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Home / Community / Newsletters / Plain-Text Dispatch / 4.5 - Building Bridges

TakingITGlobal Proudly Presents:
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The TakingITGlobal Dispatch!
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For the month of May 2004 (Volume 4.5)
In this Issue:
1 -> Welcome to the Dispatch
2 -> Monthly Theme: Building Bridges - European Integration
3 -> Take the test - what do you know about Europe?
4 -> Featured TIG Country Sites: Romania and Austria
5 -> Global Gallery Contest: "Walls" and "Vision of Peace"
6 -> Global Gallery Contest "Rice": Winners
7 -> Panorama: Check it out!
8 -> Wrap up 
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++ 1. Welcome to the Dispatch ++
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Welcome to TakingITGlobal's Dispatch for the month of May! In this 
issue, we invite you to participate in our new monthly theme of 
"Building Bridges - European Integration" on the occasion of the 
enlargement of the European Union, invite you to test your knowledge 
about Europe and present you the 2 featured country sites for the month 
of May. Furthermore, you can contribrute to the global gallery contests 
"Walls" and "Vision of Peace", check out the winners of the last 
contest "rice", and have a look at the new issue of Panorama. 
Also, we've added a new feature to country sites: What do youth care 
about?  Visit your country site (http://canada.takingitglobal.org/) and 
share the three issues that are most important to you. In partnership 
with the Global Youth Action Network, we will use the responses to 
build a Global Youth Agenda in the future.
And a note of correction: In last month's Dispatch, we had a section 
about being more aware of organizations hosting events that may be too 
good to be true. We mentioned that many organizations have referred to 
themselves as 'World Youth Organization of (something)'. We want to 
clarify that the World Youth Organization, coordinated by TIG member 
Michael Cartier, is not related to these frauds.
In Friendship,
The TakingITGlobal Team
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++ 2. Monthly Theme: Building Bridges - European Integration ++
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On the 1st of May, the European Union expanded from 15 to 25 member 
countries, the biggest enlargement ever. This Enlargement is especially 
historic as most of the new members are countries of the former so 
called "eastern bloc". The enlargement has erased the last "barriers" 
between east and west after separation for many decades.
Many regions of the world have seen a closer cooperation between 
groups of countries, such as the African Union in Africa, ASEAN in 
Asia, Mercosur in Latin America, NAFTA in North America, APEC in the 
Pacific and Asia and numerous others. 
Taking the European Union as one example of regional cooperation, TIG 
looks at the EU's structure and how it became what it is today. We 
are looking forward to discussions about all forms of cooperation 
between countries around the world in the discussion boards, reading 
your impressions in our online magazine Panorama, and seeing your 
interpretations in the Global Gallery!
To learn more and get involved, visit the theme page:
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/themes/eu/
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++ 3. Take the test - what do you know about Europe? ++
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Did John, Paul, George and Ringo found the European Union? Is Romano 
Prodi the star of the Italian Sitcom Everybody Loves Romano?
Test your knowledge about the European Union, and take our the 
monthly theme QUIZ. There are beginner, advanced, and expert quiz 
options at:
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/themes/eu/quizfront.html
Answers will be revealed at the end of May, but you are welcome to 
discuss them in our discussion boards earlier at
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/discuss/forumdisplay.html?forumid=1847
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++ 4. Featured TIG Country Sites: Romania and Austria ++
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This month, in connection with this month's theme of European 
Integration, the country sites of Romania and Austria are being 
featured.  Romania will be featured during the first two weeks of 
May, and Austria during the last two weeks.  We hope that this will 
give members from within the EU and non-EU countries the opportunity 
to share their thoughts about the enlargement of the European Union. 
To check out the current featured country site of Romania, go to:
http://romania.takingitglobal.org
Would you like to learn more about how to help develop your country 
site? 
Check out our new Guide to Developing and Promoting your Country Site: 
http://local.takingitglobal.org/guide/
If you would like to view your own Country Site go to: 
http://canada.takingitglobal.org
For more information about featured country sites, please email 
Melina, our Country Site Program Manager, at 
mailto:countrysites@takingitglobal.org
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++ 5. Global Gallery Contest: "Walls" and "Vision of Peace" ++
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WALLS
August 1961: A wall is erected in Berlin. The city is divided into 
two. A country is divided into two. The planet is opposed into two 
blocks.
October 1989: The Berlin Wall is brought down. A country is reunited. 
The planet no longer opposed.
May 2004: The ex-blocks unite under one common umbrella. Europe. May 
2004: Elsewhere, walls are built, created physically or virtually. 
Dividing spaces. Creating opposition between people.
A wall that stands is symbol of division.  A refusal to understand 
what is on the other side. Indifference towards the other side. 
Clashes with the other side. A clash between blocks until they burst 
into flames. A wall is opposition. A wall that falls means change. 
The struggle of understanding. Exploring the other side. Living 
together. Sharing the block. A wall that falls is integration.
Do you agree? Interpret, in an image, the meaning you give to 
integration or to division. 
http://gallery.takingitglobal.org/contest
VISIONS OF PEACE

	
The Global Gallery is holding a second contest this month in 
partnership with the Youth Millennium Project (YMP)! Visions of Peace 
is a traveling art exhibition developed by, with, and for youth. It 
is part of YMP's Peace Challenge program. It's your opportunity to 
showcase your artistic talent, and raise  awareness about peace 
building in communities around the world!
Learn more at: 
http://gallery.takingitglobal.org/contest
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++ 6. Global Gallery Contest "Rice": Winners ++
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Last month the Global Gallery ran a contest entitled "Rice". Here are 
the winners:
"Rice is Life" by Steve Adisa from Nigeria
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/express/gallery/view.html?sid=4216
"Rise the Rice" by Kouji Oshiro Kochi from Peru
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/express/gallery/view.html?sid=3999
"Bride Rise" by Muhammad Hussain from Pakistan
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/express/gallery/view.html?sid=4117
"Nurishment" by Tyrone Pierce from the USA
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/express/gallery/view.html?sid=4119
"Rice: Life is Infinite" by Irene from Belarus
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/express/gallery/view.html?sid=4018


	
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who 
participated! 
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++ 7. Panorama: Check it out! ++
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In this month's issue of Panorama, we discuss the massive expansion of 
the European Union.  With diverse views, we try to guage the reaction 
of the European continent and the expansion of the Union by 78 million 
people.   In "Returning Back to Europe", Sandra expresses her 
anticipation of Latvia rejoining Europe. She writes "There is quite an 
amount of people who are exited and happy, people who don't care as 
well as people who feel scared of the unknown waiting for us "over 
there".  Isn't it funny -"over there"- as if in reality we would be 
crossing a big lake and entering "blue yellow doors".  Almost 14 years 
ago we began a totally new journey. We "broke the wall" and started to 
look "over the bricks to the West". It's been a while since we found 
the right direction where we seemed to be willing to go. We wanted to 
"return to Europe"."
Read the article here:
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/panorama/article.html?ContentID=3298
Read the issue here:
http://d45.takingitglobal.org/24122/panorama/index.html?ZineID=33
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++ 8. Wrap Up ++
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Your interest, support and involvement with TakingITGlobal helps our 
community to grow and encourage more young people to become inspired, 
informed and involved everyday! Thank you for being a member with the 
vision of positive change!
In friendship,
The TakingITGlobal Team
dispatch@takingitglobal.org
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The TakingITGlobal Dispatch is the official newsletter of 
TakingITGlobal, electronically published via email, and compiled from 
various events and news from within the TakingITGlobal network. 
Contributions should be sent to dispatch@takingitglobal.org. Please 
include your full name, age, and your member name.
Past issues of the Dispatch can be read in the dispatch archive, found 
at http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/newsletters/dispatch