Dec 20, 2021 | Youth to Youth
Acting by and for youth, Helsinki Spain has created “Youth for Youth: Educating in Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals” for more than 20 years. In this Edition, which will take place in Galicia, it has the support of the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda and Xunta de Galicia and the Consellería de Política Social.
This initiative has two phases where in the first, university youth receive an online training course, which will take place between March 21 and 25 in Santiago de Compostela, dealing with topics such as gender equality; mental and emotional health; the environment, sustainability and responsible consumption; bullying, cyberbullying and cybersecurity; the protection of people at risk of vulnerability (migration and refuge, people with functional diversity, homeless people); and the bloc of democracy and participation. Once the training is finished, the university youth transmit their knowledge in pairs, giving 4 awareness sessions, which will begin in the middle of March, in school centers in La Coruña and Pontevedra in person, through a participatory methodology using dynamics and games; working values such as respect, equality and non-discrimination.
In this way, the project contributes to the development of a model of global citizenship and a universal culture of Human Rights in which the participants are more aware of their rights.
“Youth for Youth” is not just a project. It is a great opportunity to learn and teach.
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Dec 10, 2021 | Human Rights, Youth to Youth
Today, December 10, is International Human Rights Day, and coinciding with this date from Helsinki Spain we have decided to celebrate the closing of our Project “Youth for Youth” at the School of Industrial Organization, in Madrid.
For this, we have had the presence of some of our volunteers, expert speakers and experts who have made the project training course possible, and the staff of Helsinki Spain. Thus, we have accompanied and applauded the magnificent volunteer work of the young people during the project.
The ceremony began with a few words from María Jaén Barandiarán, President of the organization, and then continued with a brief presentation by the Project Coordinator, Yaryna Vovk, about other active initiatives by the Association with the aim of making them known. After this, we have heard words from Carmen Jordá, speaker Doctor in Public Law, specialized in society, technology and security; Professor at the Camilo José Cela University and head of Prosegur’s Intelligence and Prospective Office. In addition, Marina de Orbe Antón – Pacheco, Director of Education and Volunteering, has read the letter of support for “Jóvenes para Jóvenes” from the Santa Beatriz de Silva center in Madrid and a video with photos and videos of the training and the sessions of this edition and that the volunteers had sent during these past weeks. The closing has continued with the testimony of Victory Collins and Dylan Andrés García, two of the participants in this edition.
Before concluding, we have resolved our “Tik Tok for Human Rights” contest, which was launched about a month ago, giving the prizes to the three winning couples. And, finally, we have delivered the diplomas of participation in the program.
We want to thank all the participants very much for putting their time and effort in “Youth for Youth” that we are fortunate to be able to celebrate year after year thanks to them.
See you in the next call!
Dec 9, 2021 | Human Rights
On November 16, the “Serge Lazareff” award of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was delivered in Torrejón de Ardoz.
The Alliance recognizes with this distinction the relevant contribution of the awardees to NATO’s legal affairs. Among the awardees, we highlight our President Maria Jaen, the only civilian woman awarded for her contribution to the Alliance’s legal department.
The awards were presented by Andrés Muñoz Mosquera, Director of the Legal Department of the Headquarters Allied Forces Europe (SHAPE).
This award was created in 2017 by NATO in honor of French jurist Serge Lazareff, who was General Eisenhower’s interpreter during his military service as a French Army officer in World War II.
With this award, we recall the importance of civilian collaboration in peacekeeping processes and the promotion of human rights at the international level.
Nov 22, 2021 | Education, Employment guidance and social collaboration
Low activity rates, extremely high unemployment figures, precarious employment conditions and the situation with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic compromise the future of a generation that feels frustrated, condemned to social marginalization and handicapped for the full personal autonomy and a future outside of their families. In addition, the figures obtained from official statistics offer impressive results. It is known that the national youth unemployment rate is the first highest in the European Union, with 39.5% in January of this year 2021. On the other hand, according to the Active Population Survey of the National Institute of Statistics in the Community Autónoma de Madrid, the youth unemployment rate during the third quarter of 2021 is 27.76%. Likewise, it is relevant to note that about 30% of young Spanish university students cannot find a job four years after graduating, which can lead them to a situation of social exclusion, after all the work and effort made.
In this way and taking this situation into account, Helsinki Spain in collaboration with the Community of Madrid has once again launched the “Pro Bono – Pro Youth” Project, aimed at university youth between 18 and 35 years of age who is in a situation of unemployment or vulnerability and social exclusion to offer them job guidance and encourage social collaboration. Thanks to the personal interview, the employability training session, individualized mentoring and volunteering, the project has helped more than 1,000 young people.
Throughout the years of the project, although the objective of “Pro Bono – Pro Youth” is to improve the employability of young people, it also sets the challenge of getting each of the participants out of unemployment thanks to a network renewed contacts and new tools acquired after the training and orientation process received. Due to such work, the project was selected and awarded with an AEIF (Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund) grant from the United States Department of State as it was considered an innovative project within the area of entrepreneurship and youth employment and counted, among its mentors and mentors, with fellows and former fellows from the Department of State. Throughout the past six editions, it has also received support from the Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality, the United States Embassy, former alumni associations of the US Department of State, and the Eures Network.
This year, the training course will take place online on December 9, 2021, so from Helsinki Spain we encourage you to register through the following link: https://forms.gle/swqPmcJh5Aof2y7K6
Nov 15, 2021 | Human Rights
Despite the great advancements in human rights throughout our history, the death penalty continues to be used in some countries as a legal punishment. This punishment is an extreme violation of human rights and a form of discrimination and torture against the people, who are often deprived of a legal process with all the guarantees.
Helsinki España organizes an online conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the death penalty and its application in the world. Our lecturers are coming from non-profit organizations with a long history of fighting for the abolition of this type of torture, international law experts, and the testimony of the first Spanish person who got out of death row in the USA.
The conference will take place on 23rd November, from 9:00 hours to 14:00 hours, via Zoom platform. Join us for free and learn by first-hand the situation about the death penalty.
Sign up here! https://forms.gle/Y8TXZZN527NNasrQ9
