THE ELSA ELECTRONIC NEWSNOTES December 2004

WELCOME

This issue of the Newsnotes is mainly about the outcomes of the International Year of the Child Who Stutters, IYCWS, 2004. But also other news from all over the world we would like to share with you.

May this newsletter be interesting and inspirational to start the New Year with.

ELSA NEWS AND REPORTS

• ELSA Website

Please check your entries on the ELSA website “member associations” section and let us know about your latest updates. We would also like to create an agenda where we would like to list activities in your country. This can be annual meetings, seminars, youth meetings etc, if possible with a link and a contact person. Please let us know if the meetings are open for all or members only. Previous newsnotes are still available on the ELSA website www.elsa.info.

• Gina Waggott on European Youth Committee

Gina Waggott was recently elected as a board member of the new European Disability Forum Youth Committee, which met for the first time in Brussels this September. There are 6 members of the committee, Gina is the only representative associated with stuttering, and the only UK board member. The Youth Committee's role is: o to add a youth dimension in EDF work in general o to make disability visible in mainstream youth work at all levels :

- European level : EU institutions, Council of Europe, European Youth Forum
- International level : United Nations
- National, regional and local level

o to monitor EU Youth policy
o to promote the participation of young people with disabilities in disability and mainstream organisations and participate in the decisions which concerns them
o representation in disability / mainstream conferences/seminars

The Commitee's Aims for the Future are:

o To foster EDF's participation in the European Youth Forum activities and work (to seek cooperation partnership to participate in events, Youth Forum working groups and mainstream youth policy work)
o To improve monitoring of EU Youth policy
o To improve the mainstreaming of youth disability issues
o To improve the participation of young disabled people in EU programmes
o To improve the participation of young disabled people at decision-making level and in political life
o To develop and structure a youth disability organisations within a network and build a strong cooperation
o To produce a publication on youth and disability (long term legacy of the EDF Youth Committee's work)

Gina has already taken an active role in making the committee's aims a reality and is currently writing an article for the EDF on media and disability to be distributed at a wide European level.

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