Activities Youth School

This summer the IIRE had two very successful international activities. From 6 to 10 of August, we organized the sixth LGBTIQ strategy seminar. These seminars are spaces for radical left LGBTIQ liberation activists to develop theory and strategy. This year's seminar was especially focused on issues of pink-washing and homo-nationalism, the use of (rhetorical) support for LGBTIQ rights to whitewash imperialism and nationalism. We had participants from Lebanon, Britain Palestine, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Australia, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands.

 Shortly after the seminar, we had our yearParticipants in the Youth School show their support ot Danish refugee-activistsly Youth School from August 17 to August 28. This course is intended for younger left-wing activists to give an intensive introduction to socialist politics and theory. In earlier years, the school was more focused on Europe but in recent years, we have more and more non-European participants. This year, we had 26 participants from Brazil, Mexico, France, Belgium, Mozambique, Morocco, Denmark, Germany, Lebanon, Sweden, Tunisia, Britain, and Spain. This was also the first youth school with a majority participation of women.

 The participants evaluations of both activities were very positive. The LGBTIQ seminar was a step forwards in developing a common understanding of such concepts as homonationalism and to think about the difficulties of sexual liberation in times when 'LGBT rights' are so often abused as justifications for war, occupation and for claims of 'cultural superiority'. The seminar is expected to lead to published articles and deepened links, especially with activists in the Arab region.

 Participants in the Youth School especially appreciated the international character of the 10 days course, saying it gave them new perspectives and enabled them to learn things they would not be able learn at home.

 Both activities are organized on tight budgets. Interpretation is done by volunteers and participants take care of tasks such as cooking and cleaning the building while they are here. This allows us to keep participation fees to a minimum to make participation easier for everyone. Another essential source of income for us are donations, either ones that are earmarked for a specific activity, such as a school or seminar, or general ones that help us pay the daily costs of our maintaining our facilities.

We especially want to thank our supporters for their support to our work.

The yearly IIRE Youth School ended on 31 August. Around 20 activists gathered for ten days to discuss politics and study issues facing the anti-capitalists today.
The program included topics such as the development of marxist thought, the euro-crisis, the role of imperialism in the Middle-East and beyond, and questions of political organizing.

 

Each day started with a lecture on a certain topic, followed by discussion among the participants and lecturers. The participants came from eight countries, from Mexico to France, from Denmark to Pakistan, giving a real internationalist content to the debates during the school.

 

From the 20th to the 31st august 2013 the IIRE holds it's 8th Youth School. 23 young activists from eight different countries (Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Spanish State, Sri Lanka, Mexico and Philippines) participate in the session. During these ten days, they live together, self organising the practical life in the institute, attending the lectures and discussing their content and the social and political situation in their different countries.

The IIRE staff is recording video and audios of the lectures, and posting them together with the reading materials for each day, thus making the school accesible to a wide audience.

Click "read more" to access the contents of the school.

Between the 20 and the 31st august 2012 the IIRE held it's seventh Youth School.23 young activists from nine different countries (Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Indonesia, Italy, Spanish State, Sri Lanka and Philippines) participated in the session. During these eleven days, they lived together, self organising the practical life in the institute, attending the lectures and discussing their content and the social and political situation in their different countries.

Session on ecology

The international Youth School 2011 ended on August 31st. The final balance sheet written by the participants shows the intensity of this learning experience and the overall quality of the lectures. Twenty six participants from 11 different countries lived together for ten days. It was a period of study, reading and discussions. 

The school, which is aimed at young activists from around the world, will take place from 20 to 31 August in the IIRE (International Institute for Research and Education) in Amsterdam. It aims to provide training for intervening into social struggles with a global perspective. 

Ernesto, an Izquierda Anticapitalista activist in Cadiz, summed up the daily life at last year’s school.

"We were all there with a clear objective, to become good cadres to one day make the revolution. The political tension was felt from half past eight in the morning hours until the following day’s sunrise. A quick breakfast preceded three intense hours of brilliant presentations by a number of illustrious experts, who over ten days would simply become our friends and colleagues.

With 24 participants, 12 women and 12 men, coming from Denmark, Belgium, France, Philippines, Spain and Turkey, this year's IIRE Youth School proved a big success.