YTNF :: SVITUkraine

@ Kiev/Ukraine, 27.-30.08.2007

by Sven Rasch

Within the framework of the long-term project „Youth Transcending New Frontiers“ (YTNF, see: www.ytnf.org/) this training session aimed at providing volunteers of the „Dobre Razom“-project with basic knowledge on the issues of racism and xenophobia and to prepare them for the elaboration of educational activities in the respective fields with youth/students to be delivered in the first two weeks of September 2007 in the western (Lviv) and Eastern (Kharkiv) part of Ukraine.

The session was supposed to be a kick-off for a group of 15 volunteers from all over Europe and the U.S.A. that would split shortly after the session to implement their activities in the one or the other city. So finding a common mode of operation and building the group that would meet again in the end of the project for an evaluation session was another particularly important feature of this session.

The methodology chosen sought to take into account different experiences and levels of previous knowledge of the participants concerning the topic and to be in itself an example of a cooperative and constructive intercultural encounter. This diversity should be validated accordingly as well in terms of applying a variety of methods that would reflect different learning-styles and different target-groups in the western and eastern part of Ukraine as consignees of the educational activities to be elaborated.

The actual program as delivered on the 29th and 30th of August foresaw an intensive two-days program starting from a “media-in-res” introduction to the topic of racism as a relevant topic to many European societies today with recent examples from Germany (Mügeln/Saxony) and the Ukraine (cases of racist violence against foreigners as reported by Amnesty International).

The main idea was to enter analysis of (pro-)racist attitude and behavior in a way that could be applicable with younger participants (aged 12-20 years) and to try out methods of anti-racist and Human Rights Education to highlight also on an experiential and emotional level the causes and impacts of prejudice, deprivilege and dehumanization that lead to severe forms of discrimination against (racial) minority groups and individuals in everyday life.

The structural or institutional aspect of racism was to be spotted alongside with the personal level of involvement in racist discourses that – as has been discovered by the group – can hardly be avoided at all.

Special emphasis was also put on deconstructing the concept of “race” as such which – according to scientific research in the humanities (especially human anthropology) and modern biology and medical genetics – seems to provide no reasonable basis for racist categorization of the human population. “Racism” (“Racialism”) as a discourse or representation of categorial colonial and repressive 'white' thinking, though, is definitely a much more complex and harder to cope with issue. It turned out as a result of the group's discussions that the whole issue of “racism” needs to be challenged on many different levels, the educational only being one of them.

In the late afternoon of August 29th time was dedicated to a short introduction to the conceptual basis of Human Rights Education as an inclusive approach in promoting non-and anti-racist learning. Some key elements in designing educational activities for and with (peer-) youth were reflected and core didactical standards submitted.

As a “homework” the participants were asked to prepare their particular program-drafts for Lviv and Kharkiv in the morning of August 30th. For the presentation of those drafts again an interactive method (the “Kiev Dobre Razom Late Morning Show”) was chosen to ensure that both groups presenting would get positive feedback and benefit to a maximum from mutual constructive criticism. The drafts presented were discussed intensively amongst participants and both groups adapted their plans according to the suggestions given by the auditorium. By the end of the session it was clear to both groups what the ultimate aim of their respective educational activities for Lviv and Kharkiv would be, what in particular they want to achieve with applying specific educational methods, and also what still needs to be done by whom, when, where and how in order to be finally prepared well enough for the performance.

A final round of evaluation was recorded by one of the camp-leaders being present at the session and is to be reported to SVIT and SCI Germany. It needs not to be repeated here again in detail. Still it may be worth mentioning that many participants felt that two working-days were hardly enough to get more than “a taste of everything”, even though the majority felt pretty well prepared after the session for their task to be accomplished within the “Dobre Razom”-project. This impression of limited time is shared by the trainer who would have wished to work some more days with the group on this 'tricky' and demanding topic.

Again the organizational and logistical support provided by the Local Project Management-Team was more than satisfying and the trainer enjoyed working with a group that dedicates its free-time and enthusiasm to this project. Good luck for the upcoming days and events!

Sven Rasch (rasch@network-rope.org), Rossdorf/Germany, 31.08.2007