Rights & Democracy Network National Retreat

Context

The Rights & Democracy Network is organizing a national retreat in the greater Montreal area on September 22, 23 and 24, 2006. The objective of this initiative is to enable our active members across Canada to meet each other, share information and views, and participate in training sessions. The latter will enable participants to deepen their understanding of approaches particular to the Network and strengthen Canadian Delegations’ capacities for reflection and action.

Information / Training

Students selected to participate in this retreat will receive information and training intended to foster integration of the Network’s approaches into the initiatives of Delegations:

• Diversity and equality: why and how to take into consideration gender issues, Aboriginal issues, the international character of the university population and accessibility for the disabled;
• Innovation: how to identify subjects rarely addressed or tackle them from a new, constructive angle; how to develop initiatives having an innovative, accessible and interactive format;
• Connectivity: how to optimize use of information technologies and communications including the tools and services made available by the Network to its members; Delegation Websites and Network Forum;
• Multidisciplinarity: everyone can contribute to advancing human rights and democracy: ways to promote participation by students from all disciplines in the Delegation executive committee and in project teams;
• Studies and career: how to take full advantage of the Network member experience and develop initiatives within which knowledge and capacity-building can be recognized as value-added for students’ academic and professional careers by governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions in the international cooperation sector.

Network Tool Kit

The Network Tool Kit, which is intended for the Delegations, will be handed out to participants. Designed to facilitate both Delegation management and project development and implementation, this kit contains tools addressing the particular subjects of:

• producing/distributing notice of meeting (for general assembly); communications with members;
• drawing up a budget, finding partners and funding, and producing a closing balance sheet;
• writing a media release;

Training will also include workshops on:

• media relations;
• event organization and protocol.

Format

The various sessions will take the form of interactive workshops, simulations or discussions and will help students build their capacity for promoting human rights and democracy through concrete, practical examples that can be applied within their respective Delegations.

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