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The responsibility on the content of this publication is solely of its authors. The European Commission is not res-ponsible for any use that can be done of the information on this document.

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Preface

During two years, the Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral de la Comarca Miajadas-Trujillo, the Instituto para el Desenvolvimiento Social, Terras Dentro, and Eurocultura, we have developed a project with the objetive of sensitize to the young people of our rural means of the importance of its roll and its presence in the towns like only way for the survival of these.

The results and the processes initiated with this project, make us feel proud of to have taken the debate, the participation and the possibili-ties to us of performance to the young people of our territories; but us it makes specially happy confirm the singular condition of those young people their interest, its capacity for the work in equipment, its disposition to surpass the borders of the langage and the distance and to cooperate with his equal ones of others countries in the conservation and improves of a rural world that also is called to the construction of a Europe of the citizens. Serve this manual like a grain as sand in the mountain that the young people of our continent already are constrc-ting, from the effort and the daily illusion.

Vicente Llanos VázquezPresidente de ADICOMT

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Preface

During two years, the Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral de la Comarca Miajadas-Trujillo, the Instituto para el Desenvolvimiento Social, Terras Dentro, and Eurocultura, we have developed a project with the objetive of sensitize to the young people of our rural means of the importance of its roll and its presence in the towns like only way for the survival of these.

The results and the processes initiated with this project, make us feel proud of to have taken the debate, the participation and the possibili-ties to us of performance to the young people of our territories; but us it makes specially happy confirm the singular condition of those young people their interest, its capacity for the work in equipment, its disposition to surpass the borders of the langage and the distance and to cooperate with his equal ones of others countries in the conservation and improves of a rural world that also is called to the construction of a Europe of the citizens. Serve this manual like a grain as sand in the mountain that the young people of our continent already are constrc-ting, from the effort and the daily illusion.

Vicente Llanos VázquezPresidente de ADICOMT

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INDEX:

— Introduction...............................................................................................7

— Constitution of the associations............................................................11

— General aspects of a youth association.................................................11

— How to constitute a youth association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7

— Legalization of an association in Spain..............................................17

— Good practices inside the project...................................................29

— Report of the young people’s participation......................................53

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INDEX:

— Introduction...............................................................................................7

— Constitution of the associations............................................................11

— General aspects of a youth association.................................................11

— How to constitute a youth association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7

— Legalization of an association in Spain..............................................17

— Good practices inside the project...................................................29

— Report of the young people’s participation......................................53

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INTRODUCTION

The rural world of the South of Europe is currently in a critical mo-ment. After the crisis of the agricultural sector and the great migrations of the last decades, we stand before an environment in which it is being imposed the economic diversity as a way to the future of some threatened towns by the worrisome aging of population, the lack of infrastructures and services, the unemployment and the lack of opportunities for women and young people.

The processes impelled by the European Union and the national and regional governments through programs of development Duch as LEADER, EQUAL, INTERREG, etc., have facilitated the implementation of new strate-gies of growth that have improved the communications and the services, have enriched the enterprise area in new sectors of promising future, they have impelled the socio-working integration of the most underprivileged groups of the society and they have really opened the door to the possible mainte-nance of rural means that sometimes occupy more of 80% of the territory of countries Duch as Spain, Portugal and Italy. Nevertheless the transformation has not been absolute and the abovementioned problems continue being the sword of Damocles of groups such as the young people which are divided between the will to remain in their towns and the need go to the city in search of better employment and training opportunities. Since this global diagnosis, we have been depicting a world less populous, with city councils placed far way, several places with less than 1.000 inha-bitants, short tendency to the renewal and enlargement of its population and with quite a few difficulties concerning development. Strong measures need to be taken in the present time, in order to maintain the population in their birth places, otherwise, this problem will damage severely the places, causing the ageing of a place, from where people are running away.

The global diagnosis of the situation show us the need to offer great opportunities to the places in order to keep the population, enlarge the asso-

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ciative and business life, energize and improve the participation and promo-tion of the locals, promoting training and work integration, which will have results on the personal development. It is also necessary to coordinate efforts to develop the original local potentials and to promote self production which will increase the local services.

Within this scenery, the young collective that represents approxima-tely 20,02% of the population can be classified as underprivileged and hugely unequal. The population does not have access to the means of transport; there is a large distance between villages, which put aside the cultural offer, the political and associative life, and the possibility to train as well as the impro-vement of social relationships that not go further than the neighbors around and close friends. Therefore, young people do not feel motivated to start a new life and keep on living in the rural areas, where there is a lack of opportunities concerning jobs, personal and social growth and a lack of contribution to the processes of citizenship that all citizens must have within a society. The work with the young collective is quite damaged because of the present situation. The general problems are under the lack of young initiatives. Nor-mally, town halls have quite a few social and economic resources, and it is not possible to invest on jobs to the young people, that do not have even the option to ask for help through public or private entities, once they have neither capital nor technicians to develop the intervention projects. Other lack comes from a non existing practice that as to do with young associations, there aren’t young leaders who fight and show different patterns or options concerning jobs, as a result, young people leave their birth places. The Young People’s Net to the Rural Development is a project sponsored by the European Union Young People’s Program that creates the possibility to approach the problem, developing, in all town halls, a systematical interven-tion work with the young collective that, for the first time, drew opportunities and proposed solutions to the difficulties that this kind of works have. The project aimed to encourage the cohesion among locals and inhabitants, the associative activity, the recovering and preservation of ways of life, coming

from the rural areas that can improve the young peoples’ lives. This work gave to the young people tools to manage their free time, in a way that they can participate in the young causes and opportunities.Basically, the project had as objective the creation of several young groups and associations, like those created during the works by the young collective, and the maintenance of a straight institutional and personal contact between members, through the use of new technologies of information, in order to produce a gather functioning of the net that pursuits the cohesion in the areas, equality of opportunities to the young people, direct intervention on the pro-blems of the collective and its incorporation in the associative, regional, na-tional and European life.

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ciative and business life, energize and improve the participation and promo-tion of the locals, promoting training and work integration, which will have results on the personal development. It is also necessary to coordinate efforts to develop the original local potentials and to promote self production which will increase the local services.

Within this scenery, the young collective that represents approxima-tely 20,02% of the population can be classified as underprivileged and hugely unequal. The population does not have access to the means of transport; there is a large distance between villages, which put aside the cultural offer, the political and associative life, and the possibility to train as well as the impro-vement of social relationships that not go further than the neighbors around and close friends. Therefore, young people do not feel motivated to start a new life and keep on living in the rural areas, where there is a lack of opportunities concerning jobs, personal and social growth and a lack of contribution to the processes of citizenship that all citizens must have within a society. The work with the young collective is quite damaged because of the present situation. The general problems are under the lack of young initiatives. Nor-mally, town halls have quite a few social and economic resources, and it is not possible to invest on jobs to the young people, that do not have even the option to ask for help through public or private entities, once they have neither capital nor technicians to develop the intervention projects. Other lack comes from a non existing practice that as to do with young associations, there aren’t young leaders who fight and show different patterns or options concerning jobs, as a result, young people leave their birth places. The Young People’s Net to the Rural Development is a project sponsored by the European Union Young People’s Program that creates the possibility to approach the problem, developing, in all town halls, a systematical interven-tion work with the young collective that, for the first time, drew opportunities and proposed solutions to the difficulties that this kind of works have. The project aimed to encourage the cohesion among locals and inhabitants, the associative activity, the recovering and preservation of ways of life, coming

from the rural areas that can improve the young peoples’ lives. This work gave to the young people tools to manage their free time, in a way that they can participate in the young causes and opportunities.Basically, the project had as objective the creation of several young groups and associations, like those created during the works by the young collective, and the maintenance of a straight institutional and personal contact between members, through the use of new technologies of information, in order to produce a gather functioning of the net that pursuits the cohesion in the areas, equality of opportunities to the young people, direct intervention on the pro-blems of the collective and its incorporation in the associative, regional, na-tional and European life.

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General aspects of a youth association

Nowadays rural young people moves between the uncertainty that is genera-ted by the lack of future perspectives and the de-motivation generated by the social and social de-structure of the rural communities. Moreover, they are in a social context in which they are a minority, due to the fact that it is difficult to establish relationships between pears. This is the reason why the task of the young people associative movement in the rural areas is extremely important. The presence and involvement of rural youth in the development process of the rural communities is essential to assure its continuity, and they are a huge potential of renovation and energy.

Quality of life, availability of land, jobs, environmental protection and home are some advantages that the rural areas have and, after the associative move-ment, it is seen as a trampoline of the real social participation of rural youth.

The presence of youth in the rural development is compulsory for its continui-ty and, thus, the space of the youth associations is a jeans of personal growth and of necessary information to face the problems that the rural environment generates.

Before constituting a youth association, all distinct formal groups, should pre-sent a very concrete behaviour profile, once this group is a very important element of participation and expression, which facilitates the integration of youngsters in the nearest society, and they need some well defined features to assure the success of the union.

One of the most important aspects was the free time before the associations. We define “association” as a means of sum of efforts and of sharing ideals through collective answers; it is an instrument of the citizens’ participation with continuity and protection in society.

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General aspects of a youth association

Nowadays rural young people moves between the uncertainty that is genera-ted by the lack of future perspectives and the de-motivation generated by the social and social de-structure of the rural communities. Moreover, they are in a social context in which they are a minority, due to the fact that it is difficult to establish relationships between pears. This is the reason why the task of the young people associative movement in the rural areas is extremely important. The presence and involvement of rural youth in the development process of the rural communities is essential to assure its continuity, and they are a huge potential of renovation and energy.

Quality of life, availability of land, jobs, environmental protection and home are some advantages that the rural areas have and, after the associative move-ment, it is seen as a trampoline of the real social participation of rural youth.

The presence of youth in the rural development is compulsory for its continui-ty and, thus, the space of the youth associations is a jeans of personal growth and of necessary information to face the problems that the rural environment generates.

Before constituting a youth association, all distinct formal groups, should pre-sent a very concrete behaviour profile, once this group is a very important element of participation and expression, which facilitates the integration of youngsters in the nearest society, and they need some well defined features to assure the success of the union.

One of the most important aspects was the free time before the associations. We define “association” as a means of sum of efforts and of sharing ideals through collective answers; it is an instrument of the citizens’ participation with continuity and protection in society.

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The members of a youth association should bear in mind that to become as-sociated it isn’t easy, but rather a jeans which allows them not only to defend values, ideas and speeches, but also to do so with the strength of a group. Hence the importance of group thought before the individual.

In an association, the values of the whole prevail over the personal ones. One always acts by jeans of a vote, no dictatorships are useful, and it is a democra-tic process, critical and denouncer.

The life of an association is based on the participation. It is necessary to clear which type of participation one must have within an association, which jeans. The people who form the youth entities go from activists (strongly dedicated) down to those who collaborate sporadically, the associated people and the as-sociated quota (who pay and don’t participate) or the integrant of a direction committee. It is necessary to do a reflection upon the time one has generally, bearing in mind the following aspects:

The motivation, which means, one wants to participate, sees the group objec-tives as their own, feels part of a group that leads to one common direction and that the efforts of each member have a positive impact reaching goals. The training, which means, one knows how to participate, to develop tasks and activities, one learns how to work together and is able to organize and maintain the participation.

The organization, which means, one may effectively participate through the existing jeans in order to take part of the action, the communication, the ma-nagement or decision making.

Another important aspect to bear in mind previously is that to become asso-ciated one need to identify oneself to a group regarding one’s interests and preferences.

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If you are going to join an association already created or if, on the other hand, you are going to constitute a new one, the priorities of the group should be known and familiar among members. There is a variety of activities such as tasks on the outside, defence of the environment, cooperation, music or theatre.

You should identify your interests and join people who share them with you.

The following should be taken as an example: if a person stands against bulls’ festivals, it would be a reason not to join people who, before an association, wanted to promote these events.

After establishing what type of association, it would also be necessary to know that usually they favour the volunteering and the non-profit aim. When a group or a person becomes associated, they do it because they have found an alternative to their free time, because they need to share their ideas with people with the same interests, but always with a mark of gratuitousness. One can’t constitute a youth association as if it was a company that generates resources. The people become associated to convert their ideas into reali-ty, to offer society an escape from stress, or just to carry out improvements around them, which will be a benefit to all inhabitants.

Once prized the previous aspects, it is only necessary to take an important decision: if you really want to constitute an association or if you want to take part in a group of friends with common interests.

If you decide on the first option, these are the steps to follow:

• Choose the working areas (youth, culture, sports, patrimony, etc.);

• Describe the goals or objectives;

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Legalization of an association in Spain

How to constitute a youth association

There are different types of associations such as cultural, sports or youth associations. The initial procedures for their legalization are the same which we highlight, and they only diverge in the last ones and in some specific rules. Another important difference is based in the “Junta de Extremadura” Council, in which it is necessary to inscribe it in. This second step, though not compulsory, is convenient to access different aids from “Junta de Extre-madura”.

Associations of Local, Provincial or Regional area:There are volunteer groups, in which the members should be between 14 and 30 years old.Registry of Associations of the Autonomous Community The documentation in which the constitution is detailed should be sent by ordinary mails to the following address, or to the centres of administrative reception (C.A.A.) of the “Junta de Extremadura”.

Consejería de Presidencia.Dirección General de Administración Local e Interior.Avenida de Roma, s/n. 06800 Mérida.Teléfonos: 924 005020.

Documents to present:

• Request signed by the legal representative of the Association, for the General• Director of Local and Interior Administration.• Two copies of the Statuses, along with the original.• Two copies of the Funding Minute, along with the original.• List of members of the Management Board.

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• To submit through “Model 50”, Code 11005-6, en Taxes:o Inscription in the Registry: 35,25 €.o Modification of Statuses: 17,67 €.

These documents should be sent within the following five days after the sig-nature of the Funding Minute, quadruplicated and signed by at least two adult people. Moreover, the social address where the Association is located should be indicated.

The Associations should comply with a series of fiscal obligations:Fiscal Identification Code, FIC.

Therefore, the following should be presented in the Finances’ Delegation:• Copy of the Identification (ID) of the association spokesperson;• Fill in the official form which will be given to hand.• Copy of the funding minute of the association.• Copy of the Statuses approved by the Registry of Associations.• The Finances Delegation will provide a provisional FIC number, and then it will be given a definitive car, within five months.• Added Value Tax, VAT.• Societies Tax.• Accountancy books.

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Legalization of an association in Portugal

HOW TO CONSTITUTE A YOUTH ASSOCIATION IN PORTUGAL

According to the Portuguese Constitution, making part of an association is an undeniable right to all Portuguese citizens. Making part of a youth asso-ciation allows young people to make energizing activities and undertaking certain goals within a group with a common objective.

The Associations are collective people which constitution and work are ruled by the Civil Code, Law 167, and also by the R. N. P. C. – “Registo Nacional de Pessoas Colectivas” (National Registration of Collective People), and the Law of the Youth Associations (Law 23/2006) which is composed by several stages that we hereby enunciate:

1 – Constitution of a working group

A group of young people gather in order to develop a project in the cultural and recreational ambit; the group chooses a space witch will be the future headquarters of the association and gives to the collective person the right to nominate it.

A Youth Association is an organism that has juridical personality. It is consti-tuted by more than 75% members aged till 30, in which the executive mem-ber is constituted by 75% of the people aged till 30.

2 – Foundation Meeting and Ellaboration of Statutes

The meeting between found members (20 in the case of a Youth Association), where they will deliberate, among other subjects: Name, Social Object and Headquarters.

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They should then proceed to the elaboration of the Statutes, which will define the ways to work according to the law 167 and following of the Civil Code, containing:Nature; headquarters; duration; objective; income and expenses; social pa-trimony; categories of partners; rights and duties; social organs (Table of the General Assembly, Directorate and Fiscal Council); composition and competencies of the organs; duration of the mandate of the organs; ways to deliberate about the changes of the statutes; dissolution or prorogation of the association; quorum and omissive cases.

The statutes of an association are a written document that includes the prin-ciples by which the association will rule, the mission, the definition of the competencies and composition of the social organs, the rights and duties of its members.

3 – General Assembly Notification

To approve the statutes listed below there has to be a General Assembly No-tification, where all found members must attend.

To acquire juridical personality, the elements who want to found a young association gather themselves in a constitutive general assembly (specifically notified), write down in loco the minutes, with the precise date and place, name of the association, elaboration and approval of the future association statutes as well as the found members signatures.

4 – Transcription to the Minutes Book

After the approval of the statutes in the General Assembly or in previous meetings held by the associations, these must be copied out to the minutes, on a proper book – Minutes Book – paged and signed.

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5 – Admission Certificate Paper and Temporary Card

To register down the Association name, the members must go to the National Registration of Collective People in order to obtain the admission records (when filling in the Form it is necessary to chose three names and indicate the social object), as well as requiring the temporary card of the collective person. The members must take the Minutes Book where the statutes were written down.

The requests can be demonstrate directly in the RNPC (preferentially), on the registry office or by post.

6 – Public Deed

Once received the Admission Certificate and approved the final statutes, the-re are fulfilled all the requirements to begin the Public Deed, in any registry office.

To the Public Deed, the Association found members should present the follo-wing documents:

- Admission Certificate- Temporary Card of the Collective People- Statutes of the Association- Definite List with the grantors, as well as the addresses- Copies of the Identity Cards and Taxpayer Card

7 – Publications, N.I.P.C. and inscriptions in the Financial Partition

Celebrated the Public Deed, the notary declares officially the constitution of the Association to the Civil Govern and to the Public Ministry. The notary also sends to the National Printing an extract to be published on the III Re-

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public Diary Series.

Once published on the Republic Diary, the definite inscription on the R.N.P.C must be done so as the definitive card with the NIPC assigning (identity num-ber of Collective Person) can be issued.

The young associations should, then, go to the Financial Partition of the local headquarters in order to sign up the Association and begin the activity. Once the Association is constituted it is under the legal duties, as to say, under the fiscal duty, it is necessary to deliver the Beginning Activities Declaration in the Financial Partition of the Social Headquarters Association.

8 – Elaboration of the Intern Rules and Social Organs Approval

Once the statutes appear on the Republic Diary, there has to be a General Assembly to create and approve the intern rules and the social organs.

9 – Inscription on the RNAJ – (National Registration of Young People Asso-ciations)

If the Association fills in the requirements of a Young People Association under the law terms and intend to go further, the members can register the-mselves at the RNAJ, though contacting the District Regional Delegation to where it belongs. This is an optional step, although, if the associations are not registered they cannot apply the financial, technical, training and logistic backings.

The law of Youth Association in Portugal has recently changed. With the implementation of this new law (nr 23/2006 of June 23rd), the former diplo-mas which ruled the Youth Association and support programmes have been revoked.

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In case of need for more information, do check and contact the links:

Instituto Português da Juventude - http://juventude.gov.pt/

Secretaria de Estado da Juventude e do Desporto - www.sejd.gov.pt

Conselho Nacional de Juventude - www.cnj.pt

Federação Nacional de Associações Juvenis e Locais - www.fnaj.cm

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Legalization of an association in Italy

Constitution of a Young Association in Italy

The Italian Constitution recognizes the importance of socialization during the individual process of development, present in the Article 2. The Article 9 recognizes the right to access culture and personal development. The Article 18 recognizes to all individuals the right of a free association. Italy does not foresee a proper legislation to the constitution of a young as-sociation; therefore, there is only a reference to the general normative docu-ments to build an association.

Proceedings

To create an association, one needs to know that “the circle and/or the asso-ciation are a free association that begins with the will of a group of citizens that get gather so as to reach a non profit ideal”.

Juridically, it is “a not recognized association” regulated by the agreements taken freely by the members and by the will to act in an organized and esta-blished way.

If the groups want to take part in activities such as sports, culture or recreatio-nal ones, the best way to create a permanent organism in time is by crossing several steps previously established.

In the first place, the association needs a truly “act of birth”: the Constitutive Act. It has to have a name, headquarters and founder members. Hence, the first kernel of the future associative members is represented by the first ruling organ – the Directive Council – of the born recently association: the members have to elect a president, a vice-president and a secretary. At the

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same time, the fist associative members establish the rules and the precise objectives, commonly approved, and write down the associative pact – the Statute of the new association.

Sometimes, the members need to turn to a notary’s office to write down the Constitutive Act and the Statute, but the documents need to be written in a competent Private Registered Acts Workshop of the area corresponding to the legal headquarters elected by the Association, normally located in the Rent Agency. When the proceedings are registered, the members understand the Fiscal Identification Code of the Association.

The enrolment is fundamental to establish safely the born records and declare the opening organism. The register has to be paid, but it is not expensive. The members pay taxes.

The association is established by members that form the Members Assem-bly.

The Assembly, the Directive Council and the President are the main “sta-tutes organs”, the shape of the association, though which the activities are executed: the daily management and the democratic participation of all the associate members.

The history of the Association is recognized on a special diary – the Book of the Oral Statements – that collects the essential decisions that the Directive Council or the Members Assembly make when they gather: the objectives, the proposals, the elections on the use of money by the association have to be justified, discussed and voted, after what is foreseen in the Statutes and in the Book of the Oral Statements. The statements have to be read loud to all the present members.

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Absolute clearness and democratic basis are an obligation - they are the only way to manage the activity. If any member does not agree with what was proposed, then the decision will have to be postponed until it gains the majority.

The members have to know exactly how many are they and who are they – that is why the association has to hold the Members Book, containing the personal data, which is a useful instrument to locate people and to reach contact.

In the Safe Book there will be the rents and the expenses of each activity.

The laws and the regulations of the associations

The associative members (non recognized associations) have rights: they can establish contracts, they can be judged they have a common and autonomous economical sum, respecting the economical expenses.The members have to respect the following laws and regulations: • Profits absence – it is forbidden to distribute among members any kind of benefits, economical sums, and capital while the association exists, except when the law obliges the distribution. • In case of withdrawal of money it is foreseen that the property held by the association is delivered to another member, always with public usa-ge. • Inside democracy: inside the association all members have the same rights and duties. • Economical transparency: the ruling classes have to write the annual economical and financial registers, to communicate and to vote for the entire assembly. • It is forbidden to pass the associative share or the associative contri-bution. For instance, a member cannot “sell” his share to another person.

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The associations are a very vast universe and they have several laws, for example: • The first one (but the last to be written) is the 383 law of December 7th, 2000, which defines the main features of the Social Promotion Associa-tions (SPA)• The legislative decree nr 460 of December 4th, 1997, establishes a general non profit fiscal reorganization and introduces rules and facilitations, divided into typologies. The non profit members are called the Non Profit Organizations to the Social service.

INFORMATIONS

Agenzia delle Entrate (central headquarter)Via Cristoforo Colombo n° 426 C/D - 00145 Roma www.agenziaentrate.itKind of association: www.noprofit.org/asso.htm

Ministry Council Presidency Department Politiche Giovanili e Attività sportive Largo Chigi, 19 - 00187 ROMAwww.governo.it/Presidenza/politiche_giovanili/index.htmlPhone: +3906.67792949 - fax +3906.67792041

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Good Practices inside the Project

— YOUNG ADICOMT SUMMER

— INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

— LOCAL MEETINGS

— TRAINING COURSES IN ANIMATION

— YOUNG ADICOMT SUMMER II

— DAYS OF COMMUNITARIAN ANIMATION

— GROUPINGS’ FOLLOW-UP

— CREATION OF A FEDERATION OF YOUTH ASSOCIATIONS

— WEBSITE www.desarrollojoven.eu

— Annual Activities Plan “Ser Agora Association”

— INFORMATION SESSIONS AND TRAINING ON THE YOUTH AS-SOCIATIONS

— Kerres Association

— Elaboration Idea Interchange Kerres / ASA

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Title:YOUNG ADICOMT SUMMERMunicipality:All the municipalities of Miajadas – Trujillo, 20 municipalitiesDate beginningJuly 2005

Date endSeptember 2005

OriginThe need to have direct contact with the beneficiaries of the program.Description of the good practiceTwo journeys per municipality. The first eminently playful, took young people to workshops, cooperation games and group dynamics which ser-ved, in the end, to reflect upon the reality of young people and their possi-bilities becoming involved in its problematic. After this analysis, which ended up with the question on what the groups could do for their people, the organization and the animators planned gymkhana for children, which was organized during the week with the technical support of ADICOMT, and was engaged a week after the first journey.

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ResultsThese activities implied a first contact with young people from the munici-pality, which was a way to locate informal groups of young people and the first occasion to plan goals in the project. -Contact was established with 13 informal groups and 5 youth associatio-ns.-A first database of young participants was created, so it was possible to count on the reference groups for the training work and creation of asso-ciations.-Thirteen activities were held, in the same amount of municipalities, by Dutch informal groups which conditioned the first involvement of young people in the community animation.

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Title:INTERNATIONAL MEETINGSMunicipality:Miajadas, Spain. Agnone, ItalyDate beginningSeptember 18th 2005September 6th 2006

Date endSeptember 25th 2005September 13th 2006

OriginNeed to offer training to young beneficiaries in the project.European entailment of the project.Search for the gains that the international interchanges offer.Knowledge of other cultures, sharing experiences and points of view, jo-ining groups.Description of the good practiceTwo international meetings with Spanish, Italian and Portuguese young people of the territories involved in the project to train them on basic as-pects of the rural development and the development of projects in this sco-pe. The young people were asked to be selected as participants in these meetings, one narrow entailment with the activities that had been made in their municipalities. Thus, the participation in meetings became a sort of prize to their efforts and their involvement.

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Results-Interconnection between groups and individuals of different countries not only informally but also formally facing working in the network for the accomplishment of joining initiatives (new meetings).-International diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the Euro-pean Union.-Participation of 120 young people in training processes related to the rural development and the accomplishment of projects in this scope.-Motivation effects in the work of the individuals implied in the local groups of young people.-Local youth leaders’ generation.

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Title:LOCAL MEETINGSMunicipality:Miajadas. Don Miguel Tower.Date beginningOctober 2005

Date endOctober 2006

OriginNeed to offer training to young beneficiaries in the project.Search for the gains that the interchanges between youngsters of different municipalities offer.Sharing experiences and points of view, making groups, making a territory come together, creating networks.Description of the good practiceThree local meetings with young people from the Region of Miajadas - Trujillo to train them on basic aspects of the communitarian animation and the development of activities in this scope. The participants were asked, in order to be selected as participants in these meetings, a narrow entailment with the activities that had been made in their municipalities. So that the participation in the meeting became a sort of prize to their efforts and their involvement.

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Results-Interconnection between groups and individuals from different countries not only informally but also formally facing workings in the network for the accomplishment of joining initiatives (new meetings, creation of a fe-deration).-Local diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the European Union-Participation of 80 young people in training processes related to the com-munitarian animation and the development of activities in this scope.-Motivation effects in the work of the individuals implied in the local groups of young people.-Local youth leaders’ generation. -Reinforcement of local groupings.

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Title:TRAINING COURSES IN ANIMATIONMunicipality:Miajadas Municipality – TrujilloDate beginningJanuary 2006

Date endNovember 2006

OriginNeed to offer training to the young beneficiaries in the project.Continuity in the process of constituting groups and youth associations. Pursuit of the associations and groupings already created.Description of the good practiceCourses of communitarian animation directed to the created groups, muni-cipal technicians and parents of the young beneficiaries with the intent of making an activity related to, as a course practice. During the courses the pursuit of created groupings was practiced and technical support was offe-red to the creation of associations and the carrying out of energizing steps. We involved the authorities and local technicians, parents and mothers in the training processes and in the creation of groups and local associations with whom we tried to include such process in the interest and the priorities of the local community.

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Results-Accomplishment of 16 courses with more than 200 people involved in.-Accomplishment of 16 activities of communitarian animation, manual wor-kshops, a day for the children’s games, gymkhanas, for instance. -Creation of …….. youth associations-Motivation effects in the work of the individuals involved in the local grou-pings of young people.-Generation of local youth leaders.-Reinforcement of the local groupings.-Diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the European Union.

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Title:YOUNG ADICOMT SUMMER IIMunicipality:All municipalities of the Miajadas region - Trujillo, 20 municipalitiesDate beginningJuly 2006

Date endSeptember 2006

OriginThe need to take direct bonding with the beneficiaries of the program.Description of the good practiceThis activity is related to the first Young ADICOMT Summer. Two days per municipality. The first eminently playful, meant to attract young people to a day of cooperative workshops and dynamic group games that allowed a reflection upon the reality of young people and their possibilities of getting involved in their problems. From this analysis, the members of an anima-tion activity organized, in their town, a gymkhana for children, during one week with the technical support of ADICOMT and executed one week after the first day. The difference regarding the first summer is that these activi-ties were made involving groups of young people from the groupings and associations already created. The associations, together with our technical staff, went to those municipalities where, in the last year, it had not been able to develop the activity. Therefore, they continued training themselves in animation and they were, at the same time, an example to their group of pears from other municipalities.

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Results-New contacts with seven informal groupings of many towns.-Enrichment of the database of young participants.-Seven activities, in the seven municipalities, were made, by these informal groups which inferred the first implication of many young people in the community animation.-We had the participation of 30 young people from different groupings that contributed to the organization and execution of these activities.-Motivation effects in the work of the individuals involved in the local young people groups. -Generation of local youth leaders.-Reinforcement of the local groupings.-Diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the European Union.

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Title:DAYS OF COMMUNITARIAN ANIMATIONMunicipality:MiajadasDate beginningMay 25th 2006

Date endMay 26th 2006

OriginThe need to take bond directly with other agents of the territory, responsible for the dinamization of the youth group.Description of the good practiceDevelopment of two days journeys with technicians, mayors and council-men of the Miajadas Region - Trujillo, people in charge of the performan-ces with the youth group at local level.Results-Reinforcement of the local groupings.-Diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the European Union.-Territory cohesion.-Implication of other agents from the involved communities.

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Title:GROUPINGS’ FOLLOW-UPMunicipality:MiajadasDate beginningSeptember 2005

Date endDecember 2006

OriginThe need to provide technical support and to evaluate the ongoing path of the created youth groupings. The need to help them creating youth associa-tions.Description of the good practiceContinuous contact with youth groupings, visits and meetings in their mu-nicipalities, accomplishment of animation activities with different grou-pings, support in the bureaucratic technical processes of creating youth associations and work in network.Results-Reinforcement of the local groupings.-Diffusion of the project and the Youth Program of the European Union.-Territory cohesion.-Creation of…. youth associations and….. young people groupings.

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Title:CREATION OF A FEDERATION OF YOUTH ASSOCIATIONSMunicipality:MiajadasDate beginningSeptember 2006

Date endDecember 2006

OriginThe need to strengthen the works of the groups through the creation of a network of youth associations that is tied and will operate of jointly.Description of the good practice Permanent contact with young groupings, visits and meetings to their mu-nicipalities. Animation activities regarding the creation of the federation, technical support in the bureaucratic process and programming the first ac-tivities of this federation.Results-Creation of the Federation of Youth Associations of the Miajadas Region - Trujillo formed by...... associations-Creation of the first programme of activities.

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Title:WEBSITE www.desarrollojoven.eu Municipality:MiajadasDate beginning: APRIL 2006OriginThe need to support all the undertaken and training processes, of generation of activities and groupings, creation of networks of work, youth participa-tion, etc.Description of the good practice Plan and execution of the website www.desarrollojoven.eu, divided into 4 parts:-Informative. Information is given about young people, scholarships, free time, culture, travel, sports, etc. -Formative. There are documents that can contribute to the work of each local group/association. Legislation, methodology, associations guide, etc. -Participative. Expressing different opinions, interchange of activities, news, etc.-Relationship. Several chats that offer a permanent contact between young people that have met while studying or working abroad and that want to keep contact with their reference group. Results-Creation of the website maintained and changed regularly. (Don’t know what else to add here, once I don’t have access data and other informa-tion)

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Title:Annual Activities Plan “Ser Agora Association”Place:Portel (Portugal)Date Beginning: September 2005

Date End: January 2006

OriginTechnical team of the projectDescription of the good practiceThe legal need and the advantages of a juvenile association, like others, to show an annual activities plan in the end of each civil year, as a proof of its dynamism and organizing capacity, and also as a useful method to achieve finance to its running and activities support. This issue has been highlighted by all young people in the “Ser Agora As-sociation”, as a fundamental principle to the performance of their associa-tion. ResultsThe ASA Association – Ser Agora Association – has, since, their annual activities plans. It is just not a simple plan; it is in fact a large plan, with a great number of tasks and initiatives. ContactName: João CastilhoPhone. 00351 965094886

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Title: INFORMATION SESSIONS AND TRAINING ON THE YOUTH ASSOCIATIONSPlace:Lisbon (Seixal) / Algarve (Faro, Tavira and Cachopo) / ViseuDate Beginning: February 2006

Date EndDecember 2006

OriginThe need to offer information/training, through debates, to the young bene-factors of the project, promoting the creation of working nets and juvenile involvement. The need to have direct contact with the benefactors of the program and with other agents of the territories responsible for the young collective. Description of the good practiceThe informative journeys/sessions in the Lisbon regions, Algarve and Vi-seu.Informative debate journeys (open to all interested people, but especially to young people) and reflection on the Young Associations in Portugal and in all regions. With this methodology, there has been the intention to create an energizing, interactive and participative atmosphere. These sessions focused specific themes (association constitution, rights, res-ponsibilities, entities and governmental supports, juridical regimes, in force law changes, active citizens, associations organizing and technical capacity and other association issues related to the present.

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Results- Development of 9 informative/debating sessions that gathered around 280 involved people.- Support to the creation of local groups. -Sensibility and information to all young people. Reflection and debate on the association themes with the juvenile associations, informal groups and involved groups. - Involvement of other agents in the interested communities. - Production of supportive material to all informative sessions.- Information interchange and experiences.- International diffusion of the project - Young People of the European Union.

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Title:Kerres AssociationLocal:Agnone (Isernia, Italy)Date beginningJanuary 2006

Date EndSeptember 2006

OriginYoung people’s associations from the ancient rural people of Agnone, in the Molise region, located in the Apenines mountains, southern Italy. The objective of the association is to increase the young peoples’ participa-tion through cultural initiatives related to the secular productive traditions, culture and gastronomy. Description of the good practice Development of several activities focused on young people from Agnone in order to promote and animate the people; collaboration with the Euro-culture during the planning task; the program and the organization of the international encounter in Italy, September 2006.

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Results•Restoration and opening to all visitors of an ancient plant of copper. Orga-nizing guided visits for students and tourists. •Promotion and organization of a handicraft festival and ancient crafts, du-ring 3 days, in August, in Agnone.•Promotion and organization of the “white night”, in Agnone, with cultural events, bars and open tents. •Building and up-dating an internet site on cultural information; originally, it was only meant to the young locals, but it has already spread throughout the world.Assisting Euroculture to the planning and organization of the international meeting (Italian-Spanish-Portuguese) of the Young People’s Net project (6th-13th September, 2006).ContactName: Danilo Di NucciPhone.: +39- 3498412299E-mail: danilo@kerres.it, info@kerres.it

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Title:Elaboration Idea Interchange Kerres / ASALocal:Miajadas (Spain) Agnone (Isernia, Italy) Portel (Portugal)Date beginningSeptember 2005

Date EndOctober 2006

OriginThe project Young People’s Net promoted two international meetings whi-ch allowed the connection between young people from the rural areas in Italy and in Spain. Several young people made friends to whom they speak regularly. Thanks to the project, the young people developed several skills and initiative spirit. Description of the good practiceElaboration of a plan to reach an interchange in Portugal and the associatio-ns in Kerres de Agnone (Italy) and ASA of Portel (Portugal).ResultadosSpontaneous initiative held by young people from the associations in Ke-rres de Agnone (Italy) and ASA of Portel (Portugal). The Project is still in the beginning, several agreements are being made; however, young people will be the ones to develop the activities. Young people from the Comarca Miajadas – Trujillo showed interest in participate.Visit from a young Spanish and meeting in a Studio in Portel, October 2006. ContactName: Umberto Di PasquoPhone.: +39- 3338222015E-mail: umberto@kerres.it, info@kerres.it

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Report of the young people’s participation

SPAIN

Experience in the Work campBy Loli Castuela

On September 6th, a group of young people from Miajadas and their judicial district left their places towards Agnone, a small village, but huge in the heart of all their citizens.

We get together for six days with young people from different countries - our neighbors, the Portuguese and the Italians.

This cultural interchange made possible two essential aspects: the functio-ning inside the working group and also during the execution of projects, and learning from other people, other cultures, distinct living experiences and ways of life.

The morning activities described by our monitors and the lovely evenings, along with the time we had to spend together, helped us creating friend ties between the sixty young people there.

After the short but energizing week, we had to say goodbye hoping that, one day, this experience will happen again, besides the distance that tear us apart, we will still reach contact with our friends.

Young People’s Project ExperienceBy Laura Rivera

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My name is Laura, I am 19 years old and I live in Campo Lugar, a place of the judicial district of Miajadas – Trujillo.

The characteristics of my people (old and with few resources) and the situa-tion that young people face nowadays difficult the possibility to occupy our free time, beyond the walls of our village.

ADICOMT and the young people’s project allowed me the possibility to find a world which I did not know. During several journeys, I shared quite a few afternoons with boys and girls from other places of the judicial district, as well as young people from my age. In this Town Halls we developed works-hops to the children and I felt quite rewarded when they appreciated what we did for them.

Besides collaborating in these workshops, I also attended a judicial district meeting, during two days. There, I just enjoyed meeting new people and I thank the possibility that was given to me, participating in these activities.

Today, where I live, we formed a juvenile association and I hope that we can do things, with a little help, like those we made back then.

Experiences By Jara Galeano

I have participated in several activities of the young people’s project for about a year. Where I live, we are a huge group and almost everyone has shared this experience with other young people from the nearer places.

We were in Miajadas in a judicial district meeting and this summer we were in Sierra da Gata. We have developed workshops throughout the regions and lots of young people have attended our tasks. On these workshops we teach how to work with wood.

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Nowadays, we are planning a juvenile association, because we really appre-ciated the experience we got through during these months. We met new people once we were away from home and lived different lives that enhanced our knowledge.

It seems it is a good way to occupy our free time, away from our computers, game machines or television, and it is a way to respect us mutually, learning how to share with each other.

I advise all young people to search for this kind of activities, because in the end it is good to remember the tasks we accomplished, the friendships we made and all the things we learn. Thank you.

Experiences By Judith González

If I had to describe the good moments I lived during the meeting in Sierra de Gata, together with the young people that shared the same thoughts as I, it would be quite an impossible task, because I can’t find the words to explain it. I loved the organization, the planning activities that worked together to the young people’s development.

We were given the opportunity to get out of our places along with our friends and make new ones; we were given the chance to open our eyes to new rea-lities and ways to occupy our free time, which, back then, we didn’t use to do.

I would like to say that all these experiences were quite useful to me, they allowed me knowing new people and knowing me as well, because I found several characteristics of my personality that I didn’t know I had, I thought I was a shy girl, but I did quite well among other young people. I participated

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in all activities which took my fears away, specially the fact that I could look ridiculous to them playing some of the games.

I invite all young people to enjoy and participate in this kind of meetings that improve us a lot, because there we can express our opinions and ideas about things that can be made inside an association, which evidently need to be encouraged.

My friends and I, in Campo Lugar, kept the old young people’s association that existed; we are going to change the statutes and make ours, in order to teach what we have learnt so far.

Youth Project By Carlos Corrales

There are several episodes we can tell about the multiple activities we deve-loped inside the young people’s program that ADICOMT offered us.

In the first place, I would like to highlight the fact that we shared opinions with people I had never seen.

At the same time, I also recall the evenings we had apropos the international meeting in Italy. Later, these evenings served me to keep a straight relations-hip and closeness with other young people from my country, to get to know thoughts beyond mine, other points of view and a whole of endless experien-ces that happen in such a small space.

Finally, I would like to thank all people the opportunity that was given to me and other four people like me, from the rural areas as well, without whom we couldn’t enjoy the meetings or give our opinion about the projects that are established in our places.

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Sociability By Santiago Vicente

What happen if you gather, in a workshop, twenty young people from the judicial district of Miajadas-Trujillo, other from Alentejo and Seixal, in Por-tugal, and other twenty from Italy and you forbid them to speak in English?

Easy, two days later and without realizing it, the young people started mixing words from their own language with the other two, increasing the number of words according to the nationality of the person they were speaking to. The number of words increased as time went by and, at the same time, the groups created a language that all understood. They also start paying attention to the accent of the different spoken languages among them.

In no more than four days, the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Italian young people started talking a rare idiom, somehow looked like the Esperanto. To-day, no language is spoken individually but the three at the same time.

At the end of the weekend, it was granted that all young people were talking to each other in this new language they created and not in their own langua-ge.

Talking about AgnoneBy Santiago Vicente

Agnone is located in the Molise province, specifically in Alto Molise, about three hours and a half from Rome, on a slow bus, where there isn’t broad-band.

Agnone is the City of Art. As I have already commented in a previous post, it has 6.000 inhabitants and 16 churches, one per 375 inhabitants, all ancient, stone made, spectacular on the inside. I will always remember the sound of

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the bells ringing at 5:30 in the morning till evening. I have to say that some-times we went to bed at 5:30 in the morning!

Agnone is a place of mountains, quite beautiful (in Italian we say “belissi-mo”), ancient, made of stone, the ideal place to fall in love, specially in a small plaza, amazing for having a flagon and a sightseeing point with more than 270 gratings, circling the several valleys that surround the place.

How to explain the stillness we live there only interrupted by the slight steps of a group of Spanish people? Uhmmm, the cars can be parked with no stress and can be left with the windows open and the keys on. Impressive….

The constant sound of the bells ringing and the high number of churches can be explained by the fact that Agnone is placed in “Fonderia della Campa-ne Marinelli” (Campane Marinelli Foundry), a pacific pontific foundry with more than 1000 years of history, where the President of the Vatican city goes to buy the bells. It is better to build a new church so as to finish the bell stock!

What caused the impact were the extended green woods that surround the place, where I couldn’t find remains of black mountains from the fires. Pro-bably, that is the best example of people’s love and tenderness regarding their birth place, culture and nature.

To all Agnone inhabitants: I intend to come back.

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Italian Association in Kerres By Santiago Vicente

I am a benefactor member of the Asociazione Culturale Kerres, Giovani per l´Alto Molise, in Kerres. This association is formed by young people from Agnone, a place with 6.000 inhabitants, 6 churches which bells start ringing from 5:30 in the morning and go on playing every 30 minutes.

This association develops several activities which can be seen though the website: www.kerres.it, but there is one thing I want to highlight – the reco-vering of the historical memory that all young people did in their places, in order to keep them alive.

Besides the great amount of churches and the foundry, where the bells are made to the Vatican, it has a long time since Agnone was known around Italy for being one of the most important centers of copper foundry. In this place, there are three of the most relevant foundries from all Italy.

The times are changing, technology is improved and what was irreplaceable turns out to be replaced by much more useful things. It happened with the copper in the II World War, when this hard material was replaced by soft materials but much more lasting, like the aluminium. The last of the three copper foundries, Antiche Fonderie del Rame del Verino (Ancient Foundry of the Verino Line), survived only for 30 years, but oddly in the first 10 years the technology was already obsolete and its interior destroyed.

The Town Hall began, then, recovering the facilities in order to preserve it from full destruction, but kept it closed until a couple of years ago when Ke-rres association undertook its maintenance and made it open to the all curious people who want to visit it. The association tried also to keep the memories alive by explaining to the visitors how did the foundry work. There are a few people alive from the times back when the copper foundry was still casting.

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PORTUGAL

Interchange of Young People Working to the Local DevelopmentBy Lúcia Cardoso – Ser Agora Association – Portel

It has been a huge pleasure receiving once again an invitation from Terra Dentro Association to participate in the project “Young People’s Net – wor-king to the local development”.An interchange between young people from our age, who live different lives, but quite similar at the same time. The camping in Agnone, Italy, was the first of the first step to us. The previo-us interchange, in Miajadas, Spain, was definitely the moment when we felt the wish to continue. Those were really important times to our associative and personal experience.

From learning activities, games, to parties, camping and travels, we consider that the higher point of this project was the interchange of live experiences and its contribution to the know-how of each individual in his/her environ-ment and reality. Another interesting point was to know and debate the gene-ral problems of the three countries.

The former idea was that we might be considered as the “poor guys” inside the interchange and it wasn’t obviously correct, for the reason that, besides the fact that they come from more developed countries, the Spanish and the Italians have the same problems and questions as we have.

The feeling that we are together debating these problems, trying to find so-lutions to solve them, is something that motivates us and shows us that it is possible to change the minds of the young people that live in the rural areas. The less positive aspect of this project is the fact that some of these projects don’t have its continuity assured, at least in the way that we fancy them. On the other hand, projects like these show us new patterns and ideas and stimu-

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late us to put others in practice.

We would like to see projects like this in the future, projects that can give the opportunity to other young people like they have given us, because we owe to this project the fact that we got to know different realities, cultures and people. The friendships we made were definitely an important award, becau-se friendship is the most important thing. That was our starting point.

For this, we thank you.

Young People Working to the Local Development By Rui Sabino

Miajadas, 2005, Agnone, 2006, a year has separated these great activities in the project.

In September, 2005, the interchange between young people from three Euro-pean Union countries, Spain, Italy and Portugal finally began.

Included in the interchange, sixty young people from participating countries shared experiences, motivations and cultures.

After the integration in the project, in each region and country perspective, which was quite important to know about and work correctly the themes of the project, we started working on the tasks proposed.

After this step, we worked on a truly cultural mixture, which benefited the developed activities, once the inter-cultural activities contributed to the in-crease of the young people’s production.

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As a result, a new experience began and it will last in our memory for a life-time, all the experiences we lived, the friends we made, the work we develo-ped and the entertainment that it had the given us.

September, 2006, a year later, the news that we had the possibility to go through all over again came, but this time, in Italy. We were given activities plans to accomplish and a meeting where we could meet again the friends we made in Miajadas.

Thinking about what happen in the context of this project, I do recognize it was a very positive experience. As a professional, I did learn and increased my knowledge throughout the development of several activities inside the association, such as psychological and social development tasks for young people like me, gained initiative spirit and own enterprise.

Participating in this project made me more confident concerning the develo-pment of different tasks that, in the past, seemed so hard to achieve. Today, I am very thankful to the project because I am sure I have overcome my fears and I am sure all of the people involved overcome as well.

I am sure that participating in this project meant a lot to me, to my personal and professional motivation, I thank to all the people involved in the project who gave me the chance to be in there and I would like to make use of this to promote the young associations and to enjoy all opportunities because “life is just a couple of holidays dead give to us” and we should really take advantage of it.

Thank you! Bye!

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Young People from IDS

The group of young people from IDS, Portugal, was honoured to participate in this project, both in local actions in Portugal and in the meetings in Spain and Italy.

We consider this project extremely motivating and educational because it allows young people to know new places in the world and specially to inte-ract with people from other cultures but with the same interests concerning youth associations.

Young people who normally join this type of activities are the ones who have spirit of adventure and curiosity to know people from countries.

Positive and negative aspects of the project activities in which they have been involved:

Positive aspects:1. To know other young people with the same interests regarding youth associations, from other countries, in different contexts;2. To acquire knowledge at an intercultural level, not only regarding the contact with other young people, but also regarding the experience of living in partnership with the customs and traditions of the places where the meeting took place;3. To take advantage of the opportunity to develop activities with inter-cultural teams of young people from 3 different countries;4. To create a series of knowledge which allows a continuous contact and work, not only during the development of the project, but also after it;5. To participate in national meetings in which the exchange of knowled-ge was promoted, as well as the dissemination and enlightenment of subjects related to the youth associations in Portugal;

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6. To access information about the legislation and guidance on youth associations.

Negative aspects:1. Regarding the youth meetings: few resources, which limited the creativity;2. Inadequacy of some works developed in the meetings, towards the national concrete context;3. Linguistic communication gap of some elements of the international team.

Worthies of the project:

A project of this nature is always vital once it allows us to contact with other people, sharing experiences and knowledge, in a pro-active attitude, with spirit of initiative and team.

Through the contacts among the participants in the meetings, it was possible to conclude that, even though there are three countries with different con-texts, people and laws, the difficulties that the young people came across were not new. As a result, the interaction between the youngsters is very importance and extremely useful.

It is necessary to highlight, in the scope of the youth meetings, as well as national meetings, that cooperation and friendship bonds were created, which last beyond the themes and deadline of the development of this project.

The youth associations in Portugal and the involvement of the related autho-rities in this subject:

The youth associations in Portugal is getting clear, once young people un-

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derstand their union, in several subjects, which is worthy as a means of ex-pression and may enable them to reach social victories.

The young people encouraged towards the associations hold the principles of aid and develop a work which should be socially recognized. However, the authorities related to this type of projects don’t yet appreciate these youngs-ters and their respective projects thus sometimes they are not given much credibility.

Is it visible, however, that a growing effort has been done towards creating information initiatives and giving support to young people who intend to be-come associated. Nevertheless, we can still see some difficulty reaching all, specifically people who live isolated or in precarious geographical regions.

The young people consider that this project is very useful and should be an example of good training practices to follow in the future so as to develop other useful projects showing results, which may actually have a significant application.

Moreover, they have considered, unanimously, that they were glad to parti-cipate in this project and they hope to have the opportunity to receive their Spanish and Italian friends in Portugal, in the future.

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ITALY

The ingredients of the European Youth By Umberto Di Pasquo

“Youth” is a program by the “Culture and Instruction Directorate-General” of the European Commission, born formally in the spring of 2000, that have its own historical roots concerning the previous communitarian experiences.

The program is bound for boys and girls between 15 and 25 years old, living in 31of the European Countries, with the objective of creating an interna-tional mobility and informal instruction, so that the young people acquire knowledge, skills and abilities, which are the essential reasons to perform a responsible citizenship, assisting active integration in the society.

We have to highlight the recent born and growth of the programs that are directed to the “Youth”, simultaneously, we continue on achieving our ends, but in an extended territorial orbit concerning the European boundaries.

Whoever got the chance like me to take active part in a project directed to the program, it is interesting to know the European Union goals, easily achieved thanks to the available instruments. Therefore, through the participation of the first city in the project ”Young People’s Net – working to the local development”, from what the Eurocul-ture is an Italian membership, placed in Miajadas, Spain, during September 2005, we could realize a connected growth to the possibility to see a real and active contribution to this great dream called Europe.

Sixty Spanish, Portuguese and Italian young people worked together with their partners in order to understand the cultural diversities and praise the fundamental common values.

Through the transnational activities several problems came out that affect

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the small places of northern and southern Italy, as well as places in Spain and Portugal. Together, it was possible to get acquainted with the problems and solutions, but, thanks to the critical debate and interaction between people we could reach the objective with determination.

The project “Youth” is also a meeting of different lifestyles, different linguis-tic cultures that, at the first sight, seemed similar to ours, but are in fact quite different once the historical background is also different.

A “kitchen”: that is what the “Young People’s Net Project” means to me, a kitchen where each person represents a different flavor; where each indivi-dual has the opportunity to show his own creativity, combining and fusing all different elements, creating a soft music that is an anthem to the European Youth.