Dear Friends,
Autumn has come and, with it, the September issue. An issue which is like, as I already pre-announced, a new season. New seasons are usually brining changes, positive and/or negative. I challenge anyone who has never thought, at the beginning of a new period, about goals such as “I’ll do this, I’ll do that”… am I wrong?
I am using these words since I know that some parts of our Family are taking new directions… we already passed from 26 Projects to 25 and we just said goodbye to another one which is ended. It is, in effect, a particular period. Different Projects will come to the end of their contracts and some of them will soon organise their closing events. Some days ago, our “NEETs in entrepreneurship” did their closing ceremony, a pity!
Sorry if I seem too much melodramatic, but this was for me the first final conference. I was used to – and I preferred – welcome conferences or opening activities. I prefer starting than ending. And, as already indicated 8 new projects are soon coming!
It is for this reason that, instead of thinking “they will do this, they will do that…”, I prefer to think about what they did, in terms of efforts and goals achieved during their implementation period, which matches their period within what I like to call Family.
And I prefer the Italian language, which is separating a “real” goodbye (meaning “forever”) than a “ok, goodbye, but this doesn’t mean we won’t meet again”!
And… you know that some Projects will be, someway, promoted. I believe that our Family has some excellent Projects which deserve additional attention!!!
And even if this won’t be the case for everybody, I am still convinced that being part of our Family was worth it. Or better, being part of our process aimed at finding solutions to common challenges, this was worth it. Hearing, during a final conference, messages like:
- Preventing measures: easier to prevent them becoming NEETs
- Partnering, increasing motivations
- Inspiring effects
- Moving the opportunities near to them
- Leaving no-one behind
clearly fills me with joy and it is telling me that we are in the good direction!
I am not writing, and telling you, those words just because I know that – for some of you – the implementation period under EEA & Norway Grants is ending. But especially because I can understand how much can be difficult to find the right way if one thinks about making some hypothesis – in terms of goals achievements – concrete. Inspiring effects and good practices is, in itself, not to be taken for granted. Especially in times of a pandemic which has afflicted our countries worldwide. And, to be honest, I do believe that changing status – or helping someone doing it – is not easy. Preventing measures are fundamental in this sense, such as partnering initiatives as the most of you tried to do. But … once one becomes a NEET, it is hard to find the right ways to change his/her status. Once a person is “not in employment, education or training”, the difficult part is to change this categorisation. To demonstrate that there are ways, or attempts, to find different – but valuable – roles into a specific society.
What I can tell you is that our Family found the way to put together some concrete examples and achieved some great results, at least in the sense of putting efforts together. That is why I am happy to tell you that we are organising for you all something that will give you the possibility to better define the results achieved during the past years. As I already told you, an important “save the date” is coming and I hope you will be ready to demonstrate what you have been doing thanks to your activities to reach common solutions, yesterday meeting (29.09) with all the Comm Officers was very much important to lay the foundation of our 6thto 10thDecember 2021 annual event (unfortunately again on a virtual modality) but with a renovate energy.
New common challenges are everyday arising into our societies, their public systems and administrations. Cities are the final “compartment” where our practices go. Each milestone planted by each of us is visible as a final result in the deepest concept of what a city is. Because a city is given by, in the end, the whole of what its citizens are and do.
In our case, we are not single citizens but groups of citizens, which are forming Projects. I believe we can find the right direction to make visible what you (and we) have been doing to ameliorate our societies when comes to finding solutions for a better employment structure. Our colleagues of the Regional Cooperation Fund are already all actively working for the European Week of Regions and Cities that will soon be celebrated on 11 October!
And… talking about cities, please enjoy the interesting reflection of our Friend Tom, to find further hints for your future activities.
As said, stay tuned since new details will arrive soon. In the meanwhile, enjoy our Mag.
Gian Luca Bombarda
The FO Director
