North, South. East, West. Old, young.

12.09.2008 09:44

Place:      Frankfurt/Oder, Germany

                Slubice, Poland

Time:      28-31 August, 2008-09-10

Title:      Green European Summer University

Slogan:  “Bridging the gaps”

Special approach to the choice of venue, original program, open doors for everybody eager to participate – these were the key features of Green European Summer University.

But everything in its turn…

Frankfurt am Oder. Little town on the Eastern border of Germany. Once its population reached 120 thousand people, and after Germany unification the half of them moved to the West of the country searching for better salaries and happier happiness.

Slubice. Little town on the Western border of Poland. I suppose its inhabitants didn’t keep up with their German neighbours in migration views and soon followed them.

The only obstacle you need to overcome to get to the other country is to cross the bridge over the Oder River. No check-points, no frontier guards with German shepherds. Local authorities are even campaigning for tram line through the bridge connecting these two cities, two countries.

Two provincial towns of two European countries, two educational institutions  - Viadrina University and Collegium Polonicum opened their doors for more than 800 participants from 42 countries and for four days turned to the Green thought centre in Europe.

But not only “bicountrynism” appears to become Green University distinguishing characteristic. In contrast to other Green conferences, council meetings and discussion panels University was absolutely open for everybody. You shouldn’t be the owner of party card to participate. The only “requirement” was to be Green – no matter officially or not. Green European Parliament Members, young people, who just 3 months ago came to the Party and simply supporters – everybody was welcomed at the University and could find something interesting for him/herself.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Rebecca Harms, Jean Lambert, Monica Frassoni, Pierre Jonckheer, Charles Berkow, Pillipe Lamberts – “authoritative experienced Greens” – shared their experience with youth, and young people in their turn got a wonderful possibility not only to learn something from “grown-ups”, but also to communicate with people from other countries, who shared their ideas and views. Because as it was mentioned at the opening plenary: “Europeans have the possibility to be very mobile geographically, but we still need to learn a lot. And in spite of new technologies, today we are much lack of direct people contacts.”

And at the University all the events were oriented towards joining, involving, awaking interest in participants. Even football was turned into integration process.

From the early beginning it was clear that plenary sessions would be something special. Mr. Cohn-Bendit hardly managed to say a couple of words of his speech, when young Greens with posters “68 – go Home!” and “08 refresh the spirit!” occupied the stage: “Ex-revolutionists – well-employed, well-fed. Now you’re just raising your hands in a Parliament. You’re the past and we’re the future. What can we take from revolution’68? – Not destruction, but the spirit and dreams. May be we, young people, need to think less and to dream more. We shouldn’t stop and say that today everything is o.k.” – that is what young Greens wanted to say. Nobody understood whether this action was planned before, and Mr. Cohn-Bendit was warned about it? Or he just didn’t have any other choice except give way to young ones. After young people finished, “grown-ups” started the discussion on the topic “What future for Europe?” There was as usual good and interesting discussion, but the main thing (for us) was the question of Ukraine’s joining to the EU. It seems that all European politicians without exceptions can’t even for themselves decide the character of Ukraine-EU relations. On one hand, Ukraine – is Europe, and moreover Ukraine is geographical center of Europe, but on the other hand Ukraine is different world for them. It’s a pity and absolutely unclear for me that Ukraine – EU question is on the same level with Turkey – EU. The only thing that brings some optimism is that Greens are for European citizens’ right to decide what country should be joined to the EU. “Europe is Utopia. But necessary Utopia”, - with these words Daniel Cohn-Bendit finished his speech.

But University, like all international Green events, didn’t limit just with plenary sessions. Workshops, films projections, books readings with authors participation – gave much more space and possibilities for interaction and information exchange. And here everybody could choose something that would be closer and more interesting exactly to him/her. Eternal Green topics like GMO, NATO and EU, discrimination, green cities, renewable energy, human rights were mixed with up-dates topics – Greens and Internet, young Green professionals, Green lifestyle – but where are the Greens, educating Europe…

So at the Green Cities workshop Gisela Kallenbach, MEP, mentioned than in the whole world Greens were worried with global problems. But for these problems solving would be better to involve residential population: “Everything is done for them, so they should decide and they should also act.” The Green University became an example of how to teach people and how to share Green ideas. Many of participants weren’t Green Party members, but they shared the Green views. And these people got a wonderful chance to get know more, what exactly they were able to do for future and in what way to work. They understood that everything depended on them, because everything actually was done for them.          

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