EMpower young women from ethnic minorities 2008

Aim

"There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women." - Kofi Annan

The SALTO "EMpower young women from ethnic minorities" Training Course aimed to increase the use of the European Youth in Action programme in the work with young women with an Ethnic-Minority background (refugees, diverse minority groups, immigrants, etc.) as a tool for emancipation and empowerment.

Outcomes

Empower Booklet

SALTO Inclusion has published an educational booklet based on the TC Empower Training Course, so that more youth workers than only the 25 lucky ones at the course can benefit from all the outcomes and results of the training.

The booklet will be part of the SALTO Inclusion for All series of practical youth work manuals. Download or order them here.

Projects after the course

No less than 95% of the participants had concrete project ideas after the course and 65% of participants said they found partners at the TC

Team of trainers

• Barbara Bello
• Lynne Tammi
• Henk Persyn

Participants

In this course participated 25 youth workers from 19 different countries (14 from EU/EFTA - 5 from Neighbouring Partner Countries, 21 female - 4 male).

Example of good practice
"Dream girls / girl dreams"

- A group initiative within the Youth in Action programme

8 Turkish girls decided to create a book with a mixture of poems, stories, personal thoughts, photo's, expressions,- all linked with their daily life of being a girl from an ethnic minority.

Aim:

The main aim is to use the creation of the booklet as a way to discuss with the girls specific themes related to their specific situation as a girl from an ethnic minority. Some of the themes are taboo. Many girls don't think individual, but only in function of the ethnic minority community. They are afraid to dream, to have ambitions. The process of the creation of the booklet is the main focus and is used to stimulate the girls to speak freely about their dreams and ambitions (e.g. the freedom to fall in love, desires, friendship, ...).

Context:

These girls are all member of a local youth club, in the harbour area of Ghent, a city of 250.000 inhabitants in Belgium. They all live in the same remoted area, with a high amount of ethnic minorities, unemployment, bad housing, little social life, etc.

The youth worker of this youth club is the coach of the project. She is leading the girls club. All of these girls are member of the girls club.

The Turkish minority community who live in this neighbourhood all come from the same area in Turkey, from a very traditional village from Emirdag. The education of the girls is very traditional and social control on the girls weights sometimes very heavy on them... The combination of living in a disadvantaged & isolated area in one hand, and groing up with strong Turkish traditions and values on the other hand, doesn't make life easy for these girls. It often leads to frustration, indifference, desparation...