Upcoming Seminars

Two pilot trainings have been completed in 2005. In 2006 we will hold 4 training projects.

The first Pilot was held in Brussels from the 22nd to the 25th of September 2005, training people from Slovakia, Belgium and Sweden.

The Second Pilot was held in Budapest, Hungary from the 27th to the 30th of October 2005, training people from Hungary, Italy and the UK.

In 2006 we will be holding 4 training sessions:

• Training 1 will be held in January with participants from Austria, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
• Training 2 will be held in March with participants from France, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
• Training 3 will be held in May with participants from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.
• Training 4 will be held in September with participants from Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia.

Early applications for the 2006 trainings would be welcomed

Selection Criteria & Process

Criteria

The selection criteria cover both the organisation and the individual. While the primary selection relates to the organisation, it is also necessary to ensure that individuals nominated by selected organisations are in a position (both in terms of their position in the organisation and their skills) to bring the learning obtained back to the organisation, and to develop and implement the national strategy.

The partners wish to achieve a balance of backgrounds and experience within the training and within the NGOs from each country especially in relation to the role of the organisation in the development and implementation of the national strategy on litigation and support and this will be taken into account in selecting participants. We will also take into account what other training organisations and individuals have been or will be involved in, especially under the Community Action Programme, in order to ensure that different projects complement one another. In this context it may be appropriate to select the same participants where this brings added value and synergy between projects.

Organisational Criteria

1. The participating organisation must be an NGO. (The project is targeted at NGO’s, rather than the private sector, lawyers, judiciary etc. Other training projects cover these areas, and the SOLID project will complement these) THE SOLID PROJECT DEFINES THE TERM ‘NGO’ BROADLY.
   
   
2. The NGO must have a legitimate interest in contributing to the fight against discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic origin with a view to promoting the principle of equal treatment;
   
   
3. The NGO must either (a) already offer advice/support to victims of race discrimination (not limited to legal support) or (b) be in a position to offer this advice/support. Priority will be given to organisations falling into category (a). This does not have to be the sole purpose of the organisation, and in addition to Race Equality NGO’s, applications will be accepted from organisations working on a number of grounds of discrimination, organisations working on Human Rights more generally and single identity organisations.
   
   
4. The organisation must be willing to commit, with other participants, to the production and implementation of a National Strategy on Litigation and Support following the full training programme, including the development of a longer term strategy (see Information Sheet 1 for key further details);
   
   

Individual Criteria

As well as wanting to ensure we have a mixture of organisations, including community organisations as well as those already involved in litigation, we also wish to ensure a mixture of skills and backgrounds (including legal and non-legal), and the selection criteria and process will take this into account.

1. Sufficient link to the NGO represented (ideally an employee of the NGO, although other links, such as lawyers or case workers who work with the organisation, will be considered);
   
   
2. Relevant experience working in/with an NGO on advocacy. This can include (i) actual litigation experience (ii) lawyers or non-lawyers with some knowledge of the legal issues and (iii) those with NGO community activist experience. Advocacy is defined as “Action in support of or on behalf of individuals and/or communities facing social exclusion, inequality and discrimination, that aims at securing the rights of such individuals and groups through means of support, lobbying, empowerment, PR, campaigning, litigation etc.”
   
   
3. A strong interest in discrimination law and its enforcement;
   
   
4. Sufficient language skills in English to participate fully in the training (including writing, reading and speaking skills).
   
   

Selection Process

Selection will be made by the SOLID Project partners on the basis of the above criteria.

The application form can be downloaded, and should be completed and signed by the applicant. It must also be signed by the appropriate representative of the organisation (Chair of Board or equivalent), clearly stating the organisation’s willingness to make the commitments outlined above.

The completed application form and any supporting material must be submitted by fax or by post to the address on the application form at your earliest convenience. E-mails will not be accepted unless scanned original signatures are included, or unless the last page of the form including original signatures is faxed or posted to the address on the application form.

Travel & Accommodation

The SOLID project will reimburse reasonable travel costs for participants to travel to the training and provide accommodation and subsistence for the duration of the training. This is on the condition that participants attend all the sessions of the training. Absence from any part of the training without good cause and prior agreement will mean that we will be unable to reimburse costs.

Apply for SOLID Training Seminar