This week has been really full with goodbyes and thoughts how wonderful these past 8 months have been. Today we said goodbye to the Amal Bakhti children, which are seen in our filmed material (also lovely Nisa and Manda with their love story). Children brought sweets, prepared speeches for us and were happy that next year other volunteers are coming and they will continue learning English and playing games. They told us how fun it is to learh English by playing NGO typical games and learning by doing We will miss them all so much…

Hi Everyone,,

In 14 – 28 Juli the Kinderfreunde – Rote Falken present annualy summer camp in Döbriach. The camp followed by participant from each organization, and about five hundred participant include children and youth. The core in the camp is embed a value of solidarity and friendship to the participant, and I saw all the participant received that value and afterwards try to practicing in the field camp. This is my first time to join in Falken Camp, and I have a great impression about that which is all the people who involve in camp are recognized me. I’m feeling enjoyed during the camp, even sometime a little bit tired but it doesn’t matter when we work with children. Because they always smiling and doesn’t matter about the weather (sometime rain coming quickly), they having fun every day looks like never tired.

I’m work in pedagogy team, the team is organized all the activity in the camp. The best program is Kinder-Republic which is like miniature of government or democracy practice. The participant run a parliament for making policy and execute, moreover we have a daily news paper which involving the children and youth for make some news about happening activity. The other hand some group of youth walk to the forest for surviving in several days that also interesting program.  Even this my first, but I don’t felt that, I like the camp, activity and also the people.

Best United in Döbriach (watch it)

Today is the last day of July. Me, Jānis and Alley are siting in office and thinking about how great these past months have been. It is Ramadan now and we are in a hurry filming streets and urban views of Medan for our movie. Jānis is going to Amal Bahti village for staying there (3 – 5 days) for last shoots. Good it is a dry season, so rain doesn’t distract last moments of filming and preparing. Just a heat and lots of sweating in Ramadan fair and filming urban atmosphere

I ve been fasting first days of Ramadan too, it was an interesting experience. Yesterday had an interview with Eni telling more about values and reasons to fast in Ramadan. Will try to edit it later and post on blog.

Today, everything is different. The streets look like the sky. It smells of home, wet concrete. The children in the street are still there, as always, but are playing with excited, new voices. Even the flies seem shocked and are (a little) less bothersome as a result.

I heard about the streets of Durham, and was smiling inside because of my sunshine outside. But now, suddenly, I don’t feel so far away from home.

Hey everyone, here are some shots from training me, Jānis and Alley organized for village and street children about video making, editing and script writing. Right now children are in process of realizing their ideas. You will see soon. To be continued..

Hello VApers

I feel like time is really running fast. It’s already been six months for most of us . Can you believe that? I can still vividly remember when I got to Brussels some few months ago and I find it amazing that over these few months I have been able to learn and do so many things.

Recently, I attended the IC meeting in Dakar Senegal. It was especially nice for me not just because the meeting was successful. It is also because in the meeting I had the opportunity to meet with so many other young people from IFM-SEI member organisations. After the meeting we had the African Network meeting. In this meeting we accomplished many things and we hope to achieve more in the future.

It was thanks to that meeting that I met with Rivka Jubitz from SDJ Die Falken and there we had another meeting on how to start a magazine for young women from IFM-SEI member organisations around the world. In our discussions we plan to encourage young women to speak out and fight for their rights. After the meeting we have been working on setting up a blog/Magazine and I am glad to tell you that you will be reading one soonest. Just watch out for FEMINIST ECHOES!

I attended the Training course for youth Leaders of African Diaspora in Europe organised by the council of Europe, African Diaspora Youths Living in Europe (ADYNE) from the 21-27 of May. ADYNE is a platform in the making, dedicated to the development of an official network that shall enable us to represent the interest of the African Diaspora Youth living in Europe and work on strategies to strengthen the development of a constructive dialogue between European and African societies. ADYNE shares the spirit of “UBUNTU”( I am What I am because of Who we all are) that recognize coexistence, humanity, servitude, belonging, accountability and respect towards others. I have been working with the other members to promote our Mapping Exercise which is aimed at looking for more African Diaspora organisations to join the Network, contribute to writing the newsletter and also making contributions that will help ADYNE grow. For more information go to (www.adyne.eu)

I am also doing the VAP research. Eugeni and I are concentrating on youth unemployment: the perspective of the Diaspora in Belgium. I am working with Africans  in Belgium. I must admit that getting their perspectives has been very challenging; it was first of all difficult to get people willing to talk about their lives on Camera and also to build a relationship with people, making them feel comfortable enough to trust you and share with you. I succeeded in doing this because I do not see myself as filming. I see myself as sharing my own issues with fellow Africans because I understand their challenges and I guess that they see that too.

I was always worried that I will make a lot of mistakes and spoil the videos but after talking with Miki, I don’t have this fear anymore. I am suddenly feeling very confident in my filming and I just cannot wait to see how our documentary is going to look like. Plus it was also refreshing for me to work with Liesbeth Van Gysem from Rode Valken here in Belgium. We had time during an event to talk to the young people of the organisation about the VAP project and get their own ideas.

Finally even though it has been exciting, sometimes I just want to break down and cry because I miss my family, OGCEYOD and  Cameroon so much. But I guess that is part of growing up. See you soon!

Hi All,,

Finally I’m in Vienna now, than enjoy by VAP/EVS program, I need a long time to would be finished my visa, that’s why I came to Vienna later. This is my first time fly to Europe, but I didn’t worry about that (I have already learn before and take everything easily), I fly from Medan to Jakarta its about two hours, and than fly Jakarta-Doha about eight hours, and the last Doha-Vienna the same as before (about eight hours). The situation when I was fly is bored and tired also , I didn’t know what I could to do about twenty hours on board. When I arrived at Vienna, Simon pick up me from the airport. And the after that we went to his flat. The weather is fine at the time, therefore Simon brim me around the Vienna City. He told me anything about the ‘monumental’ building, its cool!! I’m enjoyed like as a tourism, I haven’t a jet lag at those moment. Two days after I arrived in Vienna, Dodo invited to me a Rock im Park which is the big one festival in Germany. I’m really happy about that, I’m interest and respect about all genre music. I’m would be like ‘a lucky Man’ meet them (Dodo and Simon) theirs well freindsip and I would be say ‘Danke!!’ for everything they gave to me..

Rock im Park - Nuremberg

Museum Quartier