Novice

Solidarity Balkan Peace Tour against poverty and exclusionA catalyst initiative of independent witnesses: here and now, we can make the difference

Context: at the heart of the general “crisis”… move your apathy!

• Follow up of the youth call and message from the International Leadership Team of the International Movement ATD Fourth World on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October 2010* (see endnotes).
• 2010 European year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion... what next and which coherent link with 2011 European year of Volunteering?
• 2010: 15 years independence for Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia. 2011: 10 years independence for FYROM, 20 years for Slovenia... 5 years for Montenegro... 3 for Kosovo...
• UN: only 5 years left to achieve the OMD… “To reduce extreme poverty and hunger”…

Objectives of this voluntary based initiative:

• To deepen the actions started in 2010 and to maintain the commitment and the concern of civil society (especially the youngsters) in 2011 about the poverty and exclusion issues.
• To collect feedback about human rights access, misery and exclusion situation: before and after the Independence? Before and after joining the EU?
• To reinforce local and cross-border solidarity between homeless, excluded poor people and especially the young migrants or belonging to minorities: from the never-ending walk around and around to a march of resistance and dignity.
• To give a real chance and opportunity to some youngsters to take back the responsible lead of their life before falling too down… following the positive example of some who managed to get out of the “hell circle”.
• To use and live better the “crisis” in order to reinforce public awareness and the connection between different citizen resistance actions, as to invent new forms of “living together” based on mutual respect, sharing and harmony with our environment.
• To identify and to put in contact organisations potentially interested by the creation of a « social inclusion NGO Balkan network ».

Let’s mention here that no predefined results are expected. We first value the connection process and the incredible energy that such ambitious and catalyst project can generate, encouraging new local initiatives.

Actions: Solidarity March – Tour of the Balkans

Preparation and departure: January – March

From Ljubljana, preparation of the project in cooperation with the local NGO Kings of Streets, member of the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) and International Network of Street Papers (INSP). A creative artistic workshop is taking place weekly where any volunteer can come and exchange about the project and offer his/her story…

10^th March: Press conference with the presence of the official representative of the President of Slovenia for social, health and humanitarians affairs.

13^th March: Day 1 of the March

The main idea is to connect the highest mountain summits with the poorest neighbourhoods of each crossed country by a walk from Slovenia to Greece/Turkey via all former Yugoslavia and Albania…

On the way, going directly in contact with the target groups and with the support of local organisations:

• Stories, messages, wishes will be exchanged...
• Portraits of people and especially young people which are homeless or living discrimination and exclusion, interviews of social workers will be collected…
• Workshops, meetings will be organised... and people will be encouraged to join also the March... to witness in movement...
• Will be identified new possible partner organisations working on similar issues.
• The SBPT fotoblog will be regular updated with collected material (actually in construction)

Once at the South-East “border of Europe”... in Istanbul, evaluation will be made... and if the first part is successful, return will be made, still walking, mostly following back the Danube and Sava until Slovenia via Bulgaria, Romania. Return to Ljubljana is planned more or less in autumn.

Countries and main cities to be connected:

Albania – Tirana

ARYM – Skopje, Bitola

Bosnia & Herzegovina – Sarajevo, Mostar

Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv

Croatia – Zagreb, Dubrovnik

Greece – Athens, Thessaloniki

Kosovo – Pristina

Montenegro – Podgorica

Romania – Bucharest, Constanta

Serbia – Belgrade, Novi Sad

Slovenia – Ljubljana, Maribor

Turkey – Istanbul

In each main urban stop we plan to stay around 10 days… according the dynamics.

The project initiator, Frederic-Raphaël Duret-Nauche (Freelance bridge builder and social worker), becoming a simple messenger and pilgrim, commits himself to the entire march, counting mostly on local hospitality, ready to share the living conditions of homeless people.

If people are free to join voluntarily… nobody is forced to do it. Many are ready to share a solidarity message but not to walk… some are ready to walk only one or two weeks… we will therefore see how things develop, but we hardly imagine that the group will gather more than 10 persons at once.

After the SBPT, back in Slovenia

• Evaluation and final report sent to all partner organisations
• What to do with the collected material?
• According the money available: a book, a moving exhibition, a documentary…
• Presentation of the project and workshops to initiate new ideas…

Actual partners providing us (moral) support

Mr Buzek, President of European Parliament

Mr Turk, President of Slovenia.

The project received the quality-label “I feel Slovenia” with the opportunity to be presented in the SINFO publication distributed to more than 4000 organisations and institutions in Slovenia and abroad (in Slovenian and in English).

A special thank you to Alpina firm (Mr Zupan), who offered us some good walking shoes.

We thank also the following NGO:

• ATD Forth World (Europe)
• Arche, Movement for non-violent society (France)
• Builders of Peace (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
• Diversity Crew (Belgium)
• FUAJ/ Hostelling international (France / Europe)
• Slovenska filantropija (Slovenia)
• Solidarités Jeunesses (France)

We did not receive any financial support from possible private contacted sponsors. Therefore all actual preparation costs are covered voluntarily by the committed persons ready to join the march.

Any support (logistic, financial…) in any city which could be provided by would be welcome… we can easily imagine that where somebody would be ready to host us, we would be happy to run a workshop or to take part in any kind of event… to meet, to explain, to witness, to exchange…

Contact of the project coordinator

Frederic-Raphaël Duret-Nauche

Email: sbpt2011(@)gmail.com

Telephone: 00386 40 254 064

You can also help:

F.R. DURET-NAUCHE/ SOLIDARITY BALKAN PEACE TOUR

NOVA LJUBLJANSKA BANKA D.D.
TRG REPUBLIKE 2, 1520 LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIE
IBAN: SI56020102785881967
SWIFT - BIC: LJBASI2X

"Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty".

Fr. Joseph Wresinski

IDENTITY – LIBERTY – RESPONSIBILITY – SOLIDARITY

CONSCIOUSNESS AND ACTION NOW!

* Endnotes:

Read this messages proclaimed with more than 1000 people in front of the Commemorative Stone at the European Parliament.