International Sociological Association
RC34 Planning meeting
Thessaloniki, July 2004
Lynne, Norbert, Helena, Carmen, Siyka, David, Howard
Friday, July 2nd 2004
Five key conferences on youth research in next two years:
• Luxembourg EU Presidency 05/1
• Oslo Centennial congress
• NYRIS Sweden August 05
• Finland EU Presidency 06/1
• Durban July 06 ISA World Congress
Original thoughts about Norway
Youth and generations: investing in future democracies
Transforming societies, transforming lives
Cultural inheritance of youth in transforming and emerging societies
Continuity and change in community and generational inheritance
Outcomes of discussion on Friday morning
1905-2005 A global century of the child
Life at 20 today in five continents. Life at 20 in 1905 (the ‘history project’)…….?
Make this a Core event of Congress
• exhibitions, display, text
Each thematic group contributes
‘Youth and Generations investing in future democracies’ coordinates contributions
Co-operation with Oslo museums/galleries and Ministries
Sponsors from relevant sectors [from each continent]
• sweets/Rowntree ‘Smarties’
• toys Lego ‘toy of the century’
• oil industry/work, mobility
• sport/Nike, Adidas
• music/MTV
Congress opening/Mandela + childrens fund travelling exhibition
Council of Europe (Yael)
Concert: Euro Youth Orchestra
Themes within the idea of ‘global justice?’ [has life transformed; how much?]
(im)mobility
dis/ease and health
work (child labour)
war/violence (child soldiers)
Schooling and apprenticeship
the girl child/the boy child
crime
leisure
race
class
social power/agency
family – fatherhood/motherhood
visual image and culture
style maps (dress, body lang)
music and technology
Products
Academic book
Book of the nine keynote speeches + exhibition book
Computer and downloadable X (film, etc.)
Breaking down the barriers – not investment in youth, but how youth transforms societies through challenge, etc.
Creative approach, though packaged and sold within ‘traditional academic conference’.
Three key inputs and creative development around that.
Preparatory tasks
1. Write text for website (presenting concept in integrated way and link to ‘global century’ anchor)
2. Sponsor letters
Discussion
HW – pulling it together relationally – traditional/creative; core/satellite, over time. Finding the buggers!!! Do we need a safer Plan B.
DE – got to win over the other nine themes to contribute to our session.
DE – Roger Waters; Vaclav Havel, etc. People who are intellectual and have lived these experiences.
NW – yes, there are difficulties in doing things in different ways, but it can be done.
The researcher as artist and creator
Finding the ground between analysis and presentation
CL Bringing young people in to present
NW LEGO’s use for management training and fun
HW We do not need to be persuaded, but we have to have a strategy to persuade others that this is valid stuff and not frivolous
LC If the ideas don’t work out, then we can still revert to a thematic traditional event
HW what about each theme framed by three kinds of approaches (lecture, table discussion, visual presentation)
CL Need a ‘middle way’ – young people involved in research; Ph D students doing innovative and pioneering youth research
And must not ignore the idea of ‘adolescence’ [Stanley Hall 1905?]
Children, families and YOUTH
LC – NB. Wilfrid Breyvogel (University of Essen)
1905 2005
Hall/adolescence; failed Russian revolution
Africa 20
Europe 20
Asia 20
S America 20
N America 20
industrialisation knowledge society
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globalisation
colonialism
Themes
1 2 3
Academic book
pdf proceedings
DE – the big question for him is how different is the reality of life for young people in different parts of the world between 1905 and 2005. It is the big issues of rights and global justice – what have young people done to change the world in those last hundred years?
Youth are agents of change….how have they been so, where, why?
Change and continuity: all have an inheritance – what did they take with them, what did they have to break?
HW Time lines across generations in different life domains?
CL Gender. Educational mobility. Identity.
And what happens after 2005? Social mobility through education no longer obtains.
Support the global justice proposition.
Cluster themes within three overarching frameworks: global justice then and now?
DE Camcorder for each young person to record a day in their life [guided by a sequence of things to cover – home life, work life, getting up, washing, eating, looking to the future]
TASKS
1. Video- project: conducted and co-ordinated by ‘local leaders’ (VPs?), with one overarching co-ordinator.
My life in:
• Norway (Oslo)
• Durban
• Sri Lanka (Columbo)
• Columbia (Herman Munoz)
• Canada/western Ontario (Jim)
One or more persons… and a multi-tiered approach
Team doing it must include knowledge of media, and of working with kids.
20 minutes for each global segment (not just urban warriors but also rurality); but still images could be gathered for a travelling roadshow (to go to NYRIS and Durban).
Timeline
2004
July
1st draft Oslo text (DE)
CoE/Yael (LC)
Local global book to press [HH, GH]
August
Draft sponsor pack (NW)
Revised Jacobs sponsor application to be completed [HH, JC]
September
Clarity on the history project/marketing leaflet [HH, NW, LN, CW]
Young researchers’ award:
– guidelines for call for papers, based on YOUNG [SK]
End of September: WC outline session page from persons nominated
below to HH/HW for aligning and ‘approving’
Oct
WC sessions/orgs – ISA 31.10
plan video project (CF?)
invite key speakers (HH)
Nov
planning history project – life in 1905 (OS/DE)
organise school competition (HH)
Dec
Oslo papers submission 15/12
2005
Jan
(Latest) call for ‘special prize’ paper from young researchers [HH/JC]
Feb
Thursday 17th – Sunday 20th February: second prep meeting for Oslo;
Salerno or Berlin
March
April
WC – no of sessions advisory decision
Thursday April 28th – Sunday May 1st 3rd preparatory meeting for Oslo;
Plovdiv or Berlin
May
June
OSLO CONGRESS 29/6 – 03/7
July
Aug
NYRIS STOCKHOLM
Sept
WC Integrated Sessions proposals 15/9
Oct
Nov
Dec
2006
Jan
WC – no of sessions decision; Programme submission 31/1
Feb
March
April
May
June
WC Papers submission 30/6
July
WORLD CONGRESS DURBAN
CL Will Ola fall in line with our ideas?
DE Will still need Plan B – in case our cultural creativity bites the dust.
Resource availability from Norway?
What is available to us?
What do we need it for – further planning meetings, supporting travel for ‘individual’ visits, supporting the production of papers….????
[End of first day discussion]
Saturday, July 3rd, 2004
RC34
AGENDA
1 RC 34 projects
a) Book situation
b) history book
c) young researchers’ award
d) conferences
2 news
• membership
• Sibylle H-F
• committee members
3 Preparation of the 2006 WC
• Brisbane feedback
• sessions and organisers
4 Other issues
• IBYR
• other
Local and global Book (Ashgate) situation – reaching completion (autumn 2004): HH/Gunilla
History book – lack of knowledge about progress (Claire/Lyudmila); HH to make contact and establish nature of progress and whether there are problems which need sharing and resolving. [Resolution might include a postgraduate project, interviewing past Presidents…?]
NW Perhaps also a small booklet for publicity and marketing purposes [institutional CV]
DE Do something more web-based, for adaptation after 2006 if necessary.
So three issues:
• the book
• a web-based production
• a marketing ‘leaflet’
Contact with former Presidents to ask for a couple of pages on (a) vision, (b) achievements and (c) challenges during their time as President.
NW to prepare a set of questions for HH to ask Lyudmila/Claire. This will establish the state and stage of progress with the book, the material currently secured, etc. Past Presidents (not Sibylle, who has already done something) to be asked to provide a two-page reflection framed around the three points above.
If we have these Presidential statements, photographs and some history – then at least it would be possible to prepare a 10/12 page brochure on the rationale, history and mission of RC34.
Young researchers’ award
Unsuccessful application to Jacobs Foundation for support.
Have around 2000€ – but this would only support one person.
A promotional/marketing leaflet might be a basis for securing sponsorship for this approach.
Sources of sponsorship? [to support young researchers] We need about 5,000€
Targeting sponsors around themes that might interest them – ie youth and technology
Gifts; awards; recognition – cellphones, RC34/ISA certificate/diploma, publication in YOUNG, trip to Durban
Added to timetable
Key elements in the call for papers (for youth researchers’ award):
All should be innovative:
• both theoretical or empirical papers
• methodological
• format for abstract/synopsis and paper (length)
• name, status, basis of the paper
• themes…
• prizes (T-shirt, phone, YOUNG, diploma, Durban, free membership of RC34, publication on IBYR) [let us be more general – want to reward in a concrete way the submissions of highest quality]
• languages EN, FR, SP
• jury – RC34 Board and Committee members as nominated by President
Debate – do we seek abstracts or ask for full papers? CL/HW discussion of filtering, expediency, and democracy.
Sponsorship – the prize would take the name?????????? [Ethical sponsorship – take the money and run!]
Next meetings to prepare for Oslo
2nd preparatory meeting for the Oslo conference – third week of February (Thursday 17/2 – Sunday 20th): Salerno?
Who else to invite? Ola, Jim. Core people whose costs will be covered; those who may attend, if they can find travel and subsistence support from other sources.
If not in Salerno, then in Berlin?
Third meeting in Plovdiv
World Congress 2006
Membership currently is 111.
We will need 100+: and 2005 is the big renewal year.
Membership from across the world.
Value and meaning of RC34 to each member
2004 renewal date notice – Oct 04
India, China. No V/P for south America
Next meeting – start discussing nominations for 2006-2010.
Sibylle H-F has asked what have we done concerning the new countries of the EU in relation to youth research. Siyka reported, having done this stuff for a long time. Ladislav and Reini have tried to re-establish and sustain a network. And there has been the young researchers’ conferences/seminars with the CoE.
HH: letter to Sibylle: firm and courteous. And give examples of the ways in which we have ALREADY engaged with and involved young researchers from those countries.
Committee members – Helena has met many people: Valeriy, Gunilla, Siri… Henk passing through soon.
African members? DE, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco. Institutional members
Arab members? need an Arab V/P if we are to develop a membership from those countries. [parallels with Latin America efforts]
DE The research is a by-product of activism, not for its own sake. That makes it different from perceptions of what we are about. They want to do projects, not attend conferences (even if they could).
HW this raises issues about how we have projected ourselves, because we are also interested in politics and policy, through our engagement and understanding derived from youth research.
CL – Session in Durban on the relationship between research and activism [DE to look at possibilities through the UN: Arab/African – what’s the difference?]
World Congress theme:
The Quality of Social Existence in a Globalising World
Feedback from Brisbane
LC paper and HW observations.
CL – issue of quality and quantity.
SK – biggest problems was we didn’t know who is coming
HW – managing the people as well as the time. Principle of equality, but some flexibility and discretion.
DE – Managing big egos and nervous wrecks! Handling the hate mail
LC – Level of skills in presenting work is absolutely awful (by old and new hands)
HH – maybe we need provision for a poster session
The rules had been spelt out very clear (so nobody could deny they knew). Don’t know how to get it better. Don’t think the answer is to return to a highly individualised session organising model, because this accentuates the problems.
HW Biggest problem is that to get funding people have to give a paper
Collective guiding rules and procedures v discretion of session organisers according to number, quality of papers and nature of presenters.
Different approaches by RCs
To produce an equal fair stage for as many participants as possible at the highest level of quality as possible (but this is not the culture of the Congress). Not appreciated, because many presume it is a jungle involving the survival of the fittest.
Sessions and organisers
16 sessions – 14 content sessions plus opening session plus business meeting
Topics:
Gunilla – youth culture(s)
Nancy Lesko – sexuality and AIDS in south Africa (DE to prepare a short fact sheet)
• new social movements (slim D = DE)
• social demography
• [HIV/AIDS] (slim D = DE)
• changing youth biographies/identities
• Arab-African, what’s the difference?
• young people and the changing workplace
• new technologies/communication/media
• conflict(s)
• Migration and minorities
• ** policy – opportunity or problem-oriented [out]
• ** marginalisation and exclusion/inclusion [out]
• non-formal learning
• new girls? (mutton dressed as spam) old boys?
• leisure places, safe spaces?
• agency, power and politics
• Health
Joint session (integrated) – childhood, population, youth and family
Pairs of topics, or topics –for individuals to ‘beef up’ and frame for sessions
Changing youth biographies/identities (new girls, old boys) (Carmen)
Youth culture (Gunilla)
Changing work; changing leisure; non-formal learning (Siyka)
Media, new technologies, communication (Carles)
New social movements; Agency, power and politics (David)
Arab-African (David)
Conflict (David)
Migration and Minorities (Johanna)
Health (Ngai)
One page by end September to HH, for ‘approval’ and alignment (by HW)
Lynn’s offer – i. presidential address and session; ii.time to choose what she wants to do, write about and contribute to.
IBYR
Arseniy has had a baby so some delays in doing the IBYR website. Have 350€ to support website updating.
Use of IBYR – mixed use. How could this be improved?
We have done quite well so far.
HH thanks us all for all we have done.
HW 3.7.04