Diaspora Youth
Youth diaspora represent an immense richness for host societies since they bridge different countries, cultures and identities, fostering intercultural dialogue, supporting interregional cooperation and promoting social cohesion.
The North-South Centre worked on and with youth diaspora during more than 10 years, from 2009 to 2019, through capacity building, policy development and funding initiatives with the vision of building more inclusive societies. It represent a resource to tackle challenges of the Council of Europe member states such as migration, social inclusion and active participation of young people in vulnerable situations.
The North-South Centre’s action on youth diaspora followed three main areas: capacity building, research and analysis and seed funding.
The activities were always designed and implemented in cooperation with key stakeholders from civil society and international institutions. In line with this multilevel cooperation approach, the North-South Centre contributed to the foundation of diaspora umbrella organisations, such as the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe (ADYNE) and the African Diaspora Youth Forum Europe (ADYFE).
Diaspora Youth Training Course - 2019
The training Course took place in the framework of the 7th Mediterranean University on Youth and Global Citizenship in Hammamet, Tunisia, from the 7th to the 16th June 2019.
The course enabled young leaders with diaspora background or working with diaspora communities to participate more effectively in decision making processes aiming at social cohesion in Europe.
Diaspora Youth Training Course - 2018
The training course, which took place in Tunis, raised awareness of Diaspora youth on Global Education (GE), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) on “Youth, Peace and Security”. The capacity building pointed at training participants on better advocating for Diaspora Youth dimension, in addition to explore issues of refugees/migrants from the Diaspora organizations perspective.
6th Training Course for Youth Leaders of the African Diaspora Living in Europe - 2015
Organized in the framework of the 7th African University on Youth and Development, in Nairobi, has been the last capacity building activity planned within the Joint Management Agreement (JMA) between the European Commission – EuropeAid Co-operation Office and the North-South Centre. During the training course participants had the possibility to strengthen skills of trainings’ designing and project management competences.
5th Training Course for Youth Leaders of the African Diaspora Living in Europe - 2014
The training course, which took place in Mollina, aimed to strengthen the cooperation between Diaspora-related organizations in order to increase the number of participants and to share their own projects on Diaspora youth, in addition to get acquainted with the action framework provided by the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership.
The training course succeeded in providing new project management skills for activities on Youth Diaspora dimension and hints for better access to funds.
4th Training Course for Youth Leaders of the African Diaspora Living in Europe - 2013
The training course has been organized in cooperation with the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe (ADYNE) and Held in Hammamet and in the framework of the 1st Mediterranean University on Youth and Global Citizenship. The capacity building made participants sharing know-how recommendations related to Diaspora issues and reflecting on the MDGs.
The main outcomes have been the development of new competences on advocacy and on the use of medias as tools for spreading the knowledge of African Diaspora dimension.
3rd Training Course for Youth Leaders of the African Diaspora Living in Europe - 2012
In the framework of Braga 2012 – European Youth Capital and in cooperation with the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe, the 3rd edition of the Training Course pointed at reinforce the role of youth leaders for the Africa-EU cooperation, by acting as multipliers for the African Diaspora dimension.
Thanks to the capacity building, different Diaspora-related organizations built strong synergies that facilitated the preserving of their partnership.
2nd Training Course for Youth Leaders of the African Diaspora Living in Europe - 2010
In the framework of the 2nd African University on Youth and Development held in Cape Verde, the 2nd edition of the training course pointed at the empowerment of youth’s role as multipliers for the Diaspora dimension and for the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership in the field of the Youth Cooperation.
The capacity building contributed to strengthen the awareness of youth Diaspora on the Global Youth Work and on the Joint Africa-Europe Strategy (JAES) features.
1st Training course for youth leaders of the African Diaspora living in Europe - 2009
The training course, which took place in Almada, aimed at creating a common understanding of African Diaspora in Europe, in order to follow up in practical terms some of the outcomes of the Africa Europe Youth Summit 2007 and to contribute to strengthen the political role of young people, youth leaders and youth workers from the African Diaspora.
The main outcome was the Declaration of the African Youth Diaspora Living in Europe drafted by the participants themselves. From this course stemmed out also the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe (ADYNE).
Mapping Diaspora Organisations - 2017
The work has been developed under the research commissioned to Jacques Rousselot and implemented by the participants at the seminar where it has been presented. The main outcomes were the development of a methodological approach for the mapping activity and a database of diaspora-related organizations.
Seminar: Diaspora for inclusive societies - 2017
The Seminar aimed at promoting the capacity of Diaspora youth to create more inclusive communities through initiatives and policies in the framework of the Global Education. Participants of Diaspora-related youth organizations in Europe gathered together to develop a better understanding of intercultural education, intercultural learning and intercultural competences of diaspora youth leaders. During the Seminar, have been provided a series of competences and tools to youth Diaspora leaders, in order to promote and disseminate principles of GDE to other young people from Diaspora in their community.
Focus Group: Diaspora Youth in Europe -2016
The Focus Group has been the first event on Diaspora dimension in the framework of the Intercultural Learning Exchange through Global Education, Networking and Dialogue (iLEGEND) project. Led by four experts of different Diaspora dimensions, the Focus Group aimed to develop the competences of youth leaders and youth leaders and youth workers to act as multipliers and launch initiatives in the framework of Global Education. In addition, the Focus Group pointed at increasing the policy on youth Diaspora and on Global Education at different policy levels and at contributing to change the mind set and current narrative concerning Diaspora youth and young migrants.
Seminar: African Diaspora for MDGs - 2011
This three-day seminar, facilitated in partnership with the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe (ADYNE), aimed to raise the awareness of Youth Diaspora on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to promote the strengthening of a network of African Diaspora living in Europe as part of the solution for the MDGs Agenda.
As outcome of the seminar, has been published a report titled “From Millennium Development Goals to Millennium Development Wins”.
Financial support
The Seed Funding consisted on a grant allocation scheme which allowed youth leaders, youth workers, experts and trainers to participate in youth exchanges and other Euro-African Youth activities. It also aimed at supporting pilot projects, networking initiatives and political participation of young people within the Euro-African youth cooperation framework.
The Seed Funding scheme financially supported 12 projects focused on diaspora between 2011 and 2015, as of the recommendations of the Youth Summit’s Final Declaration (2007), which advocated for “Increasing the allocation of funds for the development of structures and cooperation mechanisms of the African diaspora in Europe”.
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