast food. It was called "We Are What We Eat." It consisted of watching a film about the potential dangers of fast food and speeches about situations from our daily life. There was a lot of new, interesting information for the audience of8th and 9th graders. This event impressed many students because sometimes it's strange to realize that the usual way of life is wrong and sometimes dangerous. We tried to warn them through this event.
April 25, a group of our PTPI members went to the orphanage. The group’s leader was Julia Berezhnaya. The purpose of the visit was to give presents and spend the day with the children, playing with them and having discussions about peace and friendship. Unfortunately their nannies didn't allow any pictures of the children and that is why we aren’t able to share our great experience with you. We really feel sorry for abandoned children. And that's why our chapter is trying to do anything to help and support them. April 26, another group of PTPI members went to an animal asylum with their leader Yana Nichiporenko.
During May, we held two presentations and, as the result, we gained eight new members.
May 9 is Victory Day of the Great Patriotic War. As is tradition, a concert was organized. We gave presents to our dear veterans, we sent greeting cards with best wishes to people who couldn't attend. With every year that passes, our history vanishes from our memories, but we will do everything to avoid that.
May 11-18 was a week of training for primary school students. The topics were varied: "Adaptation in New Society," "My occupation," "My Future in This Life," "Me and Society," and "Relationship in my Team." We are will hold a discussion about falsehood and its consequences.
June 10, we are expecting guests from Poland. There is a centre of Ukrainian-Polish Friendship in our school. Many PTPI members participate in activities there. Last year, a group of students went to Poland and this year, Polish students will visit us. We will tell them much about PTPI and our causes.
Our team finds inspiration in love and happiness!
We are trying to make our world better!
Thanks PTPI for giving us this great opportunity!

Julia Berezhnaya, President; Yana Nichiporenko, Vice President

Gliwice, Poland Student Chapter

2009-07-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Members are still writing to students in Stockton, California USA. We know one another better with every letter. Our idea is to cooperate with another chapter situated in Europe near Poland. This would help us to visit our pen pals and cooperate with them more closely.
We still take care of the students from the primary school club. We help with their homework and prepare fun games for them. In February, we painted and renovated our classroom. In our opinion, the classrooms are now more comfortable for doing homework, learning or even playing. In March, we started helping students from our afterschool club. At our age, it is a great challenge to work with teenagers. It's a great experience, though, that helps us to understand other people better. Now we're working on our Service Day plans.
We also organized a special stall with cakes and cookies that we baked. The money that we collected was given to our school student council.
Gliwice, Poland Student Chapter

The Danish Chapters visited Romania and Roman Chapter

2009-05-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

The Romanian tour of the 21 group members included Bucharest, Bran, Sighisoara, Roman, Bukovina with Humor and Voronet Monasteries, Piatra Neamt. The homestay was provided by Roman Chapter. In Roman the program included a visit to the Town Hall at the invitation of the Mayor, visit at the Inclusion Center for children with mental disabilities, the town tour (organized by the YG group), meeting the chapter members at Sky Cafe, day trip in Bukovina at the painted monasteries Humor and Voronet, visited Piatra Neamt town and had barbeque with the families in the last evening.
We really enjoyed meeting the Danish members , it was a good time to share experience, learn from each other and feel the true spirit of PTPI. After the group departure we all felt that something was missing from our life, we felt sorry the time spent together was too short.

The Town Tour organized by the Young Generation Group

Meeting the hosts and chapter members at Sky Cafe

Visit Humor and Voronet Monasteries

Meeting the Mayor at the Town Hall

Visiting the Inclusion Center for Children with Mental Disabilities / Teacher's meeting

Homestay with Cezara and Vadim

Homestay with Andreea

International Youth Meeting in Céret, France "On the wings of a Dove"

2009-02-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Date: April 8-15, 2009

Location: Céret, France (near Perpignan)

Target group: Young people ages 18 and older from European countries; PTPI members are particularly encouraged to apply, but non-members are also welcome. We also invite PTPI members from America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Price: Participation fee of 230 Euros including the optional trip to Barcelona or 190 Euros without the trip, travel and visa costs cannot be reimbursed

Application: Participants should complete the attached application form in English and send it to PTPI's European Office. Preferably, the applications should be sent by e-mail to mailto:admin-europe@ptpi.org org. Applicants will be treated on a first-come first-serve basis. Candidates will be selected according to the following criteria: motivation as it becomes evident in the application form, experience with voluntary work and language skills. All applicants will be informed of their selection.

Deadline: March 8, 2009

Topics:
Culture, music, and traditions in the south of France
Catalan culture crossing the border between France and Spain: common culture, language, history
Modern Art in Catalonia: Fauvism, Cubism and Surrealism
Peace and expressions of tolerance
Wonderful cities and monuments
Intercultural exchange between participants from different countries

Details: For more information please visit http://ptpe.org/ceret2009

Organizer: PTPI's Céret Chapter

Contact information:

Anne Hawksworth15, Boulevard Marechal Joffre66400 Céret, France

E-mail: chrisannehawky@yahoo.fr

Phone: +33 6 88 35 16 75

Verena Denk

Program Associate and European Youth Director

“Let’s Learn to Be Tolerant”

2009-01-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

“Let’s Learn to Be Tolerant” Seminar
PTPI’s “Children to Children” chapter, Ukraine
September 25-27, 2008

September 25-27, PTPI’s Children to Children Student Chapter in Kharkiv, Ukraine, held the seminar “Let’s Learn to Be Tolerant” which gathered 27 participants from different regions of Ukraine and Russia in the Gymnasium №116 of Kharkiv. Students from Chernigov, Lutsk, Kiev, Vladimir and a representative of PTPI’s Troitsk Adult Chapter attended the event.
The Vice President of the Ukrainian movement “Educators for Peace and Mutual Understanding”, Valentina Dzyabenko (Kiev, Ukraine), led several workshops together with several teachers of this school.

The seminar started with a presentation of PTPI’s Kharkiv Chapter about its activities and a discussion about the importance of being tolerant in the modern world. The international guests were taken for a bus tour through the city of Kharkiv and learned more about its history and culture. In turn, the international participants presented their chapters and regions on the second day. During the workshops on the second day, students and adults explored the meaning of tolerance, evaluated their own level of tolerance and learned how to increase it. Adults and teachers attended special workshops to learn methods of developing tolerant behavior in students. The students also presented their hand-made “Ribbons of Peace”, which were decorated with pictures and contained messages from the students to the future generations telling about their views on peace and tolerance. During the last day, participants had the choice of participating in a contest on the best emblem of peace, a workshop on developing diplomatic skills and a discussion about tolerance in everyday life, especially in the relationships between children, teachers and parents.

The event was a great chance for the Ukrainian and Russian chapters to exchange experiences, meet new friends, become more tolerant and discuss problems related to tolerance.

Kateirna Romanova

Children to Children Chapter, Ukraine

Christmas Brunch at Roman, Romania

2008-12-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

Some 70 members, friends and partners gathered for our traditional Christmas Brunch at Roman Hotel. Our partners, Amicitia dance group, delighted us with nice international dances and we also invited the newly formed Band Experience with two of our members, Cezara and Iulia. Santa also offered gifts and one of our former members Andra sang nice Christmas songs.

Christmas Magic Box

2008-12-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas we visited our partners, the children with mental disabilities at the Inclusion Center. In cooperation with Roman Voda National College and our sister chapter Bern, the students at the college prepared 150 gift boxes with toys, sweets and clothes, we bought a magic Christmas tree with ornaments , red hats for all the kids and lots of oranges due to the generous donation of our sister chapter. We went with a delegation of 90 students and Santa who also accompanied us.

Halloween Party

2008-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

Every year PTPI Romania, Roman Chapter organizes a Halloween Party. This year we had very nice costumes which received nice prizes, good food and music and a presentation of the delegates at the seminar in Lithuania. They also offered the leaders Sorina and Andrei soouvenir T-shirts. Enjoy the photos:

Tears in Heaven

2008-11-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

To Otto

There are moments in life when you just want to be with yourself and mourn and pray in solitude. You may have the feeling that nobody could understand your grief, that there are no words to be said, no tears to be shed. When my father died I just wanted to be alone in my grief. Yet I was sent a beautiful bunch of pure white flowers from PTPI and I felt I had a second family. Otto was a member of our second family and even if we need to take our time to mourn his early departure, it is good to have a place where to share our feelings so that to keep his memory alive.

Otto will go on living as long as we keep him in our minds and hearts.

For our chapter members, Otto was like a mentor, father and close friend. Together with his wonderful wife Rosmarie and the enthusiast and devoted members of PTPI Bern Chapter he took us as sister chapter and supported us in many ways, from organizing summer camps for our YGs in Bern, making arrangements and encouraging our members to participate in conferences to spending lots of time and energy in organizing a transport of computers and bicycles to Romania. There was no Christmas passing without him sending to our YGs and friends the famous Swiss chocolates and cards. You could simply feel the warmth of his soul in everything he was doing. He is a role model for us and our young members even if some of them have never met him, a man of character, an inspiration for all of us, a real legend.
We love you, Otto, here and in Heaven, now and forever.

Sorina Danciu

PTPI Roman Chapter President

Otto was a real friend for us. He warmly welcomed us in his home and accompanied us on the roads of Switzerland always kind and available. I think that he perfectly embodied the PTPI spirit and that we all have something to learn from him. We are profoundly touched by his passing away.

Cristina and Nicu, PTPI Roman Chapter, Romania

I am profoundly moved by this loss especially that I have not had the chance to meet Otto whom we have heard so many inspiring things about. I remember when we created a “Get well soon” card for him. May his soul rest in peace.

Cezara, YG , PTPI Roman Chapter , Romania

Although I have spent only two weeks of my life with Otto, it is with great affliction that I say goodbye to the one who showed me an immensely generous heart, a genuine friendship, a different way of perceiving life no matter how old you are and especially a way to make a difference in this world. A very active and reliable person, Otto was very young within and he will stay in my heart as a model who exemplary valued life and people. Rest in peace, our unforgettable friend!

Roxana, YG, PTPI Roman Chapter, Romania

PTPI Roman YGs in Lithuania

2008-11-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well well…10-20 of October . A period full of tests and so on but for our team , Cezara Suman, Iulia Dobos , Ionut Funingana ,Andreea Lazarescu and our great lider Andrei Corduneanu it was a great week full of interesting activities .
The project is called “Europe across 4 religions and tolerance “, project that was sponsored by EU through “ Youth in Action” . The participant countries were: Lithuania , Malta Romania , Turkey and Germany.
A unique experience with a subject that's not accessible to everybody. This is how I could sum up in one sentence our experience in Lithuania. The main topics were immigration problem, stereotypes and of course each representative had to present his religion , Judaism , Islamism , Christianity . To understand better each ones traditions we went in a synagogue , orthodox church , catholic church and a mosque .The idea of bringing together 4 different religions and finding the common points, not the differences seemed brilliant to me. We tried to make connections between the participating countries through small things, such as costumes, similar words etc
Of course we had a great time also not just indoor activities . We went skating, plating trees stuff like FREE HUGS and of course visiting the GREAT Vilnius.
Russian Schools Students’ Union was the organizer of this event. This is why we wish to thank Artiom and all our other Lithuanian friends from Vilnius for their hospitality and their interest in creating the most suitable program during this project. Andreea and Andrei

VISITING CHISINAU

2008-09-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

by Andrei Corduneanu

PTPI Roman Chapter YG, Romania

After the regional meeting in Voronet in May, my new friends, members of PTPI Chisinau Chapter invited me to visit them in the Republic of Moldavia. Later I looked at a map and found out that from Roman to Chisinau there is a distance of only 240 km. Always used to look only to the west, I realized I knew almost nothing about this city. This was another reason I should definitely make this trip.

It was a short Friday-Sunday visit. Liuba and Ala were my hosts, and I want to thank them for taking good care of me. We all went out in the city both on Friday and Saturday night. During Saturday we took a short trip to the archeological complex „Old Orhei”. This is a natural fortress shaped in rock by the river Raut , a place that was chosen by many civilizations throughout time as a settlement, starting with the VIII-VII centuries BC.

Walks through Chisinau city center, fun in an amusement park, Moldavian beer and party at night – this is about all we have done during those two days. One of the best memories was dinner at „La Placinte” which translated into English means something like a pie shop. In fact it is a small network of traditional Moldavian food restaurants which, beside a lot of specific pies, serve very good meals and excellent house wine.

Special thanks to Olga, president of Chisinau Chapter and to all the members that joined us during that weekend. I enjoyed the time we spent together, I will surely return because I still have many things that I didn’t have time to see or do. Until then we will probably meet again as they promised to come and visit me in Romania, and I will make sure it will happen the soonest possible.

PTPI EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM - BERLIN 2008

2008-08-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

" If it's not happening, it's because you're not doing it"
(Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat)

And It happened because 4 dedicated Berlin office staff (Lars, Verena, Brigitta, Helen) and 5 group leaders(Mariana, Sorina, Elena, Janko, Oleksandra) together with 25 enthusiast young participants from Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia, gathered to attend this one year event for some, a one lifetime experience for others, in the inspiring city of Berlin.

Our observant reporters Kalina, Kati, Cezara, Natalia and Ulyana fell into the key of the events and prepared a daily report for you:

MONDAY

Excitement Replaces Exhaustion
by Kati, Slovenia

After a very long trip, we arrived to the hostel and met participants from other countries. Then we got the keys of our “international” rooms and unpacked. After that we had some free time. Some of us were sleeping, some just chilling out on the grass, some….After dinner it was our Let’s meet each other time. We played some games which helped us remember each other’s names. Although we were very tired, we were having fun and were very excited about the whole meeting. When we were too tired to continue pronouncing our names we crashed to bed and fell asleep.

TUESDAY

Full of Surprises
by Cezara (Romania) and Kalina (Bulgaria)

It seemed like an ordinary day until we opened our eyes in the presence of three “strangers”( since we were four in one room, each coming from a different country). After breakfast we had to “plant” our expectations although we didn’t quite know what to expect. Then it was time to find out what these “strangers” knew about our countries. As a result some of us felt like strangers in our own countries. You may wander why? Surprisingly, some of our new friends knew more about our countries than we did.

Lars was kind enough to explain to us the difference between stereotype, prejudice and discrimination which generated a spicy discussion. The boiling point of the day was, however, the teambuilding exercise. Being lifted above the ground by peers we had known for only a day requires unconditional trust. The same applies to the ones who actually lifted us up. Not only did we have to trust each other “physically”, but also “mentally” through the active listening workshop. We found out that listening, actually active listening, is as important as speaking. And finally.. our first clash with Berlin. We had a nice walk at dusk, trying to merge with the atmosphere. Our cameras never betrayed us.

WEDNESDAY

Cultural Shock
by Ulyana, Ukraine

The great place I loved at this hostel is a big entrance near the lake. Our intercultural “World Café” was held there. It was really the best opportunity to get a lot of experience and information about each country. As a main goal we discussed a lot of stuff which was connected with culture, its influence from outside… Enjoying ourselves we just had little conversations between the questions. Only sunny weather, friendly people, hospitable table (I mean coffee…) can make your feelings better. I really enjoyed it!

One other interesting thing was also the “Clash of Civilizations”. We were proud of our buildings of bridges and also had the possibility to get more and more fun.

And at last, the greatest event of the day was the “Market of Possibilities”. An incredible task to represent our countries and cultures to all. I was impressed of all those things that we were introduced to admire during that evening. Now I am just realizing what a big contribution was made by all the participants. Can you imagine: the delicious Romanian dishes, smart prepared food from Russia, the exhibition of roses from Bulgaria, Slovenia’s presentation, our Ukrainian dance and so on and so forth. There are not enough words to say what a lovely performance it was. I had no idea it would be so marvelous!

In conclusion, I should say that the whole day was brilliant but it might have not came into being without the help of our hosts. Just thanks to all of these really true people we had an unbelievable time.

THURSDAY

Big City Life
by Kalina, Bulgaria

Checkpoint Charlie meant to us entering straight into the history of Berlin. The heated discussion after we went out of the museum was related to the ways people carried their children in suitcases over the wall. Afterwards, the Romanians walked around and visited a fast food store and the Bulgarians ran into the Bulgarian embassy and a Bulgarian bistro by chance. The Slovenian guys drank coffee and the Ukrainians had ice-cream.

Next stop: Sony Center. Some of us had a picnic on the grass and all of us went on a shopping spree inside the center, H&M, Esprit…a huge contribution to the German economy. In front of the Reichstag we really did realize what team spirit was like. We took a crazy photo with all of us lying on the grass and holding our hands. The city walk to discover Berlin concluded with a nice dinner at “100 Wasser in Friedrichshain”. On the way back some of us discussed music, some of us films…and yes, we will really miss Maria from Berlin. We wish her an unforgettable year in the USA.

Just before everybody went to sleep, there was an extra teambuilding exercise in room 142 with the great contribution of the Ukrainian team. There were six mosquitoes and a wasp to be driven out of the room. Yep, we will all miss this!

FRIDAY

Challenging
By Cezara, Romania

Sleeping morning, tired but happy people. It was definitely one of the most interesting days-dynamic, intense, tiring and surprising.
As usual, in the morning we struggled to overcome sleep. Some of us won the battle, but some were defeated. A new perspective on PTPI’s structure had opened to us as we found out the chapter officers’ roles and responsibilities. The presentation made us both proud of being YGs and feeling more responsible about our future projects in PTPI.

“ Lie back and think about it for a while”- That’s the best way to define the presentation of leadership styles. I strongly think that it was the best moment of all the presentations during the week because it influenced (or maybe changed) our overview on leadership and team working. Then came the role plays presentations. The best word for it: Challenging! Everybody was tired after the previous day trip to Berlin, but then, suddenly, we were supposed to work in teams (not groups),to be creative and to come up with 5 minutes sketches which were supposed to illustrate the different leadership styles. The results: Astonishing! Original, funny plays and great, spontaneous actors.

At the end of the day, the happy people split in two groups and moved on the way to Potsdam. One group visited the famos park around the palaces of Sanssouci, while the other took a walk through the Old Town of Potsdam. It was just like the “reflex ion time” , as we made a little journey back through history and time.

As each PTPI story has a happy ending, we decided to chill out in a cozy pub, among sweet cookies, hot drinks and our newly made friends…

SATURDAY
Farewell
By Natalia, Russia

Saturday was filled with thrilling events as the whole Forum. Brigitta made a wanderful presentation of PTPI lesson plans so that we could get a more exact idea on what kind of activities we could undertake. It was followed by the presentation of successful chapter events by Kurchatov Friends Meeting Friends Student Chapter (Russia), Roman YG Adult Chapter and Sofia Student Chapter, The Doves. It was very interesting to find out what chapters have done so far.
After a short break we brainstormed on future projects- International Exchange Theatre, International Exchange and Sister Chapter project. We split into groups of 5 and developed our future projects in small groups. After lunch we presented our projects to the whole group. It was great fun! Then we had debriefing and somehow tried to sum up everything with Lars and Verena. We then did an oral evaluation of the Forum in a funny and creative way-saying some words in our mother languages to sum up the feelings towards the Forum and placing colored dots on the evaluation board. Written evaluation of the Forum helped us to reflect on everything we have come through this week and then, the most glorious moment came- we were granted Certificates of Participation. It was a very elating moment as many warm and kind words were said and our group leaders and PTPI Eropean office staff were also praised!

And.. at the very end, the original slovenian style big, huge, enormous hug for Lars and Verena!

Please send us some more photos and last minute impressions.

YOUTH CITIZENSHIP AND SOCIAL CHANGE Seminar

2008-08-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Zina from PTPI Plovdiv Chapter is inviting the YGs over 17 to join in their next seminar held at Balaton Lake in Hungary, 10-15 september 2008. We remind you that the active and enthusiastic members of the Plovdiv chapter have just concluded a successful similar seminar in Berlin. If you still have some more holiday days, why shouldn't you take advantage of this new great opportunity!

SEMINAR "YOUTH CITIZENSHIP AND SOCIAL CHANGE"

Subject: The aim of this training course is to support the professional development of youth workers and youth leaders by extending their competencies to integrate European citizenship within their projects and practice.

Date: September 10 - 15, 2008

Location: Balaton lake, Hungary

Target group:
Motivated young leaders and workers, project leaders, trainers, NGO representatives and other multipliers from ALL YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME COUNTRIES.
Actively involved within youth or human rights non-governmental organisations, associations and initiatives OR within relevant governmental organisations, institutions and agencies in Europe;
Motivated to contribute to the seminar and share experiences in the field of human rights education, intercultural learning and conflict transformation relating to religion and inter-religious dialogue;
Experienced in non-formal education practices;
In the position to act as trainers or multipliers in organisations and projects at local, national and European level after the seminar;
Preferably aged between 17 and 30;
Able to work and communicate in English,
Committed to attend the full duration of the activity.

Price: Food and accommodation are provided; travel expenses and visa are covered to 70%;

Application fee: 50 Euro

Work language: English

Application form: http://www.apiplovdiv.tripod.com/youthcitizenship/index.html

Contact information:
Zina Lyubenova
5, 11th August Street, floor 3
4000 Plovdiv
Bulgaria
Phone: 00359887584580
Fax: 0035932630179
E-mail: api_plovdiv@yahoo.com

Veni, Vidi, Vici

2008-07-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

In the weekend 24-26 May 2008 we hosted a regional meeting in Roman and Voronet (close to the famos Voronet Monastery) in Romania. In the first evening in Roman we had 30 participants and 20 young folk dancers and in the second evening there were 30 participants from Chisinau (R. Moldova), Roman, Iasi , Bucharest and Lars Poignant, our Director from PTPI Berlin Office.. At the end of the week Roman and Chisinau Chapters decided to become sister chapters and establish a long lasting friendship due to the empathy of the enthusiast group of six young members from Chisinau led by Olga, their President. We are grateful for the support of PTPI, Gabriela Grigoras – our host, Amicitia Folk Dance Group, Roman Voda National College Academic Debate Club and all our members and friends that made this event possible.

Veni, vidi, vici… That’s how someone might characterize the regional meeting that took place in Voronet a few days ago. But not me.
I would say that an eye opening and heart moving experience would come still a bit short on describing this unique getting together of the two neighboring PTPI chapters: Roman and Chisinau. What made it even greater is that in this trip we didn’t only find great friends, who, in the end, turned out to be our sisters! What I’m trying to say is that age, experience and even borders shouldn’t come between new friends or even old sisters. And I think that’s what the people from Roman and Chisinau proved, as well as all the other PTP chapters, when we’ve become baby Sister Chapters.
As for the event in itself I will not say too much, because I don’t want to reveal the secret ingredients of such an interesting exchange camp. I’d rather let you discover them by yourself. I can only say that a big camp fire, an ethnic dance performance, given by an internationally known group, and having a VIP, like Lars Poignant, telling you an incredibly funny story, like the one when he first visited Romania, wouldn’t hurt to have around. So the next time you meet this Swedish, newly German, French named, funny guy, you should really ask him about his interesting Romanian story. Because, according to him, that’s his job, letting people know how great PTPI is, how it can change your life, through the great people you meet, the country you visit, and all the other free miracles it has to offer… Let’s hope he can actually convince as many to believe that! I know I do.
From a distant place, from a far away land, from… the bottom lines of a European newsletter, I say Ciao.

Vadim Toader, Roman Chapter YG Group

2008 Global Youth Service Day report

2008-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual global event organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with the numerous International Organizations and National Coordinating Committees that celebrates, recognizes and mobilizes the year-round contributions of young people to build their communities and their world through voluntary service. This year several PTPI’s chapters took the initiative to contribute to this event, among them the following European chapters.
PTPI congratulates the chapters for their tireless service to their community!
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the chapter…
Varna – Dolphins (Bulgaria)
… organized an environmental initiative and anti-smoking campaign directed toward the youth of their community. Chapter members raised money to purchase trees, which were planted in the park next to their school. In addition, students gave anti-smoking presentations to local 5th and 6th graders and then gathered along a busy street where they gave demonstrations about the dangers of smoking. They even put a cardboard mummy on display with sticky clay on its lungs. People passing by were invited to put their cigarettes out directly on the sticky lungs! Twenty people volunteered for the effort and 100 individuals participated!
Oroslavje – The Eagles (Croatia)
… helped build a gymnasium at their school, with hopes of promoting healthy lifestyles within their community. By the end of 2007, the chapter had collected 258 signatures among students and teachers for a petition to build a gymnasium in their school. The chapter received old trees from the Oroslavje Town Council and used this wood to build the gymnasium during Global Youth Service Day.
In addition, the chapter recently visited PTPI’s Teens Working Together Student Chapter in Santa Ynez, California through PTPI’s International Visitor’s Program. The students in California wanted to do something to help their new Croatian friends, so they loaded a suitcase with supplies for orphaned Croatian children. The Eagles Chapter members brought the supplies back to Croatia and delivered the supplies, along with new curtains for the facility and a basket of fresh fruit, to the orphanage on Global Youth Service Day!
Tallinn (Estonia)
… participated in a major event in Estonia called “Clean our Country!” The chapter cleaned and planted trees in Kadriorg Park in Tallinn. Chapter members took the opportunity to promote PTPI to members of other organizations participating in the event!
Pécs (Hungary)
… collected garbage in select areas of their community and donated toys and books to sick children at a local hospital. To conclude the day, chapter member organized an educational activity in which they visited a recently opened cave.
Katowice – Silesian (Poland)
… went to the city of Dąbrowa Górnicza to spend some time with children ages 4-8 staying in a local hospital. Chapter members read to the children and engaged the children in drawing. Chapter members had as much fun as the children as they built castles, bowled, set up racing tracks with blocks, and playing shop with the girls. The chapter president Aleksandra Kubica remarked, “Doing nothing else, but giving these small ones all one’s got to see some smiles on their faces is extremely rewarding and definitely an unforgettable experience.” The chapter plans to continue reaching out to children and will visit another hospital and plan a benefit concert for children.
Vaslui – Mihail Kogalniceanu (Romania)
… worked together with a local kindergarten class to plant flowers on their school grounds. The chapter also shared with students the importance of volunteering and how to help on Global Youth Service Day! Each chapter member was paired with a kindergarten student and together they planted pansies and other seeds. Upon completion of the project, the chapter gave interviews to a local television station. In recognition of their efforts, the chapter received a visit from Lars Poignant, PTPI’s Managing Director of European Operations!
Khmelnytsky (Ukraine)
… performed a charitable concert for children on April 27. In addition to the concert, chapter members presented the primary school students with pysankas, brightly-colored eggs which are the Ukrainian symbol of Easter.
Kharkiv – Children to Children (Ukraine)
… organized an event to remember the Chernobyl Disaster of 1986. Students prepared reports and presented their findings to the school with the goal of always remembering the tragic event. Following the presentations, the chapter showed a documentary about the cause of the Chernobyl explosion and how it has continues to affect the daily lives of those individuals who were exposed to the radiation.
In addition, chapter members organized a cleanup effort within their school’s neighbourhood. Students planted flowers and looked after the trees in the school garden.
Kiev (Ukraine)
… took part in the International Lingo Festival that was held in their community over the course of three days. At the festival, chapter members educated their community about their chapter’s service efforts and activities in different UNESCO programs. In addition, one of the student chapter members presented on Ukrainian language and the chapter showed shared old Ukrainian traditions to the spectators. In attendance for the presentation was the Ukrainian poet Mykola Som.
Kurchatov – Friends Meeting Friends (Russia)
… completed three separate projects within their community! Chapter members provided English language tutoring to junior students in need of individual help. The chapter hopes to continue these tutoring sessions in the future! In another project entitled “Friendship without Borders”, students shared their experience with PTPI’s School and Classroom Program as part of their school’s annual Scientific Society Day. The goal was to highlight to their peers the value of cross-cultural interaction by sharing information about their cultural exchange with schools in the United States. In addition, students collected ten large bags full of clothes, books, toys and small gifts for children in a local orphanage!
Zalishchyky (Ukraine)
… organized a cleanup effort in their local park. Students also visited children at a local orphanage!

Roman YG group asked a talented member to help create a funny poster with the cartoon character Naruto to be placed in the surgery ward for children at the local municipal hospital. This will bring a smile on the little patients' faces.

With the kind permission of Kristine Knutter, the Youth Programs Coordinator of PTPI, here are some more photos:

Congratulations for all of you. Your initiatives are really inspiring for all of us!

Who's Who ?

2008-07-09T03:42:00.001-07:00

PTPI's European Office - Berlin

Mr. Lars Poignant

Director of European Operations

E-mail: europe@ptpi.org

Ms. Verena Denk

Program Associate and European Youth Director

E-mail: programs-europe@ptpi.org

Here are our student and university chapters as well as our YG groups in Europe:

Estonia
Tallin SC
Narva SC
Hungary
Pech, Hungary SC
Macedonia
Struga SC
Romania
Mihail Kogalniceanu SC

Roman Chapter YG

Ukraine
Light the Way SC
Kharkiv SC
Khmelnitskyi SC
Kiev SC
Kiev University C
Kirovograd SC
Zalishchyky SC
Russia
Kurchatov- PTPI Friends Meeting Friends SC

Roman Bysov- newly elected President

Elena Tarlovskaya - adult advisor
Poland
Silesian SC
Bulgaria
Blagoevgrad American University UC
Sofia- PTPI The Doves Student Chapter

Kalina Cherneva - President

Mariana Dimitrova Iordanova- adult advisor
Varna- The Dolphins
Croatia
Oroslavje- Eagles SC
UK
Durham UC
Switzerland

Bern YGs