ICAN Academy : La jeunesse s’engage par le désarmement humanitaire Erasmus Project

Project Title

ICAN Academy : La jeunesse s’engage par le désarmement humanitaire

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law); Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

ICAN Youth Academy: For the last two years, hundreds of French, Serbian and Turkish youth between 18 and 30 are engaged in the national and international debate and processes for the prohibition of nuclear weapons. Within the framework of Erasmus Youth , they organized and implemented a curriculum provided with learning, popular education and participatory commitment. They formalized and introduced a new model of advocacy aiming to achieve the total prohibition of nuclear weapons based on humanitarian disarmament concerns. From these three countries to Geneva and New York, they have built new arguments, renewed the forms of advocacy and citizens action. They influenced NGOs, diplomats, national and European elected officials to encourage the dropping of the old cold war culture of domination that is still threatening the entire planet.

More than 100 youth got totally committed, as would have professional experts in international relations, to replace the concept of “nuclear deterrence” with that of “humanitarian disarmament” in the 21st century and have promoted among experts and diplomats this new vision of security and democratic participation that the youth intends to build.
As a continuation of the people’s universities, the ICAN Youth academy has organized around twenty week ends of training/action at national and transnational level. This first circle of participants designed, drafted and disseminated nearly a hundred concept notes, advocacy sheets, references and training tools. They have produced in the three national languages ​​and in English key elements of communication, web pages and articles on social networks.

At the end of 2015, the second group of 120 to 150 per country developed with two thirds of young people from 18 to 28, and one third of older experts in each country. Some fifty collaborative workshops took place as part of the learning or dissemination activities and equally involved young people in the position of experts from the three countries and officials or experts in security policy. The methods of participatory co-management of the activities have improved their ability to communicate and advocate, both oral and written, individually or collectively. These committed young people, have engaged in mobilization and advocacy activities aimed at civil society, national and European leaders, diplomats and experts.
From January to May 2016, 31 events were organized as part of the Universities Tour: 9 universities from 4 cities in France, 5 universities from 3 Turkish cities, 10 universities and 7 cities in 4 countries in the Balkans. This tour brought together over 1000 participants (300 in France, 613 in Serbia, more than 100 in Turkey despite the state of war).

Beyond the proclaimed goals of the project and the expected capacities of the partner organizations, the hundred young organizers have carried out with great maturity these different activities. They defined themes, programs, format and research. They organized the contact with various stakeholders (think tanks, experts, diplomats, NGO leaders, producers and directors of documentaries, etc.) and partner organizations, they managed the logistical organization (realization of a collaborative, evolutionary and transferable technical sheet Organization), animation and facilitation, communication around events (visuals, press work, publications, etc.), capitalization and evaluation of the tour. This Universitities Tour has been organized with more than thirty students and youth organizations, NGOs, political actors or local authorities.

These events brought together young people and students from various disciplines (law, political science, international relations, economics, development, animators, activists, etc.). They attracted the interest of professors and experts who became interested to share their knowledge and experiences. Diplomats, scientists, elected representatives, experts and activists were invited to contribute and participate in this debate, which remains relatively fragmented in Europe.

At the end of the project, a significant part of the participants reinvested their skills and knowledge in the partner organizations and contribute to their renewal. A process to negotiate a nuclear-weapons ban Convention started to be negotiated in March 2017 under the aegis of the UN with the participation of 132 countries, to which these young people can clam they have contributed in their own countries, but also through their direct involvement in the UN, in New York and Geneva.
A hundred of these new young experts are now developing ICAN Youth on a European scale.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 263716 Eur

Project Coordinator

Observatoire des armements / CDRPC & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Udruzenje Podrska Prava Pristup – Srbija; Assistance Advocacy Access – Serbia
• BAGIMSIZ ARASTIRMA BILGI VE ILETISIM DERNEGI