YDG

YDG – http://www.ydg-online.org

YDG is an anti-fascist, anti-imperialist youth organization established under the guidance of Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe (ATIK). In 1990, YDG realized its first general assembly and actually announced its establishment following the establishment work commenced and concluded within the same year by a number of ATIK members from various countries.

YDG is an organization officially and organically linked with ATIK. This official and organic alliance expresses itself by representation of YDG by a committee member joining the ATIK council. The membership situation of the youth is in the regulations of ATIK, that YDG is a youth organization affiliated with ATIK and that it leads the young masses through the commission of the YDG.

THE ORGANISATIONAL SCHEME AND ACTIVITY GROUNDS OF YDG

ATIK-YDG is an association that annually holds its General Assembly (GA) since its establishment.

The arguments of the GA are carried out under the perspective put forward by the Commission. Prior to the commencement of the GA, the YDG commission designates the number of YDG members from one area which can be represented by one assembly delegate, makes an application to the Committee for their approval and thus commences the preparations for the G.A. Every YDG commission is responsible for sending their elected Delegate to the assembly. The Committee representatives present at the G.A. use their powers under most democratic methods to elect a governing body (commission and supervision committee). The composition of the Commission is designated according to the level of its activities and the number of countries where organized activity is present. One Commission member of the YDG gets appointed to the ATIK council as a representative of the youth.

Each YDG Commission member represents either a country or an area of a country or a special activities’ commission. The commission members arc responsible for organizing-directing all local committees affiliated to their country, area or special activities, establishing relations with the YDG Commission on an centralized level etc. and providing every kind of central) co-ordination.

The hierarchical construction and democratic functioning of ATIK-YDG briefly is: at the very top site of the organization is the Commission that is the leading and directing organ of the YDG, which arc accepted by the delegates at the G.A. The administrative council constitutes the country committees and the local committees with elected members in the particular local area.

Each organ is responsible of forming its lower organs by consulting with their organs in the direction of the political perspective and understanding of YDG. Each organ must develop its initiative in the criterion of its positioning, field and authority and its mission.

YDG takes up all activities and occupation with collective awareness. It follows the democratic method that is the product of collective awareness in decision making stages.

The YDG Inspection Institution (II) which is responsible of inspecting the activities of the YDG commission is elected in the G.A. in the will of the YDG delegates. Within the yearly activity period the II inspects and trails the general activities of the YDG suited to the Committees intentions and whether it leads YDG or not. In the cases of compulsory need to interfere, it has the authority to intervene. The number of members of the II is normally three however, the G.A. has the authority to alter this number at any time it feels the need to do so.

YDG constitutes its organization with such hierarchical constitution in which democratic centralism finds existence and guides its activities. Activities and organizations of the YDG are widespread in the following countries; Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It also has relations and representatives of various stages in the following countries; Canada, England, Belgium, Greece and Australia. The YDG has tens of committees within Europe and the same number of representatives united in order to form a committee. The position and the membership numbers of the committee is based on the number of people present in the activity ground from Turkey and T. Kurdistan, their economic-social-political-academic-cultural etc. positioning. The average membership numbers of each committee differs between 10-55.

ACTIVITIES AND THE AIMS OF YDG

1) To stand up to the violations of human rights,

2) Claim the economic – academic- democratic demands of the youth,

3) Initiate the social- psychological problems of the youth,

4) To undertake cultural-artistic-sports activities aimed at the youth,

5) To from international relations suited to the above aims,

6) The approach to the women’ s question und YDG,

7) To struggle against the destruction of the nature and our world.

What do the above mentioned aims and efforts express to the YDG? What does YDG do in order to achieve these aims and what means does it use? To explain the above aims under side headings as follows:

Human Rights Violations and YDG:

A very general explanation of human rights and how they must be protected is laid out in the universal declaration of the United Nations. Likewise, in the “the protection of civil and political rights” section of the same declaration, the meaning of political rights has been explained in the clauses from 1-53. In our day, the right to live in humane conditions does not exist in its true meaning, despite democracy being at a very minimum level. A very important section of the population around the world is exposed to tyranny and massacre because of their economic-political-ideological anxieties. The right of existence, which is the most basic and most natural right of a person, has been chained by a minority who hold the capital in their hands, injustice, wretchedness and poverty have reached limitless stages.

Furthermore, humanity is suffering further and more worrying collective massacres, residential areas are being set on fire and destroyed, collective and adjudged executions are daily on the increase. Torture is being applied continuously and shamelessly by those very minorities holding the capital who also on the other hand evaluate torture as a crime by humanity.

The fascist attacks directed at political prisoners who are piled up inside simply because of their thoughts increase by day and disappearances while in custody are rapidly on the increase. Also, countries which are made to stay backward, the laboring peoples of the world, oppressed and dependant nations are exposed to more exalted and extensive fascist and racist attacks.

Wherever in the world it may be, YDG will struggle against all kinds of inhumane anti-democratic applications in all areas that it is organized in. YDG will call upon the widest section of the community in such circumstances where the most basic rights of the people are evaded. It will call upon everyone to be sympathetic to these and similar issues, and to protest by adopting an active manner. YDG makes special efforts to materialize activities with all sympathizers against these attacks which are directed at the most basic and legitimate rights of the people.

YDG has adopted an active manner in time against most events and developments which have taken place, and has, by means of practical activities within its power, exposed these attacks aimed at humanity. It has also tried finding answers, via meetings, seminars and discussions it organizes, to why, how and for what reason are these attacks taking place. It has expressed the true colors, the formation of these problems in the proclamations, journals and newspapers which it publishes, whether it he systematically or tin systematically.

It has in addition organized discussions, seminars and meetings with other institutions and individuals, aimed at informing the masses against these attacks, to make them sensitive against these attacks and to educate them to respect human rights.

It has also been economically, socially supportive, with its masses attending activities which are organized for the protection of human rights and sends solidarity messages to the activities. It has established international relations with a number of institutions-establishments and individuals, and has participated in many shared activities. YDG has always opposed human rights violations and all kinds of attacks directed at humanity. It will continue with its activities in this direction.

The Economic Academic Democratic Problems of the Youth and YDG:

It is clearly known that the young generations is a very important productive and consuming sector of the population. In respect of their age, they arc more active, dynamic and continuously changing, they arc an active social stratum. There are many economic-academic-democratic problems that surround this active social stratum, the youth. At times these problems arc made a current issue by way of various demands-requests and protests. The young generation feels the need for a powerful voice, an organized force and to act with other democratic platforms as a result of mutual problems in order to achieve these demands and for the protests to be successful.

YDG shows very intense efforts in guiding the youth to achieve their rights and demands, and get results from protest which they have commenced against the attacks directed at their most basic rights. YDG holds a two-way struggle for the economic-democratic-academic rights of the young generation. These are;

a) YDG; It shows great efforts in demolishing the obstacles that are put forward of the migrant youngsters from Turkey and T. Kurdistan that arc born and brought up in Europe or have had to emigrate to Europe as a refugee etc., in national neutralization, their right to elect and be elected, the right to become a refugee in the countries in which they reside. It is against equality in political participation being tied to the neutralization criterion in the countries which they reside or are obliged to reside in. It carries out active struggle to achieve equal opportunities and rights in schooling-careers-working environment.

It undertakes intense struggle against such despising-denigrating propaganda by the national governments and the leading officials which label the youngsters, who have been residing in these countries for decades, who are establishing strong relations with the native communities and who have on a large scale socially adjusted, as “foreigners”, “guests” and for these youngsters to be seen merely as second class citizens.

It carries out work in order to bring an end to the inequalities in all parts of life and for equal opportunities to be given in attempts to find a job or take up a profession to the migrant youths who for decades have adapted to the social-political-economical-cultural life of these countries, who same as the natives are exposed to all social and economical interruptions.

It endeavors to put an end to ill treatment facing the migrant youth, if arrested, during trials and captivity simply because of their “foreign” status. It strives for them to be treated wit equal importance in solving their accommodation problems which holds a very important place within the social problems and for them to be granted with equal opportunities in education starting from the very first years of schooling.

It carries out activities and sets up union of forces with a wide range of intellectual, progressive democratic youth masses against all those treating others as second class citizens, namely the racist, chauvinist, nationalists, all decadent approaches and all fascist attacks , contemptuous treatments-denigration’s experienced as being “foreign” is comprehended as a “crime” and a “deficiency”.

b) The YDG; carries out struggle for the economic-academic-democratic rights of the youth of all nationalities, religions, race, countries, regions and gender. It carries out active struggles against the privatization of education, cuts in social funds for students, evasion of their democratic right, the cuts in social funds of the working youth and restriction or elevation of resources for studying a good profession. It also struggles to achieve equal rights and equal opportunities in these subjects in areas that it is organized.

YDG strives to assist the youth in achieving their various rights and demands and to participate more strongly in political activities. Those youngsters who are without a good education, who are unable to get a profession or work are consciously being encouraged to participate in criminal activities and to commit crimes by the capital possessing class, by being made redundant with excuses such “the use and development of technology”, the continuous deductions in social funds and being alienated from political and social activities.

The young masses who are being subjected to the same economic-academic-democratic problems are being made to oppose each other by the “divide and lead” policies of the capital class who are giving the discrimination of nationality, area, race, religion, language, culture, color and gender as valid reasons for their actions. Thus the true sources of the problems are kept secret.

Here, YDG stresses on the general problems faced by the young generation as a whole in all activities which it organizes and intensifies upon certain subjects in form of projects. It also actively supports same type of activities organized by other institutions and ensures participation in these activities.

YDG gives out information on these subjects in its publications. Periodicals wall newspapers, in order to ascribe these rights and demands to other parts of the community and to achieve the required support. In all its publications it especially calls upon people to be more sensitive to their own problems, their rights and those of the others.

It also produces posters of various types and contents that express the current problems, participates in the organization of most demonstrations and takes it place in various other activities.

The Social-Psychological Problems of the Youth and YDG:

It is correct that the young generation laces certain social-psychological problems unique to every period of time. These problems have now taken a more complex state.

The main source of the social-psychological problems faced by the young generation of our time lays within the system, within the functioning of the system and within the handful of capital class who are the possessors of this system. The incompatibility of the young generation who are kept distant from scientific work and research, who are desensitized, alienated to the social political lives, who are fooled with fashion, football, discos, sex and drugs should not be met with a surprise. The younger generation who are fooled and drugged with the above weapons will naturally involve in crime if they have also not been able to receive a good education and get a good job, and they will become cats paw in the hands of the drugs Mafia and an excellent opportunity for the theft gangs.

Having possession of such realities and being occupied with these weapons will naturally estrange the youngsters from themselves, maladjusted them from the family and the community, and cause for them to fail in schools-professions and occupation. Their areas of interest will cause them to forget their humanity and turn them into remote controlled robots.

The number of these youngsters within our environs increases by “day. Depressed, problematic, indistinct, sluggish, unsuccessful and unconfident personalities are continuously on the increase. Also the migrant youth has its own unique problems. Likewise, these problems take shape on the same basis as the other problems. The youth in general is faced with social-psychological problems in various forms and dimensions caused by the educational-professional-occupational-family environments, or even in general, by the same social stratum in which they reside.

There are many sided problems faced by the youngsters who are in this position. To point out just a few of them; being left between two cultures, the dominance of semi-feudal culture within the family and within the capitalist-imperialist culture facing them outside encounters the youngster with great problems. This situation causes serious problems for families from Turkey and T. Kurdistan. The youngsters are subjected to very strong arguments with their parents as their social and cultural shaping is at a very different level. As a result of these, the following problems are experienced by the youth, especially the migrant generation.

a) Inability to acquire a sound personality

b) Inability to establish sound social relations with others

c) Lack of success in general at schools

d) Being dragged into smoking, drinking and gambling habits

e) Taking drugs or slanting to be used by drugs networks as they please

f) Resorting to running away from home ( this is especially very common amongst young girls)

g) Becoming defenceless individuals who can easily be controlled by various fascists-racists and reactionists

h) Committing or attempting suicide

i) Becoming susceptible to and open to committing ever possible crime.

As you see, YDG provides information regarding these problems of the youth and publishes educating brochures. It also gives extensive coverage to these types of problems in the reports and periodicals that it publishes. It organizes meetings, seminars and panel discussions with personalities who have, in their field, made expert research regarding the problems of the youth. YDG provides possibilities for troubled youngsters to acquire a sound social environment and to participate in collective activities. It also organizes seasonal camps with designated intervals emphasizing on education, culture and sports. Meeting the youngsters, comprehending the problems by mutual discussions and intensifying upon their solution is amongst the main activities of YDG. YDG strives to make comprehend that the problems experienced are not only the problems of the individual; on the contrary, they belong to the whole of the young generation in general. By means of common activities, YDG tries providing the youngsters to get acquainted-blend with one other. Also YDG painstakingly organizes common movements with other institutions-groups and individuals who undertake such studies.

Cultural-Artistic-Sports Activities and YDG:

Youngsters from all sections of life will always feel the need for certain cultural-arts and sports activities. However, most youngsters are unable to participate in such activities due to various economic-social problems. Whereas this very important requirement of the youngsters is a subject requiring very thorough evaluation for many view points.

These types of activities provide the youngster to share a common and warm social atmosphere and to assemble sound relations with each other. The importance of such environments is great in providing the youngster with the right social atmosphere in which they can discuss most social-economic-academic-democratic-psychological etc., problems which they experience, intensifying upon these problems and together finding solution for these problems. They are also suitable and important for meeting and comprehending the tradition of solidarity. These types of environments provide serious possibilities for educating the youngster in most subjects. Many problems are explained and messages relayed to various sections of the community in various forms by means of the products of this work.

Also, one of the most important points is that, these types of activities enable the youngster to develop their capabilities in cultural-arts and sports areas and gain new talents and make qualitative products in these areas.

So YDG youth organizes many activities to answer to this most important need of the young generation. Here is a list of some activities arranged by the YDG in the areas it is organized:

– Establishing theatre, music and folklore groups and economically provide for them and accommodate them. Make attempts to enable them to exhibit and perform their further or newly developed activities in shows,

– Organizing various exhibitions regarding the concrete problems. Organize regional and locally based cultural festivals in order to blend with youngsters of different sectors of life,

– Organizing International Culture Festivals once or twice a year. Achieving unity between youngsters of other nationalities via such activities. Make intensive attempts to arrange participation of other democratic institutions-groups and individuals,

– Printing the youngsters own or collected literature-articles-feature reports and poetic products in its publications,

– Publishing reports on various cultural, arts and sports activities and make invitations for new activities in its publications,

– Organizing football tournaments by assembling football teams provide financially for their activities and accommodate them,

– Organizing tours and trips aimed at scientific research,

– Organizing various local and central youth camps and organizing various activities during these camps,

– Organizing educational seminars aimed at enabling the youngsters to adapt easily into the community.

International Activity and YDG:

The above mentioned problems, subjects are the problems of the youth from almost all countries and nationalities. And these problems affect the young generation of all countries and nationalities in some way or other. As the young generation, we share most of the problems existing in our world today. In this sense our problems are both on an objective and an international scale. Victory in (he struggle given against the problems will be extremely difficult to achieve or partial in movements in grasping the problems, in finding solutions and creating possibilities are not made with an international feeling and consciousness.

Any organization that is against racism, reactionizm, nationalism and a decadent life style, and is genuinely in favor of friendship, solidarity and peace must be international in practice as a necessity of its nature.

So, YDG approaches the problems with this consciousness and feeling, and finds solutions.

It is apparent that, from which ever country or nationality they may be, people have to think, debate, seek various solutions, make moves, exchange knowledge and experiences over common problems together. This is coming forward as a compulsory requirement.

It is due to these reasons that YDG show special care and places great importance on the international field and international relations. YDG willingly carries the obligation of internationalism in order to spread the reality and consciousness of fraternity of the peoples of the world, to put an end to inequalities without discriminating against religion, language, race, nationality and gender.

Women Question and YDG:

A woman is seen as a possession and valued on this basis within the system in which we live. As NOY, we oppose every kind of oppression applied to women and vehemently condemn them being seen and treated merely as possessions. Any kind of gender differences, superiority or advantages will not even be considered within YDG. On the contrary, YDG always accepts equality, unity and solidarity of sexes as the essential. YDG organizes educational seminars and panel discussions on the grounds of equality of genders and class solidarity in order to destroy, especially amongst the younger generation, the social, cultural, political, psychological etc., formations present originating from the system. The YDG, which takes the solidarity-unity of man and woman in every fields of life as principle shows intense efforts for their equality in social, political and cultural fields etc.,

The Destruction of the World and YDG:

Our world faces many problems as we approach the 21st century. The capital possessing classes have always destroyed the world for their personal interests and benefits. Pronunciations by these sectors such as ”protection of the environment” and “looking after or world” do not go any further than brouhaha deceiving the masses. We will see these people again if we were to take a close look at those forces destroying our world and turning it into an unsuitable environment for humanity to reside in.

Nuclear testing, the production of chemical and biological arms capable of massacring thousands are rapidly growing in the name of obtaining excessive profits and being dissuasive . YDG is one of the associations truthfully struggling for humanity to live in peace with nature and our world.

YDG is against all activities and attempts destroying our world. It organizes campaigns and panel discussions in order that people, especially young people, are sensitive in these subjects and protective of our environment. It also organizes educational seminars on these subjects. It administers common activities with all groups, organizations and individuals who genuinely protect our world and carry out activities against those who shamelessly destroy our world for their own benefits.

Participation in the YDG:

Every individual who is ready to accept the above mentioned aims and program can become a member by applying to the YDG Committees in the areas they live in. Once again, those committees which administer activities as independent youth organizations can join YDG under condition of accepting the YDG program. Every individual member can withdraw from activities with the condition of explaining their reason.

Working with Youth Sections Outside Us:

YDG will in the future carry on with activities and widen its activities in the subjects clarified above. All kinds of solidarity and activities with other organizations-groups and individuals who have a common denominator with these aims is amongst our main duties and responsibilities.

ATIK YDG