The story

The festival, born in 2009 from an idea of a group of six young people coming from Avilés, took place since then (with just a couple of years of interruction, due to logistic reasons). It consists in a tour across private houses: the owners open their doors to the people of the community, in order to share different kinds of experiences.

During these years, people had the chance to enjoy activities such as theater, short films, performances, concerts, cooking or gardening lessons etc. People walk around the city, enter a house participating to the festival and are welcome to take part in the activity held inside. Moreover, to get into the mood, part of the play implies also being dressed up in comfy clothes, like pajamas, slippers, dressing gowns and rollers in the hair or night caps – a sort of “my place is your place”.

The goal

Goal of the activity is to break down the barriers between private and public space for one night, to stimulate the cultural and artistic life of the community and to foster the relations between different people, groups and youth organisations.

Global Youth Advocacy in Oviedo

This year, in spite of the pouring rain, the three routes of the festival led the young participants of the Global Youth Advocacy capacity building (together with many people from Oviedo) to cooking lessons, Tarot reading, ballet performances and much more. It was a chance to know more in deep the local life and customs, and to learn how to respect and share at the same moment spaces that are normally closed to strangers.

That’s the best outcome of the festival: although you are in a home you’ve never been before and you’ll probably never visit again, you don’t get to feel like a stranger.

L'articolo Good practices: “Andar por casa” for KA2 Global Youth Advocacy proviene da Youth Networks.

About YouVoteEU platform

YouVoteEU is a participatory platform that connects millions of citizens throughout Europe with civil society organisations, candidates and political parties. Moreover is an interactive public space where citizens can discover parties’ and candidates’  positions on issues of great interest to the public, and organisations can make an impact by contributing to the public debate. Hence, this platform is a virtual arena where your organisation will be able to inform voters about your ideas and your proposals.
If you are looking for a place where you can engage voters and hold candidates accountable for their electoral pledges, you are in the right place! Sign up to YouVoteEU here.

How does it work

By setting up your free profile on the platform, you can publish proposals that citizens can vote and comment, communicating clearly your position on relevant issues to large groups of voters. Similarly, these proposals will also be highlighted on the homepage and in the news/blog section of the website. You will also be able to lobby the candidates and push them towards goals and values in accordance to your mission and objectives, thanks to support of the citizens on the platform. In addition, as an organization you will be able to vote and comment on the candidates’ proposals, thus influencing their commitments, and hold them accountable for their electoral pledges. Because so your positions matter and thanks to our platform you will be able to influence the EU elections debate.

The YouVoteEU platform was created by a partnership made up of ECAS, Riparte Il Futuro, VoteWatch Europe, Vouliwatch and Collegium Civitas in the framework of the You Vote EU project, which is aimed at stimulating the participation of EU citizens in the 2019 European Parliament elections and increase the understanding of current and future EU policies.

L'articolo YouVoteEU : the New Platform for the 2019 European Elections proviene da Youth Networks.

Categories of The Good Lobby Awards

1. Citizen Lobbyist Award rewarding the most impactful initiative – be it a campaign, project, action – in the European space;
2. Pro Bono Lawyer Award rewarding the most impactful pro bono project entailing the participation of law firms, in-house counsels and lawyers in the European space
3. NGO Award rewarding the most impactful campaign / action in the European space;
4. Academic Award rewarding the civic commitment of one or more academics and researchers in the European space;
5. Pro Bono Professional Award rewarding the civic commitment of one or more professionals in the European space – be they lobbyists, advertisers or data analysts. Furthermore, this category it’s addressed to those who on pro bono basis actively support citizen-driven initiatives and other collaborations by offering their expertise;
6. Also, Philanthropist Award rewarding the commitment of one or more foundations / charity to foster and support advocacy projects in the European space;
7. Political Representative Award rewarding the commitment of one or more political representative and/or movements to new forms of engagement, collaboration and co-creation with the electorate via citizen lobbying practices and beyond;
8. Collaboration of the Year Award rewarding joint public interest work carried out by several professionals. Also it’s for NGOs, grassroots movements, philanthropies, political representatives or citizens in the European space.
Most noteworthy all projects be they local, national or international are eligible for the Awards. More over, multiple submissions are accepted.
The deadline is on November 1, 2018. To nominate a project/action/campaign, check their website here

L'articolo Open registration for The Good Lobby Awards 2018 proviene da Youth Networks.

What type of activities the strands supports

The strand – Democratic engagement and civic participation offer grants to:
– Activities covering civic participation, focusing in particular on European Union policies
– Initiatives developing opportunities for mutual understanding, intercultural learning, solidarity, societal engagement and volunteering at EU level

For that reason, it includes three specific measures:
Town twinning – supporting projects bringing together citizens from twinned towns. By mobilising citizens at local and EU levels to debate on concrete issues from the European political agenda, this measure will seek to promote civic participation in the EU policy making process and develop opportunities for societal engagement and volunteering.
Networks of towns – providing funding to municipalities and associations working together on a common theme in a long term perspective, and wishing to develop networks of towns to make their cooperation more sustainable
Civil society projects – supporting projects gathering citizens in activities directly linked to EU policies, providing an opportunity for direct participation in the policy making process. Funded activities may include: promotion of societal engagement and solidarity, gathering of opinions, volunteering.

Type of grants available under the umbrella of Europe for Citizens

For actions with a limited lifetime during which proposed specific activities are implemented
Town twinning (town/municipalities and non-profit organisations representing local authorities):
* The maximum eligible grant for a project is 25 000 EUR
* The maximum project duration is 21 days
Networks of towns (Town/municipalities or their twinning committees or networks, other levels of local/regional authorities, federations/associations of local authorities, non-profit organisations representing local authorities:
* The maximum eligible grant for a project is 150 000 EUR
* The maximum project duration is 24 months
Civil society projects (Non-profit organisations, including civil society organisations, educational, cultural or research institutions):
* The maximum eligible grant for a project is 150 000 EUR
* The maximum project duration is 18 months

In order to apply, you must create an EULogin (European Commission Authentication Service) account. Furthermore, each organisation involved in your project (applicant and partners) must register in the Participant portal and receive a Participant Identification Code (PIC). The PIC will be requested in the application form. To access the Participants’ portal, you will need your EULogin username and password.
Finally, create your official electronic application form, also called the eForm. To create your eForm, your will be asked to go through the follow steps, without interruption:
* Select the funding opportunity
* Even more select a language option
* Select the organisation(s) participating in your proposed activity (applicant and partners)
* Even more create the application eForm
* Above all save the application eForm to your local computer or network drive
* Finally fill in the e-form and save regularly

Your project has better chances to be approved it it has consistency with the objectives of the Programme and Programme strand, quality of the activity plan of the project, a good dissemination plan and a real impact and citizen involvement.

Read more here.

L'articolo Europe for citizens – how to access the Programme proviene da Youth Networks.

People most affected by a problem are in the best position to determine the solutions. Therefore, leadership development is an essential component of social change work.
True change occurs only when underlying, systemic forces are understood and addressed.
Grassroots, constituent-led organizing is among the most effective means to create social change. They define organizing as collective action from the bottom up that challenges the status quo, demands changes in policy and practice, educates communities about root causes, and advocates and agitates for systemic and just solutions.
Finally, lasting change occurs when Social Justice Movements are built from the ground up and grassroots groups come together across sectors and constituencies to work for the common principles of Human Rights and Justice for All.
Furthermore, the Grassroots Organizing for Social Change program supports organizations that share and embody this theory of change.

Application process for Grassroots nonprofit

Step 1 – Above all, carefully read guidelines – Familiarize yourself with what we fund, our priorities & restrictions, to ensure a good fit
Step 2 – Complete Pre-application by reviewing grant cycles. Register or Log in to their platform to complete pre-application
Step 3 – Even more, complete the full proposal – If invited, submit full proposal by relevant deadline

Guidelines and priorities
The Grassroots Organizing for Social Change Program offers general or project support to non-profit organizations throughout the United States. The one-year grants for up to $25,000 is for organizations with budgets under $500,000. Only organizations with 501(c)3 status, or who have a fiscal agent with this status are eligible to apply.
The foundations goals are to further social and environmental justice and support sustainable and just food systems. Therefore, they focus on the types of activities and strategies an organization uses for creating social change rather than on the specific issues the organization is addressing.

So, they will only consider proposals from grassroots, constituent-led organizations that are using community-organizing and base-building strategies to accomplish their goals.

Priority Strategies Areas

* Community & ally outreach
* Leadership development
* Constituent empowerment &
decision-making
* Popular education
* Root cause analysis
* Power analysis
* Campaign development
* Mobilizing constituents & allies
* Coalition building
* Direct action
Applications are to be submitted through their online grant management system This tutorial can be useful.

Deadlines
Once you have determined that your organization fits their funding guidelines and funding priorities, you will need to submit the application by October 15, 2018.

Read more here. Also, discover more grants here.

L'articolo Grassroots NGOs – Call for projects proviene da Youth Networks.

What are Lifeline Advocacy Grants?
Lifeline rapid response advocacy grants give local nonprofits the resources to push back against closures of civic space as they arise. Lifeline advocacy grants are highly flexible, and can support a wide variety of activities: community mobilization, policy and legal analysis, civil society coalition building, strategic litigation, awareness raising campaigns, and advocacy capacity building.

Applications can be made directly to CIVICUS.

The CIVICUS Crisis Response Fund, established in 2007, serves as a mechanism for mobilizing quick, principled and effective advocacy responses to events that threaten civil society’s fundamental right to associate and assemble freely.

Advocacy supported through the Crisis Response Fund
The Crisis Response Fund will provide small grants of 10,000 USD maximum to primarily national civil society organisations in order to conduct advocacy activities over a course of a maximum of 6 months. These activities, designed by the applying organization, should be relevant and have the largest chance of bringing about positive change. These activities could be, but are not limited to:

– National workshops with civil society actors to discuss and plan advocacy strategies, such as to repeal restrictive legislation;
– Advocacy meetings with decision makers at to give recommendations on how to ensure freedom of association and assembly within the given context;
– Public engagement campaigns conducted via social media, traditional media or alternative advocacy tools;
– Fact-finding and report publication with the aim of conducting evidence-based advocacy;
– Regional networking with other civil societies under siege to exchange best practices and share legal expertise;
– Solidarity visits or missions by international high level bodies and/or celebrities.

How to apply
1. Please read the Crisis Response Fund Guidelines and Protocols document to know the criteria for applying
2. Complete the Crisis Response Fund Application Form
3. Complete the Crisis Response Fund Budget.
4. Email the completed Crisis Response Fund Application Form and the Crisis Response Fund Budget to crisis.response@civicus.org

Download the documents here or  discover other advocacy grants here.

L'articolo Civil society organisations, supported by Lifeline proviene da Youth Networks.

How to apply for the advocacy grant

One-to two-page letters of inquiry or concept notes can be sent to  latinamerica@opensocietyfoundations.org.
Your letter should include:
1 A paragraph about your organization and its mission
2 A description of the project(brief summary of the main objectives and proposed strategies)
3 The total amount of support being sought for the project, and the proposed duration of the project.
4 The letters of inquiry can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese
5 There’s no deadline. The applications are reviewed on ongoing basis
6 Most noteworthy the Latin America Program makes every effort to review letters of inquiry within six weeks
7 If you have not received a response from us after that time, please assume that your letter of inquiry is not being considered.
8 Furthermore, only those inquiries that staff members consider will receive a response.

What types of grants do the Open Society Foundations award?

Every year, Open Society awards grants for a wide range of activities, everything from small project grants to general operating support.
In some circumstances, the organizations flexibility in how they use the funding, while in others situation, they can offer grants for specific projects. Even more, another type of grants is the one dedicated to individuals, rather through scholarships and fellowships. Even more, Open Society is able to make recommendations to the Open Society Policy Center for 501(c)(4) grants in support of policy advocacy (lobbying).

Profile of the organisations

Formally established organisations can access funding directly. Seems like the informal organizations or networks can receive grants through intermediaries (fiscal sponsors, fiscal agents). Each program within the Open Society Foundations has its own strategy and process for selecting grantees. Organizations or individuals whose values, goals, and work align with their strategies may inquire with the relevant program.

Search more calls here or read more about the program here.

L'articolo Advocacy grants for Latin American non-profits proviene da Youth Networks.

Lines of actions for Knowledge Alliances

Furthermore if you have in mind a project who aim to:
* develop new, innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning;
* stimulate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills of higher education teaching staff and company staff;
* facilitate the exchange, flow and co-creation of knowledge.

Activities supported by Knowledge Alliances who are:
1) Boosting innovation in higher education, business and in the broader socio-economic environment:
* developing and implementing new learning and teaching methods (like new multidisciplinary curricula, learner-centred and real problem-based teaching and learning)
* organising continuing educational programmes and activities with and within companies
* jointly developing solutions for challenging issues, product and process innovation (students, professors and practitioners together)

2) Also, developing entrepreneurial mind-set and skills:
* creating schemes of transversal skills learning and application throughout higher education programmes developed in cooperation with enterprises aiming at strengthening employability, creativity and new professional paths
* introducing entrepreneurship education in any discipline to provide students, researchers, staff and educators with the knowledge, skills and motivation to engage in entrepreneurial activities in a variety of settings
* opening up new learning opportunities through the practical application of entrepreneurial skills, which can involve and/or lead to the commercialisation of new services, products and prototypes, to the creation of start-ups and spin-off

3) Similarly, stimulating the flow and exchange of knowledge between higher education and enterprises:
* study field related activities in enterprises which are fully embedded in the curriculum, recognised and credited
* set-ups to trial and test innovative measures
* exchanges of students, researchers, teaching staff and company staff for a limited period
* involvement of company staff into teaching and research

For that reason Knowledge Alliances may organise learning mobility activities of students, researchers and staff. They support/complement the other activities of the Alliance and bring added value in the realisation of the project’s objectives. Seems like mobility activities do not constitute the main activities of a Knowledge Alliance; extending and scaling-up these activities would need to be supported via the Key Action 1 of this Programme or other funding instruments.

Beneficiaries of Knowledge Alliances

First of all, a participating organisation can be any public or private organisation established in a Programme Country or any Partner Country
Hence, such an organisation can be:
* A higher education institution
* Also, a public or private, small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises)
* A research institute
* Certainly a public body at local, regional or national level
* An organisation active in the field of education, training and youth
* Even more, an intermediary or association which represents education, training or youth organisations
* An intermediary or association which represents enterprises
* Also, an accreditation, certification or qualification body

Timetable
Publication of the call for proposals: 25 October 2017
Deadline for submission: 28/02/2018 (Midday CET)
If approved: Project start date: 01/11/2018 or 01/01/2019
The duration of the project must be chosen at the application stage. Consequently, it can vary from 2 to 3 years.
In exceptional cases, the duration of a Knowledge Alliance may be extended, upon request by the beneficiary and with the agreement of the Executive Agency, of up to 6 months. In such a case, the total grant will not change.

How does it work
Organisations interested in participating must do so as part of a consortium, including:
* a minimum of six independent organisations from at least three Programme Countries
* of which least two must be higher education institutions (HEIs), and
* of which at least two must be enterprises/businesses (consultancies and intermediaries are eligible on the understanding that they demonstrate pertinent experience and commitment in the relevant field).

Discover more grants and funding opportunities by exploring our page

Read more about Knowledge Alliances here.

L'articolo Get familiar with Knowledge Alliances Grants proviene da Youth Networks.