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World Student Christian FederationEurope Region |
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Prospectus 2010
A meeting between General Secretary, Chairperson, Vice-chair and the Treasurer will be held to ensure that all programmes are running as scheduled and foreseen, and to prepare items on the agenda of the forthcoming European Regional Committee meeting. The meeting aims also to secure the upcoming events and will be used for networking with local organisations and strengthening the relationship with the local movement, which currently is struggling with lack of activists. The Board will also take time to work closely with the staff in the regional office and on personnel support and planning.
This is the first statutory meeting of the European Regional Committee of WSCF Europe elected in October 2009. Along with giving introduction to the work of the region and the regional office and dividing responsibilities within the committee, and planning for the next year, the meeting in Budapest will also give the committee an opportunity to meet with the local student movement discussing ways to support them in their current situation.
The main purpose of the Winter meeting is for the student volunteers, board members, officers, and staff of the Nordic student movements to meet, have team-building, to learn new skills and to better network together in order to maximise the work in the region for the next year. The meeting provides leadership training and intercultural exchange for all young people involved. The theme of this meeting in 2010 will relate to how law is interpreted and applied in different societies and contexts. The Universal Day of Prayer for Students (UDPS) is one of the longest established ecumenical events. The UDPS was first celebrated on Sunday 13th February 1898 at the second meeting of the General Committee of the World Student Christian Federation. The early leaders of the Federation called on Christian students around the world to join together in February each year for observance of the UDPS. During the World Wars, when it was impossible to hold WSCF meetings, the major bond of unity between those separated from one another by the ravages of war was the annual observance of the Day of Prayer for Students. For more than a century, students and friends of WSCF have observed this day as a way to express their common commitment as witnesses of our faith in God and in each other, to the world both inside and outside our academic communities. In 2010 the UDPS will focus on the WSCF Global annual theme, climate justice. A weekend exploring mission, vocation, spirituality and activism will gather together approximately 80 students from the Great Britain and other partner of WSCF Western European Sub-Region, SCM Germany. Resource persons include Tamsin Omond and Prof. Michael Taylor, and a strong emphasis will be given to sharing students'own stories, experiences, visions, ideas and working out how to put them into practice! The staff meeting aims to train the staff members, volunteer coordinators and officers of the local SCMs on current issues of WSCF. Staff from the student Christian movements (SCMs) across Europe will gather, to share movement reports, activities, and struggles, enabling them to better cooperate and network together, as well as to share news and helpful information. During the meeting, participants will attend the celebration of International Oscar Romero day together with the local SCM and local churches, to hear lectures, to discuss and to learn how to better engage into the work for social justice, liberation and anti-oppression locally and globally. Throughout history, theology and religion have been closely tied with government and political policy in Europe and beyond. Even today, religious concepts have played a huge role in shaping European political discourse, and continue to affect the way both religious and secular people engage in political activity. For example, religious and ideological arguments are often misused in politics to reinforce discrimination and exclusion in society, whether from justifying colonialism or the “war on terror”. How can young people challenge power structures in society that promote inequality, discrimination and intolerance? It is essential to study this interaction between theology and politics, so that rather than being a destructive and oppressive influence, religious ideas may be the source for positive, liberating change. Lack of dialogue on religious, political, and cultural influences merely fuels settings ripe for conflict and inequality. In a multicultural and multireligious Europe, dialogue between diverse religious, cultural and political groups on this topic is essential for a healthy, inclusive and dynamic society, respecting the human rights of all. Expanding upon this, the focus of the proposed project, a conference gathering students and young people from throughout Europe, will be on ‘politics’ in the broadest sense, considering all forms of social relations which involve the use of power, authority or decision-making. The conference will be hosted by the German member movement and organised by the Theology working group of WSCF Europe. This is the annual gathering of the inter-regional staff. This, the meeting offers the staff space for practical follow-up of events and for overseeing the work that has been done on each region and in the global federation. Some time will be dedicated to planning for the future and implementation of the federation's strategic workplan, movement building, and to the preparations for the following Executive Committee meeting. Venue for the meeting has not yet been confirmed. The Executive Committee of the global WSCF meets every 1,5 years. The Europe region is represented in the meeting by 4-5 persons. On top of the statutory meeting of the global federation, a leadership training programme will be held for the volunteer student leaders of the federation and the students of the local hosting movement. The venue for the meeting has not yet been confirmed. Furthering our cooperation with EYCE (Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe), the board members of both organizations will meet together to both formally and informally discuss and plan future cooperations, fundraising, and events. Time will also be dedicated to meeting Dutch partner and donor organisations, to network building with other NGOs, and to strategising movement building together with Dutch senior friends (former active members). The preparatory committee for the joint study session organised together with the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe at the European Youth Centre will meet at the venue. The members of the preparatory team will meet with the EYC educational adviser and draft detailed plans for the programme. They will also use the opportunity to meet with local partners and to consult with various experts concerning the topic of the study session, climate change. People from the whole of Germany and from all over the world will gather in Munich to join together in promoting ecumenism, giving it a human face and advancing co-operation between Christians. Over 100,000 full-time participants are expected, with the theme “That you may have hope”. Being a Christian today means taking responsibility for the world, furthering community, finding a way of being at home with all the variety of orientations of the present age and to give expression to faith in various different churches, seeking answers to pressing political questions, joining in controversial debates about the future of our world, taking steps to come closer together through open encounter with all the diversity around us, looking far beyond our own borders. During Kirchentag, church and civic groups present their concerns at stands and demonstrate them through actions and events. WSCF will participate in the various programmes of Kirchentag particularly through the participation of the Western European Sub-Region (British and German member movements) whose summer programme will be setting up and hosting an International Student Centre. This shall be a place where students coming to the Kirchentag will have a chance to meet students from other countries and find a place to rest in th midst of the busyness of the event. A number of other volunteers, students from different member movements, Senior Friends, and staff of WSCF will also participate in the Kirchentag. This consultation will gather thirty students from throughout Europe to participate in ecumenical dialogue and concrete practices on the theme of Eucharist. The shared Eucharist theme was developed as a result of many requests from the grassroots level of our national and local member movements for further training and consultation about how to move forward in ecumenism, how to break down divisions between East and West, and between Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Catholicism and other denominations. For many Christian students it is crucial to reach unity among churches in celebrating Holy Eucharist together. From this dialogue we reach towards the future and brainstorm and analyse what needs to be done, and what can we as young, striving actors in our local communities do to encourage not only ourselves but our churches to take concrete actions towards Eucharistic sharing. The aim of this project is to empower students and young people to practice dialogue on Eucharist, promote reconciliation amoung young people from different denominations and cultures, breaking down barriers of xenophobia, nationalism, misunderstandings and fear through education of other's traditional Eucharistic theologies. Edinburgh 2010 is a multi-denominational and international project set up to commemorate the 1910 World Missionary Conference, and to provide new perspectives on mission for the 21st century. From 2 to 6 June 2010 a Centenary Conference will take place in and around the historic sites of the 1910 Conference. Event will bring together 250 church and mission leaders to come to Edinburgh and another 1,200 visitors for the Sunday Celebrations. The British member movement of WSCF-E, SCM, will participate in the event with students, Senior Friends and staff. Following-up the climate pilgrimage in the summer of 2009, the Nordic subregion will organise a thematic seminar focusing on climate responsibility, gathering students and young people from the Nordic and Baltic countries. Sessions will be educational, involving lectures and worshops, and will promote intercultural dialogue on this important topic – challenging all participants to action in their home communities. This training will be the third in our 3 year project, Stop Being Silent! Identifying, Preventing and Overcoming Domestic Violence. These questions will be examined: How are patriarchal structures related to domestic violence? How can students and young people respond when they find or face situations of domestic violence? In what forums and spaces can we speak out to raise awareness in our societies, churches and schools? What structures are in place, or are still needed, to prevent domestic violence and to fight human trafficking? In addition, participants will also study economic pressures and gender structures that lead to human trafficking, especially as they relate to the local context of the venue. Daily activities will include lectures, small group, plenary and panel discussions, and practical training workshops. Experts will offer closer insight into the topic, but students will be expected to actively participate in discussions as well as in games and role plays, sharing their experiences related to the topic. Gathering young people from all over the world, the Agape Political Camp will continue discussing burning societal issues in the global community, encouraging and inspiring young people to become active citizens and multipliers in their local environments. In 2010, the topic will most likely be "fundamentalism", both in the religious and political sphere, their effect, value and implications in our daily realities, and our individual and collective response to them. For one week, young people from every continent will gather for collective living, examining the topic "practical expressions of faith" and addressing the question how do we express our faith and what does this reveal about what we believe and who we are through intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Various creative workshops will explore and study liturgy, rites, singing, arts and faith; but at the same time the theoretical questions of cultural influence, superstitions, the relationship between culture and faith, and the things that are said or unsaid in our cultures and traditions, will be addressed. Focusing on the annual theme of the global federation, "Climate Justice" and on the questions and challenges of sustainability, students from Europe and from around the globe will gather for the WSCF Inter-regional conference. This conference will look at the situations and issues facing students from a global perspective, examining diverse approaches from the various regions of the world and allowing for intercultural dialogue and exchange. The Europe region of WSCF will participate in the planning and implementation of the programme, and will send 2 delegates from European member movements as participants. Climate Change is one of the most challenging, if not THE most challenging concern for contemporary society. With the UN Climate Change conference, it is also in the spotlight of the political arena. The global warming and Climate Change 'myth', which was not taken seriously by certain societies even several years ago, now is clearly affecting the lives of people throughout the world and will continue to affect all of us even more. However, still a vast majority of Earth's population does not have either the knowledge or motivation to change their lifestyles and behaviours in order to be more environmentally friendly and future-oriented. In particular, young people carry responsibility for the future of the globe - as they are the next generation to lead in economic, governmental and social spheres. Furthermore, for young Christians, who are the main target group for both of the organisations, the Theological aspect of responsibility for Creation is a crucial element in response to the global challenge of Climate Change. The Biblical dominion given to humankind over all that is green and inhabits water, air and earth, does not mean crude wasting of all and dominating carelessly over all that lives. Quite the contrary - it demands protection and care. In line with current global political focus on Climate Change and work of other Christian organisations, such as World Council of Churches, we want to draw attention and raise awareness of young people in our networks about the responsibilities they carry for the environment and the future. In the organisation of this study session, bringing together 60 students and young people from Europe and beyond, EYCE and WSCF-E hope to join forces, sharing experiences and resources to take part in the common response to Climate Change, and also to strengthen the cooperation between European ecumenical youth organisations and Council of Europe.This annual thematic summer seminar of the Central European Subregion of WSCF will gather students from Central Europe (Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria) to discuss and dialogue together about ecology, the current climate crisis and the Copenhagen Climate treaty as related to the Central European context. The seminar is designed to promote cross-border cooperation and civic engagement – raising awareness and training young leaders to work on environmental topics in their home communities. In addition, through cross border exchange, the seminar will also help to break down barriers of prejudice, misinformation and nationalism. Along with reflecting and evaluating the past year and planning for the next year, during the week-long meeting in Birmingham the regional committee will meet the local member movement, SCM with its staff, students and Senior Friends. Time will also be dedicated for networking with British student and social justice NGOs and university chaplaincies. A meeting between General Secretary, Chairperson, Vice-chair and the Treasurer will be held to ensure that all programmes are running as planned. The meeting aims also to secure upcoming events and will be used for networking with local organisations, strengthening the relationship with the local students and Senior Friends and local educational institutes, giving the opportunity for movement building. This also addresses the ERC’s priority to support student groups in countries where member movements are struggling or do not exist. This is the preparatory meeting of the solidarity conference, taking place in spring 2010. The purpose of the meeting is to better become acquainted with the conference venue, for the hosting and preparatory committees to better network and create a database of various experts of the field, and for other preparations. This meeting allows for leadership training for all young participants involved. Location for the meeting will be decided in late autumn 2009 – early spring 2010 when implementation of the WSCF Europe Policy Paper for 2010-2011 has been started by the new regional committee, to be elected in October 2009. InternshipsJill Piebiak from Edmonton, Canada, works in the regional office through an ecumenical voluntary organization, the “Brethren Voluntary Service.” Her tasks include the various aims of the publications coordinator (editing Mozaik, etc.). The other half of her time goes to assisting with the office administration and helping in coordinating the various regional programmes and activities. In early 2010, a Hungarian student will be hired for part-time internship to help with translations and liaising with local authorities, and to work on the Lingua Franca Ecumenical Leadership training. PublicationsMozaik (established in 1992) is the Ecumenical Journal of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF, 1895) Europe Region, and comes out two or three times a year. It aims to reflect the wide variety of opinions and points-of-view present among the different Student Christian Movements in dialogue. The contributors are all attached to national Student Christian Movements, representing various Christian denominations (Anglican, Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic). An informative electronic newsletter comes out at least 4 times a year. One can subscribe to the list by sending an email to the regional office. The Central European Sub-Region will publish its annual anthology, following the themes of the conferences. |
NewsWSCF-E Press ReleaseWelcome to the New Regional Secretary!A warm welcome to David Masters who will start as Regional Secretary of WSCF-E , 1 September 2010. Read more here! WCC Stewards ProgrammesThere are two oppertunities available for young adults to serve as Stewards in Switzerland and Jamaica in 2011. Check out our Partner Events for more details. Lingua France: Consultation on the EucharistThe Participant Report has been posted of the latest Lingua Franca Conference held in Kiev, Ukraine this past June. Click here! Mozaik Special IssueA special issue of Mozaik will be printed following the theme of the three year Lingua Franca campaign, Stop Being Silent! View the call for articles.
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