Regional Conference 2016: United in fraternity for more solidarity in Europe
Recommendations from thematic sessions
(A) Child and family poverty
Thematic Recommendations
1. Make sure that every European country has good educational system to improve the possibilities for all children in Europe to get a proper, quality education for a better future (35 votes)
2. In the fight against poverty of families and children Caritas and the church need to show unity and cooperation (22 votes)
3. Advocate to ensure strong sound social policies focussed on vulnerable families together/avoid separation (19 votes)
4. Empower, educate and accompany people coming from the Caritas network, as well as our beneficiaries, to use their talents to tackle poverty in a creative way, with a special attention to developing social entrepreneurship (18 votes)
5. Create and strengthen the network: collaborations between Caritas MO; include other organisations into our activities (16 votes)
6. To accompany, consult and educate the beneficiaries to create opportunities for mutual support (13 votes)
7. Caritas defends priority of the parents’ rights of educating children in own families. (12 votes)
8. Support the social observatories in order to collect sincere and true information about the social reality (8 votes)
9. Develop cooperation with the government, including implementation of joint projects (8 votes)
On Participation
1. Develop educational and promotional tools (a kit) so that the strategic goals of Caritas Europa could be spread and communicated on parish and diocesan levels (19 votes)
2. To create universal information means (video, web…) which might be used by other member organisations (7 votes)
3. Everybody can contribute: ask the opinion of the beneficiaries; create opportunities for volunteering (best practice, Caritas France) (6 votes)
(B) Extreme Vulnerability
Thematic Recommendations
1. Improve cooperation between Caritas and local governments to develop common approaches and to advocate on EU institutions to raise the voice of people experiencing exclusion and extreme vulnerability (43 votes)
2. Develop a solid communication system to exchange good practices & deliver voice of most vulnerable people in need to relevant bodies & general public (35 votes)
3. Continuous cooperation across CE based on real needs of the excluded & vulnerable people to create adequate funded “exit programmes”, building inclusive societies and being focused on advocacy & services. (32 votes)
4. Caritas MOs must build capacity to find and manage funds for social inclusion. The application must be in an organized way in real situations, advocating at the same time for all excluded groups. The result could be “supported (and funded) exit programmes as well as building inclusive communities that care (28 votes)
5. Early intervention through community projects and outreach to people living in extreme or hidden poverty (25 votes)
6. Poor people are given opportunities to work in our organizations in order to help us identify stepping stones to decrease the problem of poverty (19 votes).
7. Research, advocate and campaigning for and with people living in extreme poverty and those at risk (15 votes)
8. All activities in Caritas institutions have to be promoted to the whole society and to Caritas Europa to get sensitized society and teach them how to help and accept each person (10 votes).
On Participation
1. Further combine “experts by experience” as a cross cutting process. Witnessing & telling our stories we can help to shape the future of people. (26 votes)
2. Empowered vulnerable and excluded person to focus on his/her capacities through individual plan (recovery) develop himself and make a change (give them opportunity to change). (15 votes)
3. Organize conference/workshops including grassroots to receive first-hand information. (7 votes)
(C) Participation in the Economy
Thematic Recommendations
1. To share and promote tools and experience in social economy in CE network, through:
- Data Base or ad hoc platform
- Study visits and peer to peer evaluations
- Fora and ad hoc meetings
- Regional cooperation
(17 votes)
2. To advocate for a preferential option for social economy in public contracts and services, including less bureaucracy and easier access to credit (9 votes)
3. To value and promote economic expertise in CE network and collect evidence on the impact of social economy in the global economy (7 votes)
4. To establish a formal and long term working group on social economy with a mandate to produce
- Research and statistics
- Publications for advocacy purposes
- Papers on the different models of social enterprises existing in the CE network
(7 votes)
5. To stimulate Caritas to initiate the processes related to social economy and act as an incubator of social enterprises and/or create a bridge between employers and job seekers (5 votes)
6. To promote public awareness on the importance of social economy at the European and National level as a means to foster Social Integration (4 votes)
7. To advocate for equal access to education, professional training and capacity building programmes for skills related to the active participation in the economy (2 votes)
8. To keep Social Economy high in the advocacy agenda both inside CE network and before European and National stakeholders (1 votes)
On Participation
1. To facilitate the development of tools, methodologies for grass roots participation such as meetings, for a and working groups (11 votes)
2. To foster and stimulate a discussion on the role of Caritas in the economic activities and in the development of social services (3 votes)
(D) Asylum and migration
Thematic Recommendations
1. Develop work in education, awareness raising and mobilising Caritas, the Church and public about the positive contributions of migrants and refugees (32 votes)
2. In advocacy work: strengthen coalitions within Caritas to advocate for safe routes, fair share and addressing root causes of migration (19 votes)
3. Caritas Europa to promote networking and communication opportunities among/between MOs and with the secretariat (15 votes)
4. Potential trafficking risk/protection of human rights and dignity (12 votes)
5. Caritas should provide welcoming societies in policies and political and public and public discourses in order to create integrated harmonised societies (5 votes)
On Participation
1. Give affected people a voice and support the active participation of migrants in the promotion, of their rights and intercultural dialogue (32 votes)
2. Promote at all levels the engagement of young people, including young migrants, in Caritas work with migrants, including awareness raising and coordinated European actions on social media
(29 votes)
3. Are we ready? Capacity building, planning, national and regional cooperation (7 votes)