BSSSC - Conference

Regions taking the Challenge - Between the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and the UN Climate Summit

Region Zealand can now look back upon having hosted a successful XVII Annual Conference of the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation, BSSSC, held in Ringsted 13-15 October 2009.

• See photos from the conference here.

Around 300 delegates visited Ringsted during the week of the Danish Autumn holiday and met with colleagues from all the countries around the Baltic Sea, including Belarus.

The headline “Regions taking the Challenge - Between the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and the UN Climate Summit” was taken into account during the main sessions and in thematic workshops during the conference.

The BSSSC Board adopted a resolution for this year’s conference which comments on the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and also incorporates a message to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 - Presenting BSSSC-commitments and -actions to support these two important political agendas.

• Find the resolution here.

We have now uploaded the conference presentations from sessions and workshops for you on the speaker presentations- and workshop pages of this web site. They can also be found on the main BSSSC web site before long.

Find photos and further information on the events of the conference on the web site.

You are welcome to contact the organisers if you have questions.

• Below you can watch the film about Baltic Masters of Music made during the conference days:

The YESS workshop 12-15 October 2009

The YESS concept

YESS stands for Youth Event on Sustainable Societies. The basic philosophy of the YESS concept is to build on the ideas and engagement of the participants. By the means of dialogues, social interaction and creative techniques the participants are developing various projects, activities and products.

This YESS workshop will focus on three themes: Sustainable lifestyles, Youth culture and Youth democracy.

In a 2½-day process we are going to create learning activities, share our knowledge and experiences, and create ideas and proposals for future action.

The upcoming YESS workshop is the result of a triple participatory process:

1. The workshop ideas were developed through a creative workshop at the BSSSC Annual Conference 2008 in Kaunas.
2. The BSSSC Working Group on Youth Policy and others have provided input at meetings and via e-mail and Facebook.
3. A group of young people and youth advisers in Denmark, the Region Zealand Youth Team, has taken care of the detailed planning. The youths themselves have developed the YESS logo and the graphic concept of the workshop products.

This participatory approach is continued throughout the YESS workshop where the decisions are made by the participants.