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MISSION, VISSION AND CHAPTERS
OUR MISSION is to enhance international
understanding and friendship through
educational, cultural, and humanitarian
activities involving the exchange of
ideas and experiences directly among
peoples of different countries and
diverse cultures.
OUR VISION is that a cross-cultural network of
engaged and knowledgeable everyday citizen leaders will be an active
force in creating and sustaining a more peaceful world.
People to People International has always believed in
replacing cultural barriers with cultural understanding
Chapters are the backbone of People to People International, bringing the
ideals of global education, understanding, and humanitarianism to life at
the local level.
As volunteer, membership-based groups, PTPI Chapters provide the
opportunity for adults, youth and families to participate in programs,
projects and activities devoted to the principle of Peace through
Understanding.
EUROPEAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Name and Surname Role Country Email address
Richard Chalks Corriette Regional Chair Belgium [email protected]
Andrei Corduneanu Secretary Romania [email protected]
Charlotte Scheller Treasurer Switzerland [email protected]
Angel Dimitrievski Youth Coordinator Macedonia [email protected]
Hannelore Büchler Auditor Germany [email protected]
The European Executive Committee (EEC) is elected by the
European Representative Board and has five members. It meets
twice a year: during the European Conference and at a separate
meeting held mid-term. The EEC represents PTPI Europe during the
calendar year and reports to the European Representative Board at
the European Conference. The current members of the EEC are:
MEETING MINUTES- BERLIN 2015
1.Opening
Regional Chair Chalks Corriette opened the 31st European Conference, welcoming
everyone and thanking them for their presence. He especially noted those participants
visiting from outside Europe. He also mentioned that this is the second European
Conference in Berlin; the first time was in 1999. Chalks welcomed his colleagues on the
European Executive Committee.
2.Elections
Charlotte Scheller was elected for a two-year term as Treasurer.
Andrei Corduneanu was elected for a two-year term as Secretary.
Angel Dimitrievski was elected for a two-year term as Youth Coordinator.
Hannelore Büchler was elected for a one-year term as Auditor.
There were no nominations for the PR officer position.
3.Reports and discussions
Chalks Corriette provided a report about the European Organization, our new registration,
and some of the past year ́s activities. He also provided a high level overview of our legal
statutes and the new Council Office operations.
Our Treasurer Hannelore Büchler provided a summary – the report had been circulated by
email and a copy placed in the conference bags. Some members said the report was a little
detailed for their needs. Chalks mentioned that we shall look for an alternative format that
members could quickly grasp. The report was approved.
Auditor Dagmar Schönbeck gave her report. The finances were approved with 10 votes, and
the European Executive Committee was released from any further responsibilities.
PR Officer Katerina Romanova did not attend the conference. She had resigned from her
post earlier in 2015 due to personal commitments. No special report was given. Chalks did
cover the upgrade to the .com website, weekly newsletter, connections (WHQ newsletter)
and the “our memories” report from 2014 (the European 2014 summary).
Youth Coordination Officer, Antoaneta Pophlebarova, and PTPI’s Varna Student Chapter
organized a charity campaign for the 7th year in a row. They raised 6.500 Euros for medical
equipment. The campaign received special recognition from PTPI by winning the James T.
Doty Memorial Award. There have been many other youth activities promoting the
spirit of PTPI. The report was approved.
Verena Denk from the European Berlin office spoke to the council about how she had been
supported by PTPI’s Berlin Chapter when applying for funding from PTPI’s European
Commission. All applications to funding from PTPI’s European Commission were done in co-
operation between PTPI’s Berlin Chapter and PTPI’s European Office in Berlin.
Valeria Magistrelli; Milano, Italy Chapter explained how the membership fees were
managed in the past and was concerned that we as PTPI Europe no longer had an income
stream. This is because in the new system, the fees go directly to WHQ with no portion
being made available to the European Council. It is important to note that all chapters
can apply for project funding from WHQ through the communicated channels. The
European Council can undertake additional activities to raise funds for their own use and
development.
The full report and minutes from the European Conference in Berlin can be found here:
http://www.ptpe.org/index.php/about-us/structure.The documents can be found in the
section named: Reports and Minutes.
MESSAGE FROM THE REGIONAL CHAIR
Democracy as influenced by the social media era
The pace of change due to advancements in technology and the rise of the sharing
economy, have had, and will continue to influence how we operate at PTPI Europe. Nothing
in this whole report should be first time news. Every item noted here, has been shared in a
number of places; newsletters, blogs, social media and direct emails to chapter presidents.
This year, a number of people have decided not to attend the European conference. Some
for financial reasons, as costs associated with these gatherings should not be
underestimated. Others are not attending following the terrible events that Europe has
experienced this year. One impact is on our AGM (annual general meeting), better known
as our council meeting. However, this is an opportunity to move with the times and
potentially move our AGM business into a digital format. This would allow us to track all
the votes of our presidents, allow us to be flexible in timing, and provide an audit trail of
decisions made and resolutions adopted.
When we meet, our emphasis could then be directed to our relationship with each other,
experiencing the delights of the host location, learning new skills and looking forward to
what we want to achieve, as a Region.
You would have noticed that there have been big changes at World HQ. You will receive
updates as people settle into their new roles, and the natural process of order once again
kicks in. There are many other topics that will dominate our conversation such as: a new EU
website to compliment the new global product; the impact of Belgian and EU laws on bank
account access for our treasurer; communication tools to aid our understanding of this
Region; and, the need to think about where, when and why we meet following on from this
EU Conference in Romania.
People to People International has always believed in replacing cultural barriers with
cultural understanding. I want to thank you all, for everything that you contribute to the
world through engaging with PTPI.
Chalks Corriette
Regional Chair, Europe
Board of Directors, Global
TREASURER REPORT
Now that all bank operations are done in Brussels, it is no longer possible for the EEC
Treasurer, who lives in Switzerland, to have direct access to the accounts. In order to obtain
any information, a trip to Brussels was necessary (a board meeting was held at the same
time) and all transactions were shown to me in paper form.
The Brussels chapter already undergoes strict auditing from the EU, so my work is actually
quite redundant. What you have in my “Cashflow” file is a summary of a slightly different
set-up of bookkeeping compared with the cashflow sheet made available to all chapter
presidents, I believe. In fact, it seems that this is already a form of auditing on behalf of the
EC and I feel that another one by Hannelore Büchler would be superfluous, especially since
she has no way of seeing any of the papers. She has received a copy of my bookkeeping
files. For those who want more information at the EC, I will take along a copy of my details.
For 2016, I gather, I will be making another trip to Brussels.
Charlotte Scheller, Treasurer
YOUTH COORDINATOR REPORT
PTPI’s Youth Generation in Europe again proved that it is a very essential part for moving
the organisation towards success. In the previous year we had a big number of local
activities that left great impact in the countries where our chapters operate. Just a few
examples include:
� PTPI’s Skopje, Macedonia Community Chapter
worked with children from socially vulnerable
families who visit a Center for Development of the
Roma community in Skopje. The volunteers helped
the children with their school projects, homework,
and also celebrated birthdays together and had
fun. This program was a mentoring system. Every
PTPI member (high school and university students)
mentored one or two children aged 7-10 for a
period of two months.
� PTPI’s Varna, Bulgaria Student Chapter
implemented its annual Christmas card charity
campaign. The efforts of these young people
resulted in raising 7.676 euro that were donated to
the hospital “St. Marina“ to buy equipment for a
room used for rehabilitation and psychotherapy.
Inspired by these youngsters our members of PTPI’s
Berlin Student Chapter also decided to sell
Christmas cards. The collected money was used for
donations of diapers, wipes, sport items and other necessities for a refugee camp in
Berlin.
� PTPI’s Yerevan-Armenia Community Chapter implemented the project “Power of
Democracy“. Young people from Armenia were promoting the involvement of youth
in the process of strengthening democratic institutions in Armenia, as well as
teaching and disseminating democratic values among the youth.
� PTPI’s Plovdiv, Bulgaria Student Chapter implemented the project “Skills for
Freedom”. By developing the professional skills of prisoners this ERASMUS+
sponsored project aimed for the smooth reintegration of prisoners back into society,
and especially into the labor market, with the support of arts and theatre as
powerful means of achieving this goal. In particular, the project intended to equip
the (former and current) prisoners with professional skills that can be developed
through theatrical and artistic activities and which can contribute significantly to
them finding a job. Video inserts from the projects are available here:
https://goo.gl/prguIy.
In autumn 2015, we connected high school and university students from Macedonia and
Bulgaria for a Human Rights training course in Macedonia. The students were discussing
topics such as: children rights, women rights, rights of the disabled, freedom of speech,
hate speech and human rights violations. The training took place in Macedonia and
afterwards was followed by a homestay in Macedonian families. Video inserts from the
training are available here: https://goo.gl/SCExOe.
This summer in July, I graduated on the Communication and Public Relations department
with the topic: “Internal Communication Strategy for Youth Mobility in PTPI“. This strategic
document will bring new ideas for improving the travel options for our young members. The
document should be available to all the membership once it is translated into English.
Our young membership is doing a lot for strengthening PTPI’s mission. The presented
projects and activities are just a glimpse of what the youth are doing in Europe. Investing in
youth brings long and perspective future to our organisation.
Angel Dimitrievski, Youth Coordinator
HIGLIGHTS FROM ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE
PTPI’s Yerevan, Armenia Chapter promotes
volunteering and gender equality
The chapter organized a program to educate
young people on developing a culture of
volunteering and promoting gender equality.
60 young people in two regions of Armenia
participated, and in addition to learning about
the topic, they had the opportunity to put
their knowledge into practice by spending
time volunteering in their communities.
PTPI’s Katowice, Poland Student Chapter
collects money for Nepal
Members from the chapter organized a
food sale for collecting funds that were
given to the ones hit by the earthquake in
Nepal.
PTPI’s Podgorica, Montenegro Chapter opens a virtual platform for young people
The PTPI Chapter in Montenegro established “I Balkan You”, a virtual platform for young
people who can use it as free and healthy space to express themselves by writing articles on
topics and issues that young people share in the region. Since the official start of the
platform, they published 114 articles from eight different countries. Visit
www.ibalkanyou.com to find out more.
School and Classroom program in Ukraine and
Belarus
The students created a patchwork quilt with
images of themselves, their school, culture, and
country. Each student was responsible for
creating one patchwork square. Class partners
shared their "patchwork quilts/collages" and
put them in each other's schools to
commemorate the friendship established.
PTPI’s Provadia, Bulgaria Chapter held a
concert to raise awareness about bullying
The chapter organized a big concert for the
children who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis in
the theatre of Provadia. The funds
gathered from the concert and the bazaar
sale were used for buying inhalers,
medicines and special food for the children
from the clinic.
PTPI’s Belgrade, Serbia Chapter implements a
project for understanding refugees
The project “People to People in Need –
understanding refugees and migrants through
theater action!“ had the aim to connect
citizens and institutions in raising awareness
and understanding problems of migrants and
refugees on their way to Europe.
PTPI's Vilkaviskis, Lithuania Student Chapter
engages in a campaign for elderly
“Post of Joy“ is a social campaign for people who live
in senior citizen homes. The main idea is to spread
happiness to them not only during the celebration
time but also during casual days. Moreover, citizens
of the towns Kaunas and Vilnius have the
opportunity to write down their thoughts on
postcards in order to send warmest wishes for those
who really need them.
PTPI’s Burgas, Bulgaria Student Chapter
organized a youth conference on
democracy and tolerance
During European Youth Week, the chapter
assisted with hosting a youth conference
centered on the theme "Let's talk about
democracy and tolerance." Admiral Mitko
Petev, commander of the Bulgarian Navy, was
one of the special guest speakers. He shared
his thoughts on how young people can look
beyond stereotypes and promote tolerance.
HOMESTAY EXPERIENCES FROM OUR MEMBERS
PTPI’s Varna Student Chapter
organized a homestay in August
2015 for five members from PTPI’s
Skopje Community Chapter. The
program included a meeting with
international volunteers that were
for an internship or EVS in Varna,
visiting a local orphanage and
spending time with the children,
horse-riding with the children from
the orphanage, chapter
presentations, city walks and time at
the beach. Ana Janeva, who was
PTPI’s Skopje Chapter’s Homestay Coordinator said about this experience with great
enthusiasm: “If I had to choose what my best PTPI experience is so far, I would undoubtedly
choose the homestay in Varna. Having the opportunity to meet so many interesting people,
serve the community, experience a new culture and explore a beautiful city like Varna is a
true privilege and I’m really glad I was part of it. The memories made in Varna during this
week are definitely memories I will carry in my heart forever.“
After the PTPI Skopje Chapter members
attended a wonderful homestay in Varna in
summer 2015, they returned the hospitality
with a homestay in Skopje in October 2015.
The Varna members experienced the local
culture by visiting the Skopje Fortress, touring
the Memorial Center of the Holocaust, having
lunch at Skopje’s Old Bazaar and spending
time with the host families. Also, they had the
chance to experience the local chapter work
by participating in two workshops for children
rights and non-violent communication at a Center for Development of the Roma
community. Experiencing the night life was also on the list and was done with a lot of
dancing and smiling.
PTPI’s Berlin Student Chapter members
visited Interlaken. The chapter president
Kieu Anh Dang shares her experience on
the homestay: “If someone mentions
Switzerland, the first things I think of are
mountains. Therefore, it was no surprise at
all that hiking was on the agenda. We
climbed the mountain Harder Kulm, which is
1.322 m high. Some of us really enjoyed
hiking but for others it was a great challenge.
Besides hiking, we also visited Lucerne, a city
near Interlaken. We went sightseeing in the
historic Centre and tasted famous Swiss
Cheese-Pies that, in my opinion, were really awesome. “
To return the hospitality, the
member of PTPI’s Berlin Student
Chapter hosted members from
the Interlaken Chapter in Berlin.
The homestay consisted of
seeing the typical Berlin
attractions as well as spending
time in the hosts neighborhoods.
The Swiss guests visited the
Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer
Platz, the East Side Gallery and
much more. The students also
spend some time together on a
picnic while getting to know
each other.
People to People International
(PTPI) creates lasting cross-
cultural connections between
everyday citizens around the
world to help them explore global
issues, serve and enrich their
diverse communities, and become
more effective leaders in creating
a more peaceful world.
Production by:
European Council Office
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