Дейности и събития

Създаването на един различен свят

Competition to depict diversity and equality

Европейският съюз и MTV предизвикват младите таланти на Европа да обрисуват различността и равнопоставеността

Европейският съюз стартира новия си конкурс за повишаване на информираността по въпросите на равните възможности и борбата с дискриминацията с 30-секунден рекламен спот по MTV, най-големият младежки телевизионен канал. Рекламата предизвиква зрителите да участват с творби, включително фотографии, видео филми и колажи, по темите на различността и равнопоставеността.

Владимир Шпидла, Европейският комисар на труда, социалната политика и равните възможности, коментира старта на конкурса: “Борбата с дискриминацията и популяризирането на равните възможности за всички са цели от първостепенно значение за Европейския съюз.

Творческият конкурс е идеален начин да разпространим тези послания, да дадем шанс гласовете на Европейските зрители на MTV да бъдат чути и да представим таланта им в ЕС. Нямаме търпение да видим техните участия!” Конкурсът е един от многото активности за повишаване на информираността, проведени в рамките на 2007 – Европейска година на равните възможности за всички и петгодишната информационна кампания „За Различността. Против Дискриминацията”. Крайният срок за предаване на материалите е 8 декември, като победителят ще бъде обявен на 17 декември 2007.

Реклама

Рекламата започва с лице, чиито части, глава, уста и нос се сменят бързо, показвайки хора от различна раса, религия, възраст, способности и сексуална ориентация, като по този начин подчертава разнообразието на човешката раса. След това клипът продължава, за да покаже група млади хора, които творят – всички застанали на светъл, бял екран. Глас зад кадър приканва зрителите да се включат в конкурса и да получат възможността да спечелят пътуване до европейски град по избор на стойност 4 000 евро.

Различен Град DiverseCity

Като част от конкурса бе създадена интернет страница DiverseCity на eudiversity.com. На нея всеки може да качи свои неща, да създаде своя собствена онлайн идентичност и да популяризира своите фаворити по време на онлайн гласуването от 9 до 16 декември. Специална селекция от най-добрите участия ще бъде използвана по време на други инициативите за повишаване на информираността в Европейския съюз.

За повече информация за кампанията „За Различността. Против Дискриминацията.”, инициативата 2007 – Европейска година на равните възможности за всички и рекламната кампания, моля посетете:
www.stop-discrimination.info
http://equality2007.europa.eu

"Diversity Makes Us Richer, not Poorer"

Peace Institute launches CD on Everyday Life of Gays and Lesbians in Slovenia 

Recent research on the everyday life of gays and lesbians in Slovenia conducted by the Peace Institute (see www.mirovni-institut.si/glbt) has shown that 53% of gays and lesbians suffered from different kinds of and violence and discrimination due to their sexual orientation. The majority of them still fear to talk about their sexual orientation at work (49% have not come out to their coworkers or only to few of them) because they might experience mockery or discrimination. These statistics have led the Peace Institute in cooperation with the EU "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." campaign to launch the CD project entitled "Diversity makes us richer, not poorer".

The CD includes three films showing everyday situations that gays and lesbians are confronted with in addition to useful information on the subject for teachers, employers and potential victims of discrimination. The project's main objective was to activate and promote the idea of �intimate citizenship� referring to the fundamental right to actively participate in public (and private) life as a sexual person regardless of one's sexual orientation.

The CD-rom project  "Diversity Makes Us Reacher : Not Poorer" was  made by the Peace Institute (Slovenia) in cooperation with Amnesty International Slovenia and Association for the integration of homosexuality (Slovenia). The project was made possible by EC program "Promotion of Active European Citizenship" and campaign "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." 

To read the content of the CD online in English, please visit www.mirovni-institut.si/razlicnost.

Hands together for the Winner of the EU/MTV Photo Competition!

A student from Leeds has won the EU/MTV Photo Contest, a joint initiative between the EU�s information campaign, �For Diversity. Against Discrimination� , and MTV Networks Europe.

Robert Matwiejczyk, 18 years old, wins a digital camera and a six-day trip to Barcelona, Berlin and Riga, including four-star hotel accommodation and sight-seeing trips.  Robert�s photo, titled simply �Diversity�, was one of almost 1600 entries received.  The competition ran from November 10, 2005 until January 31, 2006. 

Robert�s photo was voted for by 487 visitors to the Photo Contest website, receiving over 100 votes more than the runner up. The objective of the competition was to find out how young people perceive diversity � both those that sent in the photographs and those that voted. "The quality of the creative concepts that the competition generated was outstanding and powerfully reflects the breadth of inspiration and interpretation young people have in connection with this big issue." commented Cristian Jofre, Senior Vice President, Creative, MTV Networks International.

Robert is delighted to be the winner of the competition and plans to take the trip after his summer exams. His photograph features two hands on the piano, one black and one white.  The hands belong to Robert and his friend, Tony who is from Nigeria. The contrast of the black and white of the piano keys and the black and white of the hands makes it a beautiful shot and a timeless representation of human diversity. A new TV ad, promoting the EU Diversity information campaign, will be produced from a selection of the best photographs and will be broadcast across Europe in summer 2006.

Download 1st prize photo (169 KB)

Download 2nd prize photo (47 KB)

Download 3rd prize photo (59 KB)

Hellenic Conference on Workplace Discrimination and Diversity

On December 7th, the "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." campaign hosted the Hellenic Conference on discrimination and diversity in Athens at the Ledra Marriott Hotel. In total, 188 people from local authorities, various business areas, the equality bodies, the academic community and more, participated in five different workshop sessions.

The main issues discussed during the Conference were the new legislation framework against discriminations and the work of Equality Bodies in Greece as well as the role of local and regional authorities in eliminating discrimination and promoting diversity. Moreover, in a special Media Session participants were invited to discuss the involvement of the media in the fight against discrimination.

The final session focused on the anti-discrimination campaign in Greece, providing members of the Greek National Working Group as well as other organizations active in the fight against discrimination the opportunity to share their experience on ongoing projects and to build synergies across strands.

This event aimed at disseminating information on the rights and obligations derived from the incorporation of the two European Directives in the Greek legislation, promoting the dialogue and raising awareness on discrimination and diversity issues. The Conference gave the opportunity to people coming from different backgrounds to sit around the same table and exchange thoughts and experiences, reminding everyone that education and dialogue are two very important means of protecting diversity and eliminating discrimination.

For more photos of the conference, please visit our photo gallery.

Helsinki, Finland: Diversity Day highlights

Workplace of the Future

Diversity Day, organised by the STOP project, with a theme  �Workplace of the Future�, will take place in Helsinki, Finland, on Dec. 09.-10th. The first one of the same type of annual event was organised in 2003.

European Union�s  �For Diversity. Against Discrimination.� campaign is supporting this impressive occasion, which will be opened by Mr. Paavo Nikula, Chancellor of Justice for Finland. 

The general aim of the current conference is to put the focus on practises at workplace that would promote equality and anti-discrimination.  The exchange of information concerning diversity at workplaces will be materialized in form of seminars, workshops and discussions. There will be participants representing different ministries and other public communities, labour market organisations, the business community, minority groups etc. Also Mr. Patrick Taran, Senior Migration Specialist of the ILO, will give a presentation at the event.

For more information, please visit: www.equality.fi

Direct: http://www.yhdenvertaisuus.fi/english/diversity_day/

STOP project

The STOP project is a national awareness-raising campaign, which has been ongoing since 2001 and co-funded by the Commission from the Community Action Programme to combat discrimination. The project partners are four ministries (Ministries of Labour, Education, Social Affairs and Health and Interior) and umbrella organisations/equality bodies representing people exposed to discrimination on different grounds (ethnic origin, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation)

Additional information: www.join.fi/seis and www.equality.fi

MTV and the European Union putting Diversity in the Picture

Please click here to see the MTV Spot as Quicktime movie, Windows Media Video or Mpeg movie.

The EU information campaign �For Diversity. Against Discrimination.� has teamed up with the world�s largest youth channel, MTV, to create a competition in Europe to find the best photos depicting diversity. The competition aims to raise awareness of new European legislation banning workplace discrimination on a range of grounds, including age, religion and sexual orientation.

Commenting on the launch of the competition, Vladimir �pidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said �Diversity is not only part of our everyday lives, it is also something to celebrate and enjoy.  With the photo competition we want to reach out to young people who may face discrimination, particularly when looking for a job.  Working with MTV helps us to reach this younger audience and we are looking forward to seeing the entries!�

The competition will be launched tonight in a TV ad informing viewers about the contest. This 30-second ad will be shown across the MTV Network for the next three weeks.  The prize is a round-trip to Berlin, Barcelona and Riga.  A selection of the best photos will be shown next year as part of a new advertisement on combating discrimination in Europe.

The ad starts with a series of close ups of cameras of all shapes, sizes and styles and is accompanied by a soundtrack of cameras clicking.  This is followed by flashes of many different people representing MTV�s diverse audience who take photos with the cameras.  A voiceover invites viewers to send in their photographs and to visit the competition website. 

�MTV has a long history of highlighting issues relevant to young people, so we are excited to partner with the EU to help raise awareness about the importance of embracing diversity,� commented Cristian Jofre, Senior Vice President, Creative, MTV Networks International.

The closing date for entries is 31st January 2006, and entries can be posted on www.mtv.co.uk/eudiversity, www.mtv.tv/eudiversity, www.mtve.com/eudiversity, www.mtv.es/eudiversity, www.mtv.it/eudiversity, www.mtv.fr/eudiversity, www.mtv.de/eudiversity, www.mtv.nl/eudiversity, www.mtv.pl/eudiversity, www.mtv.pt/eudiversity.  

Please click here to see high-resolution stills of the MTV spot.

The Business Case for Diversity: Good Practices in the Workplace - European Conference

28.-29.11.2005, Marriott Hotel, Brussels, Belgium

The conference will provide an opportunity to stimulate exchange of experience among businesses, employers representatives, politicians, civil society and other stakeholders across Europe. You will have the opportunity to hear first hand the results of the European Commission�s forthcoming report on �The Business Case for Diversity: Good Practices in the Workplace� to be launched during the conference. This research provides concrete information to promote the key aims of enhancing workplace diversity and combating discrimination.

 download programme (PDF-file) 115 KB

European Youth in Action for Diversity and Tolerance

The Council of the Youth Ministers of the European Union has stressed the importance of the role of young people in the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination and has called for concrete measures by the European Commission and the Member States in the youth fiel in 2005.

This youth conference is part of a general European strategy against racism and discrimination. It is a follow-up of a European youth conference for tolerance and democracy held in 2001 and has the following objectives:

• to evaluate the progress since 2001
• to facilitate the exchange of information on good practices
• to support the creation of an active network in Europe
• to develop a final political declaration for policy-makers
• to plan activities and actions
  

 download document (PDF-file) 1,9 MB

World Record set by Runner for Diversity at Rotterdam on Wheels

On September 11, 2005, 655 men and women dedicated their run to diversity at the Rotterdam on Wheels half marathon.  Both disabled and non-disabled participants joined the Run for Diversity by wearing the striking yellow campaign running shirts and by doing so, showing their support for diversity and the fight against discrimination.

The highlight was when disabled handbiker, Monique van der Vorst, won the women�s handbiking marathon and set a new world record, wearing the Run for Diversity running shirt. She broke the old record by two minutes and finished the race in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 30 seconds on the distance of 42,195 km.  In addition, two further diversity runners, Kees van Breukelen and Harrie van Hout were the first to finish in the Men�s Open and Men�s Handicap C category.

For more photo impressions of the Rotterdam on Wheels, please see the photo gallery.

9 November 2005 - International Day Against Facism and Antisemitism

BLOW FASCISM AWAY! Join the Movement

'Blow Fascism Away!' - under this heading anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations throughout Europe commemorate the victims of the 'Kristallnacht'. The commemoration has also taken a new meaning as the organisations remember not only the Pogrom from 1938 but also campaign against discrimination in Europe today.

The focus of this year�s campaign around the 9 November is to join forces and build a strong movement capable of fighting fascism in all its forms.

The UNITED campaign around 9 November aims to give the anti-racist movement power in the common fight against fascist ideology and to raise awareness about the victims.

Please visit http://www.unitedagainstracism.org to find out more about the campaign, contribute with ideas and events or order campaign material.

Stop-Discrimination campaign rocked the boat in Amsterdam!

On Saturday the 6th of August the Canal Parade 2005 was held in the ring of canals in Amsterdam. The Canal Parade is part of the annual and world-famous Gay Pride weekend that attracts thousands of visitors every year. This year too, despite the sometimes heavy rainfall, 350.000 people stood beside the canals to watch the colourful parade pass by. One out of almost 70 boats was a thematic boat of the nondiscrimination campaign �For Diversity. Against Discrimination.� of the European Union. Besides this boat a variety of boats from the Amsterdam Club sc�ne and organisations like Amnesty International, the Aids Fund, the Red Cross, the GG &GD and many others joined the parade. The Stop-Discrimination boat participated in the parade to emphasize that the European Union does not accept discrimination on any ground. This message was spread by 5 Crash-Test-Dummies with the slogan �Our differences make the difference�.

The Canal Parade was held between 14.00 and 18.00 hours and went from the start at the Westerdok, to the Korte Prinsengracht, the Prinsengracht, the Amstel, the Zwanenburgwal, over the Oude Schans to the end at the Oosterdok. During this four hour journey DJ Boy Lamoen gave a swinging and trendy performance on the boat.

Besides the boat a team of campaign members distributed campaign informationmaterials to the public. The visitors reacted very enthusiastic and positive on thecampaign and its participation in the parade! Many people said we had �one of few boatswith a clear and good message and slogan�.

EU Presidency Conference in Luxembourg

Mainstreaming diversity: opening the debate with the whole of society

On 27th and 28th June 2005, the Luxembourg Ministry of Family and Integration - Government Commission for Foreigners - with the support of the European Community Action Programme to combat discrimination organised a conference on mainstreaming diversity. A series of workshops looked at exchanging good practices on integration and non-discrimination, the role of the media, young people and regional and local authorities in awareness raising. Two round tables were organised in parallel: one covered the main topic of the conference Mainstreaming Diversity and the second discussed Multiple Discrimination.

The conference was launched by a press conference that took place on the EU Truck in front of the 'Casino 2000', the main conference venue. Speakers at the press conference included Vladimir Spidla, The European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Marie-Jos�e Jacobs, The Minister for Family and Integration, Christiane Martin, Chairperson of the Conference and Government Commissioner for Foreigners and Franco Barilozzi, general secretary of CLAE (Comit� de Liaison et d'Action des Etrangers) and a member of the national working group in Luxemburg.

Newsletter 1 801 KB         

Newsletter 2 910 KB

The EU Truck Goes Baltic

The youngest contributors to the truck tour so far, the children's group Tele Bim Bam, took to the stage in Vilnius last month (see photo below)! After an official opening by the Minister of Social Security & Labour together with Michael Graham, head of the European Commission office in Lithuania, the young group quickly inspired the audience to get into the issues of the �For Diversity. Against Discrimination.� campaign.

In Panevezys, too, young actors in the fight against discrimination helped raise awareness of issues related to disability. In a creative approach to fashion, students of the Panevezys School for people with disabilities demonstrated in the �Cinderella fashion show� colourful fabrics entirely manufactured from newspaper. The idea of the show was to unite two concepts that are not usually seen in combination � the world of fashion and people with disabilities.

From Lithuania, the truck continued its journey to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. After a successful stop in Riga last year and on request of members of the National Working Group the truck visited Latvia for the second time. To reach People outside the capital and give the opportunity to for people who seek advice to turn directly to the organisations in charge, the truck stopped in Jekabpils.

Maris Sans, the diversity ambassador of the campaign publicly addressed the audience together with Mr. L. Dainis, Executive Director of the Jekabpils City council, highlighting the importance and the need for equal opportunities not just in form of legislation but also as a cultural behaviour. For that it was essential that the truck provided information about the EU anti-discrimination legislation and the �For Diversity. Against Discrimination.� campaign. Visitors were offered films about discrimination issues, information on "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." campaign and information material about the national NGOs who can offer specific support in Latvia.

To emphasise on the importance of the media in the fight against discrimination and in the promotion of diversity in the workplace the national finalists of the EU Journalist Award in Estonia, Tiina Saar and Merike Lees were honoured with a national certificate.

The event in Tallinn was hosted by Samuel Golomb, the famous Estonian TV presenter and diversity ambassador to the campaign who encouraged people to openly address issues of discrimination and to keep the will in the fight for equality and social integration. During the event a free legal aid service was offered on Truck. In individual interviews Lawyers from the different organisations provided consultancy and answered to people�s questions about discrimination in the workplace.

In Helsinki, Ms. Eva Biaudet, MP and member of the Helsinki City Council, who is personally devoted to anti-discrimination issues, officially opened the truck event. During the day the audience was entertained by quite a number of cultural performances: a multi-national rap band, Indian singing, and Japanese Buto dancing. Moreover, numerous organisations representing the interests of, for instance, gays and lesbians and people with disabilities presented their anti-discrimination work to the audience. The panel discussion that highlighted the afternoon gathered an impressive group of decision makers and specialists, i.e. the Chancellor of Justice, Mr. Paavo Nikula, two MPs and directors of employees� and employers� organisations. Special thanks go to Mr. Tino Singh, the Indian-born moderator of the event whose fluent, multilingual announcements kept the audience and the performers in high spirits.