Ethnic minorities and active youth participation
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Globallove Youth Trust (Wales, UK) & Center for
Intercultural Dialogue (MK) – Youth in Action
Programme: Action 3.1
Youth Participation &
Ethnic Minorities A Facilitation Handbook Marina Kovacev, Olsi Dudumi, Natasha Mraovic, Kristina Miladinova, Peter Sharpe, Carmen Sacchetti & Sonja Velic
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Ethnic Minorities and Active Youth Participation
Introduction
Contemporary societies in the world are distinguished for their diverse ethnic groups.
Through recent globalization immigration has increased while at the same time in
many of these countries lives different ethnic groups often known as Old Minorities.
Bringing together the minorities with majority population for the prosperity of the
whole society has been the concern of many organizations in these countries. At the
same time many Youth Organizations work extensively to include young people from
the minorities and majority to actively participate in bringing down ethnic tensions
and positively changing their environment.
However many obstacles arise in this process of the Youth Organizations, which
decreases the participation of youth from minority and majority groups. In this
handbook we point out the different obstacles whichfect youth participation. By
pointing out these obstacles we try to shed light to the conditions that encourage the
active participation of youth in the work of the Organizations. In the end we bring out
different solutions for overcoming the obstacles and challenges.
-- --
How can we get more and more young people to get involved in youth activities? As
youth workers we have to work with young people from ethnic minorities and ensure
that we include them in our activities that we put on. We need to work to find ways
that allows young people join in all our activities no matter what. We have to make all
the activities that we do accessible to all so that no one person or group feels
excluded or unable to participate. We have looked at the topics below and though
what some of the problems are and ways to enable greater participation and some
solutions. Below our thoughts on what these are.
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Obstacles
Many of these written under obstacles cause problems and stop young people
interacting and stop ethnic minorities from getting involved. A lot of these have lots of
different ways in which they affect young people. Understanding these is important in
tackling these obstacles.
Lack of Cultural and Religious Knowledge might be one of the most important
obstacles. Because of different traditions and way of life, the young people from
different ethnic groups often have separated lives. Although they may live in the
same cities and towns they do not have knowledge about the others and in many
cases this steps them down in learning about each other. On the other hand this lack
of Cultural knowledge might be present in the Youth Worker which then might lead to
mistrust by the youth minorities or majorities.
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Language can be the most evident divide between the communities which
separates them from daily communication. Although there might be existence of
motivation for cooperation the lack of language knowledge by the youth minority and
majority or the youth workers themselves creates barriers.
Location of organization offices or Youth centres create obstacles in the
participation by the young people in the different activities, projects and programmes
which aim at bringing the young people together. This happens in most of the cases
because the youth doesn’t feel safe in the others communities area. Another
obstacle is that the location might be hard to be reached.
Different interpretations of past History leads to an increase of Nationalism within
both minority and majority groups. On the other hand these two obstacles create
Prejudice and Stereotypes for the people of these communities which increase the
Community Divide and acts as an important factor and external pressure for the
formation of the ideas and the mind-set of the young people.
Another main obstacles which is often overlooked is the Human and Financial
Resource which the Youth Organizations have available.
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Conditions that encourage participation
What can help create an environment that young people from different groups can
have benefit from and be able to participate on equal terms? Each one of these
points is Specific to different groups and activities but here is a general overview.
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Solutions
After analysing obstacles and conditions for encouraging youth of ethnic minorities
for active participation, next step is thinking about possible solutions and ideas for
innovative approach which could inspire youth to be active, no meter of their ethnical
background. Here are some of suggestions:
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Examples of practical solutions for some of obstacles:
Location - establish youth center in neutral areas.
– make the location accesable to everyone
– decorate the enviromet with symbols from each etnic minorty
Community divide- ask the goverment to lower the prices of flats in one segregated
area.
- mixed classes in school
- more youth centre’s that gather different groups
Lack of will - promoting in local media examples of good practise and iniciatives of
young people.
Nationalism - workshops with role plays.
– campaigns with short, clear messages that brake stereotypes
Language - one person speaking both lanuages, to person speaking each of the
langueges, speaking of third language, translators.
- language wrokshops and language courses
A Small Comic Strip to Shoe the Obstacles & Solutions for Youth Participation with Ethnic Minorities:
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
“ACTive YOUth!!!” 16th
-23rd
of June 2013 Mavrovo, Macedonia
Youth in action Programme: Action 3.1 Seminar
Authors:
Marina Kovacev (Serbia)
Olsi Dudumi (Albania & Italy)
Natasha Mraovic (Macedonia & Serbia)
Kristina Miladinova (Macedonia)
Sonja Velic (Serbia)
Peter Sharpe (UK)
Carmen Sacchetti (Italy)
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