Everyday the are people who are being imprisoned, segregated and judged without trial or the chance to defend themselves. And they are being ignored. But what if I tell you that you actually know them, that they could be your neighbors, your siblings, your classmates? They are isolated, regarded as outcasts in a society where everybody is supposed to be perfect and to have everything. They have issues that we do not understand so we merely look the other way. And you know what’s worst? That you, and me, are part of the society that ignores them. That’s why Opening Inclusion Project is a good occasion for AEGEE to discuss these topics. 

“I’m sorry but you don’t… fit our job description”, “You are useless”, “Don’t be ridiculous, just relax!”, “You have a normal job? Like… normal?”, “I broke a leg last summer, so yeah, I understand”, “Those things you hear, you know they aren’t real… right?”, “You’re making a fuss, you’re just very immature!”, “Do you go to uni? But you’re in a wheelchair!”, “Cheer up, it’s all just in your head”. Sadly, I’m not making that up. Those are things that are said to or thought about people who suffer a mental health problem or who have a physical disability.

How many people do you know that struggle with their mental health? You will be surprised to know that probably they are more than you think, the problem is that they are not easy to spot: they draw a smile on their face and go on, because either society has made them believe that what’s wrong in their head is not actually happening, that they are making a fuss, or because the possibility of talking openly about it is somehow more scary than swallowing all the pain and confusion. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Europe, 1 out of 15 people suffer from major depression every year, which means that at least three to five people in your class or workplace is going through this lifelong battle, and that you personally and closely know two or three people who suffer from it. Even more worryingly, if we include in the figures all types of depression and anxiety, the number increases to 4 out of 15 people, which makes twelve people close to you who battles against a mental illness. The sadder fact is that sometimes a silent battle becomes a loud defeat: WHO estimated that suicide is the cause of death of almost 18% of young people (aged 15-29) in Europe, which makes for about 2 out of 12 deaths. Now estimate how many people you actually know who might be suffering in silence.

And how many people do you know, or see around you, that have a physical disability? Do you actually see many people in AEGEE events who are disabled? How many disabled people are there in your antenna? Not many, even though statistics say we are more than 11.000 members. Strange isn’t it? And how many disabled people (or different able as we rather say) are there in your class or workplace? Quoting EUROPS, people with a physical impairment are two to three times more likely to be unemployed, and it is infuriating to see that the blame for this, according to surveys and media, is no other than prejudice and fear of additional costs like insurance and transport. Does this sound like equal opportunities to you? An article published by The Guardian in 2010 pointed out that no less than 40% of student transport available in the UK was inaccessible for people with special needs, and that 30% of the leisure activities the campuses offered were not suited for these people. Is your University accessible for disabled people? How would you manage around your campus if you were in a wheelchair or had a visual or hearing impairment? Statistics about disabled students at universities in Europe are hard to come across, which makes me wonder why is that so. Maybe the statistical population to analyze is too low.

We have to admit that we don’t live in a society that is inclusive and caring enough, and when we finally admit it, we have to tackle the problem. We have to change. And let me put the emphasis on the “we”, because society is not an ethereal concept lingering above us. We often say “society” to refer to an unreachable entity that somehow is omnipresent and influences our lives through seemingly strange mechanisms that we are not part of. But actually, society is what you discuss with your friends, what you chose to watch on TV, what you write about, what is on your Facebook timeline and on your Instagram… YOU are society. And if you change, so does society.

Opening Inclusion Project challenges you to change your point of view and to step out of your comfort zone. We dare you to be more inclusive and more caring, to grant people the right of being understood before you judge them with a look or a thought, to free these people from their prisons, to be part of the change. We consider that it is important to shed light on these matters, because a great part of the reason behind society ignoring them is lack of information, and with ignorance comes prejudices. Being depressed is nor being sad, using a wheelchair is not being incapacitated, having anxiety is not a choice, being unstable is not being crazy, people with disabilities have normal jobs…

The stories and facts behind these tags are much more complicated, that is where non-formal education comes to the rescue. Embark with us on a journey that will make you more aware, more knowledgeable, and more conscious, break those stereotypes! And where can you start? Follow us on Facebook to be updated about our news! We are planning to organize workshops and a cinema club among other things. But there are two important ideas for which we need volunteers! One is a promo video made up of small videos of AEGEEans, and the other is a collection of testimonials that we will publish. Do you have a story, an experience, either yours or from someone you know, related either to mental health or physical disabilities? If you do, let us know! We encourage you to share it with other people, because although it may feel scary to do so, it’s also a way towards self-acceptance and towards self-development, and a beautiful, effective and direct way to show people what these issues are really about. If you have any questions or you want to join us in this adventure don’t hesitate to contact us either on Facebook (Opening Inclusion Project) or by mail (opening-inclusion@aegee.org)

Written by Eugenia Casariego Artola, AEGEE-Oviedo

“Tiene un dia? Involucrate! “ is a project that AEGEE-Las Palmas started few months ago. The antenna from the Canary Islands decided to set one day a month when they would be collaborating with one local association, in order to raise awareness of our members about different realities.

It was a sunny day in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A beautiful day, which started as usual for
AEGEE members, but for few other youngsters, this day was everything but usual.

Involving the invincible 

Who are they? Well, they are the ones, we often forget ! The ones, we do not want to see because it disturbs us: disabled children. For one day, AEGEE-Las Palmas took the challenge to collaborate with a local association called APAELP (Association of families of people with disabilities), and to include those youngsters in normal activities that we do. It was a success!

For Gulay, European Voluntary Service volunteer in AEGEE-Las Palmas, being with them for a whole day was quite a new experience that pushed her to realise that in their daily lives, those youngsters face many
challenges just to be able to get the same rights and opportunities that others are enjoying. This
situation is the result of a lack of understanding of disability problems in our society in general
and a lack of opportunities for disabled children to speak about things that matter to
them.

Through this day and these activities, AEGEE-Las Palmas wished to collaborate for a better
participation and integration of young people with disabilities in the society.

Packed program

In the morning, AEGEE-Las Palmas’ members were ready, waiting impatiently for their arrival.
Warmth and happiness that those youngsters were sharing with the AEGEE representatives were striking. Actually, during the exchange day, what was the most present, was the body language, hugs,
smiles, gestures: they do not talk a lot, but one can feel that their souls were smiling.
During the day, bridges were crossed with them through games and creative activities. We played around six games with everything from ice breaking games, to water-polo, from biking to  dancing.

Lesson for life

Somehow, they made AEGEE-Las-Palmas members understand that they want to have more control over their lives – to be able to choose what to do, how to do it and just like all children, disabled children have the right to have their views, wishes and feelings. However, in practice organisers of this association explained that they are fighting for their children’s voice to be one more youth voice, and not to be ignored. They eager to have their needs to be fulfilled.  All children can communicate. Some do not use speech but can express their wishes, hopes and feelings through other means. They need support to express their wishes and feelings. They should be empowered to have a stronger voice in order to get the same opportunities, to understand and to be understood.

This activity was a first step in this direction, since AEGEE-Las Palmas is one of the few
associations which actually made this “first step” and wanted to make activities with them (it is
usually the other way round). This first day was a pleasant surprise, and made AEGEE-Las-Palmas’ members realise how important it is to continue collaborating with associations of minorities, because they have a lot to give, and a lot to say!

Written by Lucille Rieux, AEGEE-Toulousse

As you all can recognise well from the Agora, the Action Agenda Coordination Team (ACT) Committee has dedicated to support the locals who contribute to the Action Agenda. In order to do this ACT members created useful packages which include the objectives for each Focus Area.

One of them is ‘organising an event or action where students can get in personal contact with the target minority in order to experience their daily life.’  This objective is about creating more empathy among our members towards people with disabilities. In order to do so you can get in contact with an organisation that represents minorities and ask for ideas to experience their lives and create more understanding. This is what AEGEE-Eskişehir members started to do a few years ago and made an annual event out of this cooperation. Enjoy the article about their ‘Empathy Day’, written by Engin Ergezer, the president of AEGEE-Eskişehir. Feel free to ACT in the same way!

Have you ever thought about a world all dark? What would your life be like if you could not see? AEGEE-Eskişehir thought about it, made researches and the “Empathy Day” was created.

AEGEE-Eskişehir  did an event for the first time named “Disabled Project” in 2010. The following year, in 2011, Active Citizenship Working Group of the local took over the responsibility to organise it. Finally this year, the project will take place again on 19th-20th of May 2012 and will be presented by the Human Rights Working Group.

AEGEE-Eskişehir members

What is the “Empathy Day”?
It is a day AEGEE-Eskişehir gathers their members and people with disabilities together and share. Sharing life experiences, stories about how daily life is going. Having discussions on what kind of developments can make life easier for people with disabilities. In order to do so, the members imagine being in their shoes.

To be able to understand the disabilities the participants try to perform small daily tasks in a completely dark room, such as trying to reach to the sofa without falling, filling an empty cup with water, picking up a book from a shelf and even reading it if possible. Not being able to walk and trying to get from one place to another in wheelchair. Facing some obstacles like pavements that are not well-designed and using public transportation.

All above-mentioned things are hard to imagine. For a visually impaired person it is very normal and not unusual. At that point AEGEE-Eskişehir steps in and tries to show and prove to people that there is no difference between us. That is why AEGEE-Eskişehir is eager to repeat this event every year to create more personal understanding among the members.

Empathy Day 2012

The Empathy Day which is carried out with the support of Anadolu University, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, and Tepebaşi Municipality is three years old now and will take place this weekend. As it is each year, the event will be open to public and the goal is to try to help “normal people” get rid of the disabilities that they created themselves. Stay tuned for the outcomes of Empathy Day that will happen in 19-20th May 2012.

Written by Engin Ergezer and Deniz Özhan, AEGEE-Eskişehir & ACT