Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices — capacity building in the field of youth (2018)
The aim of this project was to work on elimination of discrimination based on age, gender and ethnicity in Sweden, Poland and to a great extent Kyrgyzstan by empowering youth in local communities to act as agents of change. The activities took place in Kyrgyzstan, Sweden and Poland, targeting young people, youth organizations, duty bearers and teachers. To facilitate the exchange of best practices and experiences among young people, we organized short mobility activities and involved long-term EVS volunteers. The project also included capacity building activities and organization of meetings between young people and duty bearers.
Vardagens civilkurage (2015-2017)
Vardagens civilkurage (Everyday civil courage) was a project that aimed to teach young people to master a broad form of civil courage in everyday life. It focussed on capacity building for everyday interventions when encountering oppression such as sexism, racism, transphobia, and other forms of injustices in our daily life. The projects’ methodology and philosophy was deeply inspired by nonviolence and conflict transformation.
Practical trainings, incorporating roleplaying and intervention techniques, were held in various cities in Sweden and reached 946 young people between the ages of 15-26 through 172 trainings. The project eventually evolved into its own youth organization with five local chapters. Additionally, a book was written by three trainers on the methodology, titled “Ingrip! – A Handbook of Everyday Civil Courage”, which is available in public libraries.
Forma (2014-2017)
In partnership with Tamam Lund association and designer Petter Thörne, we ran the Forma craft group, which used craft and art as a means of fostering integration. The group was formed in 2015, and it developed a philosophy of using cultural diversity as a source of artistic strength. This was exemplified by the production of the installation “17 000”, which was created with the help of over 1000 people. Forma has received several Swedish and international design awards, such as the Svensk Form Formbärare region syd, Design S, Utvalt, and Dezeen Design Award. The most significant aspect of Forma is the interaction between people, crafts, and materials, as well as the exploration of new parts of Sweden and its culture for those involved.
40 women of Kyrgyzstan (2016)
The project “40 Women of Kyrgyzstan – From Past to Present” was initiated by CAG’s intern, Isabelle Persson, during the autumn of 2016. During her four-month stay in Kyrgyzstan working with our partner organization Novi Ritm, she created 40 profiles on prominent women born in Kyrgyzstan. The objective of this project was to acknowledge and preserve the contributions of women in Kyrgyz history and prevent their exclusion from it. Additionally, the project aimed to challenge stereotypical views in Sweden about Kyrgyz women, who are often wrongly portrayed as passive, uneducated, and backward through a Western lens. Furthermore, it aimed to serve as a source of inspiration for youth organizations in Kyrgyzstan. You can find more information about the project via this link.