CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

STRATEGIES AGAINST WAR

Training on Campaigning and Advocacy

Klosterneuburg (near Vienna), Austria | 25 June – 2 July 2023

Part of the project “No War Anywhere! Engaging youth in antimilitarist education”

The Association of Service Civil International (SCI) is opening applications for an in-person  7-day training (including arrival and departure days). The seminar will be hosted by SCI Austria with financial support from the Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation and the CERV Programme of the European Union.

The training aims to bring together 24 (future) peace educators and peace activists, supporting them to raise their voices for peace, and create a network of inspiration and support for their journey to carrying out peace campaigns against war and militarism between July and September 2023. The training will be based on principles of non-formal education, which are participatory and dynamic.

Participants are expected to arrive to the training with a concrete campaign/ project idea linked to antimilitarism, which will be developed with the support of the group.

Background of the project

The last year saw the escalation of war in Europe and around the world. People all across the world – be it in Ukraine, Armenia, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Tigray, Myanmar or many other places – are forced to survive amidst and resist against war and military occupation and its devastating consequences. And even political decision-makers in supposedly peaceful countries decide to fuel militarism by exporting weapons, investing in nuclear weapons and making trade deals with aggressors. With the climate crisis becoming worse, the world seems to be going in a dystopian direction. We feel powerless, angry and anxious when thinking about the future.

Standing up for a world free of war and militarism. This training will focus on advocacy and campaigning. It aims to help young people get active and speak up on the topics of peace and antimilitarism. The programme will include reflection on how to use political communication and advocacy, and build campaigns from an antimilitarist perspective. Young people with diverse experiences will be supported to design their own follow-up campaigns connected to the International Day of Peace.

SCI wants to go back to its antimilitarist roots in 2023. This training is part of the year-long “No War Anywhere!” project. The project consists of these phases:

• Seminar “Utopias Against War”: 16-22 April 2023 in Rome
• Training course “Strategies Against War”: 25 June – 2 July 2023 in Vienna
• Local antimilitarist campaigns around International Day for Peace: July – September 2023
• Virtual exchange and follow-up projects: September 2023

As part of the project, we will also create an online course and a toolkit. The project wants to strengthen antimilitarist education within SCI and to bring together young people affected by militarism. During this year, SCI also wants to form stronger alliances with other peace networks (such as War Resisters International and International Fellowship of Reconciliation).

Objectives

1. build capacity in youth around advocacy, campaigning and political communication
2. analyse and discuss the topic of anti-militarism and communication and advocacy efforts connected to it
3. create action plans for awareness-raising or advocacy campaigns for the International day of Peace

Participation

Financial conditions:

• Food and accommodation during the training will be provided;
• Travel costs will be reimbursed after the training up to an agreed limit depending on the sending country;
• We strongly encourage green travel (i.e. avoid travel by plane, if possible; instead travel by train and bus). We are available to give you advice on this and can offer a higher travel budget for eco-friendly options;
• Other necessary expenses, such as visa fees will be reimbursed after approval by organisers.

Simple life: The training will take place in a scouts centre with simple living conditions Kierling, Klosterneuburg, close to Vienna, Austria. You will sleep in a room shared with a few other people and will be involved in cleaning and cooking tasks.

Sustainable food: The food we provide will be vegan. This is not just a practical decision, but also an ideological one: SCI believes in the values of sustainability and climate justice – and if we want to contribute to a more peaceful planet, we need to give up on industrialised animal agriculture and its destructive effects on our planet. After being accepted to the training, you can tell us if you have any diets, allergies or intolerances that we should be aware of.

Participant’s profile:

• are (ideally) age 18-30;
• can express themselves in (basic) English; 
• are resident in a Council of Europe Member State;
• are/ want to become active in the field of antimilitarist education or antimilitarist activism in their communities or at the international level;
• have an interest in activism, advocacy, and/or (digital) communications;
• want to build/ expand their international peer network;
• are motivated to bring forward their ideas and initiate peace projects in the summer with the support of the team.

Ready to apply?

Please fill in the application form 

⏰ Deadline for applications is May 7, 2023. We accept applications on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

For any questions related to the application, please contact Pauline at projects@sci.ngo.

Indicative timetable

Note: this timetable may still change due to the planning of the project as well as the needs of participants.