Sunday 27 May 2007

Wednesday, 16 May to Saturday, 26 May 2007 Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" / Sicily

Youth Exchange: “Connections” (EC Youth Programme, Action 1 - Youth for Europe),

Host group:
Italy: Centro Studi ed Iniziative Europeo (info:
http://www.cesie.org/)

Sending groups:
Bulgaria: Opportunity and Protection Association
Estonia: Generating ideas
Greece: Mediterranean SOS Network (info:
http://www.medsos.gr/)
Portugal: Blá, Blá, Blá – Teatro Jovem de Campo Maior (info:
http://www.blablablateatro.com/)
Spain: INTRAS (info:
http://www.intras.es/)
Turkey: Kasif Youth and Sport Club Association (info:
http://www.kasifiz.biz/)
United Kingdom: Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (info:
http://www.cemvo.org.uk/)

THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE “CONNECTIONS” COMMUNITY
Respect
Participation
Tolerance
Communication
Tronesty (Truth & Honesty!)

Thematic Areas covered:
Community Building - Prejudices - Interpersonal Skills - Conflict Resolution - European Citizenship & Network Activity

Visits to the host country:

Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri"
http://www.educazioneambientale.com/id.php?tid=12
Parco delle Madonie
http://www.parcodellemadonie.it/
Madonie GeoPark
http://www.madoniegal.it/
Cefalu
http://www.cefalu.it/
Palermo
http://www.palermotourism.com



Impressions from the programme at MedSOS site (in Greek):
http://www.medsos.gr/medsos/2008-08-12-07-23-34/2009-06-17-15-24-59/2009-06-17-15-28-59/503--lr.html



Monday, 21 May 2007 Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" / Sicily - Empathy

During the exchange, an activity on Interpersonal Skills and Active listening was organized. In particular «Empathy» was the main topic of the activity!
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Create Empathy

(Handout session - link:
http://www.crnhq.org/cr_trainers_manual.htm#Empathy / Conflict Resolution Trainers Manual - 12 Skills)

Listen with your head and your heart.

Empathy is sensing another's feelings and attitudes as if we had experienced them ourselves. It is our willingness to enter another's world, and being able to communicate to that person our sensitivity to them. It is not blind sentimentality; it always retains some objectivity and distance. We do not lose our own identity, though we discover our common humanity.

Create empathy by:
• taking seriously others' needs and concerns
• valuing feelings and attitudes
• respecting others' privacy, experience and values
• listening actively
• encouraging further elaboration and clarification using open body language and a warm vocal tone
• reserving judgement and blame
• displaying interest in what others communicate
• withholding unsought advice
• supporting others' attempts to find a solution
• making affirming statements and gestures.

Empathy
uncovers complex needs and concerns
encourages blossoming and growth
improves relationships
supports confidence and self-knowledge

Copyright: The conflict resolution network, http://www.crnhq.org/
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Where that word comes from???
Empathy (Em + pathy, eg: someone that is on condition of pathos [strong desire, feeling])

So, whoever is experiencing a strong condition of pathos, he is in a situation of empathy. The original meaning of the word doesn’t have a positive or negative meaning!!!
Furthermore, originally the word was used to describe a person’s condition. Later on, in the Hellenistic period the word empathy was used to describe someone that is taking part in the condition [pathos] of another person.
In Greek, nowadays the word is being used for its negative meaning. The exactly opposite meaning is used in English!!!

Do you want to know more?
Check the word in English, English – Greek & Greek – English dictionary. I did! Check this out:
~ Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary – Oxford University Press
Empathy, 1. Ability to imagine and share another person’s feelings, experience, etc: ‘There is a strange empathy between the old lady and her grandson’ 2. Ability to identify oneself mentally with eg a work of art that one is looking at, and so to understand its meaning
~ Oxford English – Greek Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos & A.S. Hornby – Oxford University Press
Empathy, word doesn’t exist!
~ Oxford Greek – English Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos – Oxford University Press
Empathy, Passion, hatred, bitterness

Friday 4 May 2007

Saturday, 28 April to Monday, 1 May 2007 Lebanon

1st Encounter of Euro-Mediterranean Youth, Beirut – Lebanon “Conflict Prevention & Peace building”
The Encounter was organized by the Euro-Mediterranean Platform – Lebanon (info:
www.euromedplatform.org) in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – Lebanon (info: http://www.feslb.org/).

- - - Saturday, 28 April 2007

Mr. Georges Abi Saleh, Representative of Euro-Med Platform – Lebanon
Mr. Samir Farah, Representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – Lebanon
Ms. Rana Fatfat, Representative of Lebanese Minister of Youth
Ms. Irene Plank, Representative of the German Embassy – Lebanon

Keynote Presentations
Ms. Annette Lohmann, Transforming Conflicts – Building Peace. The International Work of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung FES – Germany-Department for Development Policy
Dr. Sari Hanafi, Civil Society between Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and Neighbourhood Policies: A view from the South. American University – Lebanon


1st Workshop: The Culture of War and the Culture of Peace. Case Studies:
Transitional Justice
Ms. Marieke Wierda - International Centre for Transitional Justice
Dr. Ziad Baroud, Lawyer, Saint Joseph University – Lebanon

- - - Sunday, 29 April 2007
Open Discussion: “Responsibility to Protect”, Ms. Annette Lohman, FES – Germany – Department for Development Policy

- - - Monday, 30 April 2007
2nd Workshop: The Structural Aspect of Conflict Prevention
Mr. Fadi Abou Allam, Permanent Peace Movement – Lebanon
3rd Workshop: Interpersonal Skills for Conflict Resolution

Dr. Ossama Safa, Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies – Lebanon

47 youth from 10 Mediterranean countries and 27 organizations, NGO’s etc. participated,

1. Lebanese Association for Human Rights, Lebanon (info: http://www.aldhom.org/)
2. Lebanese Family Planning Association, Lebanon (info:
http://www.lfpa.org.lb/)
3. Lebyouth, Lebanon (info:
http://www.lebyouth.net/)
4. Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering, Lebanon
5. Amel Association, Lebanon (info:
http://www.amel.org.lb/)
6. Association de justice et misericorde, Lebanon
7. OffreJoie, Lebanon (info:
http://www.offrejoie.com/)
8. Civic Responsibility Association, Lebanon
9. Cultural Movement Antelias, Lebanon (info:
http://www.mcaleb.org/)
10. Coordination Committee for Palestinian NGOs working in Lebanon, Lebanon
11. Lebanese Committee for Environment and Development, Lebanon
12. Al-Hares Center for Studies and Media, Palestine (info:
http://www.alhares.org/)
13. International Peace and cooperation center, Palestine (info:
http://www.ipcc-jerusalem.org/)
14. Nahdet El-Mahrousa Association, Egypt (info:
http://www.nahdetmasr.org/)
15. Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, Egypt (info: (info:
http://www.mosharka.org/)
16. Groupe des jeunes chercheurs en sciences sociales et development, Maroc
17. Forum des jeunes Marocains du 3eme milloinaine, Maroc
18. National Forum for Youth and Culture, Jordan (info:
http://www.jordanyouth.org/)
19. Jordaninan Women's Union, Jordan
20. Coupole d'une centaine d'associations et mouvements de la Société civile impliqués dans la solidarité Nord Sud en Belgique francophone (CNCD), Belgium (info:
www.cncd.be)
21. Eurostep, France (info:
www.eurostep.org)
22. Centre Regional d'Actions Socialesinterculturelles et de Communication, France
23. Reseau euromediterreaneen universitaires, France
24. Babelmed Journalist, Italy (info:
http://www.babelmed.net/)
25. Young Socialists, Germany (Young Socialists in the SPD, info:
http://www.jusos.de/)
26. Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and sustainable Development, Greece (info:
http://www.mio-ecsde.org/)

Join us on Broumana Peace:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Broumanapeace/

Read also Sustainable Mediterranean - issue no 47 - 2/2007 - Quar­ter­ly newsletter produced by the Me­di­ter­ra­ne­an Infor­mation Offi­ce for the Envi­ronment, Culture and Sustai­na­ble Develop­ment, in collaboration with the Europe­an Envi­ronme­ntal Bure­au and the Arab NGO Network for Envi­ronmentand Deve­lop­ment @ www.mio-ecsde.org/filemgmt/visit.php?lid=297