Article by Ms. Athina Korovesi, ICBSS Communications and Public Relations Manager and Head for Southern & Western Greece of the Anna Lindh Foundation Greek Network.
The International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS), is glad to announce its participation as contributor to the Special Edition "Balkan Beats no. 35 – Intercultural Dialogue", that is issued by the Anna Lindh Foundation.
Ms. Athina Korovesi, ICBSS Communications and Public Relations Manager and Head for Southern and Western Greece of the Anna Lindh Foundation Greek Network, wrote an artcle entitled "Young Mediterranean Voices: an inspiration for the Black Sea region", which is available at the pages 18-19 of the special edition.
Below, you may find the full article, the full "Balkans Beat n. 35" edition, as well as the compliments to the ICBSS contribution at p. 53. Enjoy it!
"Young Mediterranean Voices: an inspiration for the Black Sea region"
by Athina Korovesi, Head for Southern and Western Greece of the Anna Lindh Foundation Greek Network
Young voices empowerment is one of the three main pillars of the Anna Lindh Foundation, in the framework of intercultural action. Within this context, the Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV) constitutes the flagship debate programme of the ALF, aiming to connect civil society, education and policy-makers across the South Mediterranean and Europe. The programme is funded by the European Commission and provides opportunities to open doors for young influencers to shape policy and media narratives.
Building on more than five years investment in the field, as well as established networks, pioneering methodologies and independent research, the overall objective of the Young Mediterranean Voices programme is to empower young people to enhance a culture of dialogue, to contribute to public policy and shape media dis-courses, and to create a shared understanding with peers across the Mediterranean on how to address issues of common concern to their communities.
Even if the programme focuses on the Mediterranean region, the idea for its implementation comes from the widely acclaimed programme Young Arab Voices (YAV), that was launched in Alexandria in 2011 by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the British Council - to other parts of the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The creation of these two channels of youth interaction and young people engagement with policy-makers, constitutes a source of continuous inspiration for other geographical areas. Following this thought, the Black Sea region could be respectively an ideal hub for youth interaction, as multiple human-centered and youth-oriented initiatives are constantly being developed in the area during the last years.
Get the youth involved
The Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)1 gives special emphasis, among others, on the Increase of involvement of youth of the 13 BSEC Member States into scientific, technological and innovative projects and initiatives.
More specifically, this is one of the general objectives of the Plan of Action of the BSEC Working Group on Cooperation in Science and Technology. Moreover, the WG aims to fostering exchange and mobility of researchers and scientists, especially among youth, from the BSEC Member States, inter alia, through bilateral and multilateral agreements and scholarships of
scientific centers (including universities) of the BSEC Region.
The International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS)2 -BSEC’s related body and acknowledged think-tank- aims through its diverse activities to enhance knowledge, empower people and enable synergies in the wider Black Sea region both within and beyond its boundaries. The ICBSS is also a member of the Anna Lindh Foundation, and in September 2019 it was elected Focal Point for Southern and Western Greece of the “Anna Lindh Foundation Greek Network.
Under this capacity, and with the support of the European Commission and the Anna Lindh Foundation, the ICBSS as ALF member could be transformed into a hub for youth-oriented activities, inspired by the Young Mediterranean Voices and designed for the needs of the BSEC Member States. A hub that could create the new version of the Young Voices programme, the “Young Black Sea Voices”.
1 The Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) came into existence as a unique and promising model of multilateral political and economic initiative with the signing of the Istanbul Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement by the Heads of State and Government of the countries in the region, on 25 June 1992. With the entry into force of its Charter on 1 May 1999, BSEC acquired international legal identity and was transformed into a full-fledged regional economic organization - the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
2 The International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organisation. It has since fulfilled a dual function a) as an independent research and training institution focusing on the wider Black Sea region, and b) as a related body of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) serving as its acknowledged think-tank. The ICBSS is located in Athens, Greece
