ESC — Empower, Share, Create

Aims: The International Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational International (IFM-SEI) is an international educational movement working to empower children and young people to take an active role in society and fight for their rights. We are an umbrella organisation for child and youth-led movements all over the world that implements educational activities based on the values of equality, democracy, peace, co-operation and friendship. Through our member organisations and our international activities, we aim to ensure that children and young people are well informed about their rights and are empowered to ensure they are respected. To reach this goal, we organise a variety of activities including seminars, training courses, study sessions, international camps and conferences. Main activities: During our latest Congress (28-29 June 2019, Tbilisi, Georgia), we identified aims and principles in the IFM-SEI Constitution and seven strategic priorities for the Strategic Work Plan of the period 2019-2022: socialist education (IFM-SEI historical brand of non-formal education that is based on the values of equality, democracy, peace, co-operation and friendship), children’s rights, child and youth participation, inclusion and diversity, climate change and environment, reach out –group work, volunteering and internationalism, centenary celebrations. These strategic priorities are supported by four thematic networks, namely: Rainbow, Feminist, Migration, and Accessibility Network. In 2021 at the International Committee Meeting the member organisations also reflected on the relevance of the above strategic priorities and identified new challenges, aspirations and needs that emerged in the past year. The outcomes of the workshops will directly feed into the next Strategic Work Plan. Through our projects we not only foster intercultural cooperation, but we encourage and develop international and European understanding. IFM-SEI has regular activities including seminars and training courses on environment sustainability, anti-racism, gender equality, peace education, inclusion, LGBTQI+ rights, Training of Trainers, and young leaders training courses. We also organise conferences and seminars on important global issues such as peace building in the Middle East, fighting right-wing extremism and populism, decent work for young people and inclusion of children and young people with fewer opportunities. We organise campaigns on, for example, globalising and mainstreaming children's rights, the promotion of gender equality, the prevention of sexual violence and raising awareness of child labour. These activities are in addition to our internal meetings and thematic networks (feminist, rainbow, accessibility, and migration). IFM-SEI regularly hosts long term volunteers and supports its member organisations in organising bilateral volunteering projects, including offering mediation and mentorship between volunteers and organisations. Target group: We have 45 member organisations in 37 countries. Young people lead our decision-making processes and the preparation and implementation of activities. We are committed to empowering young people through education, which encourages active and meaningful participation and co-responsibility and is based on the values of democracy, equality, and tolerance. We aim to create a non-hierarchical structure and an environment where all members can contribute equally regardless of their age, background, or identity. One of the functions of IFM-SEI is to support our member organisations, offer support and training, build their capacity, and provide platforms for sharing of good practices. We respond to the needs of our member organisations. Hence, our work is developed and set by our members – focusing on children and young people on a grassroot level – and is outlined in the Strategy and Work Plan for a given period. Young people are intricately involved in all our decision-making processes and in the preparation of all our activities. We have a quota for young people under 30 and they are well-represented on our Presidium as well as our other statutory bodies and have a majority vote in their local and national organisations. Our partner organisations have an obligation to include children and young people fully in their decision-making processes to become members of IFM-SEI and we run activities to support them with inclusive approaches. We are committed to empowering young people through education, which encourages participation and co-responsibility and is based on the values of democracy, equality and tolerance.