Club of Volunteers newsletter n 13 by club of volunteers voluntariat

Newsletter No.13 - June 2012

Urban Presker

Urška Hartman

Maja Dolinar

Maruša Vukelič

Tina Trdin

Anastasija Popovska

Noemi De Vecchio

Anika Dziewior

Blanka Rihter

Uros Krasnik

Silvia García

Mimosa Lindström

Katarzyna Achtelik

Žiga Pavlin

Ana Belen

Editorial In waiting for the upcoming Festival of Migrant Film we decided to dedicate this issue of the Newsletter to migration. The topic of migration is wide. It is complex, but at the same time, quite close to us all. Volunteers working abroad, workers looking for better life opportunities or even tourists traveling around the world... they are all a part of an incredible minority built on diversity and dreams. Being on the move brings us memories. It brings us new experiences, new challenges and new problems we have to face. Read more about the journey of young migrants in the article â&#x20AC;&#x153;Human Cargoâ&#x20AC;? and check out good practices of World Volunteering in working with migrants shared by an organization from Finland. You can read more about youth migration in Europe and Spain, a description how working migration is not just a trend but a necessity for young people. You can meet and listen to the personal stories of some of the EVS volunteers, that are currently staying in Slovenia, in the article Far from home. Last but not least, we invite you to look at Malaysia through the lenses of a young photographer from Poland. We invite you to read about our experiences in our past events and encourage you to join our future activities as a volunteer. We also invite you to join screenings of films and other cultural events at the Festival of Migrant Film, where you can discover even more aspects of migration ...so, check out the festival offer as soon as possible. Think about it and stay tuned.

Club of Volunteers

www.zavod-voluntariat.si Editor: Anika Dziewior Design: Anastasija Popovska

club.of.volunteers@gmail.com www.club.of.volunteers.blogspot.com

Zavod Voluntariat - SCI Slovenia Cigaletova 9, 1000 Ljubljana

Index:

PAST EVENTS

CONTENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

Project “Voyages through forgotten places”

Festival of Migrant Film 2012

Festival of Migrant Film 2012 is coming

“Listen to me… whispered the plant”

EVS – far from home

Workshop in the Garden of Povšetova Prison

13. Festival of Volunteering

Youth migration in Europe and Spain: people moving toward the chances

The Art of diversity training in Germany, 15th -22nd of July

Human Cargo – the journey of unaccompanied refugee minors

Join EPTO and become a peer trainer

Workshops on prejudice and discrimination in Celje »Youth Reclaim Community Life« project has successfully finished

Maailmantalkoot – World Volunteering Experience of Neamatullah Malysia, lah - cultural differences in fotostory

Check the work camps all over the world Workshop in IG Radio enthusiast and picture lovers, we are looking for you!

PAST EVENTS Project “Voyages through forgotten places”

Young film makers from Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia participated in movie workshops organized by Zavod Voluntariat in collaboration with Restart (Croatia) and Youth Center CK 13 (Serbia). “The idea was to bring together young film makers and video activists, give them one common starting point and let them find their own topics in their environments.” Explained Uroš Krasnik, the coordinator of the project. 12 participants were creating their own short movies focused on migration in the Balkans and were supervised by professional trainers. Started from finding characters to their movies, they went through developing the screen play, shooting and finally editing their video material. All movies will be presented during the Festival of Migrant Films, within a special programme section “Voyages through forgotten places” that will take place on Thursday, 21 June 2012. Festival will take place in Ljubljana on 18th – 22nd June 2012.

PAST EVENTS “Listen to me… whispered the plant” (22.04.2012) On 22th of April people all around the world celebrate Earth’s day. This year, we showed our love to plants with a workshop at Bikofe (Ljubljana). “I wanted to give credit to the Earth on this day” commented Anastasija Popovska – coordinator of the Club of Volunteers. What was exactly happening at Bikofe you can check in the radio coverage on: http://www.zavod-voluntariat.si/www.zavod-voluntariat.si/radio_more.html

PAST EVENTS 13. Festival of Volunteering (12-19.05.2012) The Festival of Volunteering organized by Slovenska filantropija took place also this year. Around eighty organisations from all around Slovenia gathered together at Prešeren Square on 16th of May to present their organisations and programmes. The Festival started on 12th of May with a picnic for volunteers in Maribor. Eco design, painting t-shirts and many other workshops were offered to volunteers. Zavod Voluntariat attended those events looking for new volunteers to join projects and actions.

Workshops on prejudice and discrimination in Celje On 16th and 17th of May 2012 we had four one and a half hour long workshops in High school Celje center. Through fun games, we encouraged students to share their prejudices and become more aware on how also gossiping can lead to discrimination. It was obvious that students had a nice and fulfilling time, which was confirmed also after checking the evaluation papers they filled in for us after the end of every workshop. In the year of 2012 Voluntariat started carrying out workshops on prejudice and discrimination. These interactive workshops are based on European peer training organization methodology; they are carried out in high schools, but can also be adapted to any other environment. On 16th and 17th of May 2012 we had four one and a half hour long workshops in High school Celje center. Through fun games, we encouraged students to share their prejudices and become more aware on how also gossiping can lead to discrimination. It was obvious that students had a nice and fulfilling time, which was confirmed also after checking the evaluation papers they filled in for us after the end of every workshop. In the year of 2012 Voluntariat started carrying out workshops on prejudice and discrimination. These interactive workshops are based on European peer training organization methodology; they are carried out in high schools, but can also be adapted to any other environment.

PAST EVENTS »Youth Reclaim Community Life« project has successfully finished The final meeting of »Youth Reclaim Community Life« project took place in Athens in May. All partners involved in the project came there to present their work and share experiences gained during different activities. The final results for each country are amazing: songs, videos, painting of bus stations, and workshops about how to re-use materials. Zavod Voluntariat was one of the seven organizations that have participated in this project. The main purpose of the programme, which lasted for more than one year (1.1.2011-30.6.2012), was to actively involve young people, especially the ones with fewer opportunities, in a number of intercultural activities for the promotion of a more sustainable way of life for all. Those young people took part in youth committees established in each partner countries, in order to organize and participate in information campaigns, events and trainings, attempting to explore the issues of cultural diversity and sustainable development, starting from their neighborhoods. In the specific case of Slovenia, the project was named »Green and Clean« and Zavod Voluntariat developed different activities within it. Previous EVS volunteers created the »Eco Messengers« group with the aim to deal with current ecological issues and inside this context volunteers got to know new methods about how to promote ecological messages. In June, a Permaculture workshop took place: during this event, volunteers had the possibility to plant their own plants and then to take them home. Some of those plants had also been given to people during the Promotion Ride the next month, during which volunteers went around the city riding a bike. One of the most successful activities was Making a Garden at Povšetova prison, a workshop which helped creating green gardens in the Povšetova prison within the principles of permaculture. If you want to check what was done, you can visit the blog of the project: http://youthreclaim.blogspot.com/ and also the Facebook page »Youth Reclaim Community Life«. The project »Youth Reclaim Community Life« has been founded by the European Commission under the programme »Youth in Action« and it has involved seven different organizations from different countries: ANCE from Greece, CESAVO from Italy, KMGNE from Germany, AVRASYA from Turkey, FEE LATVIA from Latvia, NOORUSE MAJA from Estonia and ZAVOD VOLUNTARIAT from Slovenia. 8

Festival of Migrant Film 2012 To celebrate the nearby World Refugee Day (20th June),Slovene Philanthropy and ZavodVoluntariatare preparing the 3rd annual edition of the Festival of Migrant Film dedicated to refugees and migrants worldwide. This year’s collection of Slovene premieres, timeless classics and hidden gems of international »migrant production« once again promises to be rich and varied. The spectators will be offered more than 25 films of diverse genres, each of them capturing on tape and presenting in their own unique perspective the trails left behind by migrants as they move on in search for a new, better life. The festival will begin its journey around Ljubljana on 18th June in Kinodvor – Ljubljana City Cinema with screening of the brilliant portrait of contemporary economic migrations in British director Ken Loach’s film It’s a Free World.It will then proceed to migrate up to 22nd June formLjubljana City Museum to Slovene Chinemateque, from Atrium of SAZU to ŠKUC Gallery and Summer garden of Gala Hala (AKC Metelkova). Make sure not to miss highlights such as Tomo Križnar’s and Maja Weiss’s Eyes and Ears of God, Rainer Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul or Mervi Junkkonen’s After Life – 4 Stories of Torture and many others! Screenings will be accompanied by discussions with invited guests ranging from filmmakers and experts on migration to activists and immigrants living in Slovenia. They will share with us

their vast knowledge and experience on current migration trends and diverse challenges and opportunities, which arise from the increasingly diverse and multicultural environments we live in. Certainly, we can’t forgetthe many side events taking place during the festival,such as a concert by virtuoso guitar and kora players Igor Leonardi and Sekou Kouyate (SAZU, 19.6.), readings of African tales and performance by African singing choir Sankofa (ŠKUC, 22.6.) and of course the big closure party at Gala Hala. The most exciting novelty of the 3rd edition of the festival, however, is the special programme section dedicated to short films focused on migration in the Balkans produced by young filmmakers from Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia supported by ZavodVoluntariatand our partner organizations Restart and Youth centre CK13.Our collaboration within the project “Voyages through forgotten places” (funded by European Cultural Foundation) produced fresh perspectives on migration in our region while bringing together young filmmakers and activists and planting the seed of continuous collaboration in the field of socially engaged film production. The official programme of the festival will soon be published on the festival web page. All the screenings and side events will be free of charge. Come join us!

Author: Ana Belen

Far from home.

Experiences of EVS Volunteers

Elsa

Germany 953 km

Bulgaria 916 km

Even if it sounds superficial - I would definitely bring to Slovenia my favorite German beer “Weizen!” Doesn’t matter where I drink it, it makes me feel closer to home.

When I think about my place back home, the thing that makes me feel goodis that I have where to come back :)

Kat

Sandra

Great Britain 1.900 km

Music and art, both Modern and classic are things that make me feel good. If they arecreated close to home, they feel more real and exciting to look at, I can feel some connection with them. 10

Milena

Spain 1.562 km

It makes me feel good that I still have all my friends and my family waiting for me in myplace, and that they support me in all my decisions.

Ana

Spain 2.055 km

I learnt something very important here in Slovenia. When I decided to come here I wasn’t sure if I would manage to overcome all challenges, but now I feel a stronger person. I’m improving myself day by day.

Ben

France 1.258 km

Anastasija

Macedonia 957 km

Here I am learning how to live independently and especially, how to cook. ;)

We create home where we are...I enjoy my EVS life here, but still what I really miss are loooong looong family / friends lunches, the amazing Macedonian food and rakija :)

Violeta

Anika

Spain 2.366 km

In Spain we live in different schedules of having dinner, waking up etc. It’s quite difficult for me here, but I need to adapt to this differences.

Poland 846 km

I enjoy living in Slovenia. People, cuisine, customs etc. But sometimes I had a feeling that it would be nicer if Kraków would be a bit closer ;)

Photos: Silvia García

Author: Silvia García

Youth migration in Europe and Spain: people moving towards the chances

We live in the era of media. We all are connected and we don’t need direct contact with the others to communicate what we think or what we feel.These advancesmake us move from country to country easier than ever. Taking a plane is almost as common as breathing. We visit other countries for holidays, for studying… but nowadays it is becoming more and more usual moving out to other countries because of necessity. Our friends, relatives and ourselves know other people that moved abroad few years ago to France, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina… looking for a better future or sometimes just a job. The same thing happened within Spain. The countryis big enoughto seeinternal migration movements frompoorer tomore productive areas. At this time the situation is in general the same, but with different background. People are moving toward the chances, but most of the young people looking for this chance are well-prepared people within this profile: university studies, working experience, knowledge of languages, enthusiasm and a strong desire to offer and share what they have learned.Should we blame the governments for investing too much money in a few specific fields and not taking attention to what was happening during the last years in some others? If theproblem is to have knowledge in fields that don’t answer to the present needs, where are the freedom and dreams? Are these facts connected with the reality of our generation and “the world in movement”?

Mobilityhas always existedbetweenpeople withhigh education. Business, diplomatic relations were always there. But now engineers, journalists, physicians, architects, physiotherapists, teachers, etc. are affected with almost no distinction. There aren’t specific sectors affected, all of them are. Young people are so disappointed and so desperate, that they accept any kind of job just to survive and to feel useful. Many people feeldisappointedafter dedicatingall thoseyears studying andtrying to move forward. Language is one of the most important problems when you think about moving abroad. But it’s not the only reason: leaving your family and friends, your life, your city and the uncertainty of knowingwhat will happen next. Our “way of living” is a strong feeling for Spanish people, but is getting less and less strong. It also depends on the place where you grew up, how open is your mind and how the opinion of the others affects you. The list of current destination countries is as big as the network that each one creates. It depends on the personal connections,the courage and the spark that comes at certain times.I could say a short list of the most frequently mentioned countries when talking about migration of youth in Spain: Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, China, Brazil… But the list is huge. I would like to think that it is not that bad, but I think about political reasons to have this constant alarmist news over our heads. It could be the end of Europe but also it could be a technique to stick us together.

Finding a job (we are not talking about the conditions) isn’t so hard, but maybe the problem is within the mix of two different problems: we enjoyed a high level way of living without thinking about the future, wasting too much and without appreciating what we have and also how the “big fishes” are making a big benefit stepping on the small ones. This situation is connected with the decision of start to volunteering. We think about all the options we have, we are much more open to accept anything in exchange for having something and feeling good, but no matter how hard is the situation, this is not the option for many young people. Sometimes this is because of the ignorance of these volunteering programs, sometimes because of denial of getting older without getting a big economic benefit. We have to deal with financial crisis, the bursting of the housing market bubble, crisis of values… we liveour livesfrom crisis to crisis, making us rethink things constantly and evolving ourselves.We did think we would be invincible, that we would be able to get anything. We still think we will have our happy ending. We can just continue to trust in ourselves. Positive energy attracts positive energy.

Author: Žiga Pavlin

Human cargo Prologue I am sitting on the airport ground half of the world away from my home. I left behind my safety net. I left behind comfort, my family, my friends and my culture, which is by now so incredibly familiar to me. I am aware of my good financial background, health insurance and legal safety. My housing and my meals are being taken care of. And yet, my hearth beat is faster than usual and my breathing is trying to keep up with it. My mind is filled with fears and solutions to problems that do not even exist. I am scared. I am nervous, exhausted and I feel like I am trying to light up pitch-black darkness with merely a match. However, my story and all those emotions I had, were only a fragment of what heroes and heroines of this article’s subject are going through. My story would be completely different if I would be traveling in - not out of Europe. It would be so utterly unlike if my travel would not be voluntary;if my travel would be illegal; if I would be underage and if I would travel alone. I wonder, what my life would be like, if I would be an unaccompanied refugee minor?

Core Unaccompanied refugee minors are children under 18 years of age, which are located outside their home countriesand are unaccompanied by their parents or any other guardian defined by law or custom (Slovenska filantropija, 2012). Their situation is therefore defined by three key factors: - They are refugees. - They are minors. - They are unaccompanied. As other - voluntary migrants, refugees also suffer from the loss of country, friends, loved-ones, employment, possessions and nonetheless: loss of their identity. What is different is the trauma experienced by refugees prior to their flight – experience that is deeply involved in the process of mourning for their past life (Volkan, 2004). But trauma usually does not end with leaving the country. It is actually quite the opposite: stress and traumatic situations are generally experienced by refuges in all three stages of their migration: trauma usually starts in their home country and is then continued during their travels as well as in host country(Bercht, 2005). Contrary to the common beliefs, this makes dealing with trauma harder not easier. 14

Photos: Žiga Pavlin

Home country The main wave of refugees is always from less developed countries, war areas and countries with highly restrictive political system. Because of this, refugees are commonly victims of torture. Children can be victims of physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, verbal and/or economical abuse. They can be victims of forced labour or trafficking; usually for the purpose of prostitution or the production of child pornography. Since the treat is so high, most refugees decide to flee their country spontaneously and as soon as possible, which is why most of them lack informational and economical safety (Pajnik, Lesjak Tušek, & Gregorčič, 2002).

Travels Travels of refugees are quite different from those experienced by most of us: they are more expensive, longer, much more uncertain and way more dangerous. During their travels, refugees are basically cargo in the hands of smuggling agents. Regardless of the distance between home and host country, their travels – in case they reach desired host country, usually take around one month. During that time, they are constantly shifting between different traveling means: airplanes, cars, vans, trucks, cargo trains, ships and traveling on foot. Refugees are usually quite desperate with not that many available alternatives and are therefore condemned to mercy of their agents by their safety, lives and future. The view of agents, on the other hand, is a bit different. Smuggling of refugees is usually taken merely as a business with no real strings attached. They are responsible for organizing transportation and acquiring illegal documents and usually present hugecosts of travel, which can rise to enormous heights. For example, the average price of flight from Morocco to Spain is 24.000$ (Havocscope). Lives and health of refugees is not taken into an account. They are forced to travel in inhumane conditions – under tracks, in cargo containers or in tankers, which is why many refugees end their travel with death and not with a new beginning, as imagined.

Host Country Because of high vulnerability of children, they are the most protected social group in all EU countries. According to UNHCR (2004) and documents presented by some other international NGOs, refugee minors (immigrant children) should be equal to children from the host country in all aspects of legal protection and therefore in all aspects of their life, at least while they are staying in a host country. Those aspects include education, health care, support and others. 15

Unfortunately, practise is not always like that. Even in Slovenia, for example, minors are staying in an asylum centre or are locked up in a centre for foreigners - together with adults, even if the law specifies that children should not be kept in the same place and should not be imprisoned without prior conviction. Researches showed that being captured by law enforcement agents and being kept without freedom is making trauma even deeper and thus making unaccompanied refugee minors one of the most vulnerable groups of immigrants, with the highest risk of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome(Derluyn & Broekaert, 2005)(Pajnik, Lesjak Tušek, & Gregorčič, 2002).

Epilogue Unaccompanied refugee minors start their journey with void, with grief after their loved-ones and mourning after their previous identity. Migrating children should first be defined as children and principles of child’s safety should prevail over questions regarding migration and crime prevention. Ironically, even EU – political system that is supposed to stimulate migration and is supposed to be the cradle of human rights - does not follow those guidelines. Fortunately, small steps are being taken in the form on child advocates, spontaneous protests and involvement of some (international) NGOs. Small steps that will, hopefully, bring us to involvement of political parties, new - more including laws and changes in the political systems.

References Bercht, S. (2005). Od kod družbeno zavračanje prosilcev za azil. Socialno delo, 44(4-5), 287-302. Derluyn, I., & Broekaert, E. (2005). Otroci in mladostniki brez spremstva v Belgiji. Socialno delo, 44(4-5), 313-324. Havocscope. (brez datuma). Human smuggling travel fees. Prevzeto 20. 1 2012 iz Havocscope black markets: http://www.havocscope.com/black-market-prices/human-smuggling-fees/ Pajnik, M., Lesjak Tušek, P., & Gregorčič, M. (2002). Immigrants, who are you? : research on immigrants in Slovenia. Ljubljana: Mirovni inštitut. Slovenska filantropija. (2012). Mladi migranti. Prevzeto 23. 1 2012 iz Slovenska filantropija: http://www.filantropija. org/filantropija.asp?FolderId=132 UNHCR. (2004). Program za otroke brez spremstva v Evropi. Načela dobre prakse. Volkan, V. D. (2004). From Hope for a Better Life to Broken Spirits: An Introduction. V J. P. Wilson, & B. Drožđek, Broken Spirits: The Treatment of Traumatized Asylum Seekers, Refugees and War and Torture Victims (str. 7-12). New York: Brunner-Routledge. 16

Author: Mimosa Lindström (camp coordinator in KVT in 2010, recent KVT Board president)

Photos: Maruša Vukelić

Maailmantalkoot – World Volunteering “In my home country I worked every day. Now I’m here and don’t do anything except wait. Every day I just wait”. This was said by one asylum seeker living in a reception center in Finland. Like thousands of others, he had to escape from his country and try to get asylum far away from home and family. During the process of the decision of the place asylum seekers are not allowed to work. Days go by in the reception centers mainly waiting. For a couple of years there has been one opportunity for customers of reception centers to cut the waiting and work together in an international group around Finnish people. KVT (Kansainvälinenvapaaehtoistyöry), SCI branch in Finland, has given an opportunity for asylum seekers and immigrants all around Finland to join work camps. Idea of the project started earlier but official start was in 2010. That year KVT organized 11 work camps in Finland and to all of them there were at least two places reserved for asylum seekers and immigrants living in Finland.

Nervousness and excitement Because Maailmantalkoot was a pilot project the spring time in 2010 was full of excitement and bitof nervousness as well. How would it work? Do we get enough participants? What if the cultural differences between asylum seekers and other volunteers that mostly come from safe European countries are too big? Even though almost all of those concerns were proven to be reality in some camps, first summer of the project was a great success. Worries about the number of participants were totally wrong because interest towards work camps was huge! There were a lot more asylum seekers willing to come than there were places. Cultural differences and different pasts occurred but not in a negative sense. For example in one work camp a camp leader was a bit worried when in an evening discussion all the other volunteers were talking about their summer holidays and travels abroad. One asylum

seeker joined the conversation and told that coming to Finland was his first time abroad and that he had to escape war in his own country and leave the rest of the family behind. Camp leader’s concern was that asylum seekers would feel themselves like outsiders in the group and that other volunteers would maybe feel uncomfortable because of such radically different backgrounds. But that thought was proven wrong.Even though their background may be a bit different they got along with the group and gave a new cultural side to the work camp. Most of the volunteers usually come from Europe or Japan but asylum seekers often come from Afghanistan or African countries.By sharing their stories asylum seekers brought the problems of their societies closer to people, which built mutualunderstanding. Many volunteers have said that getting to know the people who have had to escape war has had a big influence on their interest towards their countries. For example news from Afganistanseems totally different after meeting a person from there. 17

Continuation After all the positive feedback of the participants and reception centers it was clear that KVT wants to continue the project. Ministry of Foreign Affairs founded the project again in 2011. Like in the summer of 2010 over 20 immigrants were able to join work camps in Finland. In addition there were workshops and other events organized by the project. Winter work camp Global Education Initiative ended Maailmantalkoot –project in January 2012. Work camp was organized in northern Finland and five of the nine volunteers were asylum seekers and immigrants. The idea of the work camp was to go around in schools in Kemi and Tornio and organize educational workshops about global issues. Work camp went well and schools were very satisfied withthe programme. Even though Maailmantalkoot ended, the project continues with a new name. Sillanrakentajat (Building bridges) –project started this spring 2012 and like Maailmantalkootit issupported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. KVT has invited a volunteer from Indonesia to work in the project together with a project coordinator, run workshops and visit work camps in Finland. Sillanrakentajat will continue the valuable and important work to add cultural cooperation with Finnish people, international volunteers and asylum seekers.

Experience of Neamatullah, asylum seeker in Finland (participated in two workcamps in 2010) From Volunteering with KVT Finland I learned many things like farming, building, how to behave with underaged children etc. How I found this Volunteering - I was underaged and I was living in one refugeecentre..After a few months I became 18, then they moved me from that underagedcentre to upperagedcentre and it was so far city of Finland and I was so missing my friends, more than my parents, because we were together all the time playing together, going to school together etc..After few days one worker of the centre came and told me that there is one workcamp opportunity in my previous refugee centre if I want to join, it is for 14 or 15 days. I answered I want to join. I was so happy after that volunteering I have gone to one anotherworkcamp... Now I have good memoriesfrom these workcamps ... and I got good friends..

Author:Katarzyna Achtelik

Pictures: Katarzyna Achtelik

Malaysia, lah After five intense years of messing around in polish Cracow and graduating in International Relations, this photography and travel enthusiast decided to grab the opportunity of working as a travel journalist in tropical country called Malaysia. Since august 2011, she lives in Johor Bahru (neighboring with Singapore) and works for Malay travel agency, surrounded by locals, their complex reality and deeply fried food. As the little cultural confusions happen on daily basis, she’s happy to share some of her experience through these pictures.

In Malaysia, it’s all about food. “Have you already eaten?” should be shouted out whenever any of your friends appears on the horizon. Unfortunately, if you have been indulging yourself too generously, honest Malaysians will kindly inform you with a greeting “Oh, you look so chubby lah!”. A man in the picture prepares Roti Canai, a local type of pancake, one of country’s signature dishes.

You will stumble across local vegetables and fruits with quite extravagant names, but at really good cost (1 Euro~ 4 Rinngits). Bad news for those missing Western cuisinegoods such as dairy products, breads or alcohol are labeled with ouch-Scandinavian prices.

2 During Hari Raya, the most important Muslim holiday (quite like Christmas for Christiansjust forget the snow), guestsdisregarding the nationality and religion- are being invited to private houses for common celebration. Which means, again, loads of food.

When it comes to religion, more than 60% of multicultural population follows Islam, 20% Buddhism, 10% are Christians and around 6% follow Hinduism. As people seem to be more believing than in Western countries, it comes as no surprise to see little altars in private flats.

Following aforementioned precaution principles, it is highly recommended to pay attention to all types of boards and signs. Even if you are not a Malaysian Bahasa speaker, mind you, the body language can be highly informative.

Faith can move mountains, they say, however thieves can move our new telly out of a house and faith might not be enough to stop them. As Malaysia is not the safest country ever, it’s absolutely natural to have window bars- even on upper floors. Another practical solution, this time to limited living space, are bars for laundry, placed beneath kitchen’s ceiling. 20

In Bahasa language (and its younger hip hybrid called Manglish) probably a particle “lah” is the most (ab)used one. Its main function is to add an emphasis to what one is saying. Usually to be heard in dynamic conversations such as: “Discount lah?”“Cannot lah!”.

A standard Cannot-lah-list in majority of public places, such as restaurants, banks or hotels, usually consists of famous durian fruit (redefining your concept of stink), purple mangosteen (leaving irremovable stains) and fireworks (reason unknown). Therefore, tourists shall keep in their minds that a great majority of holiday resorts doesn’t allow pets either.

In case you don’t own any pet yet, visit a Night Market (PasarMalam), taking place several times a week, under cover of cooling darkness. You’ll be confused with abundance of products (and its packages), from decorative fish and their edible cousins to Angry Bird flip-flops and prayer accessories.

However, if your needs aim slightly higher, betake yourself to one of uncountable, modern, huge shopping malls. It turns out that Malaysians not only spend loads of money, but simply love to hang out with friends and whole families in these shiny shrinks of consumerism.

8 11

But then, one cannot escape from the food consumption- the outdoor eating culture is deep-rooted, and its infrastructure well developed. For example, you can be served by a motorbike confectionary, offering ice cream in classic waffle cups or..hot dog buns. Not to mention local specialtyFRIED ice cream (yes, they fry EVERYTHING in Malaysia).

After a long and exciting day, while heading back home, do not forget to drive on a left side of the road. And please: mind the cows, monkeys, monitor lizards and crossing elephants. 21

Author: Inês Gama

“Youth Reclaim Community Life” A brief diary and photo reportage from intercultural exchange in Athens. As part of the “Youth Reclaim Community Life” project for which I was volunteering last year, I was invited to join the group from Slovenia to Athens for its final meeting, together with the coordinator Urban Presker and other two volunteers of the NGO Zavod Voluntariat - Ljubljana. Day 1 - Wednesday We departed from Ljubljana at around 2am, with Urban’s car on the way to Milan airport. Nothing to declare, except the crazy morning drivers near Milan city. If you’re driving there, make sure you are fully ready for some fast highway track changes and sudden car stops. *Arriving to Greece, first views on the city* Athens: first observations? Hot, around 28 degrees of temperature, tourists everywhere (specially Americans), noisy, full of contrasts between modern architecture and ancient Greek patrimony and definitely yellow, due to all of the yellow taxis spotted all around the city, as described by Noemi, an Italian student currently doing Erasmus at Zavod Voluntariat. We dropped our luggage at the hostel and went for a late lunch at one local Mediterranean food restaurant. Suddenly, a horde of policemen and people invaded the street. Why? Surprisingly, on the same location where we were eating and at the same time, we assisted to the passage of the Olympic games fire. Of course, I had to run in chase for some pictures and videos of this happening! We had still the chance to visit the exhibition about “Eastern European Poster Art” featuring vintage posters of cinema, concerts and festivals from the countries of the former Eastern bloc from the 60’s onwards at the »Image Gallery«. After the exhibition, the rest of the gang went to the rooftop of the »Backpackers hostel« where we were located for some live comedy act. As for me, tired of a sleepless night, i went directly to the hostel room for a nice back stretching yoga practice and for a long rest since I was looking forward to a city’s early morning photo exploration on the next day. 22

Day 2 - Thursday I thought at around 6am the city would be still asleep. Wrong! At that time, Athens is already fully alive, vibrant, rushy. Nevertheless, and since we were in the center close to the Acropolis, i was able to explore the narrow and small streets and had the opportunity to take a first look into the several interesting artistic interventions displayed on the facades. We met later, together with the Slovenian group and the rest of the other partners (Italy, Estonia, Latvia) with our lovely hosts of the ANCE NGO at the entrance of the hostel ready for some teambuilding activities under the Acropolis while getting to know some of the most interesting and central areas of Athens: Monastiraki and Plaka areas. After getting to know each other, we had still time to visit another local alternative gallery and social spot named TAF (http://www.theartfoundation.gr/en/theartfoundation_index.htm) before lunch. TAF is an independent space, an active platform which contributes for the circulation of contemporary ideas and practices, *»where thought is not differentiated from action and culture is considered to be a daily activity.«* During the afternoon, we gathered at the Center of Hellenic tradition (http://www.kelp.gr/) to start our cultural exchange. The first part of it consisted in the learning of well-known songs and dances of each participating country.

Day 3 - Friday We met again with the whole group at the same location to gather and exchange information, present ideas and project experiences and general outcomes so far and prepare everything for the opening of the Transnational Festival which ANCE organized.

bear. Priceless moment! None of the passers-by could avoid a smile or a laugh while looking at him. I’m sure we will soon see Giacomo posing as a model for some of the new Greek ad campaigns. Day 5 - Sunday

At night we had the chance to taste some of the Greek alternative cultural scene at Booze Cooperativa (http://www.boozecooperativa.com/), one of the spots of the annually Athens Video Art festival ( athensvideoartfestival.gr), the most important festival of digital arts and new media in Greece, dedicated to modern culture and new technologies. Personally, besides the interesting new media installations, I really admired the whole interior design of the space. I must say that Athens is full of talented graphic and interior designers as you can see from some of my captions presented below.

In the morning, I had the chance to visit the stunning Acropolis Museum (http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/?la=2) and the Ancient Agora of Athens. Later that day, I met again with the Slovenian crew and with rest of the people for the »cloth swop« event, after which it was time for the final goodbyes and »se vidimos« to everyone involved in the project and still present in the space. We said also goodbye to Giacomo who stayed with his new family at his new office - ANCE headquarters. Not bad at all!

Day 4 - Saturday

Day 6 – Monday** *Return to Slovenia*

Finally time to visit the Acropolis together with Pierre, a French doing his EVS currently in Estonia. Afterwards, the start of the Transnational Festival with 2 Masterclasses at Spirit Bar: one led by Anna Mironova and another by Popi Anastouli, a very well-known designer who taught us how to do purses out of plastic bags. Both master classes where very good and I’m looking forward to pass what I’ve learned later this summer. We had also a re-used accessories contest and a very nice concert by the band “Disconnected”.

In the morning we did our final round around the center of Athens and prepared everything to catch the taxi to the city›s airport. Although Greece faces difficult and tempestuous times, my global and final image of Athens is that is indeed a place of intense creativity, an effervescent living city full of friendly locals and tourists. At the end of the trip back to Slovenia, we were tired but filled with fresh ideas to apply on future projects and workshops among a bunch of new collaborators and friends. It›s great to be able to testify how much you can bring from being active, connecting to other organizations and individuals from other parts of the world.

Finished the first part of the festival, the Slovene team was looking forward for some cultural free entrances, since it was the free museum night, but we got lost on the way to the contemporary art museum in the area of Gazi and when we arrived there it was closed. On the way back, suddenly we found a huge teddy bear lying on the street. Alone, apparently abandoned and looking sad, Noemi immediately suggested we should take the now named bear “Giacomo” with us and find him a new shelter and a more caring family. So, imagine this: 4 foreigners, on a Saturday night, wandering the streets of Athens with a giant teddy

Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to Urban Presker, youth program coordinator at Zavod Voluntariat, SCI Slovenia, who kindly invited me to be part of this project, Julina Canga, ex-EVS at Zavod Voluntariat who introduced me to it, Noemi and Maja for a journey full of smiles, all the partners and groups involved and the amazing girls of ANCE for a great host meeting program and for showing us the real beautiful Athens through their local perspective. For more info about the project, please visit: «Youth Reclaim Community Life» project blog: http://youthreclaim.blogspot.com/ Host Organization ANCE: http://www.ance-hellas.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.ance-hellas.org/en Article on last year’s permaculture workshop linked to this project on mct website: http://www.mct.si/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114:in-touch-with-the-soil-in-touch-with-ourpure-human-nature-&catid=42:evs&Itemid=59 23

Author: Žan

EVS EXPERIENCE IN BONN … in tako sem se znašel tisoč kilometrov stran od doma, v Bonnu – Nemčiji, kot EVS prostovoljec. Lagal bi, če bi rekel, da me ni bilo strah, a z dneva v dan je bilo lažje in kmalu sem se počutil kot doma. Funkcija, ki jo opravljam pri SCI (Service Civil International) Germany, je t.i. »incoming placement officer«, kar pomeni, da sem odgovoren za vse njihove poletne tabore. Izbiram ljudi, ki se prijavljajo na njih in sodelujem s partnerji, ki jih pomagajo organizirati. Pošiljajo me tudi po svojih poslovnicah v drugih državah, nazadnje v Francijo, Lille. Poleti bom vodil enega izmed taborov in sicer v Berlinu, kjer se bomo tri tedne ukvarjali s problematiko HIVa in AIDSa, naša primarna naloga pa bo širiti ozaveščenost. Zame EVS ni le delo, ki ga opravljam, ampak skoraj bolj ljudje, ki sem jih spoznal. Našli smo se na skupni poti in postali družina. Marina iz Srbije, Andrea iz Avstrije in nešteto drugih, ki sem jih spoznal na raznih seminarjih in taborih. Vsi, daleč stran od doma, se razumemo na način, kot nas nihče drug ne more in tako drug z drugim korakamo naprej. Seveda so dnevi, ko pogrešam Slovenijo, sploh naš kruh (ti Nemci ne poznajo koncepta dobrega belega kruha J ), ampak kot celota, sem več kot zadovoljen s svojo odločitvijo postati EVS prostovoljec in sem mnenja, da je to nekaj, kar bi moral vsak enkrat izkusiti.

Upcoming events

Festival of Migrant Film 2012 is coming More than 25 films of diverse genres can be watched during the Festival of Migrant Films that will take place in Ljubljana from 18th until 22nd June 2012. All movies will be focused on refugees and migrants issues. Besides watching movies you can also join discussions, concerts and other events that you will find in the festival’s programme on the web page www.fmf.org. It is the 3rd edition of the festival organized by Slovene Philanthropy and Zavod Voluntariat. All screenings and events will be for free. Do not miss it!

Workshop in the Garden of Povšetova Prison Each Wednesday morning we are gardening on Povšetova with permaculture specialist Mirjam Kopše. Workshop is a continuation of the project that has started last year. The workshop’s aim is to actively involve young people for the promotion of a more sustainable way of life for all. In this workshop the group will consist of volunteers and prisoners. By cleaning the place, planting seeds and taking care of plants we are trying to grow vegetables and herbs that will be used in prison’s kitchen. Limit for this workshop is 12 volunteers. If you would like to join us or if you have any question and you want to know more about this workshop, please contact us on club.of.volunteers@gmail.com.

The Art of diversity training in Germany, 15th -22nd of July We are looking for 4 participants for Train the trainer seminar “The art of diversity” in Hütten, Germany. Application fee is 56 euro, food and accommodation are covered, you also get a 70% reimbursement of your travel costs. At the end of the training you will receive a certificate and European peer training organization manual, that will equip and prepare you for possibly carrying out workshops afterwards in Slovenia.To apply send an email to delavnice.voluntariat@gmail.com till 10th of July.

Join EPTO and become a peer trainer The European Peer Training Organization is a network of young people and organizations active in the field of youth who use peer education as a way to overcome all forms of discrimination. Zavod Voluntariat is Slovenian partner for EPTO since 2008. Through interactive games, group work and individual work we encourage people to understand what prejudices and discrimination are and how to be aware of them and confront them. The aims are that after the workshops, people are aware of their personal and cultural identity, they recognize their own prejudices, stereotypes and discriminatorily behaviors and that they develop empathy, critical thinking, and communication skills, which enables them to set up a more inclusive environment. If a workshop lasts whole day or more they are also able to develop an action plan.

Radio enthusiast and picture lovers, we are looking for you! If you feel like developing your journalistic or sound editing skills, we welcome you to join our team! With our radio project we would like to make a platform to exchange ideas, look for inspiration, motivate each other, but first off all to… create. Audio reportages, photo casts, videos – all to express our artistic or activist needs. Open minded, eager to create and enthusiastic people are needed! Let’s meet and create! Contact us over on our e-mail address: club.of.volunteers@gmail.com

If you are interested in becoming a peer trainer for Volutnariat, join the EPTO training in Germany this July, or write us on delavnice.voluntariat@gmail.com. If you would like to have us carrying out workshops for your students, volunteers, teachers etc. also write us on the mail above and we can send you more information about our workshops.

Check the work camps all over the world

Workshop in IG

About thousand of work camps are being offered to you at SCI network. You have a variety of topics and countries to choose from. Find the one you like and come to our office, we will advise you and help you in the application process.

From 15th of June in the Ig prison starts a project with different kinds of workshops for the women there. Couple of volunteers will brighten up the days of the women through different activities. We are starting with capoeira, belly dancing, creative workshops, dances, sports, theater etc.... If you have an idea and you want to organise activity suitable for Ig Prison, don’t hesitate to contact Anastasija at :

Just click on: http://www.workcamps.info/icamps/search.html.

club.of.volunteers@gmail.com