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What's XENA - English Version
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Last update: September 08, 2009 |
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PRESENTATIONXENA is a
non-profit,
cultural association for social promotion which was set up in the
autumn of
1994. Its name derives from ancient Greek meaning “foreign things".
Its main objective is to increase and improve the level of contact and
interaction
amongst different cultures. It promotes
projects mainly within the frame of
European Programmes – such as “Youth in Action” (i.e. “Youth for
Europe”,
“European Voluntary Service”, “Group Initiative”, “Support Measures”),
“Lifelong Learning” (i.e. “Leonardo da Vinci” and "Grundtvig") and
others - with the following principal aims: to offer young people the
possibility to join mobility programs in educational, professional and
cultural
spheres and to promote awareness of different cultures and systems; to
promote
opportunities for meetings between different cultures and to encourage
greater
knowledge of foreign languages also in the local sphere; to promote
intercultural learning dynamics, and to prevent and combat racism and
prejudices; and to encourage the active and responsible participation
of youth
in society. Xena is a
training board accredited by the Veneto
Region in the guidance sphere Active
member of the Eurodesk network, managing the local info centre IT049.
(www.eurodesk.org) AREAS
OF INTEREST
Intercultural
learning, youth mobility, youth and adult
education, non-formal education, information to youth, participation,
transnational vocational training, racism and exclusion prevention,
communication between youth, animation, care of the environment,
protection and
promotion of artistic and cultural heritage, integration of immigrants,
citizenship. Human
Resources
Xena's
workforce is formed by experts and trainers of European programmes:
Lifelong
Learning (i.e. Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig) and others; youth
workers/educators; youth information experts; trainers. This group is
supported by young
Italian and foreign people, with
different skills, united by strong ideals towards the basic aim of the
association. Volunteer work of all the members plays a fundamental role
in the
organisation.
SOME
ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
Through
out the years, Xena has carried out many youth exchanges and
intercultural
activities on a local and also on an international level, with the
strong
involvement and responsibility of youth with the goal to develop active
participation and to create a greater sense of participation among the
citizens
in their society. Since
the beginning, Xena has looked after the formation of their workers and
educators, thanks to the participation in courses and seminars promoted
by
other organizations, and has been directly involved with the
organization of
many programs and initiatives. European
Union Programme Youth in Action (Youth for 1995 –
Organized a Study Visit
in Padova for 12 European youth workers, on behalf of the National
Agency
“Youth for 1996 –
Collaborated and
produced– in Conegliano, TV – a regional course for the training of
international youth exchange workers, organized by the Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs. 1997 –
Organized an
international course (Action B of the European Union program “Youth for
Europe”), for youth exchange workers dealing with disadvantaged youth,
titled
“Europe for someone or Europe for all?”, which involved 20 youth
workers from 8
different European countries. We also
organized in
collaboration with other organizations of the Veneto Coordination
“Youth for
Europe” (that we co-promoted) a contact seminar (Action B) with Eastern
European countries in 1998-1999 part
of the traning
team of the
National Agency of the Programme - with one trainer –
in 7 regional
courses made in collaboration with different regions/institutions
(Trentino,
Abruzzo, Sardegna, Veneto, south ern Italy, Calabria, Tuscany) for the
training
of intercultural exchange youth leaders. 1999
In the sphere of Action D (projects with third countries not part of
the
European Union) we organized in Participation
in international
meetings in different areas, including In the Youth
Program we
organized a feasibility visit and a course for youth workers in 2001 Carried
out a feasibility visit
in 2002 Organized
a course in 2002 Euromed:
carried out a
course with activities in 2003-2006:
Partner, with other
Eurodesk points from Veneto, in the cross-border projects
“Vene-To-Europe” and
“Vene-To-Europe Oltre” (Beyond) for the information and development of
projects
by the youth of the border areas in the regions of the 10 countries
joining the
EU in 2004. 2004-2006:
Organized of a feasibility
visit “Globa-l-inks” to May 2004 –
April 2005 “A Boat in the SEE”: a long
term course for youth workers coming from European Union countries and
the
Balkans. The course was made in the sphere for the Youth Action program
Action
5 in collaboration with the Seland Association ( Organized the
on arrival
training for volunteers hosted by organizations in From 2003 we
were part of a team
from the National Italian Agency (Ministry of Work and Political
Socials) for
the training activities organized for the participants of the Voluntary
European Service: pre-departure and on arrival, intermediary
evaluations. Participation
and coordination –
as trainers - in international contact seminars and courses. We produced and
managed
different local youth initiatives (also in the sphere of Action A II I)
with
intercultural parties, workshops, and courses. The most recent: Action
3: Group
Initiative project “Migrant Moon” (i.e. production of an intercultural
magazine,
courses of ethnomusicology, film reviews). By request we
are able to supply
information on our experience with the youth in the exchange spheres
(Action 1)
and of the European Voluntary Service (Action 2) from 1995 until
present. We have worked
with the Leonardo
da Vinci European Programme since 1995: We organised
several
transnational vocational training projects for youth, sending hundreds
of
beneficiaries abroad for projects lasting from 12 to 20 weeks: in
Spain,
Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Finland, Ireland and France in the cultural
sector,
in the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Spain and France for social
service,
animation, non-profit administration. We have
welcomed and housed
youth and underprivileged groups in Veneto for periods of 3 weeks to 6
months,
from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland,
Spain,
Portugal, Greece, France, Germany, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia,
Czech
Republic, Hungary (measure I.1.2.b. and mobility) in collaboration with
numerous public and private companies from different sectors. We
have presented and organized projects for experts (measure I.1.2.c)
dedicated
to “Europe project designers” in collaboration with the City Councils
of Jerez,
Spain and We have
participated in projects
in the same measure promoted by various other European partners. Partner in the
pilot project
“LITE” promoted by the City Council of Halden (N), “Cronos” of the City
Council
of Jerez de la Frontera (E), “Biourbe” promoted by Montblauverd,
Bercellona
(E); “Immigrants’ Training” promoted by the City Council of
Vardø (N) and in
the development projects “Leo-SUSTAIN” in the local sustainable
development. We collaborated
with the
QualityNet network for the quality of transnational vocational training
projects. At present, (2008-2009) we are partners with two projects:
for the
Transfer of Innovation, “Moving – Make It Simple” promoted by
PRODESO/ITAP, The experts at
Xena take part as
designers, selectors, information experts and trainers of the Programme
with
various types of boards/organizations, the target being possible
beneficiaries
and project workers. There are active collaborations with public
structures
from all national territories in Examples of
other
activities carried out
From 1996 Xena
has carried out tailor
made programmes for scholastic trips on
European themes, in collaboration with high schools from Padova
and from
other European countries. In the sphere
of the “Socrates”
Programme, we worked in collaboration with a Commercial Technical
Institute to
have exchanges with Swedish and French classes. 1998 We
organized a vocational
training project in the sphere of Program 19 of the Spanish Ministry of
Labour
on the topic of: “Tourist Activities for the Third Age”. Placing 10
young
adults with internships (lasting 2 months), on behalf of the City
Council of
Jerez de la Frontera. 2001
Coordination for Veneto of
the project “Paideia” from the Connect Initiative for information on
the
European programmes in high schools with the production and supervision
of the
information desks and for designing workshops within the partner
institutions,
the selection and specific training of youth workers for working at the
same
desks, and the treatment of reports and contacts with the scholastic
institutions and of the Vocational Training Department of the Veneto
Region in collaboration with the ARCES
(PA) Association,
promoters of the project. From 2001 we
participated
actively in work groups for the twinnings with November 2003
and October
2004: collaborated with the course “Jump on EuroMed Youth Exchanges”,
organized
in From
April 2004 to year 2008: (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine) We
have
been the coordination organization for all of Italy for all of the
events of
“Follow the Women, From Idea to Reality, Pedalling for Peace”
initiative, for
the promotion of peace and for a greater role of women in society. http://www.xena.it/ftw_2008/ftw_2008.htm 2004-2006:
Participated with our trainers, part of a
team of trainers for the creation, production and evaluation of the
modules on
European Citizenship in the sphere of the training partnership European
Commission – Council of Europe. 2006-2009:
Partner in project
INTERtool that lasts for 3 years for the development of intercultural
competencies of the workers of European projects in the adult education
field
(Socrates-Grundtvig l Programme -European Cooperation Projects). Solidarity
Camps
2004-2008:
Promoted stays and living together in local communities in southern
countries
of the world. Organized in three phases: training in The
objective is to share life experiences and exchange knowledge with
people and
communities with whom it is considered interesting and beneficial to
establish
a bridge with. Summer
2005: Brasile, Ecuador, Mexico and
Costa Rica. “2006-2008: Information,
formations, orientation. Xena
is a training board accredited by the Veneto Region in the guidance
sphere. ·
External
intercultural learning training activities
and on departure/on arrival preparation for international mobility
projects
(exchanges, volunteering, internships). ·
External
information and training on European
programmes in information centers, scholastic institutions,
universities,
private companies, aimed at youth and youth workers. ·
Intercultural
learning activities held by scholastic
institutions and other
companies and
organizations. ·
Promotion in
2006 of the Itaca job guidance project,
addressed to Italian and foreign women (cofinanced by the Region of
Veneto) and
of the Polaris projects (yearly from 2007 to 2009) addressed to adults
that
have lost their work, women with hardships, and foreigners. ·
We are part of
the Eurodesk network (it049@eurodesk.eu)
managing a
local relay for information on the European institutions initiatives
for the
youth
www.eurodesk.org ·
Information
service (back
and front office) on international opportunities for the youth, for the
youth
info centres Territory Network of the town councils of Cervarese S. Croce, Rovolon, Saccolongo e
Selvazzano
Dentro (PD). Consultancy Consultancy and
support for scholastic
institutions, public and private organisations for the project design
and
production of European projects, in the frame of formal, non formal
education
and vocational training. Language
& Culture
courses
Italian,
Portuguese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Norwegian, English and other
possibilities
by request, with qualified mother-tongue teachers.
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