Meeting 1 after the EYS '09

Excited, tired, amazed and totally convinced that we have to work hard and fast....

... to realize the ELAYS as we envisage it.

This is like we felt when we came together at noon today to have lunch together in Geneva. With we, we always mean the ELAYS team (the Organisational Committee). There were so many things to discuss. We should get a short description together to send it to Dennis, from Ashoka. We should discuss the inputs and comments etc. that we got from the participants at the EYS '09 working group from Sunday. We had to discuss the concept of the workshops. I could go on and on with the list. The result is a really big list of things that we need to do till next week. ONLY till next week.. What comes the weeks after that... wouldn't fit into this blog.

Well, so far so good.. or not?

You still don't know what I am talking about, do you?

In that case: for all that never heard of the ELAYS before, here, a short explanation:

-> First of all it is a vision.

A vision of a new style of cooperation between the youth of two continents: Latin America and Europe. ELAYS shall be the initialising event to hopefully engage both the Latin Americans and the Europeans together in the same projects (that will be chosen by a jury of experts prior to the event).

The goal mentioned above we want to realise through four days of:

• workshops
• panel discussion
• teambuilding events
• working groups
• social events
  
• and a lot discussing whenever there is time
• public evening (guest speakers, food, discussion)
  
• a business trip for the Latin Americans, in order to meet with NGOs and OIs in different Euopena cities and present them their project ideas

The details are yet to be fixed and we are looking forward to an intense and successful preparation period... and of course, we are happy to get critics, comments and thought that you might want to share with us!


There are other positive things to mention:

• the newly found Team-members. We have one from Romania, one from Switzerland, one from the UK, one from Bolivia and one from Colombia.
  
• Others will help as as far as they can, but can't take part in the team. Thank you all for that effort! We need you all!

• We will probably have a partnership with Ashoka fixed at the end of the week! Then we can go on and look for sponsors.
  
• Also the NGO Peace Child is willing to help us with the training of the facilitators of the workshops and the monitoring of the projects, once they're established.
  

I hope that with this post ELAYS has become a little bit clearer to you...

If it hasn't and ELAYS is as mysterious as ever, don't worry! It's a complex and big thing and unfortunately difficult to descripe in a few sentences.

We will definitely try to continue posting and inform you in the next weeks regularly.

All the best, Nathan (co-president ELAYS '10)