Social Rights 4All is a project co-funded by the European Youth Foundation and the Council of Europe, which took place in Hylatio Tourist Village, in Pissouri, Limassol, Cyprus from the 21st to the 26th of November in 2023.

Objectives:

Raise awareness about social rights

Raise the awareness of young leaders, youth workers and youth with fewer opportunities for social rights and ENTER recommendation The objective will be met during the training course and also during the follow-up activities. Participants will be improving their knowledge about social rights and Enter recommendations and will transfer them to their peers and beneficiaries via online and offline campaigns.

Explore existing local tools and legal mechanisms

Promote social rights among the youth with fewer opportunities by exploring existing local tools and mechanisms To meet this objective we will explore the local tools and legal mechanisms during the training course and will test it in the follow-up phase of the project.

Approach to local and central government

Approach to local and central government in promoting social rights for young people with fewer opportunities The objective will be reached during the follow-up activities once participants will identify the main challenges in their local communities and approach Limassol municipality and central government for support. The issues will be identified during the training course at the action plan development session.

Implementation

21st of November 2023

FIRST DAY

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

During the first day, we started with an introduction to the project, including team-building activities and name games.

During the morning session, we held an activity about creating our own envelopes. In this activity, participants were walking in the room with a piece of paper with their names and a circle (face). As they were walking with their papers each time and when the trainer said "stop", it was simultaneously suggested to draw a specific feature of the face of the participant whose name was on the paper (e.g., eyebrows, eyes, lips). We continued until we had drawn the whole face. In this way, we had a portrait of each participant which had been drawn by various other participants. Afterwards, we put them up on the wall with an envelope underneath which was used to place some "presents'' and nice words for each person. Within the framework of this activity, we played secret friend throughout the whole week. In fact, each participant had a secret friend from whom they were receiving small presents the whole week!

Another name game activity was to go outside with a ball and each participant had to say an interesting fact about themselves.

A small introduction to the Council of Europe was also implemented, in which many interesting facts about the Council of Europe were mentioned.

We continued with fears, expectations, and contributions in the second session. In this game, each participant had to write a post-ed about fear, one about expectations, and one about contributions, which they had to stick on the respective flipchart of each. We then divided participants into three groups and they had 15 minutes to sort out what was written on the flipchart and present it.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

In the mission-impossible activity, participants had to complete some tasks around the beach area of the Pissouri village and the hotel.

In the last session, participants were introduced to environmentally sustainable guidelines and the EYF Gender Toolbox.

22nd of November 2023

SECOND DAY

HUMAN AND SOCIAL RIGHTS

Draw the Word Game:

In the first session, we implemented the activity "Draw the Word Game," in which we asked participants to get into small groups of four to five people. We gave one person in each team an Article from the UDHR to draw. The others in the team have to guess which right it is. The person who was holding the right, had to draw it on a piece of paper. The person in the team that found out the right first was getting a point. They only had to draw images; no numbers or words could be used. The rest of the team was only saying their guesses; they may not ask questions. After each round, all the drawers were put the human right on a poster. We then were doing a second round; calling new people to be the drawers and giving them a different right. We had at the end, a poster full of the drawings of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Introduction to the Topic and ENTER Recommendations

ENTER DIGNITY LAND

In the afternoon sessions of the second day, we played the interactive game "ENTER Dignity Land." ENTER Dignity Land is a mock EU Parliament debate on Social Rights policies.

Players, as Members of Parliament in an imaginary country called Dignityland, have to decide on the social policies concerning social rights within a development plan for the next five years. Through argumentation and decision-making processes, players learn more about social rights and their links to social policies.

The game can be played in different contexts, in formal and non-formal educational settings, as part of a training course, in schools, in peer groups or within any educational activity.

Enter Dignityland! is based on an original game about social rights, created by the Community Volunteers Foundation in Turkey, Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG) and Istanbul Bilgi University NGO Training and Research Unit from Turkey, called "Life is hard" ("Hayat Zor!"), and has been adapted with their contributions and permission.

23rd of November 2023

THIRD DAY

Scramble for Wealth and Power

1. The aim of the game is to get as many coins as possible. There is only one rule: no participant may touch another member of the group at any time.

2. We asked everyone, except for those playing the "migrants", to sit on the floor in a large circle (so that they could have enough space to play).

3. We took the reserved twenty coins and shared them with four or five of the participants.

4. We gave four other participants one pair of socks each. We told them that they must put them on their hands and keep them on during the whole game. Postpone any discussions of the reasons for sharing the coins and socks until the debriefing.

5. We scattered 100 coins evenly in the middle of the circle.

6. At the word, "Go!" participants gather up as many coins as possible.

7. After all the coins had been collected, we asked participants to report their wealth to the rest of the group. On the wealth chart, we recorded each participant's name and the number of coins they had.

8. We reminded the group that these coins represent their wealth and power in the world. The amount they possess affects their capacity to satisfy their needs (e.g. food, housing, clothes, health care and basic education) and their wants (e.g. higher education, cars, computers, toys, televisions, holidays and other luxury items). The implications are as follows: • six or more coins – people were able to meet all their basic "needs" and most of their "wants"• three to five coins – people were able to meet their basic needs • two or fewer coins – people had difficulty surviving due to disease, malnutrition, inadequate shelter and lack of education to get a job.

Part 2: 1. We told participants that they may if they wish, give coins away to others. However, they are not required to do so. We told them that those who do share will be honoured as donors, with their names written on the list of "Honourable donors". 2. We allowed 3-4 minutes for participants to redistribute the coins if they wished. 3. Then asked for the names of those who gave away coins and the amount that each donated. We listed them on the chart of "Honourable donors".4. We asked if anyone has changed category as a result of giving or receiving coins, and recorded these shifts on the chart with an arrow. Part 3: We created economic fairness (40 minutes)1. We divided the players up into three groups according to the number of coins they have (great wealth, some wealth and little wealth) 2. We placed one of the "migrants" in each of the three groups. 3. We handed out the pens and paper. We gave each group the task of creating a plan for the fair distribution of the coins (the world's wealth) to decrease the gap between the different categories of wealth and power.

Path to Equality Land

In this activity, participants were divided into 4 groups and were tasked with designing two parts of a map on a poster. In the first part of the map, they were tasked to think of a particular local area in Limassol that needs immediate enhancement and to represent it with negative connotations, delving into their imagination. In the second part of the map, they were tasked to think of how the present issues indicated on the first map could be solved, using positive connotations based on their imagination. In between the first part and the second, they had to create their own path and think of unique solutions on how to solve the issues of the first part and proceed to the second.

Petition - Legislation Workshop

On Thursday, November 23, 2023, Oxygen for Democracy and the Polykhoros Oroklinis, as part of the European Erasmus+ program Legislation Matters-Youth Matters, organised an educational workshop during which they presented basic tools for participation in policy-making processes to a group of students, as well as the basic provisions of the legislation under consideration for citizen initiatives (e-petitions).

After listening to the students' opinions, the organisers collected their suggestions regarding the above issues to submit them to the relevant government bodies, aiming to exert positive pressure on decision-making centres.

24th of November 2023

FOURTH DAY

Problem's Identification & Mapping

In the session Problem's Identification & Mapping, participants got to identify a particular issue in the Limassol area to advocate through a petition for the enhancement of this issue in the local community. The issues participants came up with were the following:

a) Better maintenance and enhanced infrastructure of parks in Limassol: Limassol faces several challenges related to its parks, impacting both environmental sustainability and public enjoyment. Urbanisation and population growth have increased pressure on park spaces, resulting in inadequate maintenance, littering, and declining biodiversity. Furthermore, issues of inadequate infrastructure, such as poorly maintained pathways and limited facilities, affect the overall visitor experience. Balancing conservation efforts with the growing demand for recreational spaces poses a significant challenge, highlighting the need for comprehensive management strategies to address these problems and ensure the long-term health and accessibility of Limassol parks.

(b) Want better transportation and enhancement of digital tools to get information about it: As the youth of Limassol, we have observed concerning issues with public transportation. We would like to begin with an essential part, which is the limited use of buses, due to many factors such as punctuality, aka never on time, the non-efficient timetable, resulting in being late to school and work, leaving the passengers with severe consequences. The buses require regular inspections since there have been many incidents; for example, at the beginning of November, the buses that came to pick the students up had flat tyres even though the bus drivers were aware, resulting in the students having to wait for many hours for a different vehicle of transportation. Another vital thing to mention is the update of the CyprusByBus app since, at the moment, it is the only way to get informed of the timetable leading us to our next point, which is putting the timetables of the specific routes on each bus stop. Lastly, if, anytime shortly, it's in the plans to bring new buses, they should come with a disability ramp to aid not only those in wheelchairs and with walking problems but also those with small children and pushchairs. In conclusion, all traffic problems could be solved by using buses, but they are impossible due to all these issues. As the person responsible for public transportation, we are asking you to proceed with the enforcement of these solutions.

(c) Want the establishment of a youth centre in Limassol: The conditions we live under nowadays make setting up a youth centre mandatory for the Limassol municipality, as many other European cities have already been practising youth work via youth spaces/centres for decades. First, it will be the space for young people to realise their potential by implementing activities based on their will that will aim to develop the community. It will be the space for empowering youth via non-formal and informal educational activities that will be run by the youth, for the youth with the youth. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity for young people to socialise and form friendships. It helps to correct the development of the youngsters' personalities and attitudes, making them active citizens in the future. Furthermore, through the youth workers' efforts, it will provide mental health support to its members and assist them in developing a stronger mindset on several topics. Moreover, it will be a safe place for the Limassol youth because it is an opportunity for the youth to avoid risky behaviours such as substance abuse, bullying and illegal activities like trespassing and vandalism, as it teaches the consequences of living with a lifestyle like that. During the activities, the centres' members will be given a certificate for participating in several projects. This is a vital qualification for the students' acceptance into universities. The centre's main aim will be to encourage students to participate in international programs such as Erasmus, student exchanges, etc. In conclusion, establishing a Youth Center in Limassol is an urgent necessity.

25th of November 2023

FIFTH DAY

Power, Flower, and Advocacy

The Power, Flower, and Advocacy activity aimed to teach participants about the power of advocacy and how they can approach influencing bodies to reach their aims. Participants were instructed to draw out a flower. At the grassroots, participants had to think of a particular problem; the grassroots represent. The stamen represented the solution, and the petals were representing the influencing bodies participants could reach, which influencing bodies they would be able to transfer this information to the central power; the core of the flower.

Take a Step Forward

The second sessions was an outdoor activity called "Take a Step Forward," designed to cultivate empathy and foster a deeper understanding of human rights. Each participant was assigned a roleplaying concept, and during a guided meditation, they immersed themselves in the experiences and emotions of that role. The goal was for participants to step into the shoes of others and gain a firsthand appreciation for their perspectives and challenges.

Led by a facilitator, the activity involved a series of statements related to human rights. Participants were asked to reflect on whether they had access to certain privileges, such as education or wifi. If they answered "yes," they took a step forward, visually symbolizing their advantage. On the other hand, if they answered "no," they remained in their original position, highlighting the absence of those rights.

By engaging in this exercise, participants developed a profound sense of empathy. They were given the opportunity to tangibly understand the privileges they possessed or lacked, experiencing firsthand the disparities that exist among human beings.

Beyond merely understanding the roles they were assigned, the "Take a Step Forward" activity allows participants to connect with the broader human experience. They realize that regardless of individual circumstances or roles, all human beings are equal and deserve access to basic rights and opportunities. The activity powerfully conveyed the message that equity lies in providing equal access to these rights, ensuring that everyone can benefit from them.

Dissemination Plan Action Plan

In the afternoon sessions, participants got to design a dissemination plan on how they would disseminate the project, regarding locations, days, as well as petition initiatives and visits to the Mayor of Limassol.

26th of November 2023

SIXTH DAY

In the morning sessions, we start finalising pending things. We had our evaluation, we gave out Council of Europe Certificates, and we had our Secret Friend Ceremony.