It's a kind of magic –
Connecting Mobility and Disability in
AEGEE
The opening conference of The
Bridge project in Wroclaw was a pioneering event, introducing a new and
challenging issue for mainstream youth and student organisations. The event,
"The disabled and the facilitator - a complex relationship", took place on 14-17
April 2005 in Wroclaw, with the support and participation of a number of people
with different disabilities, and disabled people's
organisations.
"THE BRIDGE" is a pilot project created by AEGEE,
the European Students Forum. It aims to address the difficulties experienced by
disabled people in Europe, especially concerning their involvement in youth
associations, mobility in general, and all the challenges that young people with
special needs face.
"The Bridge" is a way to explain disabled reality to
non-disabled young people, discover tools for supporting young disabled people's
involvement in civil society, and help to increase their involvement in
mainstream youth organizations. In 2005 there will be three more conferences,
dealing with Design and Disability, Disabled people in European mobility
programmes, and European legislation for disabled people.
Since the whole
project seeks to involve disabled young people in all the activities available,
these participants were present all the time, during workshops, lectures and
parties, so that they could express their opinion and give very important input.
The most important aim of this project is involving youth with disabilities in
our groups; therefore the real success was the full inclusion of the people with
special needs.
Luca Falcone, the Bridge project manager, remarked, "It is
a kind of magic, something enchanting and unforgettable for all the participants
and organisers, which seems magic only because it's rare. This natural,
spontaneous integration was the biggest achievement of the conference, and this
is what we have to work for. To make it less rare!"
AEGEE is one of Europe's largest
interdisciplinary and voluntary student associations, operating without being
linked to any political party, promoting a unified Europe, cross-border
co-operation, communication and integration in academic environment, and at the
same time striving to create an open and tolerant society by involving students
and young graduates in valuable projects and discussions over the topics of
importance for the communities they live in. It is represented in 260 university
cities, in 42 countries all around Europe and has about 17000
members.
Should you have any further questions, please do
not hesitate to contact us at:
Virag Szabo
Director for Public Relations
European Students' Forum - AEGEE
Rue Nestor de Tiere
15
1030 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 245 23 00
Fax: +32 2 245 62 60
Web:
www.aegee.org
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