15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

15th International Youth Forum, Milan 27th – 30th August 2015

- OFFICIAL REPORT -

“Feeding solidarity, volunteers for life!”

The 15th International Forum was held in Milan (Italy) from 27 until 30 August 2015, belongs to the history, but results of the event are going to be discussed further and are hopefully going to help the blood donors volunteers further in their aim to inform the society and promote the message of voluntary and not remunerated blood donation. The forum took place at the Ostello Olinda near the centre of Milan and other special venues.

The main subject of the Forum was ¨Feeding solidarity, volunteers for life!”.

It was an effect of the cooperation of AVIS with EXPO-Milan 2015 and the aim of the forum was to learn or find each participant ways to inspire and as well to remain and increase their members at their local national organisations. So we focused on the topic of feeding the will and the passion of our volunteers through a wide look on what being a donor means, involving helpfulness, consciousness and healthy lifestyles.

There were more than 60 participants from 15 countries. The number of the participants as well as their countries of origin, represent the increasing interesting of the several organisations for the education of the young members and also the confidence to IYC and IFBDO/FIODS. The participating organizations where from the following countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Spain. In this point is worth to mention, that it was registered also more 4 delegations from: Nepal, India, Algeria and Guinea. But unfortunately due to of Visa-deny they have not been able to participate. A special thought for these delegations: we hope that this short report will be useful in any case to express the results of the Forum.

DAY ONE 27.08.2015 – Official opening and the Market

After the arrival of the majority of participants has began the traditional Market, in which the participants have the opportunity to get know each other and to develop the necessary bonds for the successfulness of the Forum.

Each country had the opportunity to present their various promotional objects that included marketing campaigns and merchandise. Some countries also took the opportunity to bring their local foods.

Moreover, each represented country and association presented a poster with the main information about their structure, promotional activities and best practices to be shared with all the others.

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

Thanks to all these elements and some good music, day one ended with a nice party!

DAY TWO 28th August 2015 – The “Vittorio Formentano” Center and visit to the city of Milan

The following day of the Forum started at 8:00 in the morning with the excursion to the local Blood Bank of Milan: the “Vittorio Formentano” Center, led by Avis Provinciale Milano.

IYF participants have been welcomed by the President of Avis Provinciale Milano, Mr. Gianluca Basilari, and then divided in two groups.

For this first workshop each group had a tour of the Center, in the area where the blood is collected from donors, analysing the whole procedure from informing the donor, to the clinical tests until the collecting of blood and the role of AVIS in this context. All these information has been provided by a special guide, the medical director of the Center.

While one group was performing the guided tour, the other one listened to a presentation about structure, mission and activities of AVIS and the story of the “Vittorio Formentano” Center.

Participants had and took the opportunity to raise questions in both of these moments.

After a short break the second workshop started with a presentation about the subject of Motivation,

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

by Prof. Enrico Carosio. At first the professor presented the general meaning of motivation, as the “the difference between those who try to do something and who succeeds”, a type of “energy that activates, directs and maintains behaviour”, made of intensity, persistence, direction.

The introduction was followed by working groups about the following specific topics:

1 – where motivation comes from (mission: defining good instruments to develop and maintain motivation in volunteers)

2 – main obstacles for motivation towards volunteering (mission: identifying and avoiding negative habits inside the organizations)

3 – how to build and maintain motivation (mission: developing concrete ideas and sustainable projects)

4 – motivating with words and actions (mission: sharing communication tips and ideas for promotional messages).

Volunteers, divided into smaller groups, discussed and developed some proposals for each one of these topics.

The day ended with a visit to the centre of Milan and its main monuments (with the special cooperation of AVIS staff members who played the role of city guides for one day), plus some free time. We would like to mention that at the end of every Forum day interesting conversations took place, with a spontaneous and stimulating exchange of ideas between the participants in the garden of the hostel. Such actions, which encourage the free exchange of local activities, play a great role of the participant's enrichment and education.

DAY THREE 29th

August 2015 – A day in EXPO 2015

On the following day participants travelled to the EXPO Milano 2015 (“Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”), the Universal Exhibition that Milan hosted from May 1st to October 31st .

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

The day started at the entrance of the international EXPO, with the inauguration of a sculpture, “The Table of Sharing” (La tavola della Condivisione) by the artist Alberto Gianfreda, whose main part has been made from handprints of AVIS volunteers collected during the celebrations of the World Blood Donor Day 2015 on the 14th of June.

On this point we would like to mention and analyse once more the innovating collaboration, in the organization of the Forum program, between Avis and an international happening like EXPO 2015, because they manage to match both activities very well.

After the presentation of this sculpture, the third working session of the IYF took place in the auditorium of Cascina Triulza, the Expo pavilion dedicated to civil society organization, with a special seminar aimed at discussing experiences and important aspects of promoting blood donation, but also public awareness on the importance of solidarity, cooperation, prevention and healthy lifestyles, with some distinguished guests.

Alice Simonetti, President of the International Youth Committee of IFBDO/FIODS, and Vincenzo Saturni, President of AVIS Nazionale, made an introductory presentation summarising key facts about blood donation worldwide.

Dr. Giuseppe Nubile, Emergency, talked about his unique and emotional experience as doctor and self-sufficiency of blood and blood products in Emergency hospitals and health protection in developing countries.

Dr. Giancarlo M. Liumbruno, Head of the National Blood Center (organ of the Ministry of Health which acts as coordinator and technical- scientific control of national blood transfusion system), delivered a speech on the relationship between healthy lifestyles, donation, prevention, protection of donor and recipient health.

Dr. Poli, Nutrition Foundation, illustrated the “AVISperEXPO” project and the results of a questionnaire about nutrition and prevention within the Italian population, giving also many useful suggestions in terms of healthy habits.

Dr. Elena Penco, CESVI, focused on water scarcity & the importance of water, and

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

presented the organization work on the side of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) carried out in DRC and other regions.

At the end of the conference, participants had the opportunity to visit the exhibition and to involve other visitors in the collection of imagines from EXPO for a video clip which will be created on the song "Because We Can", the celebrated success of Bon Jovi.

Finally, before to leave the exposition, volunteers watched the “Tree of life” show with lights and fountains, one of the main attractions of EXPO 2015.

DAY FOUR 30th August 2015 – The Bloody NGO Handbook and Forum closing

On the last day two events took place.

At first the meeting of the IYC National Representatives, where head delegates from all the represented organisation at first made an evaluation of the ongoing event, describing all the points that should be more developed to offer volunteer a very well organized socializing and training event. Moreover, delegates discussed also how to further improve communication and cooperation within the IYC and with the general public. Finally, as a tradition, participants voted for the hosting country for the 2017 edition of the IYF, and the winner has been... Lithuania!

What is more, after the IYC Representatives meeting, the last working group, presented with an introduction by Horia Bugner  « The Bloody NGO handbook ». Then the participants discussed points that might be useful to update and increase in the guide created after the 2012 IYC Forum in Iceland. They have been divided in three smaller teams, each of them discussing and analysing a specific topic. These have been the three main points analyzed:1.    Relation between senior and youth organisation and also the necessity and structure of a mother organisation2.    How could an NGO effectively use social media3.    Recruitment of volunteer with focus on the minority groups.About the first point, the relation between the senior organisation and youth groups, participants have presented interesting observations and proposals.  They suggest that examples should be collected with diagrams of the way several organisations part of the IFBDO are structured, with pros and cons of each situation.  Other crucial issues are responsibility, the importance to feel

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

independent to take their own decisions and to build a strategy of work, plus the possibility to have its own financial resources (but preferably with some sort of control by the mother organisation) and a good communication and exchange of best practices.

The other group worked on the ways to   inform and recruit volunteers , in particular towards those who belong to minorities (immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities).

About immigrants and refugees, a blood donor association might be a good way of integration and offer some specific activities (such as language or First Aid courses). Generally speaking, in order to improve our communication with the several minorities groups, the group found out that at first our associations should introduce themselves in the communities of the minority groups (refugees, immigrants, and also people with disabilities), showing them the aims and work of the organization and then getting to know their culture, habits, needs. The better way to be done is to talk at first to the leaders of the group. After this presentation, the association could offer some activities to the children of the group, in schools or universities (also about volunteering in general, as part of a school project) to present the association at first and then to invite the group to a dedicated socializing event. Promoting an exchange project of volunteers between the interested countries might also be a great idea.

The third group has worked on social media such as facebook and website.

In order to use Facebook in a smart way they suggested a lot of tips, based on the idea of using Facebook pages to inform about the actions of the organisation, with an interactive and also entertaining approach, never forgetting the possibility to come in touch through Facebook with sponsors to repost on media and publish organization goals and ideas.

Regarding website, it might be used to let volunteers online booking next donation and promote slogan for being not only a blood donor, but an active volunteer, posting documents showing association’s transparency for “wanna-be” members.

For both (Facebook &Website), campaigns with people who can’t donate, with testimonies (perhaps an anemic), videos with an emotional feeling are good ways to attract new donors, such us newsletter to inform those who are already affiliated.

EVALUATION AND CONCLUSIONS

15th International Youth Forum of IFBDO/FIODSMilan, Italy

27th – 30th August 2015

The 15th International Youth Forum has been another great adventure in the tradition of the IYC, thanks to the people who animated it, the topics discussed, the outcome and the special venues that welcomed us. We would like to thank especially the Italian hosting association, Avis, all the volunteers and professionals who gave their contribution for this event, and of course all the young volunteers from 15 countries and 4 continents that decided to participate, with the encouragement and support of their organisations.

A perfect event? Of course not. There are many aspects, about the logistics and program, that are still to be improved, but each time we come home with some more experience to be made available for our national associations, the International Youth Committee and the IFBDO, so we firmly believe that, for the young friends who enjoyed the Forum, this has been the same.

Let’s keep working together, #becausewecan ;)

See you in for the IYF Lebanon 2016!

The International Youth Committee

P.S. For more photos and information about IYC and the Forum, please visit https://iycfiods.wordpress.com/