MIJARC Europe

MIJARC Europe is the European continental branch of MIJARC. It is the platform or umbrella organization, representing the catholic, agricultural and rural youth movements in Europe. It has member movements and contact movements in Portugal (JARC), Spain (MJRC and JARC Catalonia), France (MRJC), Belgium (KLJ), Germany (KLJB), Hungary (KIM), Austria (KJÖ), Poland (EiR), Bulgaria (YMDRAB) and Romania (APSD-Agenda 21), representing around 130 000 rural young people aged from 12 to 30 years old.

Officially registered in 1996 as non-profit organization, based in Belgium,[1] MIJARC Europe strives to implement and raise awareness about sustainable agricultural, rural and international development, European citizenship, youth policies, gender equality, environmental protection, interculturality and human rights, by facilitating inter-cultural exchanges, camps, seminars, campaigns and non-formal learning opportunities in a sustainable and culturally sensitive manner, considering the Christian values.

MIJARC Europe is member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and the European Coordination La Via Campesina (ECVC) and has a participatory status in the Council of Europe, with a representative in the Advisory Council on Youth.[2]

Structure

MIJARC Europe member movements have a "bottom-up" structure, starting at the grassroots level. Rural young people gather in local groups. Their leaders gather in regional (diocesan) boards and some regional representatives gather at the national level (national board).

MIJARC Europe itself is run by the Executive Board or European Team, composed of three to five elected representatives that can be proposed by member movements.

The European Team is observed by the European Coordination which is composed by one elected representative from each member movement, called European coordinator.

At the top of decision-making is the General Assembly which is represented by each member movement. Every four years there is an "Orientations General Assembly" which prepares and decides the action plan of MIJARC Europe for the next four years. The next one is scheduled for 2013.

Working topics

MIJARC Europe's Action Plan for 2009-2013 includes specific objectives on the topics of:

  • Human rights
  • Environmental protection
  • Youth participation
  • Food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture in Europe
  • Holistic quality of education and lifelong learning in rural areas (with special emphasis in the recognition of non-formal and informal education)
  • Solidarity based economy

References
  1. Belgian Chamber of Commerce, search "MIJARC Europe"
  2. "Members 2012-14" (pdf). Council of Europe. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
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