Non profit
October 2010
A Vita Europe selection of civil society events around Europe.
Listed events (for further descriptions of events and links scroll down):
30 September 2010 – 1 October 2010, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Cities Against Poverty and Social Exclusion: child poverty
2 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
The Brussels European Job Days
3 October 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elections in Bosnia & Herzegovina
4-7 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, Open Days 2010
5 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, European Year of Volunteering – Attracting Volunteers
7-9 October 2010, Skopje, Macedonia
Towards Community Living: current realities & future challenges
10 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, European Day Against the Death Penalty
11 October 2010, Milan, Italy, Presentation of The Global Hunger Index 2010
11-12 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Eurocities Social Affairs Forum
11-15 October 2010, Geneva, Switzerland, Monitoring and Evaluation
12-20 October 2010, Romania
Contribution of EU funds to the integration of Roma
13 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, European Road Safety Day
13-15 October 2010, Antwerp, Belgium, Enterprise Europe Network’s Annual Conference
14-15 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, European Family Conference
14-15 October 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, Official EGC (European Green Capital) Seminar: What about Urban Nature – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
16 October 2010, World Food Day
17 October 2010, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
18-19 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Anticipating and managing restructuring in a socially responsible way – New partnerships to preserve employment
19 October 2010, London, United Kingdom, Securing your financial future in the big society
20 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, Poverty is Not a Game
20-22 October 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, First European Green Capital Conference
21 October 2010, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Safer Internet Forum 2010
25 October 2010, Europe-wide, European Day of Civil Justice
28 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium, Enterprise 2020 MarketPlace Event
28-29 October 2010, Antwerp, Belgium
Active labour market policies for the EU2020 Strategy: ways to move forward
30 September 2010 – 1 October 2010, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Cities Against Poverty and Social Exclusion: child poverty
This seminar will be held byEUROCITIES together with Newcastle and Gateshead City Councils.
It will be the final meeting in the EUROCITIES series of seminars held as part of its activities for the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
Child poverty has a clear urban dimension. In many cities, the levels of child poverty are higher than the respective national averages. The aim of this seminar is to examine the problem of child poverty from different perspectives (local, national, European, NGO, public institutions) and discuss possible solutions and approaches to tackle it, as well as challenges ahead.
Specific issues to be examined include multi-agency approaches to tackling child poverty, the voice of the child, financial well-being of families and raising aspirations of children from poor families.
The EUROCITIES event will bring together representatives from cities, national governments, the European Commission, the academic community and key NGOs. Four cities (Leipzig, Newcastle, Stockholm and Gateshead) will compare their practices and share experiences.
In Newcastle, close to one third of all children live in poverty and most often in deprived areas. For its progress in tackling child poverty, Newcastle City Council was awarded Beacon Council status in 2009. The Beacon Scheme is a prestigious award from the UK Government that recognises excellence in local government.
2 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
The Brussels European Job Days
The Brussels European Job day will be organised for the fourth time, as part of the European Job days that are being organised in over 200 European cities between mid-September and mid-October 2010.??Of all Job Days organised during the autumn throughout the EU, the Brussels Job Day is probably the most ‘European’ in character. It attracts every year over 10,000 participants, from over 30 nationalities.
Job Day Europe is a recruitment event where individuals can meet up to 40 employers and have on the spot interviews for jobs. It’s also a unique opportunity to access practical information on all aspects of mobility in Europe and learn about the new skills needed for careers in the new millennium.
There will be many job vacancies and information providing participants with opportunities to work in other European countries.
www.jobdays.eu/candidats/?page_id=1161&lang=en
3 October 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Elections in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold both Presidential and Parliamentary elections on 3 October 2010.
The Presidency is a collective head of state which is constituted of three members of each constituent people: one Bosniak, one Croat and one Serb. Each member is separately elected by plurality vote. The Chairman of the Presidency is elected by plurality vote to serve a 4-year term.
In terms of the assembly, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral Parliamentary Assembly (Skupstina) consisting of the House of Peoples (Dom Naroda) with 15 seats and the National House of Representatives (Predstavnicki Dom) with 42 seats.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a potential candidate country for EU accession following the Thessaloniki European Council of June 2003. On 16 June 2008 the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).
The EU is due to release its 2010 ‘Enlargement Package’, offering progress reports and detailing future strategy for EU candidate and potential candidate countries, on 10 November 2010.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1293109
4-7 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Open Days 2010
Organised by the European Commission’s Regional Policy Department and the Committee of the Regions, the 8th annual “Open Days: 8th European Week of Regions and Cities” takes place on 4-7 October under the heading “Europe 2020: competitiveness, co-operation and cohesion for all regions”. More than 130 seminars will be organised, presenting good practice from EU-funded regional development programmes.
– Competitiveness day (5 October): focus on innovation, regional development and green economic growth in Europe’s cities and regions;
– Cooperation day (6 October): focus on interregional, cross-border and macro-regional cooperation;
– Cohesion day (7 October): focus on territorial and social cohesion and how to better integrate different policies at local and regional level.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1252132
5 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
European Year of Volunteering – Attracting Volunteers
The conference aims to present the initiatives towards the European Year of Volunteering 2011 from European level, from the perspective of the European Commission, European Parliament and civil society organizations.
Moreover, it will provide an opportunity to exchange best practices on attracting new volunteers from regional and local level and point out gaps and problems in mobilizing volunteers. Moderator is Markus Held, director of the European Volunteer Centre.
The event is organized by vleva and promoted by Euclid Network, which is part of the EYV 2011 Alliance that, since 2007, has committed to working together on the promotion, lobbying, organisation and implementation of the EYV 2011.
The Alliance is made of 24 European networks gathering over 1,500 direct members and partner organisations all over Europe and beyond, reaching out to hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
www.euclidnetwork.eu/events.php/en/260/european-year-of-volunteering-event
7-9 October 2010, Skopje, Macedonia
Towards Community Living: current realities & future challenges
The general goal of the conference will be to facilitate the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, in the light of the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It will be achieved by enriching the discussion with the variety of situations from all regions of Europe, as mutual learning is a key for success. Speakers and participants from all parts of the Continent will have the opportunity to share their experience and build networks at all levels. It should enable them to better understand their differences, but also to potentially pave the way for a common vision of how to concretely contribute to the improvement of living conditions for persons with disabilities.
?The discussions will be based on:
– The specific situation of stakeholders involved in the disability sector in the different regions of Europe and the challenges they are facing
– The wish to promote, facilitate and enhance cooperation practices among stakeholders of the disability sector
– The international policies and texts relevant for the sector
Professionals, service providers, people with disabilities and their families, researchers, educators and policy makers should attend the event.
The conference is organised by:
EASPD, Republic centre for support of persons with intellectual disability (PORAKA), Open the Windows and the Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism.
www.easpdskopjeconference.openthewindows.org
10 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
European Day Against the Death Penalty
On 10 October, the European Union celebrates the European Day Against the Death Penalty.
The day is a European contribution to the World Day against the Death Penalty, which is held annually on the same day.
The European Union reaffirms its absolute opposition to the use of the death penalty and it is convinced that its abolition is an integral part of respect for human rights and protection of human dignity.
The death penalty concerns everyone’s right to life. The state, with its particular responsibility as the ultimate guarantor of all persons’ human rights, should not deprive anyone of his or her life.
The European Union encourages all measures taken with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1283125
11 October 2010,Milan, Italy
Presentation of The Global Hunger Index 2010
This event, organized by Link 2007, the network that gathers some of the main Italian NGOs, and sponsored by Expo Milan 2015, will see the participation of Letizia Moratti, Mayor of Milan, Minister Elisabetta Belloni, DG for Cooperation to Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, MEP Gianni Pittella, vice-president of the European Parliament, MEP Cristiana Muscardini, vice-president of the commission for international trade of the European Parliament, Vichy De Marchi, Italy’s spokesperson for the World Food Programme-WFP of the United Nations and Giuseppe Sala, DG Expo Milan 2015.
Link 2007 will show the Italian public the numbers on figures of the report that, annually, evaluates improvements and slowdowns of the international battle to fight hunger.
Important members of international institutions, both nationals and local, NGOs representatives and sector’s experts will comment on the 2010 Dossier.
11-12 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Eurocities Social Affairs Forum
The Forum will present the results of the EUROCITIES campaign for the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010, highlighting the urban dimension of poverty and exclusion and promoting successful approaches to solving these problems. During the seminar the participants will adopt conclusions/recommendations aimed at improving the urban aspect of European social policy.
The seminar is the final event of the EUROCITIES campaign for the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010. EUROCITIES members will share their experiences based on our activities in 2010 and to formulate conclusions and recommendations on addressing the urban dimension of poverty and exclusion in social policy at European level.
The seminar will bring together representatives of the member cities of EUROCITIES and of European NGOs, and representatives from the European institutions, in particular from the European Commission.
www.ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=88&eventsId=288&furtherEvents=yes
11-15 October 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
Monitoring and Evaluation
This course is organized by NGO Management School.
Monitoring and evaluation provide answers to questions regarding the output, effects and impact of the project or program in the life of the target population. It establishes the necessary linkage among a set of activities undertaken in project planning and management: identification of problems, feasibility study, design of the project/program, approval process, organization, implementation and supervision processes, completion, evaluation and follow-ups.
The course helps the participants to determine the relationship between program inputs, activities and outputs as well as the influence of external factors on program performance. It provides tools for improving project and program management. This course aids the participants in determining the results attained by the project activities designed to accomplish goals and objectives.
12-20 October 2010, Romania
Contribution of EU funds to the integration of Roma
As a follow up to the 2008 EU Roma Summit in Brussels and in the context of the European Year 2010 against poverty and social exclusion, the Commission is organizing in Romania in October 2010 some High Level Events about the contribution of EU funds to the integration of Roma.
A national event will be organised on 12 and 13 October 2010 in Bucharest, and will be followed by two regional events in Cluj on 14 October 2010 and Iasi on 20 October 2010.
These events aim at raising awareness about the opportunities offered by EU funds, promoting their use and improving the impact of projects supported by them. They are also part of a process towards a better involvement of the Roma in the implementation of the EU funds operational programmes.
Representatives from the Commission, from Romanian authorities, from civil society organisations active in Roma integration will speak at the events.
www.ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=88&eventsId=272&furtherEvents=yes
13 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
European Road Safety Day
The third European Road Safety Day, organised by the European Commission Directorate General for Transport, will take place, raising the profile of all activities, which aim to save lives on European roads.
A thematic event will be organised in Brussels, as in previous years, allowing people to network, exchange ideas and views, gather up-to-date information and hear about products and services related to road safety.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1281137
13-15 October 2010, Antwerp, Belgium
Enterprise Europe Network’s Annual Conference
The Network event of the year will bring 800 colleagues, entrepreneurs and European officials together to help create a bright future for companies.
The conference, organised in cooperation with the Belgian Presidency of the EU, will feature inspiring speakers, workshops and roundtables and fun networking events.
www.enterpriseeurope.be/en-GB/content/home/3
14-15 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
European Family Conference
In a crisis-stricken Europe that saw the income of millions of families shrink dramatically and put as many more millions at risk of poverty and social exclusion, the Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU (COFACE), is organising a major European Family Conference under the auspices and with the support of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union. The conference will look at the family dimension of EU policies and chart a roadmap towards a socially inclusive Europe.?
This event is organised in the framework of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion with the financial support of the EU Progress Programme. COFACE is adamant that supporting families is a most effective way to prevent poverty and exclusion, especially of children and young people. EU Policy makers and institutional leaders are expected to help shape a more family-friendly Europe.?The Conference, to be held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Paola and co- presided by Belgium’s Secretary of State for Family Affairs, Melchior Wathelet, follows a European ministerial seminar on family mediation. COFACE is hoping that all relevant EU actors will see this major event as an opportunity to renew their commitment to solidarity, social justice and greater inclusion of families.??
Two main issues – the importance of an EU focus on the family, and the EU’s role in combating family poverty and social exclusion – will be addressed through videoed testimonies, introductions by family policy specialists and interactive workshops as follows:?
?- Family and social policies in a changing Europe
?- The long road to inclusive Europe. Progress and prospects for people with disabilities and care needs.
?- The importance of a specific family approach to consumer and health policy.?
– Making education together with information and communication technologies work for social inclusion.?
www.coface-eu.org/en/European-Year-2010/for-COFACE/EU-Family-Conference
14-15 October 2010, Stockholm, Sweden
Official EGC (European Green Capital) Seminar: What about Urban Nature – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
The United Nations has declared 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the same year as Stockholm is awarded EU Green Capital. On behalf of this, the City of Stockholm invites to this seminar. Researchers and practitioners will get together to present and discuss opportunities and methods for combining urban development, biodiversity and access to ecosystem services that urban nature can provide. There will also be opportunities to exchange experiences and good practices between European cities, and to create a platform for discussing future collaboration regarding urban nature.
This seminar is arranged in cooperation with KTH-Royal Institute of Technology. Other partners are the European Commission in Sweden and the Office of Regional Planning, Stockholm County Council.
www.international.stockholm.se/egcurbannature
16 October 2010
World Food Day
The theme of this year’s observance is “United against hunger”, chosen to recognize the efforts made in the fight against world hunger at national, regional and international levels.
Uniting against hunger becomes real when state and civil society organizations and the private sector work in partnership at all levels to defeat hunger, extreme poverty and malnutrition.
In 2009, the critical threshold of one billion hungry people in the world was reached in part due to soaring food prices and the financial crisis, a “tragic achievement in these modern days”, according to FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. On the eve of the hunger summit, Dr Diouf launched an online petition to reflect the moral outrage of the situation. The “1 billion hungry project” reaches out to people through online social media to invite them to sign the anti-hunger petition at www.1billionhungry.org.
On this World Food Day 2010, when there have never been so many hungry people in the world, it is important to reflect on the future. With willpower, courage and persistence – and many players working together and helping each other – more food can be produced, more sustainably, and get into the mouths of those who need it most.
www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldfoodday/en
17 October 2010
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The European Union has marked 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
84 million Europeans live below the poverty threshold, which violates EU principles of solidarity and social justice. The key objectives of the Year are to raise public awareness about these issues and renew the political commitment of the EU and its Member States to combat poverty and social exclusion.
The International Day against Poverty will be a key occasion in the ‘Year against Poverty’ campaign.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is an opportunity for people across the world to acknowledge the effort and struggle of those living in poverty, and the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries.
The Day is also a chance for the poor to make their concerns heard and to use their own expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty.
This year’s theme is: ‘From Poverty to Decent Work: Bridging the Gap’.
The Day was confirmed through the United Nations’ General Assembly resolution 47/196, adopted on 22 December 1992, which invited all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution.
The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can actually be traced back to 17 October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17 to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1284148
18-19 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Anticipating and managing restructuring in a socially responsible way – New partnerships to preserve employment
The Belgium Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission are jointly organising a conference to debate with the social partners, the Member States and the EU institutions the way in which the EU, Member States, social partners, companies and workers should face the challenge of corporate restructuring in the context of an economy in deep and quick transformation and with a view to ensuring that restructuring takes place in a socially responsible way and benefits to employment.
The conference will start with a series of workshops aimed at presenting the main findings of each of the twenty-seven national seminars organised by the Commission in the last year-and-a-half and which analysed and debated the measures and instruments used for anticipating and managing restructuring in the 27 EU Member States.
www.ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=88&eventsId=296&furtherEvents=yes
19 October 2010, London, United Kingdom
Securing your financial future in the big society
In the run up to the election and since the coalition have taken power we have been bombarded with messages about the need to reduce the national deficit and how this will impact on public spending. The headlines come thick and fast, and it is easy to become paralysed like a rabbit in the headlights as the juggernaut of spending cuts bears down upon us.
This half day event starts with a strategic overview of the rapidly changing policy landscape, and what this will mean for different government departments and areas of public service delivery, both at the national and local level. It will draw out the common themes, acknowledge the difficulties third sector leaders face and look for the positive solutions and ways forward. This will include looking at potential business models, and methods for generating income.
www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=2046
To find out about Acevo’s conferences, workshops and training sessions visit:
www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=227
www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=1043
20 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Poverty is Not a Game
Poverty is one of the major social problems in Belgium and in Europe. In order to enable young people to discover in person what poverty means in Europe – raising awareness is an important subject in the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion – the King Baudouin Foundation is organising a seminar, together with IBBT (the Flemish government’s Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology) and NEF (the Network of European Foundations), on the use of serious games in educational settings.
Poverty is one of the major social problems in Belgium and in Europe. In order to allow young people to discover in person what poverty means, the Foundation, together with IBBT, is investing in making a serious game called Poverty is not a game available free online. This enables the participants in the game to experience poverty in a realistic way and to witness what the problems are and how they can be tackled.
With the European conference, the King Baudouin Foundation and IBBT have a second objective: to contribute to society’s debate on the use of computer games in the educational process, specifically in the classroom. A handbook for teachers will also be produced covering the usefulness of games and school and the use of this specific game in particular.
www.eutrio.be/poverty-not-game-1
20-22 October 2010, Stockholm, Sweden
First European Green Capital Conference
This conference will offer exchange of know-how on sustainability for ambitious cities aiming higher.
It will also present examples of how Stockholm and other European cities are working with the same main challenge: meeting the demands of growing cities; while maintaining sustainable economic development and decreasing the negative impact on the environment. This calls for intelligent urban solutions and a European cooperation on a local level.
The conference is relevant for decision makers – politicians and officers – from ambitious cities in Europe and the rest of the world. Delegates and participants will be given plenty of opportunities to contribute to the conference agenda.
The conference will focus on urban challenges in a European and global context and will offer a unique opportunity for participants to create networks where one can exchange ideas and examples of both global and local solutions.
www.international.stockholm.se/egcc
21 October 2010, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Safer Internet Forum 2010
The Safer Internet Forum has been organized by the Safer Internet Programme as an annual conference on safer Internet issues since 2004. It brings together representatives of industry, law enforcement authorities, child welfare organizations and policy makers.
This year the Safer Internet Forum will focus on the results of two major research projects funded by the Safer Internet Programme: EUKidsOnline II, which surveyed children and parents in 25 European countries about internet use, and European Online Grooming Project, the first European research project that studies the characteristics and behaviour of sexual offenders who have used the internet to groom young people.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1284141
25 October 2010, Europe-wide
European Day of Civil Justice
The European Civil Justice Day will again see a number of events around 25 October in the Member States of the European Union and of the Council of Europe, with the aim of bringing justice closer to citizens and informing them of their rights.
The events planned include local conferences, open days, guided tours, meetings with members of the legal professions and activities for children.
This day should also help make people aware of the common judicial area for all Europeans that is now coming into being.
www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/1283104
28 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Enterprise 2020 MarketPlace Event
Enterprise 2020 is about addressing global, regional and national socio-economic challenges crucial in driving transformation towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive society.
More than 400 participants from companies, European institutions, national governments, non-governmental organisations, academia and other stakeholders from Europe and internationally will gather together in Brussels to:
– Discover CSR Europe’s Enterprise 2020 vision and action plan
– Explore and exchange on innovative business initiatives addressing socio-economic challenges
– Engage in new collaborative ventures developed in joint leadership by companies and stakeholders
– Learn more about European and international perspectives on CSR
www.csreurope.org/pages/en/enterprise_2020_marketplace_event.html
28-29 October 2010, Antwerp, Belgium
Active labour market policies for the EU2020 Strategy: ways to move forward
Active labour market policies (ALMPs) remain key policies in promoting changes and increasing employment. Nevertheless, they are at a crossroads. An ageing population, current and future job shortages and harsh financial conditions all call for new ways to move forward. The methods we choose today will be decisive for labour market dynamics in 2020 and beyond.
At the conference delegates from all the EU member states will discuss these issues and share their knowledge. Based on the results of recent evaluations (from different European countries), they will explore new ways to advance with effective, evidence-based and future-oriented labour market policies.
During the congress the organizers would like to engage with all participants in order to:
– explore ways of making current and future ALMPs in the EU more measurable and evidence-based. The conference will stress the importance of evaluation methods and impact assessment in the field of ALMPs.
– identify and understand the most effective ALMP measures, based on recent evaluation and policy practices, and to draw lessons from these practices. The conference will elaborate on what works (and what doesn’t) in the broad field of ALMPs.
– discuss how to implement and design future ALMP measures within the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy. The aim is to contribute to the implementation of new employment guidelines, benchmarks and indicators for the Europe 2020 strategy.
Organization:
– Flemish Government – Department of Work and Social Economy
– Steunpunt WSE/HIVA (Research Institute for Work and Society, associated with the University of Leuven)
– City of Antwerp
– Within the framework of Belgian EU-presidency
– In active cooperation with the European Commission-Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
– In active cooperation with the Flemish public employment service (VDAB)
www.werk.be.projectinfo.be/en_US/home/events/eu-almp-en-2020.html
More events for this month to come…
If you would like your event to be included, please contact Cristina Barbetta
