10th Anniversary Strasbourg Freedom Drive
The Future of Independent Living, Active Citizenship and Europe 2020
9 – 12 September 2013, Strasbourg (France)
Dear Freedom Drivers,
The Strasbourg Freedom Drive, not just a march to the Parliament, but THE event for the Independent Living activists and our allies takes place again this year! Make your voice heard - come for the week or just one event. Most importantly, meet your national MEPs! Do not forget about the ENIL General Assembly - important for our internal democracy. Sign up as soon as possible. Registration until April 15th2013 will guarantee you a place at the meeting in the European Parliament. The first to sign up will have priority attending the meetings with limited space.
The events taking place between 9 and 12 September are:
Day 1 – Freedom Drive Conference (Part 1)
Day 2 – Freedom Drive Conference (Part 2), meetings with MEPs and the regional experience exchange
Day 3 – March through Strasbourg and meeting in the European Parliament
Day 4 – ENIL General Assembly, the Freedom Drive follow-up and the Youth meeting
The Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau will serve as our headquarters, housing all the main meetings except the March and the European Parliament meeting.
We look forward to seeing you in Strasbourg!
Jamie Bolling, ENIL Executive Director
Draft Programme
Freedom Drive Conference, Day 1Monday, 9 September 2013
10:00 – 19:00
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
10:00 – 11:00 / Registration with coffee & tea
11:00 – 11:15 / Conference Opening
Vibeke Melroy Melström, ENIL President and John Evans, ENIL Advisory Group
11:15 - 12:30 / First session – The future of Independent Living
Moderator:Jamie Bolling
What future do we want, Freedom Drivers? - Jamie Bolling, ENIL Executive Director
Independent Living and the international development cooperation – Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the US State Department
Supporting people with intellectual disabilities to live independently- Gerd Andén, Founder of JAG
Back to the Roots- Adolf Ratzka, Independent Living Institute Sweden
Discussion
12:30 – 14:30 / Lunch – Meetings with the Regional Coordinators for coordination of the Freedom Drive events (four groups)
14:30 – 15:30 / Second session – Rejuvenating the Independent Living movement panel
Chairperson:Zara Todd (UK)
Panelists -Dilyana Deneva (Bulgaria), Gatis Caunitis (Latvia), Miro Griffiths (UK)
Discussion
15:30 – 16:00 / Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30 / Simultaneous workshops
Discrimination and the processing of disability-related cases – Berit Vegheim, ULOBA and Professor Lisa Waddington, European Disability Forum Chair in European Disability Law, Maastricht University
Hate crime and disability - Joanna Perry, Hate Crime Officer, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Hijacked definitions and disability policy –Kapka Panayotova, ENIL Board Member
Using EU Structural Funds to support Independent Living –Gabor Toth, European Commission (tbc)
Freedom Drive Conference, Day 2
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
09:30 – 12:45
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
09:30 – 10:00 / Registration with coffee & tea
10:00 – 11:15 / Third session - Independent Living, disability and politics
Moderator:Kapka Panayotova
Paul Murphy, MEP, Ireland
Mirko Tomassoni, MP, San Marino
Gordana Rajkov, former MP, CIL Serbia
Virginia Atkinson, IFES – International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Discussion
11:15 - 12:30 / Fourth session – Disability and Austerity
Consequences of cuts on people with disabilities and ENIL’s lobbying for a Parliament Resolution – Peter Lambreghts, ENIL Board member and Debbie Jolly, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and ENIL Board Member
Discussion
12:30 – 13:00 / Closing session
Thorsten Afflerbach, Head of Social Cohesion and Integration Division, Council of Europe
Jamie Bolling, ENIL Executive Director
Meetings with MEPs and Regional experience exchange
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
14:00 – 20:00
14:00 – 17:00 / Afternoon meetings with MEPs
Location: European Parliament
(Arranged by the National Coordinators and Freedom Drive participants)
18:00 – 20:00 / Regional experience exchange
Moderated by Regional Team Coordinators
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
Strasbourg Freedom Drive March
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
10:00 – 12:00
Route TBC
10:00 – 12:00 / Platform with motivational speeches at the start
March through Strasbourg to the European Parliament
March leader: Peter Lambreghts, ENIL Board Member
Slogan leader: TBC
Meeting at the European Parliament with MEPs, including members of the Disability Intergroup
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
14:00 – 16:00
Location: European Parliament, Room LOW N1.4
14:00 – 16:00 / Meeting at the European Parliament between the Freedom Drivers and MEPs
18:00 – 23:00 / 10 years of the Freedom Drive Celebration!
Dinner and entertainment
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
ENIL General Assembly
Thursday, 12 September 2013
09:00 – 12:30
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
9:00 – 10:00 / Registration
10:00 – 10:10 / Opening address by ENIL President
10:10 – 10:20 / Agreement Agenda and Procedures
10:20 – 10:40 / Minutes from the 2011 General Assembly
10:40 – 11:00 / ENIL Activity report 2011-2013
11:00 –11:15 / ENIL Financial report 2011-2013
11:15 – 11:30 / ENIL Constitution
11:30 –12:00 / ENIL Board election and Nomination Committee Election
12:00 – 12:30 / Official Closing of the General Assembly
Freedom Drive 2013 Follow-up
Thursday, 12 September 2013
14:00 – 18:00
Location: Salle du Centre Culturel Marcel Marceau
14:00 –15:30 / Freedom Drive Evaluation
15:30 – 16:00 / Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30 / ENIL Allies meeting
Presentation by Cor Vann Damme, “The Road Runner” - Cor’s European Trip for Independent Living! How he did it!
17:30 – 18:00 / Closure of the Freedom Drive follow-up
Freedom Drive Youth Meeting
Thursday, 12 September 2013
19:00 – 22:00
Location: Council of Europe Youth Centre
19:00 – 22:00 / ENIL Youth network meeting with Freedom Drivers up to 30 years of age (light dinner and refreshments will be provided)
Note to Freedom Drivers: National Freedom Drive Coordinators will book national meetings with MEPs on 10 September 2013 (Tuesday) in the afternoon, before the March on 11 September 2013 (Wednesday). Please stay tuned for information on when and where these meetings will take place.
ENIL reserves the right to make changes in the programme. Follow our website for updates. For more information, please write to ENIL’s Communications Officer - Vanessa Scanlon at .
7 (Version August 2013)