Declaration of the European Students for Legality

We, students of the European Forum for Legality originating from all over Europe, collectively in one voice stand for respect, protection and fulfillment of the general principles of legality within Higher Education Institutions. Therefore with this declaration we state the following principals, demands and commitments for Participation, Justice, Transparency and Culture in the universities:

Participation

UNIVERSITAS MAGISTRORUM SCHOLARIUM

  We, the European Students for Legality, commit ourselves to promote and defend Participation by:

  •        Emphasizing the significance of student participation in decision making processes;

  •        Encouraging participation so students can be in a position to contribute, support, influence and promote the principles of democracy and legality;

  Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

  -        Pursue democracy by promoting collaboration among university stakeholders;

  -        Ensure equality of opportunity for all;

  -        Call for the establishment of a su?cient legal platform and financial support to ensure the sustainability of student participation;

  -        Raise awareness and distribute information to emphasize the importance and necessity of active student participation;

  Therefore we demand:

  Empowerment of students so that they participate in decision-making processes at their university. Thus we apply the principle of check and  balances, assisting the university in executing its academic purposes.

                                                                            Justice

FIAT IUSTITIA NE PEREAT MUNDUS

We, the European Students for Legality, commit ourselves to promote and defend Justice by:

•       Promoting Equal opportunity for all in terms of rights, access to education and admission, participation 

•        Fighting for Respect of Students’ Opinion

•        Demanding Just/ Fair grading system (of students, professors, curriculum)

•        Advocating for a clear and efficient Legal framework which is based on transparency and is internationally accredited.

Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

-       Promote youth active citizenship through different forms of education (formal and non-formal) at all levels

-        Ensure students’ representation at the university and other institutions in decision making processes (legal framework, anti-corruption,  etc.)

Therefore we demand:

Improvement of the regulation systems in order to become stronger, well-controlled and more transparent. 

                                                                          

Culture

                                                                   ALMA MATER SOCIETAS

   We, the European Students for Legality, commit ourselves to promote and defend Culture by:

   Stating that universities should not only educate future workers but also promote culture and knowledge;

   Promoting civic culture should be enhanced to help youth to think critically and to be active in encouraging improvement. 

   Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

  -        Encourage debate and engagement on current affairs;

  -        Explore our own universities multicultural environment;

  -        Stimulate artistic expression and creativity;

  -        Fight against discrimination and celebrate diversity ;

  -        Confront ourselves with the wider society and other universities in our country and abroad;

   By the same token we demand from institutions, local, national and European government to:

  -        Fund exchange programs

  -        Develop ethical codes that promote tolerance

  -        Grant support for cultural activities

  -        Create a system of quotas to encourage the participation of minorities in universities. 

                                                                       

Transparency

QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES

   We, the European Students for Legality, commit ourselves to promote and defend Transparency by:

   •       Ensuring accountable institutions, open access to information, free channels of communication and independent regulation;

   •       Advocating clarity, cooperation, responsible ethics, student representation and public debate;

   •       Demanding direct procedural and deliberative democracy;

   Therefore we demand:

   Transparent institutions:

  -        Proper appointment of professors;

  -         Fair and public budgets, finance and accounting;

  -         Elected student bodies;

  -        Clear sanctions for breach of transparency by a disciplinary body;

  -        Independent regulation of universities;

   A transparent information service:

  -        Active free access to information (e.g. complaints procedure);

  -         Open decision making process;

  -         Publishing and monitoring results;

  -         Detailed information about budgets, funds and donations;

  -        Ensuring laws regarding freedom of information access are properly applied;

   A transparent assessment (evaluation) system:

  -        No tolerance with regards bribing;

  -         Fair marking;

  -         External and independent assessment;

  -        Assuring all institutions provide evidence and records of exams (oral and written);

  -        Publish the curriculum (assessment criteria).

Turin, Italy

7th December 2010

Declaration on the youth side of Legality

 “Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. Only 56 men signed the declaration of Independence. A few hanging together can lead a nation to change.”

 The European Forum of students for Legality was successfully conducted in the capital of Youth -Torino, Italy from 5^th-7^th December 2010. The forum was exquisite because of cultural diversity; 30 delegates from EU and non-EU countries were given unique opportunity and free space for sharing knowledge and experiences from their homelands. All the thoroughly chosen participants were active citizens already   involved in student movements and initiatives in their countries where they voiced the student’s needs for freedom of expression, students rights and equality, anti-corruption in the higher education and etc.

“Tell me and I’ll listen, show me and I’ll watch. Let me experience and I’ll learn”

  Starting point was 4^th of December. After Introduction of the project and the program, evaluation of expectations and fears, Presentation of the FLARE –Freedom, Legality and Rights in Europe, forum participants were put in motion by the FLARE Network, truly powerful body founded on June 10, 2008 at the European Parliament in Brussels and made up by civil society organizations for social struggle against mafias and transitional organized crime and composed by the  NGO’s from over 30 countries, who are active in fields such as youth promotion, fight against women and child sexual exploitation, environmental protection, human rights defense, fight against corruption, support to migrants and the refugees.

                                          

For three-day period of time the European Students were entitled the right to listen and be listened. The event Agenda included sessions on student participation and mobilization and relevantly, the participants explored and shared the experiences from their own countries and organizations, presented their group work and created strategies for advocating change, ending up with the plenary presentations. On the 7^th December students drafted principles and commitments,  summarized ideas and statements and finalized the Declaration.

 

 

“Success is determined by those whom prove the impossible, possible” 

 The successful completion of the declaration was not only students merit but also due to inspiring and informative, interesting and high-standard speeches that were made by Key Note Speakers. 

 Michele Curto – President of Flare Network shared with all the knowledge and provided students with hands-on approach about his activities, efforts, highlighted FLARE’s some highest priorities  and core concerns, assured participants that civil society has the leading role in fight against organized crime. The speech was truly inspiring, as it carried one idea- to struggle, not to surrender, as well as it suggested a number of right tools:  co-operation against the corruption, mafias, promotion of the Human rights defense at European level, starting up common projects and foremost tool mentioned by him was to exchange of good or bad practice in order to find out where the path may lead.

 Other significant speakers Milan Stefanovic from Serbia made detailed speech on the student movement against Milosevic, Andrea Spagnolo- Magister  in International  Criminal law provided youngsters with information about legal issues, Studenti indipendenti and  UniLibera conveyed much-needed information about the situation in the university of Turin.

“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them”

 Every single detail related to the forum, as well as communicating to the participants and selecting problematic issues, leading the events subsequently in the organized way was due to Nina Pavlovska and Sara Ibrahim, two people always in need and present  during pre-forum period and  the whole  forum process.

 “One with the Law is a majority” Calvin Coolidge, July 28, 1920

 The declaration was supposed to be international tool for advocacy for students rights and distributed by them to their colleagues and student organizations at their Universities. Now the task is fulfilled!   Every student felt as a part of the Flare21 Youth Platform and here is the list of the forum participants who worked under FLARE network umbrella primary for legality at the European level:

Olsi Duzha,  Dino Hrustanovic,  Yauhenia Parcheuskaya,  Evgeny Ivanov Kossev,  Petr Pribyla,  Martin Valachovic,  Nino Jajanidze,   Verena Zoppei,  Dimitris K.Katsaris,  Zlata Kharitonova,  Federico Alagna, Alessandro Valera,  Federica Livio, Ruzanna Narapetyan,  Marija Mircevska,  Roska Vrgova,  Sidonia Lucia Kula, Joanna Duda,  Ionita Diana-Adela,  Maria Gordeeva,  Damjan Andjelkovic,  Filip Balunovic, German M.Teruel Lozano,  Olov Oskarsson,  Kate Langley,  Zoia Stankovskaya.

To be specific, on the Forum the participants were thirty, but if one takes into consideration that each delegate was one from each country it turns out that back, to their homelands, they are “one with the law”, but still with the power and determination of expanding the coverage of the declaration drafted. 
 

The Forum confirmed the fact that co-operating, collaborating, communicating and simply, talking is extremely important because if two cultures talk they do not fight, and if many cultures talk a step forward is guaranteed. The forum was not a place for dispute, on the contrary it was exactly, an effort of talking between young people from different ethnic backgrounds and not only.

Let the Declaration of students for Legality be the document inspiring that “one with the Law is a majority” and a few people can lead to a change and, one day the desired result can be achieved!

  By: Nino Jajanidze