YOUNG AMBASSADORS OF INTERCULTURAL DIALOUGE
In the past few years Mladinski center Dravinjske doline has been active in the fields of national politics developement and social and ethinical equality, intercultural dialogue and equality stimulation. In 2009, together with 22 partners from all over Slovenia, which included 7 secondary schools and also Celjski mladinski center, javni zavod za mladinsko kulturo, izobraževanje, informiranje in šport and Mladinski center Trbovlje, we started a project named Mladi ambasadorji medkulturnega dialoga. The project was partly financed by the European Uninon’s European Social Found and Ministry of education, science, culture and sport of the Republic of Slovenia.
The operation was carried out by the Operational programme for Human Resource Development 2007-2013, developmental priorities: »Development of human resources and life-long learning«; priority aims: »Improvement in the quality of the education system along the entire vertical and of the training system including improvement in the qualification structure of the education providers«. This project was officialy closed on Avgust 31st 2012, where upon all financing stops. Desiring to implement good practices and efficient models of intercultural dialogue incentives, to oppose social exclusion of minority groups, to increase active involvement and integration of members of different cultural and age groups in creating a society which wholeheartedly embraces non-discrimination policy, diversity and promotes gender equality in all spheres of life; and above all, desiring to upgrade project activities and to apply them on the national level, we apply for the project upgrade within the sphere of the PROGRESS programme in 2013. Since in the past three years the name »Mladi ambasadorji medkulturnega dialoga« (Slovenian acronym: MAMD) which stands for the English equivalent »Young ambassadors of intercultural dialogue« (acronym: YAID) became a real trademark, as well as a synonym of equality and tolerance promotion we would like to preserve it as such. This will guarantee its immediate recognition and exhibition of all project activities (this time under the name of the PROGRESS programme). As such, the aforementioned project has an adventage over the rest of the projects, which are newly created.
The goals and aims of the project YAID upgrade are in accordance with the goals and content guidelines of the Europe 2020 strategies; in accordance with the European Commission directives in the field of equal opportunities, access to labour market, non-discrimination and social solidarity; in accordance with the PROGRESS programme (2007-2013), section 4-Antidiscrimination and diversity; as well as in accordance with the National priorities under the PROGRESS programme in the field of non-discrimination and diversity for the period 2012-2013. Our project targets to complete next goals:
– We will strive to ensure equal opportunities for participation in through the project activities, regardless of gender, age, education, ethnical, rase or cultural background, disabilitiy, religion or sexual orientation.
– All activities will be oriented towards promoting social cohesion, increasing employment levels of all forementioned groups’ memebers, continuously increasing awarness of the youngsters attending project-involved schools, trainees of the project, media, various cultural groups and the general public attending the cultural and sports events that will be part of the project.
– This will also help to increase the long-term awarness of non-discrimination, respect of cultural diversity and gender equality as well as its political and legislative implementation on both national and European levels.
– Implementation of the activities of young ambassadors of intercultural dialogue (the detailed description of their selection and function is given in chapter 4a. Methodology) on the secondary schools, which will be included in the project.
– Active politics of non-discrimination, diversity and gender equality will be developed and promoted through the training that will be carried out in the project.
– We intend to address the media through a well set and targeted information process.
– The general public will be addressed through the information and dissemination process and through the organisation of cultural events on which different cultures and minority groups will be presented.
– We plan to carry out sports event “Igre kultur”, which will set the foundations for netting and linking between different cultures.
– The implementation of the national research of the level of discrimination and the situation of different cultures in various areas of social life will give an overall assessment and insight of the actual level of the application of the legislation policies on the non-discrimination, diversity and gender equality field.
– On the national level our attempts to reach non-discrimination and equality promotion will result in cooperation between organizations of public and private sector, as well as those of formal and informal sector. For this purpose we will organize workshops, by which we will seek to enlist young ambassadors of intercultural dialogue; training for youth workers, youth leaders, employees of the formal educational institutions, as well as members of cultural minorities and several other groups which differ from the established culture and are therefore prone to discrimination; organisation and realisation of cultural events, sport event and national research on level of discrimination and position of different cultures in different fields of social life..
All together the activities will help built a culture in which policies of non-discrimination, diversity and promoting gender equality will be implemented beyond legislation.