TOGETHER With and Without Intellectual Disabilities in SELF ADVOCACY

ongoing

In a world full of tension and confrontation, what is needed is - courage, determination, and political solidarity of young people with and without intellectual disabilities. Young citizens wish a bigger role in democratic processes, to be largely involved in life of their communities - more deeply than solely participating in the elections. What is needed are democratic reforms that would enable young citizens not only to be more involved in the decision-making process, but in the will-formation process as well. With this project, we would like to provide young people with and without intellectual disabilities a platform to do so. The project’s overall objective is to promote active youth participation in their communities and to build youth workers’ and youth leaders’ capacity to maximize the potential of young people with and without intellectual disabilities for applying their greatest talents and strengths through self-advocacy in tackling the problems of discrimination and youth passivism and for promoting social inclusion, intercultural dialogue, gender empowerment and sustainable human development in participating communities. The project consists of several virtual international and parallel local activities of four partner organizations from France, Croatia, Egypt and Palestine within a period of 36 months. Central activities are 4 transnational partner meetings, capacity-building training of 24 youth workers with and without intellectual disabilities consisting of 4 modules (1 in-person module in Egypt and 3 online modules); 4 virtual youth exchanges each lasting 6 months and consisting of 4 virtual meetings of 1600 young people with and without intellectual disabilities, production of 16 webinars, publication of youth conclusions and running youth led self-advocacy practical projects in local communities. We believe that diversity enriches all our lives and that young people with intellectual disabilities have a huge amount to offer to society.