Minister Beatriz Artolazabal highlights the solidarity of cooperating Basque Youth

• Representatives of the Youth and Cooperation Directorates of the Basque Government, NGDOs and the Euskadi Youth Council select 83 young people in Barria, Araba, who will participate in development cooperation initiatives in the summer
• 14 participating NGOs offer 31 social projects in the southern hemisphere
• They will be destined for Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda.

Barria, Araba/Álava -2022 02 12

The Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies of the Basque Government, Mrs. Beatriz Artolazabal, has highlighted the value of the "Basque Cooperating Youth" program for "its promotion of solidarity and humanism in these moments of tension and uncertainty that the planet is experiencing". The Regional Minister participated this morning, in the Barria regional hostel in Álava, in the selection of young people who will integrate the various social projects of the NGDOs in southern countries.

During this weekend, 124 young people meet -103 women and 21 men-, selected from 409 applicants: 330 women (81%) and 79 men (19%). The NGDOs talk with them in order to select those who offer the best skills to participate in their projects. In the summer months, various Development Cooperation actions will carried out, promoted by 14 NGDOs with the support of the Basque Government, in Africa and America, in which the 83 young people selected this weekend will participate.

"Ideally, the percentages of girls and boys would be similar, but it is always comforting to see the spirit of solidarity and commitment of all the youth" highlighted Sailburu Artolazabal. Within fifteen days, 83 selected -girls and boys- will meet again in Barria to receive training and learn in detail about the projects to which they will assigned.

From yesterday, Friday, until tomorrow, Sunday, those responsible for the Youth Department of the Basque Government, with its director, Agurtzane Llano, and Paul Ortega, Director of the Development Cooperation Agency-eLankidetza, together with representatives of the organizing NGOs and the Selection Commission, have held various interviews and carried out various activities with the group of aspiring co-operators in order to learn about their training, languages, ideas and aptitudes that are required in the cooperation projects that will be carried out in the summer.

Training

For this, they develop during this weekend several training dynamics, meetings and interviews. After these three days, the Commission will select a maximum of 83 participants who will meet again in 15 days, in Barria again. During this second weekend, training will offered for experience in projects with NGDOs and the destination will be announced to the selected young people, who will participate in projects in the southern countries in the summer.

As aid workers, they will live an enriching experience in the projects that the NGOs of Euskadi carry out in southern countries for three months. The diversity of job profiles requested is wide: education, work and social education, equality, health, psychology, IT, engineering, communication, marketing, music, physical activities and sports. Over the next week, the list of selected people and alternates will be notified.