European Social Forum + Youth Camp

Farming a cool planet. Living alternatives.

European Coordination Via Campesina and Young Friends of the Earth Europe invite you to:

Youth Camp, 16-21st September 2008, Malmö (Sweden)

The European Coordination of Via Campesina and Young Friends of the Earth Europe are organizing a youth camp alongside the next European Social Forum in Malmö.

The youth camp will be a place to exchange, learn and implement practical alternatives to the current consumerist system. We are young people from different European countries, concerned about food, farming and climate change - some of the most important questions of our time, which have an impact on billions of people’s lives. We are convinced that we can change the world by unifying reflection and action, thoughts and practice. For this reason, we are holding this camp at the same time as the European Social Forum (www.esf2008.org).

Over the last sixty years, the replacement of sustainable family farming by industrial and corporate-controlled ways of production and consumption has lead to a worldwide food and environmental crisis, and is a main driver of climate change.

In order to confront these crisis, both radical political change and changes in Western lifestyles are needed. We want to build here and now other ways of living, of working, of consuming, of acting together. Sustainable living and family farming can help to decide about our own lives, counter the increasing control of corporations over all aspects of our lives, and guarantee a future for generations to come.

The camp will be organized with the participation of all people staying there (through a collective kitchen, a daily assembly to organize the life in the camp, etc.). Within the camp, practical workshops will be organized on different topics including: producers-consumers association, house self-building, growing farm seeds, producing local and autonomous energy, a critical consumers city guide-tour, WTO-poly. There will also be briefings on and action preparation for the up-coming climate change mobilisations in Poznan and Copenhagen in 2008 and 2009.

About 200 people will be able to stay in the camp. The workshops will be open to all, whether staying in the camp or not. There will be no fee to take part in the camp, but you will be invited to contribute to costs of meals.

What: Youth Camp by Via Campesina and Young Friends of the Earth Europe When: 16-21 September Where: close to Malmö, Sweden Who: 200 people, who are willing to take part in the camp Costs: travel costs, contribution to meals (approx 5 euro a day), ESF-fee (if you want to attend ESF)

If you wish to receive more information or to get involved, please contact: youthcampmalmo@collectifs.net

Who are we:

The European youth group of Via Campesina gathers young farmers and young people who wish to become farmers. Since 2007, we have started to develop joint analyses and joint strategies to facilitate access to sustainable family farming for young people in Europe. www.viacampesina.org

Young Friends of the Earth Europe (Young FoEE) is a youth network within Friends of the Earth Europe. Its aim is to bring together young people and youth organisations from all over Europe to work together on pressing environmental issues such as climate change in a European context. We want to give politicians, businesses and the general public the youth perspective on environmental issues. www.foeeurope.org/youngfoee

Supporting organisations : Fältbiologerna (Nature and Youth, Sweden): www.skanesfaltbiologer.se NOrdBruks (Via Campesina Sweden): www.nordbruk.org Miljöförbundet Jordens Vänner (FoE Sweden): www.mjv.se Latinamerikagrupperna/UBV: www.latinamerikagrupperna.se FIAN Sweden: www.fian-sverige.org