What is the Congress? The Congress is an international event which will bring together many young people who have been involved in Living Together, along with some new faces. We are looking for people who are ready to commit to working together to make a positive change in their own communities, and wider society.

When will it take place?
The Living Together Congress will take place in Krakow, Poland, from 4-6 March 2009. However, initial activity will start in December 2008 through a moderated online forum, where activists can expect to take part in a series of games, exercises and debates, to get to know their co-workers, and to start making concrete plans for the future.

What will it involve?
After three months of preparatory work online, the network will meet at the Congress in Kraków, Poland. Here, participants can expect to benefit from a series of tailored workshops that will equip them with essential skills, from fundraising and high level advocacy to grassroots campaigning. They will also have the opportunity to work face to face with one another to develop their existing ideas and to present them to a panel of invited policymakers, journalists and leaders in civil society.

Interested in becoming part of the Living Together Young Activists Network? Then read more to find out about what we’re looking for.
The network will consist of 60 people aged between 20 and 30 from across South East Europe and the UK. We will particularly welcome applications from individuals who have either participated in a Living Together project, or have a strong track record of action in promoting social cohesion, or both. We are also keen to hear from applicants who come from minority communities in the places in which they live, work and study. All applicants should demonstrate their existing commitment to activism in the cause of social cohesion, and should be able to express themselves fluently in English, which will be the common language of the network.

All successful applicants will be expected to commit to working as part of the network from the beginning of December 2008, and to taking part in the Congress in March 2009. The British Council will fund travel and accommodation at the Congress, but please note that participants will be asked to share rooms (single-sex twin rooms). 

Network members can expect to commit between one and eight hours a week to contributing to the online forum, and to three full days’ work at the Congress. Finally, all successful applicants will be expected to commit to working as part of the network on an ongoing basis after the event in March.

How to Apply
Please download and complete the application form. Email your completed form to: Livingtogethercongress@britishcouncil.org by 14th November 2008. Please note that we may not be able to consider late applications.

For more information, please contact the Living Together Project Manager Kate Joyce