EYCE ExCo meets in Helsinki, Finland

The Executive Committee (ExCo) of the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe (EYCE) met for their scheduled meeting from 16th to 20th of June 2011 in Helsinki, Finland. The ExCo also took the opportunity to meet with the representatives of EYCE’s Finnish Member Organisation SEN Youth and representatives of the Finnish Ecumenical Council in an ecumenical evening organized by SEN Youth. In addition, the ExCo met the General Secretary of the Finnish Ecumenical Council Rev. Heikki Huttunen in order to discuss the ecumenical situation in Finland and in Europe. Of great interest was also the visit of an Orthodox Youth Camp during which EYCE and its work was presented.

The ExCo reviewed and evaluated the work that has been done since their last meeting in February 2011 in Brussels, as well as continued outlining the themes and events for 2012. A main part of the work during the meeting was dedicated to the preparations for EYCE’s 38th General Meeting, which will take place in October 2011 in Germany.

The agenda of the meeting included also discussions on the future cooperation with the World Council of Churches (WCC), the upcoming training course and the development of the Campaign to Promote Ecological Justice. As for the work connected with the European Youth Forum (YFJ), the Executive Committee discussed EYCE’s possible contributions to the new Work Plan 2013-2018 of the European Youth Forum, EYCE’s participation during the II Convention on Volunteering in September in Brussels and the Quality Assurance Framework of YFJ for Non-Formal Education.

The foreseen events for the second half of 2011 are:

  • 8th to 10th of September, EYCE at the II Youth Convention on Volunteering, Brussels, Belgium
  • 17th – 23th of October, EYCE’s 38th General Meeting, Höchst im Odenwald, Germany
  • 4th – 11th of December, “Secularism and Religions: Working Together for a Common Europe. An interreligious study session”, European Youth Centre Budapest, Hungary

The ExCo developed the initial programme for the second half of 2012, with the two last events of the year focusing on the recognition and positive use of gender plurality among young people, as well as an interreligious event in cooperation with the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations.

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