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New Young Friends of the Earth Europe coordinator
A big welcome to our new Young Friends of the Earth coordinator, Zivile Mantrimaite! Some of you will know Zivile from her many years of involvement with Young Friends of the Earth Europe’s working groups and events, including this year’s amazing summer camp in Scotland. Emma-Jayne Geraghty will continue in a new role as the Young Friends of the Earth Europe Network Developer until February 2017, based in Dublin, supporting the European working groups and wider network. We are working to raise funds to secure this second position more permanently.
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Victory in Norway!
After huge public pressure, including messages of solidarity from Young Friends of the Earth Europe groups, Nordic Mining have dropped charges against Norwegian activists! Back in February more than 100 people staged a three-week long blockade to protect the Førde fjord from mining, leading to over 80 arrests and threats of legal action against the peaceful protesters. Young Friends of the Earth Norway believes this victory has made the struggle to save the Fjords stronger!
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Balkan Youth Climate Movement: Refugees welcome to the Balkans
Following the first big Balkan Youth Climate Movement camp organised by Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia in 2014, this July over 40 young people from south east Europe gathered again on the island of Å olta, in Croatia, to unite and mobilise for climate justice. During one week (July 25-31), youth from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania and Turkey, as well as inspirational activists from the USA, Norway, Italy, Germany and Belgium, shared their knowledge on current environmental struggles in south east Europe and beyond, learned about climate justice and intersectionality, talked about migration and the current humanitarian crisis, discussed system change, strategised to build a movement of mutual support for climate and social justice, and much more. They issued a statement welcoming refugees to the Balkans and urging European states to open the borders and take on their responsibility.
You can follow the Balkan Youth Climate Movement via their brand new website and Facebook page. Check out the first blog post, as well as photos and a video from this year's camp!
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Agri-activism
This summer, Young Friends of the Earth Europe sent four activists to a Community Supported Agriculture farm in Wales to learn from Gerald Miles, an experienced farmer and activist, and to help him campaign against GM crops and pesticides. The first pair, Elena and Lili, left in July after spending six weeks campaigning at festivals, researching pesticides and getting their hands dirty on the farm. They have been replaced by Josie and Janny. Read about their experience here.
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Join TTIP Game Over:
3rd - 5th November
TTIP Game Over is a game of direct action and civil disobedience to call out free trade agreements and demonstrate that a fair society is possible. Our aim is to stop the negotiations of new free trade agreements, such as TTIP - the proposed EU-US trade deal and CETA, its Canadian cousin.
Over multiple rounds, Brussels, the city where free trade agreements are negotiated for the EU, becomes our playground. Everyone is invited to participate: build your team (or join an existing one), organise your action and come to Brussels!
For the second round of TTIP Game Over, we will take aim at the key players behind this new generation of toxic free trade deals on the 3rd–5th of November. We'll target the corporate lobbies, the governments supporting them, and their biggest fan: the European Commission.
TTIP Game Over will take care of logistics to support actions and encounters in Brussels including accommodation, food, HQ, communication support, a prize ceremony on Saturday the 5th.
Coming to Brussels will be a great opportunity to meet fellow activists and build solidarity. But if you cannot join, you can plan your action in your own town/city as well and send us the report through our website. In Brussels and elsewhere, it is time to take action together!
Although our actions are not always legal, they are legitimate. A number of important NGOs, including Friends of the Earth Europe, officially support TTIP Game Over.
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Food and Agriculture Working Group
New ideas sprung up after an inspiring workshop on TTIP Game Over at the YFOEE summer camp in Scotland. Continuing on with TTIP as the FAWG’s main focus and leading up to the next round of TTIP Game Over (3rd-5th November), we would like to create material for a supermarket sticker action. We invite all Young Friends of the Earth Europe groups that are interested to join us! Look out for an email with more info closer to the date.
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Communications Working Group: Waste Week
We are looking for participants in our new feature: Waste Week. Taking place in the first week of October (3rd-9th), we want to see what kind of waste we are all producing and work together to figure out what we can do about it! All you need to do is track how many plastic boxes, disposable coffee cups and apple cores you throw away in one week. To find out more email katewhitaker9@gmail.com!
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Climate Justice = Open Borders
The Climate Justice Working Group has been working on a new campaign focusing on climate justice and migration. We are facing a humanitarian crisis, not a 'migrant' or 'refugee crisis', and the rich developed countries who have been fuelling climate change are also responsible for this. From promoting fossil fuel extraction in the Global South, to closing borders and supporting companies who are profiting from the refugee tragedy and the arms trade, to implementing neo-liberal policies that promote growing xenophobia in the Global North, the European Union is once again showing its complicity while evading responsibility. Thus, Young Friends of the Earth Europe aims to connect environmental justice and human rights, and call for open borders and solidarity. More info soon!
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Sunny Scottish Summer Camp!
This year’s Young Friends of the Earth Europe Summer Camp took place near Forfar in Scotland. We learnt about TTIP, open borders, fracking and Fossil Free campaigns; heard stories about the incredible work young activists are doing across the world; had deep discussions; light hearted laughs; climbed trees; ceilidh-ed and ate amazing vegan food! We also travelled to Aberdeen to support a local action calling for a just transition away from oil and gas! Read a blog entry about the protest here.
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Biodiversity Working Group
At the summer camp, a group got together to establish a brand new working group focusing on biodiversity. Their primary concerns were the preservation of endangered species (especially red squirrels), seed bombing and bee populations. The group will be making tool kits so you can help improve biodiversity in your local area. If you want more information, or to get involved in the working group email Olav at olava@nu.no.
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