PTPI EUROPE- ANNUAL REPORT 2015

Our Memories and Outcomes

Romania- September, 2016

MISSION, VISSION AND CHAPTERS

OUR MISSION is to enhance international

understanding and friendship through

educational, cultural, and humanitarian

activities involving the exchange of

ideas and experiences directly among

peoples of different countries and

diverse cultures.

OUR VISION is that a cross-cultural network of

engaged and knowledgeable everyday citizen leaders will be an active

force in creating and sustaining a more peaceful world.

People to People International has always believed in

replacing cultural barriers with cultural understanding

Chapters are the backbone of People to People International, bringing the

ideals of global education, understanding, and humanitarianism to life at

the local level.

As volunteer, membership-based groups, PTPI Chapters provide the

opportunity for adults, youth and families to participate in programs,

projects and activities devoted to the principle of Peace through

Understanding.

EUROPEAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Name and Surname Role Country Email address

Richard Chalks Corriette Regional Chair Belgium chalks@ptpi.eu

Andrei Corduneanu Secretary Romania andreic82@yahoo.com

Charlotte Scheller Treasurer Switzerland charlotte.scheller@bluewin.ch

Angel Dimitrievski Youth Coordinator Macedonia angeldimitrievski1994@gmail.com

Hannelore Büchler Auditor Germany buech.hannelore@gmx.de

The European Executive Committee (EEC) is elected by the

European Representative Board and has five members. It meets

twice a year: during the European Conference and at a separate

meeting held mid-term. The EEC represents PTPI Europe during the

calendar year and reports to the European Representative Board at

the European Conference. The current members of the EEC are:

MEETING MINUTES- BERLIN 2015

1.Opening

Regional Chair Chalks Corriette opened the 31st European Conference, welcoming

everyone and thanking them for their presence. He especially noted those participants

visiting from outside Europe. He also mentioned that this is the second European

Conference in Berlin; the first time was in 1999. Chalks welcomed his colleagues on the

European Executive Committee.

2.Elections

Charlotte Scheller was elected for a two-year term as Treasurer.

Andrei Corduneanu was elected for a two-year term as Secretary.

Angel Dimitrievski was elected for a two-year term as Youth Coordinator.

Hannelore Büchler was elected for a one-year term as Auditor.

There were no nominations for the PR officer position.

3.Reports and discussions

Chalks Corriette provided a report about the European Organization, our new registration,

and some of the past year ́s activities. He also provided a high level overview of our legal

statutes and the new Council Office operations.

Our Treasurer Hannelore Büchler provided a summary – the report had been circulated by

email and a copy placed in the conference bags. Some members said the report was a little

detailed for their needs. Chalks mentioned that we shall look for an alternative format that

members could quickly grasp. The report was approved.

Auditor Dagmar Schönbeck gave her report. The finances were approved with 10 votes, and

the European Executive Committee was released from any further responsibilities.

PR Officer Katerina Romanova did not attend the conference. She had resigned from her

post earlier in 2015 due to personal commitments. No special report was given. Chalks did

cover the upgrade to the .com website, weekly newsletter, connections (WHQ newsletter)

and the “our memories” report from 2014 (the European 2014 summary).

Youth Coordination Officer, Antoaneta Pophlebarova, and PTPI’s Varna Student Chapter

organized a charity campaign for the 7th year in a row. They raised 6.500 Euros for medical

equipment. The campaign received special recognition from PTPI by winning the James T.

Doty Memorial Award. There have been many other youth activities promoting the

spirit of PTPI. The report was approved.

Verena Denk from the European Berlin office spoke to the council about how she had been

supported by PTPI’s Berlin Chapter when applying for funding from PTPI’s European

Commission. All applications to funding from PTPI’s European Commission were done in co-

operation between PTPI’s Berlin Chapter and PTPI’s European Office in Berlin.

Valeria Magistrelli; Milano, Italy Chapter explained how the membership fees were

managed in the past and was concerned that we as PTPI Europe no longer had an income

stream. This is because in the new system, the fees go directly to WHQ with no portion

being made available to the European Council. It is important to note that all chapters

can apply for project funding from WHQ through the communicated channels. The

European Council can undertake additional activities to raise funds for their own use and

development.

The full report and minutes from the European Conference in Berlin can be found here:

http://www.ptpe.org/index.php/about-us/structure.The documents can be found in the

section named: Reports and Minutes.

MESSAGE FROM THE REGIONAL CHAIR

Democracy as influenced by the social media era

The pace of change due to advancements in technology and the rise of the sharing

economy, have had, and will continue to influence how we operate at PTPI Europe. Nothing

in this whole report should be first time news. Every item noted here, has been shared in a

number of places; newsletters, blogs, social media and direct emails to chapter presidents.

This year, a number of people have decided not to attend the European conference. Some

for financial reasons, as costs associated with these gatherings should not be

underestimated. Others are not attending following the terrible events that Europe has

experienced this year. One impact is on our AGM (annual general meeting), better known

as our council meeting. However, this is an opportunity to move with the times and

potentially move our AGM business into a digital format. This would allow us to track all

the votes of our presidents, allow us to be flexible in timing, and provide an audit trail of

decisions made and resolutions adopted.

When we meet, our emphasis could then be directed to our relationship with each other,

experiencing the delights of the host location, learning new skills and looking forward to

what we want to achieve, as a Region.

You would have noticed that there have been big changes at World HQ. You will receive

updates as people settle into their new roles, and the natural process of order once again

kicks in. There are many other topics that will dominate our conversation such as: a new EU

website to compliment the new global product; the impact of Belgian and EU laws on bank

account access for our treasurer; communication tools to aid our understanding of this

Region; and, the need to think about where, when and why we meet following on from this

EU Conference in Romania.

People to People International has always believed in replacing cultural barriers with

cultural understanding. I want to thank you all, for everything that you contribute to the

world through engaging with PTPI.

Chalks Corriette

Regional Chair, Europe

Board of Directors, Global

TREASURER REPORT

Now that all bank operations are done in Brussels, it is no longer possible for the EEC

Treasurer, who lives in Switzerland, to have direct access to the accounts. In order to obtain

any information, a trip to Brussels was necessary (a board meeting was held at the same

time) and all transactions were shown to me in paper form.

The Brussels chapter already undergoes strict auditing from the EU, so my work is actually

quite redundant. What you have in my “Cashflow” file is a summary of a slightly different

set-up of bookkeeping compared with the cashflow sheet made available to all chapter

presidents, I believe. In fact, it seems that this is already a form of auditing on behalf of the

EC and I feel that another one by Hannelore Büchler would be superfluous, especially since

she has no way of seeing any of the papers. She has received a copy of my bookkeeping

files. For those who want more information at the EC, I will take along a copy of my details.

For 2016, I gather, I will be making another trip to Brussels.

Charlotte Scheller, Treasurer

YOUTH COORDINATOR REPORT

PTPI’s Youth Generation in Europe again proved that it is a very essential part for moving

the organisation towards success. In the previous year we had a big number of local

activities that left great impact in the countries where our chapters operate. Just a few

examples include:

� PTPI’s Skopje, Macedonia Community Chapter

worked with children from socially vulnerable

families who visit a Center for Development of the

Roma community in Skopje. The volunteers helped

the children with their school projects, homework,

and also celebrated birthdays together and had

fun. This program was a mentoring system. Every

PTPI member (high school and university students)

mentored one or two children aged 7-10 for a

period of two months.

� PTPI’s Varna, Bulgaria Student Chapter

implemented its annual Christmas card charity

campaign. The efforts of these young people

resulted in raising 7.676 euro that were donated to

the hospital “St. Marina“ to buy equipment for a

room used for rehabilitation and psychotherapy.

Inspired by these youngsters our members of PTPI’s

Berlin Student Chapter also decided to sell

Christmas cards. The collected money was used for

donations of diapers, wipes, sport items and other necessities for a refugee camp in

Berlin.

� PTPI’s Yerevan-Armenia Community Chapter implemented the project “Power of

Democracy“. Young people from Armenia were promoting the involvement of youth

in the process of strengthening democratic institutions in Armenia, as well as

teaching and disseminating democratic values among the youth.

� PTPI’s Plovdiv, Bulgaria Student Chapter implemented the project “Skills for

Freedom”. By developing the professional skills of prisoners this ERASMUS+

sponsored project aimed for the smooth reintegration of prisoners back into society,

and especially into the labor market, with the support of arts and theatre as

powerful means of achieving this goal. In particular, the project intended to equip

the (former and current) prisoners with professional skills that can be developed

through theatrical and artistic activities and which can contribute significantly to

them finding a job. Video inserts from the projects are available here:

https://goo.gl/prguIy.

In autumn 2015, we connected high school and university students from Macedonia and

Bulgaria for a Human Rights training course in Macedonia. The students were discussing

topics such as: children rights, women rights, rights of the disabled, freedom of speech,

hate speech and human rights violations. The training took place in Macedonia and

afterwards was followed by a homestay in Macedonian families. Video inserts from the

training are available here: https://goo.gl/SCExOe.

This summer in July, I graduated on the Communication and Public Relations department

with the topic: “Internal Communication Strategy for Youth Mobility in PTPI“. This strategic

document will bring new ideas for improving the travel options for our young members. The

document should be available to all the membership once it is translated into English.

Our young membership is doing a lot for strengthening PTPI’s mission. The presented

projects and activities are just a glimpse of what the youth are doing in Europe. Investing in

youth brings long and perspective future to our organisation.

Angel Dimitrievski, Youth Coordinator

HIGLIGHTS FROM ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE

PTPI’s Yerevan, Armenia Chapter promotes

volunteering and gender equality

The chapter organized a program to educate

young people on developing a culture of

volunteering and promoting gender equality.

60 young people in two regions of Armenia

participated, and in addition to learning about

the topic, they had the opportunity to put

their knowledge into practice by spending

time volunteering in their communities.

PTPI’s Katowice, Poland Student Chapter

collects money for Nepal

Members from the chapter organized a

food sale for collecting funds that were

given to the ones hit by the earthquake in

Nepal.

PTPI’s Podgorica, Montenegro Chapter opens a virtual platform for young people

The PTPI Chapter in Montenegro established “I Balkan You”, a virtual platform for young

people who can use it as free and healthy space to express themselves by writing articles on

topics and issues that young people share in the region. Since the official start of the

platform, they published 114 articles from eight different countries. Visit

www.ibalkanyou.com to find out more.

School and Classroom program in Ukraine and

Belarus

The students created a patchwork quilt with

images of themselves, their school, culture, and

country. Each student was responsible for

creating one patchwork square. Class partners

shared their "patchwork quilts/collages" and

put them in each other's schools to

commemorate the friendship established.

PTPI’s Provadia, Bulgaria Chapter held a

concert to raise awareness about bullying

The chapter organized a big concert for the

children who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis in

the theatre of Provadia. The funds

gathered from the concert and the bazaar

sale were used for buying inhalers,

medicines and special food for the children

from the clinic.

PTPI’s Belgrade, Serbia Chapter implements a

project for understanding refugees

The project “People to People in Need –

understanding refugees and migrants through

theater action!“ had the aim to connect

citizens and institutions in raising awareness

and understanding problems of migrants and

refugees on their way to Europe.

PTPI's Vilkaviskis, Lithuania Student Chapter

engages in a campaign for elderly

“Post of Joy“ is a social campaign for people who live

in senior citizen homes. The main idea is to spread

happiness to them not only during the celebration

time but also during casual days. Moreover, citizens

of the towns Kaunas and Vilnius have the

opportunity to write down their thoughts on

postcards in order to send warmest wishes for those

who really need them.

PTPI’s Burgas, Bulgaria Student Chapter

organized a youth conference on

democracy and tolerance

During European Youth Week, the chapter

assisted with hosting a youth conference

centered on the theme "Let's talk about

democracy and tolerance." Admiral Mitko

Petev, commander of the Bulgarian Navy, was

one of the special guest speakers. He shared

his thoughts on how young people can look

beyond stereotypes and promote tolerance.

HOMESTAY EXPERIENCES FROM OUR MEMBERS

PTPI’s Varna Student Chapter

organized a homestay in August

2015 for five members from PTPI’s

Skopje Community Chapter. The

program included a meeting with

international volunteers that were

for an internship or EVS in Varna,

visiting a local orphanage and

spending time with the children,

horse-riding with the children from

the orphanage, chapter

presentations, city walks and time at

the beach. Ana Janeva, who was

PTPI’s Skopje Chapter’s Homestay Coordinator said about this experience with great

enthusiasm: “If I had to choose what my best PTPI experience is so far, I would undoubtedly

choose the homestay in Varna. Having the opportunity to meet so many interesting people,

serve the community, experience a new culture and explore a beautiful city like Varna is a

true privilege and I’m really glad I was part of it. The memories made in Varna during this

week are definitely memories I will carry in my heart forever.“

After the PTPI Skopje Chapter members

attended a wonderful homestay in Varna in

summer 2015, they returned the hospitality

with a homestay in Skopje in October 2015.

The Varna members experienced the local

culture by visiting the Skopje Fortress, touring

the Memorial Center of the Holocaust, having

lunch at Skopje’s Old Bazaar and spending

time with the host families. Also, they had the

chance to experience the local chapter work

by participating in two workshops for children

rights and non-violent communication at a Center for Development of the Roma

community. Experiencing the night life was also on the list and was done with a lot of

dancing and smiling.

PTPI’s Berlin Student Chapter members

visited Interlaken. The chapter president

Kieu Anh Dang shares her experience on

the homestay: “If someone mentions

Switzerland, the first things I think of are

mountains. Therefore, it was no surprise at

all that hiking was on the agenda. We

climbed the mountain Harder Kulm, which is

1.322 m high. Some of us really enjoyed

hiking but for others it was a great challenge.

Besides hiking, we also visited Lucerne, a city

near Interlaken. We went sightseeing in the

historic Centre and tasted famous Swiss

Cheese-Pies that, in my opinion, were really awesome. “

To return the hospitality, the

member of PTPI’s Berlin Student

Chapter hosted members from

the Interlaken Chapter in Berlin.

The homestay consisted of

seeing the typical Berlin

attractions as well as spending

time in the hosts neighborhoods.

The Swiss guests visited the

Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer

Platz, the East Side Gallery and

much more. The students also

spend some time together on a

picnic while getting to know

each other.

People to People International

(PTPI) creates lasting cross-

cultural connections between

everyday citizens around the

world to help them explore global

issues, serve and enrich their

diverse communities, and become

more effective leaders in creating

a more peaceful world.

Production by:

European Council Office

People to People International Europe asbl

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1970 Wezembeek-Oppem

Belgium

chalks@ptpi.eu | angel@ptpi.eu

+32.478.482023 (cell/mobile) +32.731.7061 (phone/fax)