Tool-Kit for Active Members all over Europe
Actions for the Europe-wide Action Week for Children of alcoholics
Here comes a collection of the ideas that will inspire you with actions that your Active-friends are taking somewhere in Europe.
1) translate Active press release (the one that Active wrote together with Eurocare and that we published just today) to your language
In the EU there are ca. 9 Million children who have to grow up in families where at least one parent is alcohol addicted. This is a huge problem for the children – as you know.
Active wrote this press release together with EUROCARE to show that not only we but many other organizations care and see a need to tackle the problems.
It’s a short press release, simple for you to translate into your language.
You can come up with your own quotations or you can use Andrea’s.
You can delete the EUROCARE part, or you can replace – do as you like. The important thing is that you send out something in the name of your organization to highlight the problem.
2) translate the Active statement to your language
Active will publish a statement on Wednesday – but you’ll get it already on Tuesday. Translate it and spread it to local newspapers, politicians and your government.
If you need the contact of your government and you can’t find them on your own, you are very welcome to contact eliina@activeeurope.org
Eliina has a huge list of government contacts and will happily help you.
3) facebook – share the logo on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Active-Sobriety-friendship-peace/16352926764
On facebook, on the Active page that you most probably know, we are spreading the word about the Europe-wide action week as well. We have created a logo – SHARE it on your profile and spread it in your social network. It’s a simple click and you raise awareness!
4) balloons all over town with “9 Million too many logo” and a brief explanation
A cool public action is to use balloons, with a simple message attached to them, and tie them on lamps and other objects “all over a specific area”.
It’s cheap to buy balloons and most of us even do have some at home. Collect your friends and put them all over your neighbourhood, or on the main square of your city. They definitely will get attention. On a small paper/ card you can write: “There are 9 million children in the EU growing up in families with alcohol addicted parents. They need help. They deserve support.”
Of course, you can also make up your own message. Attach the Logo, if you like – and you are ready for a simple and fun street action!
5) publish stories about how it is to live and grow up in a family with alcohol addicted parents
There are many Active-members who actually know how it is to live with alcoholics as parents, because they experience it themselves and/ or have friends who go through this. It is important to tell these stories to the broad public. It is important to tell how it feels like and what it is that you, your friends have to go through. You don’t have to write down your names under the stories, if you don’t feel comfortable.
You can send these stories to the newspapers or write your own blog about it. Active has the book “Bad time stories” that compiles some of such stories. You could make your own compilation of stories in your organization.
The point is: in society it is awfully silent about this enormous problem. This silence is worst for the affected children and young people – so, we need to use this week to tell that they are not alone and that there are more who know what it’s like.
6) other public action/ activity
Most probably you came up with many more good ideas of what to do during this week, while reading these suggestions. So, you can also gather the members of your organization and discuss what your experiences are with the topic and if/ how you can deal with it in the long-run. Or you can try to cooperate with a school and talk to students. You could also arrange meetings with local politicians to make them do more for children and young people – they should create more alcohol free environments, for example.
Some inspiration from your European friends:
Juvente Estonia: has translated the Active press release into Estonian and will send it out to partners, media and politicians in Estonia today/ tomorrow. You can see their press release also on www.all-rights.org
Juvente Germany: will translate the Active press release and send it out in Germany. They will also write stories about their own experiences of what it’s like to grow up with alcohol addicted parents – and spread these in the media. Also Juvente Germany’s actions you can see on www.all-rights.org
UNF Sweden: will publish today their own press release; they will also publish one more press release on Friday, at the end of the action week. UNF will also write an article in the national newspaper in Sweden and be part of a panel discussion on 15th February about the issue. If you want to know more about UNF’s actions, www.all-rights.org will help you.
Sober Crescent & Stars Turkey: will arrange visits in high schools to talk with students. And they’ll also translate Active’s press release and statement to send it out in Turkey. All about their successes on www.all-rights.org
NOM Slovakia: has translated the Active press release and will spread it in local media. NOM has organized a cooperation with a youth centre during this week. They’ll appear on local TV, together. NOM will also spread stories of what it’s like to grow up with addicted parents and during the week the will arrange a public activity. If you want to see how it goes for NOM, click on www.all-rights.org
There is much more going on in Active than these examples. If you also want your actions to be visible to Europe, contact maik(at)activeeurope.org or eliina(at)activeeruope.org we will make sure that everybody knows what you and your organization are up to.
RAISE AWARENESS and SPREAD OUR MESSAGES
Good luck now!
Your Active office