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This is the on-line version of Link, the bimonthly newsletter of Fimcap.

Edition June 2006

General Information

Calendar [top]

0,7 fund: Call for projects [top]

Each organisation that is concerned by the North-South issue knows about the request addressed to the government to devote 0,7 % of the BNP to North-South development and solidarity projects.

Chirojeugd Flanders supports this request and wants to set an example towards governments as well as towards other European youth organisations. For several years now, Chirojeugd has transferred 0,7 % of their budget on a savings account to support youth work in the Third World. This is not a huge amount; however it is a financial effort that we will keep doing in the next years.

Organisations from the South that can present a good project, with a well-defined and realistic budget can be introduced to the 0,7 fund and address the demand to internationaal@chiro.be or to Chirojeugd Vlaanderen, internationaal, Kipdorp 30, B-2000 Antwerp. Projects which further the expansion and consolidation of youth work in a regional, national or international frame will be favoured. Training and communication are important aspects. Local projects will not get support.

The deadlines are 1st of October 2006 and 1st of February, 1st of June 2007

The ICB Presidium

Preparation seminar for the World camp in Congo [top]

During the last weekend of May, all European participants for the world camp had a preparation seminar in Bruges (Belgium). The goals for these few days were various: to get to know the other participants; to have the first contact with Congolese culture; to get to know more about the country and about the organisation. Other participants from Fimcap were present, apart from those taking part in World Camp. Thus one of the important aspects was the acquisition of experiences in intercultural communication and in north-south cooperation.

"We were three female Swiss participants who will also take part in the world camp. For the moment we are not active in our international committee, but we want to share our experiences from the world camp with other members in our organisation, leaders and children. I will now try to describe a particular part of the program, which took place on Saturday afternoon. During the first part of this session we got a short overview about Fimcap structure and its main activities. Then, in the beginning of the second part, we were asked what we would do with our world camp experience within our organisation. The answers from the participants were quite similar. As for myself I said I will join the international committee of my organisation; I will write an article in our leader magazine and I will play the games I learned in Congo with the children from local groups. However we noticed that these answers were too much open. Therefore, participants from the same country sat together to think about how they intend to use their experience in Congo effectively within their respective organisations. For us Swiss, this task worked well. It was the first time that we talked about our future experience and future volunteer work. We will surely work out projects together. This session helped us to think seriously about place and time to share our experiences further. The same happened in the other groups from other countries. During a sharing session with the whole group we proposed some special projects which we would like to realise.

I wanted to write about this session to express my thoughts about how useful this seminar turned out to be. Participants got to know each other better and we had the opportunity to think further about international exchange and work".

Janine Sobernheim
Blauring, Switzerland

How many ways are there to experience another culture? [top]

"To have eaten some strange food and to have taken pictures of people wearing funny clothes is not enough to say that you know a certain culture. One exposure to a culture does not mean you have seen it all. It means that you met people who are personalities and who are living in a culture with its own habits, symbols, rituals and values. This was one of the main facts Luc Van de Walle, an expert about intercultural learning, wanted to make us aware of during the first afternoon session of the seminar.

Talking about these mentioned aspects of culture with people from the country you are visiting, gives you a lot of opportunities to get a more profound knowledge about the culture. During the lecture we had to point out some aspects of our own culture. I must admit that this was a rather difficult task. Maybe we are so much used to our own culture that it is hard to find things that we take for granted, but would look strange for foreigners. Another reason could be that, in spite Luc Van de Walle’s efforts, our thoughts were still dominated with a ‘folkloristic’ view. As a result we were focusing too much on external things. As in the Western world folklore tends to disappear, can we still speak about cultural differences between Flanders and Denmark for example?

This first session was a good introduction for the seminar about preparing oneself to go intercultural. The visit of a real Congolese "mama" in the last evening was the best way round up and a good taste of what is in store for the participants of the world camp. The Congolese lady brought several objects with her, evoking Congolese life. In a trilingual presentation she talked about a diversity of things: bargaining in the market, spirits of ancestors and the nice climate that makes people smile. After she had dressed half of the group and transformed our Italian friend Roberto into "mama" Roberta, she started cooking for us. Music was turned on and the Lithuanian participants managed to get everybody on the dance floor. Congolese snacks – with a very hot sauce – and folk dance were the ingredients of a perfect last evening."

Bruno Pierloot
Chiro, Belgium

Africa

News From Ghana [top]

Here are some pictures of the recent National CYO Jamboree in Tema Ghana with over 2000 members from the organisation. Various activities took place - a street parade in Tema, smart marching and songs, sports and games, talks, excursions and Thanksgiving Mass.

After the Thanksgiving Mass presided by Most Rev. George Kocherry- Papal Nuncio of Ghana, there was the ceremony for the newly-elected CYO Officers for 2005-2007 with Snr. Cr. George Armaah as Chairman.

M.V. Quaye-Foli
National Org. Secretary CYO

News from Pretoria, from Xaveri South Africa [top]

"We members of Xaveri Movement South Africa, are experiencing great blessing in our work with children, youth, immigrants and refugees".
The movement is working on two projects for community development.
The year theme for 2006 is “To love the city with God’s love”. This is exactly what we do: reflecting God’s love in hundreds of ways and loving the city back through life and beauty. A city that is not loved withers away until it becomes a cold soulless place where nobody dares to go. A city that is loved attracts people, reflects beauty and becomes a haven for the soul. Cities host people and stories, smells and sights full of significance and identity. To abandon cities is to abandon generations of people.

The second project is about refugees and immigrants.
South Africa is unique in a way that many people from rural communities moved into the city. It also became the haven for immigrants and refugees from the rest of Africa. In our outreach team, we have found many Xaveri movement members and similar movement from north, east and west of Africa. We want to be active in the social life of our brothers and sisters from other countries. Some of them are being discriminated at the working places. Xenophobia is very present among the people of South Africa.

We thank our youth chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela of the Congregation of Stigmatine Community, our Diocese of Pretoria and the Pretoria Baptist Church for their support towards the refugees and immigrants. We thank also our staff as the need of helping young people is so urgent. With support of the Baptist church, we managed to get a bicycle.

Martin Mande
Xaveri Co-ordinator

Latin America

News from Jupach, Chili [top]

Dear Friends,

We are happy to greet you from the Southern part of the world.
The groups have again started their activities. Local camps took place in January all over the country. The distances in Chile are enormous for a movement that counts 41 groups in 11 dioceses. Last February, group leaders started with preparations for a new challenge for the year 2006 - "¡AQUÍ ESTOY! DEMOS A JUPACH SU COLOR.": "Here I am, and let’s give Jupach its colour". This invitation was sent personally to all young people of our local groups. It was a personal invitation to form a good team together. "Give Jupach some colour" should also influence the members' daily life, family, students, work, parish, community and country. Service does not only entail the organisation of weekly meetings. It is a personal call and if it is accepted, it means that young people are committing themselves to serving children and youth through directed activities.

We have to value voluntary work and acknowledge that our STYLE to do things is the one we want for our personal life. This means, that we want to acknowledge the teachings of our Brother Jesus and to live by them through a free service. We want to promote fairness and other positive values.
We would like to invite men and women from our country to discover others in a participative way; to be aware of other people’s problems, to know their reality; to join efforts in creating happiness and work for a profound social change. In Jupach, we want to create a mentality which goes beyond attending meetings, or of being a member of the Jupach family, or of a Jupach team at any level.
We want to create an alliance with all participants and create a special trademark, like roots that grow slowly in the earth to form the solid basis for one’s conception of life.
We are not alone. We are part of the team which reconstructs our Chile.
March 11 was a big step for our country. The majority of our voters elected our first female president: Michelle Bachelet, who promised the people to improve their situation. Her motto is: "Here I am and here we are; together".

Apart from our weekly activities addressing leaders and meeting Jupachinos, we want to organise a National meeting of pre-leaders, leaders, co-ordinators and advisers from all over Chile between the 7-8 October. The objective is to make a vigil for all leaders and to celebrate the National Day of the Jupachino (12 October) together.

The National team is confirmed with advisers - P. Gustavo Sterkens Jansens and Angela Snijers Cuppens; coordinator - Andrea Ortiz Sources; the secretary and advisor - Juanita Ramirez Saravia; administrator of the movement - Andrés Astudillo Andrades. There is also a team of five people in charge of leaders' magazine publication.

Many greetings!

Andrea Ortiz Sources

Asia

Chiro Philippines [top]

This is a reflection from an Aspirant who attended an Aspirants Training Camp. After the camp, the aspirants will either form their own Chiro groups in Cebu or lead existing local groups. Simultaneous with the Aspirants Camp is also the Leaders Camp.

Loud Music, Untamed Hair and Wrinkled Clothes
Teenagers. We are the generation most misunderstood. Don't you think? We aren't kids, nor are we adults. We are in between. And as most adults would think of us as the bunch with "loud music", "untamed hair", and "wrinkled clothes", I'd have to add… we're the bunch ready for anything.

Spending four days in a different environment whilst being surrounded by complete strangers, we teenagers accepted this challenge during the Aspirants Training Camp (ATC). Headstrong and determined as we are, we proved that we are not only concerned about the next eviction night on PBB (Pinoy Big Brother Show). We proved that there is definitely a whole lot more that goes on inside the minds of the average teenager. Sure, we had our own sets of questions and doubts, but it did not stop us from getting the best out of the whole experience.

When we joined the camp, we didn't join just ANY movement. We joined something with a purpose, a movement with a reason for existing. Remember the lines "I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way…"? Well, that's exactly what we Aspirants were reminded of. We're not called to be aspirants and leaders for nothing. In the camp, we were taught to believe that young as we are today, we can make a difference. We are part of this movement to serve - serve the very same people who in time will make our world a better place, to make our tomorrows brighter than our yesterdays.

We're not kids, nor are we adults. While we have our own minds and ideas, we also can't make the wisest decisions all the time. So while we are here with our "loud music", "untamed hair" and "wrinkled clothes", we are undeniably the teenagers of our time. But still, teenagers, definitely willing and ready to… serve.

Chrissandra Francesca "Casey" E. Quiza, 15 years old
Chiro from Cebu, Philippines

Europe

Award for ZAK, Malta [top]

Last April ZAK were one of 5 groups who were shortlisted to be awarded the National Youth Recognition award for the year 2005. Some ZAK members went for the social evening that was organised and we were very pleased when it was announced that we had won the award. The first comments were of gratitude to God for the opportunity to work with the young people of Malta. It was a very nice feeling within us to know that the work we are doing is being recognised. The award is given to an organisation which has done a lot of work for young people in the country. Therefore the award was won by each and every member of ZAK. The award also means that we now have a responsibility to continue with the work that is being done. Work which we will surely continue for the good of all. Shortly after ZAK received many messages of congratulations and good luck from colleagues, members, other persons and the media.

Adriano Leone Ganado

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