"Breaking Stereotypes" photo competition clicks into action

Photography students from across the European Union are busily snapping photos to enter in the 2007 “Breaking Stereotypes” photo competition, which started on 1 March and runs until 30 June this year.

The competition invites students to make a creative statement about diversity as a contribution to the EU’s “For Diversity. Against Discrimination.” campaign and under the umbrella of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. A total of €9000 prize money will be shared among the first, second and third place winners as well as the university or academy the first place winner attends.

The overall winning design will be printed on flyers spreading the “For Diversity. Against Discrimination.” message throughout the EU and the 35 best entries will feature in a touring exhibition starting in Brussels and visiting the capital cities of the three prize winners. A high-gloss catalogue will also be produced with the 35 best photographs and information about the artists who created them.

A special microsite has been launched featuring all the relevant information about the contest, the campaign, including the entry criteria and procedures. Click here to enter.

National winners of 2006 EU Journalist Award unveiled

Juries in 25 EU Member States have selected the national winners of the 2006 EU Journalist Award, which encourages print and online journalists to think and write about issues of diversity and discrimination in European society.
The field of 568 valid entries was larger than the 2005 field and the articles submitted were again of a very high quality.

The national juries also selected a total of 15 nominees to go into the running for the special young journalist award that accompanied the 2006 competition. The winners of both EU-wide categories will be announced at an awards ceremony on 16 April in Brussels.

To see who the juries selected for the national awards and who they nominated for the young journalism prize, click here.

Entries are also currently being accepted for the 2007 EU Journalist Award, please see http://journalistaward.stop-discrimination.info/ for details.

"For Diversity. Against Discrimination." keeps on truckin’

The “For Diversity. Against Discrimination.” campaign hits the road again! From April the truck will tour through 19 European countries during more than seven months making it the longest and most extensive tour of the last four campaign years. This year, the Truck Tour will also promote the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All 2007 and start its journey in Strasbourg, France, on 25 April at the seat of the European Parliament.

The opening ceremony will be presented by Vladimir Špidla, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and include among others the unveiling of the redesigned truck.. Member of the European Parliament (MEPs) as well as pupils and students from France and Germany are invited to participate in the event. A scheduled panel discussion will allow the exchange of views between politicians and youth. Furthermore, the new permanent truck programme elements featured in the tour will be presented to the audience for the first time.

The Truck Tour will visit Nancy two days after Strasbourg as the next stop on its whirlwind journey, before going on a short summer break in August. The second part of the tour in autumn will put a special focus on the promotion of the messages and aims of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All and finalise its route at the closing ceremony of the European Year, in Lisbon on 19-20 November.

Find out where to join up with the tour at http://truck07.stop-discrimination.info/.

Italy unites for Week Against Racism

The Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) of Italy’s Ministry of Equal Opportunities is once again working to fight the scourge of racism with a busy schedule of events during its Week Against Racism (Settimana di azione contro il razzismo).

The third edition of the campaign began on 18 March with the staging of the Marathon of Rome and ended with the European Village event on 25 March. The “For Diversity. Against Discrimination.” campaign and the European Year of Equal Opportunities for all were partners of the week and were represented at all events.

The Fun Run held during the Marathon of Rome was a highlight of the week, and saw participants striving for the finish line in t-shirts carrying the slogan “Vinciamo ogni discriminazione” (“Let’s beat all discrimination”). The run was accompanied by performances about multi-ethnicity by students of ten elementary schools, in five piazzas.

The European Village celebrated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome and featured a UNAR stage under the banner “The EU Against Discrimination”.

To read more, click here.

Eurovision 2007 sings to the tune of EYEO

Everybody’s favourite European cultural institution will this year carry an important message about diversity. The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All has been announced as the official partner of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 12 May.

A record of 42 countries will take part in the 2007 competition as the world waits to see who can replace the colourful winners of the 2006 prize, Finnish band Lordi.

What better way to represent the concept of the Year of Equal Opportunities for all than an event that celebrates the broad spectrum of European culture and identity?

Introducing our national partners in Finland: Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi

Allianssi is an umbrella organisation for Finnish youth organisations and a service organisation for those who work with young people at a local or regional level and in youth organisations. It is also a service organisation for young people themselves. It is independent of any political and denominational affiliation and its membership is open to all democratic nation-wide organisations dealing with youth issues. Nearly all Finnish national youth organisations – formed by interest, hobby or political interest - are members of Allianssi. 
The organisation was established in 1993 through the merging of three former national youth organisations that had many overlapping members, activities and interests, to create a national organisation for youth workers and regional youth organisations. Unlike most European national youth councils, Allianssi carries out a great variety of activities. This is largely because it inherited them from the constituent organisations. Allianssi not only offers a discussion forum for its members and exercises youth policy influence towards authorities, but also provides a wide range of services which can be explored on its website, www.alli.fi.

For more information on our national partners in Finland, please click here.