Address to the Youth Council of Europe.

It is my privilege to post this address by Mme. Koulal, delegate of the City of Lyon to the Youth Council of Europe, to her colleagues on December 3, 2006. I think it has relevance to the task at hand: Politicians will respond to the people only in a Participative Democracy.

Address to the Youth Council of Europe, by Mme. Y. Koulal

For the first time in my life, I had the chance or perhaps the duty to take part in the seminar “European Conference” ..... I think rather that it was my duty to go to this seminar, because on several occasions I was able to reach the active young Europeans (formations social cultural and linguistics), in England in 2002 with young Europe trades where I remained 13 month, and then lately in Spain 2006 J.E.M.RA (young person employment mobility the Rhone -Alps) on December 1, 2006.

First of all, we were given the presentation of the structure “local missions”, and large heads of structures or associations who explained to us what is A.N.P.E (French unemployment bureau – LFR)..... etc. A European deputy took time to make a small appearance in spite of her well charged timetable, to give us discourses, expressing great utopian sentences, which will surely need to be born…. In this Conference various countries were represented such as; Hungary, Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and France accessible country. It was rich in emotions and especially for me. Yes, for me because I could benefit from the occasion to express elements weighing heavy in my heart and did not know the answers. For too long a time I went to many offices, in addition to the new ones I could not take in because I was going to end up exploding.

The capacity to require answers of the person concerned is very gratifying even if this one lies to us and we know the truth, and well we make seem to believe in it and moreover we make fall a mask. And the fact, even, of a truth over a lie is pleasant, because this reduces us of a great weight and returns to us happy, light, true, alive, better, rich, powerful…. This revalorizes us in our existence and one can say that this fact looks good to us.

Here, today, I even feel whole. I am filled and only because I dared ..... and this is what makes me proud of myself! ! ! At the end of this day, it was necessary, that I pass behind the microphone accompanied by two girls who were with session 2005 of the project in Barcelona and of Béa, where we shared the same session in 2006. It was necessary to testify to our experiment in front of about sixty people and I managed to go last…. And well I passed the last. I heard their testimony, for it all was fine, an experiment without any defect, no problem….

Unfortunately, I could not match this fine presentation. One had to ask to me to manage my emotions, therefore I preferred to write them and I read them now. I did not wish them to lie, because the lie does not make move in a positive way, but camouflages only the problems.
Alors, I must say my truths so that this project “LEONARDO DA VINCI” can be beneficial for other young persons who are also in social difficulties of professional integration and who have the possibility of profiting from a good formation…. On December 2, 2006 at The Continuous Conference, some were absent and I was a little delayed, but I did not miss the essence. “PARTICIPATIVE DEMOCRACY” The place of the young people in the development of the public policies of youth. All young people from Europe representing the youth councils of their countries and Mr. Paelez who is the assistant of the Mayor of Lyon, as well as the curious ones like me, one tried to transmit a message that is positive or negative. For example, we have all been considering that the council of the young people of Barcelona gave positive results. And yes, all were surprised, but maybe it was because they were invested and remained until the end of this workshop. Which is not the case with the town council of the youth of Lyon, which did not listen to all that has been said and when they had a question it did not have any energy in the answer , and then they decamped before the end of this workshop. Damage for the town council of the youth of Lyon representing France has this Conference, because everyone could see a lack of investment in DEMOCRACY PARTICIPATIVE! ! !

This morning still, I was congratulated, of my discourses of yesterday, because they found it positive for the future. And today still I did not know to hold my tongue and it was a pleasure. I have the chance like everyone to be able to transmit my ideas and thoughts, remarks…. I try to write what I have say…. “Participative Democracy ! Yesterday, I reconsidered taking the youth workshop awaiting equal opportunity at the European level . Therefore, I preferred to seek the definition of the word democracy: Government where the people exert sovereignty.

Sovereignty is not when some one gets power, but when all are opposed to the abuses of power of someone. Gandhi

Alors, so today if you do not manage to interest the public concerned it is that you have a problem of communication or organization. There is a quote which makes me think of the positive conclusions reached by the council of the young people of Barcelona :

Let us be realistic : Let us do the impossible! ! ! Che Guevara

In Barcelona, they take part in the active democracy of the policy of their city and their area.

There is an elected official by sector who is in contact directly with the public concerned, he communicates (asks questions - tries to understand their needs…) He writes them in a book not to lose the halves of information, regular meetings are organized with the other elected officials to repeat information collections and discuss them. Lastly, the answers and information which the public wanted are written on the book of the sector concerned (we could call this book “boomerang”). Here is what I retain of this seminar of the elements and important information, which gave me another look at the system of the European Union of participative democracy…. And it can be that we are quite far from all these ideas and these false realities and all we do to advance in blurred dreams…. And I would not like especially to have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, to have been private, in a life stable and harmonious within my family, never to have known the different reception facilities of the child welfare, or had to stop my studies before the end of my VAT, worked because I did not have any other solution to alternate between navigating an education, housing and a job vital for survival, to have been SDF (San Domicile Fixee -LFR) and isolated…

Today, I land on my feet easily, but I would not like especially to be alone in this democracy participative of my dreams and Europe and of course of my origins which goes with the world! ! ! ! .....

Alors we all must reflect and from time to time share these reflexions, to revalorize “the participative democracy”! ! !