Transcript “Making the Difference” Y’s Men European Convention Arendal (Norway) – June 2015. Ed Eggink President YMCA Europe.

“Making the Difference”
Y’s Men European Convention
Arendal (Norway) – June 2015.
Ed Eggink
President YMCA Europe
Greetings
to all of you from:
 Juan Simoes Iglesias (Spain) our SecretaryGeneral
 Our Executive Committee
 Our Staff
Some facts
• YMCA Europe is an umbrella organisation.
• With 41 National YMCA’s in Europe as full
member (34) or as co-operating member (7).
• Additionally serving YMCA’s developing in at
least 4 other countries.
• Reaching approx. 1.8 mln. benificiaries per
year
• By approx. 5.600 local YMCA’s
YMCA Europe’s Strategy
2011-2016
 Priorities.
• Clear mission
• Relevant programme’s
• Sustainability
 Signature programme’s.
• Peace; Justice and Democracy
• Healthy Living
• Inclusive Christianity
Accents.
Accents on work:
• In Eastern European countries (since 1989);
sucessful; now solid YMCA’s
• Now emphasis on developing YMCA’s in Balkan
countries; strengthening existing YMCA’s and
building up new YMCA’s
• Also in Baltic countries
• And in southern European countries
Work in progress !
Support from Y’s Men (1)
• Examples of YMCA projects supported by Y’s
Men
 Strengthening YMCA work in Balkan Countries
and in Lithuania.
Programme Initiative Centers in Kosovo;
Serbia; Macedonia; Romania and Lithuania.
Very successful !
 Gjakovo (Kosovo); 2 charity shops lead to a
sustainable YMCA Kosovo
Support from Y’s Men (2)
 Activity support in Gdynia (Poland)
 Plovdiv (Bulgaria); support for office and
activities
 Constanta (Romania); support for father/son
educational programme
 Baia Mare (Romania); supporting YMCA
activities
 Vilnius (Lithuania); support for YMCA
activities
Thank you !!
• These YMCA’s are very grateful for your
support
• As well as we are for your continued support
and for contributing to the Friends of YMCA
Europe Campaign (recently re-launched)
Strengthening YMCA Movements is our
common goal
Developments
Preparing for the next strategic period 20162020.
New impulses for Strengthening YMCA’s in
Europe by establishing an office in Brussels
Working on sustainability
Strategy 2016-2020
• Interactive process started May 2015 and will
lead to adoption of the new Strategy 2016-2020
in May 2016
• Examples of important trends:
 Growing radicalisation amongst young people
 Growing number of young refugees and asylum
seekers
 Still growing youth unemployment
How can the YMCA respond ?
Youth unemployment
Strengthening YMCA’s
• Strengthening our National Movements is a key
priority:
 Clear mission about what we stand for
 Programmes relevant for nowadays societies
 Sustainability to do our work
All for the benefit of young people in Europe !
Therefore: …………………. we want to open an
Office in Brussels (1)
 With the tasks:
• To collect; filter and disseminate information
from European Union Institutions and the Council
of Europe for our National Movements
• To assist National Movements in making contacts
• To assist National Movements and YMCA
Europe’s Programme Groups in preparing grant
applications
• To host trainings for Board- and Staff members of
National Movements
Office in Brussels (2)
• To network with other European Youth
Organisations in preparing positions on Youth
Policy issues
• To network with European Union officials and
make the work of the YMCA better known
• To offer a meeting facility for National
Movements and our international
representatives
Office in Brussels (3)
• We aim at a 3-4 years project; after that it should be
self sustainable.
• Total costs per year, including salary; office space;
travels, approx.: € 80-85.000
• For a 3 years project approx.: € 250.000
• Great support from the World Alliance of YMCA’s is
confirmed (approx. € 35.000 for the first year)
• Aiming at a start on 1st. January 2016
Sustainability
Human resources:
• Our “YES network” of young leaders (51 in a training last May;
more than 220 in the network available for their YMCA’s)
• Leadership trainings by programme groups and in projects
• Governance training
Financial resources:
• The Festival in Prague (2013) helped us
• In May 2015 the “Friends of YMCA Europe” campaign was relaunched
• Support from our members; from Institutions and from
private donors
Making the difference
• We have big ambitions and big plans
• YMCA and Y’s Men can make the difference in the lives of
many young people in Europe
• For the unemployed; for the refugees; for the ennemies
because of different faiths; for ennemies for political
reasons; for young people coming from prison; for young
people with health problems; for homeless young people
• We, as Y’s Men and as YMCA, definitely can make the
difference.
• Never think that we are too small to make that difference
because ……………………………
To small ??
Dear friends,
be the mosquito
Looking forward to a continued good
co-operation.
Thank you very much !
• www.ymcaeurope.com
• [email protected]