2013 Twinner

The jury met on the 28th of June 2013. It decided for on the following Twinners:

Chinese NGO

European NGO

Green Watershed, Yunnan Province  BothENDS, Netherlands
Yunnan Environmental Development Institute, Yunnan Province  Grüne Liga, Germany
Public Interest and Development Law Institute, Hubei Province  The Rights Practice, United Kingdom
Hunan Aimier, Hunan Province  Chickenshed, United Kingdom
CHEE Productions, Guangdong Province  Berlin Massive, Germany
eu-china-twinning-map-china eu-china-twinning-map-europe

 

Green Watershed, Yunnan Province

Founded in 2002, Green Watershed is devoted to the protection of China’s rivers and watersheds. It conducts and promotes participatory watershed management, disaster management, and green credit advocacy. In the past it has established participatory watershed management and community-based disaster management projects in Lashi lake and conducted  a number of social impact assessments e.g. on the planned hydroelectric power plants on the Nu, Lancang, and Jinsha River. It further established a Green Credit Advocacy program in 2006 aiming at making Chinese banks more environmentally and socially responsible.

BothENDS, Netherlands

Created in 1986, Both ENDS serves as a broker in support of CSOs, particularly in the global South, working on environmental and societal equity challenges. It supports organizations with fundraising, capacity building, information, networking, campaigning and advocacy. Issues like land rights and sustainable production, participatory and integrated river basin management and resource extraction are just some examples for the wide range of covered topics.

Topic of Exchange: Green Credit Policy

In 2007 the Chinese government declared a Green Credit Policy to regulate the lending activities of Chinese banks. However, many Chinese banks have not implemented the policy yet. The twinning aims at increasing the understanding of the different policies’ effectiveness and the implications for the development project monitoring of CSOs. It furthermore offers the opportunity to reflect on the safeguards and green credit policies and how they might be improved.

Yunnan Environmental Development Institute, Yunnan Province

YEDI, founded in 2003, focuses at supporting activities aimed at improving the environment in Yunnan Province with the goal of driving more sustainable development in the region. It has developed and implemented a wide range of rural development projects, demonstrating new approaches and using innovative methods in the planning and implementation with a high emphasis on participatory approaches for replication by other actors in Yunnan and beyond.

Grüne Liga, Germany

Grüne Liga is a network of several NPOs founded in the 1990s. It tackles ecological as well as social challenges and develops visions for the advancement of society. Its activities cover a broad range, including seminars, protests activities and environmental protection activities as well as flash mobs and festivals.

Topic of Exchange: Water policy

The exchange aims at fostering a better understanding and application of holistic and sustainable solutions in the context of a harmonious coexistence between man and nature. During the exchange, this aim shall be pursued by cooperating on safe water utilization and application of holistic technologies and methods in China and Europe.

Public Interest and Development Law Institute Wuhan, China

The PIDLI, established in 2007, is a university-based humanities and social science research institute. It draws its inspiration from the public interest law movement, the “law and development” movement, and the “development law” campaign in Southeast Asian countries. They carry out legal research and organise lectures and training on human rights.

The Rights Practice London, United Kingdom

The Rights Practice works to advance the respect and protection of human rights in practice. They focus at working in environments where human rights are most at risk. They try to improve the access to justice, to strengthen the public participation in decision making, and to promote the adherence of Human Rights in the Criminal Justice system.

Topic of exchange: NGO management for criminal justice issues

Both partners wish to explore the NPO management in the area of criminal justice. They wish to understand operations and practical functioning of the others’ NPO as well as concrete operations of the criminal justice system in the others’ area. They also aim to use the exchange as a valuable networking opportunity and enable the participants to train in legal and cultural matters.

Hunan Aimier, Hunan Province

Founded in 1999, Hunan Aimier is the first NPO in Hunan that has committed to the rehabilitation, education and vocational training of people with intellectual disabilities and children with autistic disorder. It provides services for these people using the vast resources of volunteers under the guide of the idea for social work that help people to help themselves.

Chickenshed, United Kingdom

Chickenshed specialises in using theatre and the performing arts to access previously excluded groups like disabled children or children within lower socio-economic backgrounds into mainstream activities. It uses performing arts to foster a higher understanding and tolerance between individuals and a sense of self-empowerment across a diverse range of individuals.

Topic of exchange: Inclusive theatre

The participants aim at improving their cooperation in providing inclusive theatre workshops in China. They will work on train-the-trainer programs and use the exchange to deepen ties and transfer of Know-how.

CHEE Productions, Guangdong Province

CHEE Production is a NPO focusing on urban culture and art and was founded in 2008. It emerged from the urban art group “Dumdue”, the China Streets Network and several local street culture activists. It supports a number of social projects and cultural activities mainly in Guangzhou.

Berlin Massive, Germany

Berlin Massive is part of a network of urban artists, designers and volunteers in the field of urban culture since 2006. It offers artistic workshops and cultural youth education, all with an intercultural perspective. It puts high emphasis on the mutual learning opportunities that arise through artistic dialogue.

Topic of exchange: Urban Youth Culture

During their stay, the exchange partners aim at getting to know the structures and opportunities of working in the field of urban youth culture and intercultural work in their respective area. Both partners focus on social and cultural initiatives with a grassroots character and try to use this opportunity for the establishment of long-term partnerships.