Exposing the YPFDJ in Europe: Part IV

By Eritrean Unity Movement

Part I exposed the branches of the YPFDJ across Europe. Senai Solomon Lemma, Chairperson of YPFDJ in Denmark that we mentioned in Part I received 40 days of suspended prison sentence for his uncontrolled act of violent assault on an Eritrean at a party. Elderly members of the PFDJ cheered Senai during the unprovoked assault. Such is the behavior of the regime and its supporters. Perhaps he was implementing their ‘niqhat’ and skills which we expose today. Part II exposed the self assessment done by YPFDJ on the 7^th Conference on how they intended to control the Eritrean communities and youth in Europe. It presented their weaknesses, strengths and opportunities as they defined it. Part III showed the strategic goals of YPFDJ presented at the conference as where they want to reach and their plan of action on how to get there. Part IV looks at their awareness model as presented in the above mentioned conference and how they want to present the wolf of dictatorial regime in a “ lamb’s skin” and how they plan to ensure financial stability.

Here it is as they presented it:

7.3 Develop a Niqhat and skills development curriculum

Increasing the level of nighat and skills of our members is a task we have ahead of us. To ensure efficiency, there is a need of for joint curriculum for all chapters. Therefore we need to focus on developing and implementing one and coherent Europe wide and all-encompassing nighat and skills curriculum.

Obj. What	How	Who	When	Outcome
7. Develop a coherent nighat and skills program	Utilize curriculum prepared by North America Distribute syllabus to chapters & track chapters’ progress Channels: website, Hidri magazine, Merih newsletter, Paltalk, TOT, local seminars, etc.	Skills development and Nighat committees	January 2012	Increasing human capacity, skilled and conscious members

7.4 Strengthen & Transform our community

We aim to stay fully engaged in the Eritrean community and play leadership role by serving and strengthening our communities, through a strong presence of PFDJ (senior and Junior). As we are young and integrated into the societies we live in, we have the opportunity to serve as a resource to the Eritrean community and serve Eritrea’s national interest and national security. Our main platforms are Eritrean youth organizations.

Obj. What	How	Who	When	Outcome
7. Workshop on our community with main stakeholders(Eritrean organizations and missions)	Engage our members in organizational work (lead by example)Function as the primary reference point (vanguard)	Chapter leaders	Aug –Dec 2011	Create awareness on the issues we face in our community, and agree on joint measures

7.5 Building strategic relations

YPFDJ aims to advocate Eritrea’s national interests by creating strategic networks and portraying a true image of Eritrea.

Networking activities ensure that we:

• Develop internal capacity and tools that enable us to mobilize the masses and serve our nation’s vanguard.
• Establish relationships and collaboration with non-Eritrean organizations, i.e.  regional, youth and non-governmental organizations
• Establish relationships and collaboration with institutions and politicians i.e. foreign departments, local and European Union members of parliaments

Media and information activities ensure that we:

• Promote Eritrea’s national development and values, and the activities of YPFDJ and Erispora in general.
• Monitor the media and counterattack the psychological warfare
• Ensure regular media updates on current achievements in-and outside Eritrea
• Develop internal capacity and tools that enables us to mobilize the masses and serve as our nation’s vanguard

Obj. What	How	Who	When	Outcome
7. Establish strategic relations Promote our activities, achievement	Build database of mass media and influential contacts Communicate monthly media press releases Structured and strengthened social media presence Chart our current relations and situation Chart a 2 year action plan to develop our strategic relations locally and globally	Committees for networking and lobbying media and information Chapter leaders	Aug 2011-May 2012	Strengthen our external network and image

7.6 Ensure financial stability

Fund raising is all about utilizing different resources and thinking outside of box. The more YPFDJ develops and grows, the more essential it will be to finance activities, seminars and meetings to coordinate and organize the masses. We are aiming for a rapid PFDJ growth over the coming years. The realistic prospect of our vast potentials puts our expectations on a high level. We need to diversify our source of income and regulate our dependency of philanthropy and on the success of a given event.

Obj. What	How	Who	When	Outcome
10. Allocate budget to Euro-committees Program for fundraising YPFDJ owned entrepreneurship	Chapter contribution Locally, nationally and regionally funding opportunities Prepare manuals and courses that focus on local funding opportunities Research joint projects in Eritrea and Erispora Organize merchandise sale	Fundraising committee and Chapter leaders Fundraising committee CC & Fundraising committee	October 2011May 2012  October 2014	Organize Euro-wide activities without being dependent on finance, institution building Create awareness and secure our financial state on chapter level Secure financial state

7.7 Serve Eritrea from Erispora and Eritrea

To serve Eritrea and serving in Eritrea is not only the desire of our members, but is also the duty in the form of contributing to and taking ownership of Eritrea’s national development: Simultaneously, it is much needed for our movement as it creates the opportunity to establish relations between YPFDJ chapters and institutions in Eritrea.

Obj. What	How	Who	When	Outcome
11. Chapter initiated and Euro-wide projects in Eritrea	Local internship opportunities in Eritrea Include in chapter’s annual plan,Utilize PFDJ and Eri-orgs in community as resource, Include as topic during our annual conference	Chapter leaders	July 2012	Establish broader relations with institutions in Eritrea, enhance image in Eritrea of Erispora youth,Build bridges between local NGO’s in Eritrea, contribution and sense of contribution to development in Eritrea

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fithi@online.no