Fimcap
The FIMCAP, which is short for Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d’Action Paroissiale, is an umbrella organization for Catholic youth organizations. Its 31 member organizations are based in 28 countries. The FIMCAP was founded in 1962 and is recognised as an official Catholic organization by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. FIMCAP is also a full member of the European Youth Forum.
History
Already in 1959, French, Belgian and Dutch youth organizations had been working on the project of an international pooling. In 1960, the first delegate conference was held in Munich in the course of the 1960 Eucharistic Congress. In October 1961 eleven youth associations founded Fimcap. The foundation was proclaimed in public on Easter 1962.Since its recognition through the Holy See in 1976, the FIMCAP is an "International Catholic Organization" and registered at the Council of Laity in Rome.
Since 2006 the FIMCAP is being recognised as an International nongovernmental organization by the Belgian government.
Activities
- Every three years, FIMCAP organizes the World Camp which is an international youth camp.
- FIMCAP has its own magazine called LINK Magazine. It is published four times a year.
- Spiritual activities
- Common visits on the World Youth Day
- FIMCAP day on 20 November
- EuroCourse: The Eurocourse is a European training course for experienced leaders which is hosted every year by another European member organisation.
- EuroCamp: The EuroCamp is an exchange activity for young leaders.
- Roundabouts: Roundabouts are exchanges between local groups from different member organisations of FIMCAP Europe.
- Speeddating seminars: The speeddating seminars are a platform for groups to meet groups from other countries to start exchanges.
- Visits of international groups to activities of member organizations
- Thematic projects
- Online campaigns
- *e.g. the online campaign "Vote Youthfully" informing about the 2019 European Parliament election.
- Cooperation with the European Fellowship
Thematic work and positions
- Youth mobility: FIMCAP declares that it aims to advocate for improving the mobility of young people and anyone who is involved in youth exchange and activities. In particular FIMCAP together with the European Youth Forum calls for changes to make the EU visa code and directive more relevant for youth exchanges and international youth work. Additionally, in 2016 FIMCAP joined a joint call of major European youth organizations to preserve the Schengen principles.
- Recognition of youth work
- Sustainable funding of youth work
- Environmental protection, efforts against climate change, and climate justice: FIMCAP emphasizes the responsibility to take care of all creation. FIMCAP calls for strong efforts at the individual and societal levels to stop climate change with its negative consequences. FIMCAP also would raise awareness about the problems already caused by the climate change and calls for solidarity with those affected the most by it. At its 23rd General Assembly FIMCAP decided to focus for three years on sustainability and countering climate change.
- Development and intercontinental cooperation: For FIMCAP, cooperation between the different continents on an equal basis is a core principle. At its 22nd General Assembly FIMCAP decided to focus for three years on advocating for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. Similarly, its 25th General Assembly decided to focus for three years on advocating for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The topic of the General Assembly was "Transforming our World: A child-rights-based approach to the sustainable development goals SDG".
- Empowerment of women and gender equality: FIMCAP emphasizes the importance of women’s empowerment, gender equality and dignity, in facilitating social change. It wants to foster a practical, not only formal legal, equality of women and men.
- Children's Rights: FIMCAP advocates for participation and inclusion of all children in church and society and aims to empower the child to know its rights, as defined by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. FIMCAP declares that it wants to create free and safe places for children to play, explore, discover and thereby strengthen their values, and to find answers to their needs, fight against physical and psychological violence against children, and abolish child labour worldwide.
- Peace and interreligious dialogue: FIMCAP cooperates with Religions for Peace and the European Interfaith Youth Network. Together with other European faith-based youth organisations FIMCAP helped to define the needs and benefits in the field of inter-religious dialogue.
- Diversity, peace and respect: In early 2015 FIMCAP Europe adopted a common statement for diversity, peace and respect. The statement is presented as a reaction to recent incidents in Europe and other parts in the world like the increase of extremist and far right-wing movements, attacks against refugees and against people with a particular religion or origin and violence of self-appointed “religious” fighters.
- Young refugees: In October 2015 FIMCAP Europe adopted a common statement about "Helping together the children and young people who were forced to flee from war, persecution and hunger".
Structure http://www.fimcap.org/fileadmin/user_upload/07_statutes/fimcap_statuts_en.pdf Canonical Statutes of FIMCAP
Statutory bodies
The highest committee of the FIMCAP is its General Assembly which comes together every three years. Every member organization sends a delegation to the General Assembly.The administration and management of the FIMCAP is being handled by the intercontinental presidium which consists of two presidents, a Praeses and a Secretary-General. The presidents should be one man and one woman, but if there are no candidates of one gender the jobs might also be given to two women or two men.
The intercontinental bureau is composed of the Presidium and representatives of the Continental Conferences. It acts as the FIMCAP Board of Directors.
Beneath these globally working establishments, the FIMCAP is also structured into continental conferences, bureaus and presidiums.
Eligibility and application for membership
All Catholic youth organizations can apply for membership in FIMCAP. The General Assembly of FIMCAP needs to confirm the membership of an applying member organization in a vote. Non-Catholic youth organizations can obtain the status of associate membership in FIMCAP.At the General Assembly in Switzerland in 2016 FIMCAP further clarified the criteria of eligibility for membership and updated the membership categories. To become a Full Member of FIMCAP an organization needs to fulfill four criteria:
- being a Catholic organization
- organizes activities for children and / or youth
- being youth-led
- having a direct connection to the local level
Continental branches and member organizations
An organization whose name is written in bold is a founding member.FIMCAP Europe
Presidium of FIMCAP Europe
The presidium of FIMCAP Europe is elected by the delegates of the European member organizations at the EuroConference which takes place every three years. The presidium of FIMCAP Europe consists of four members: three members of the pool of presidents and a spiritual assistant. The elected members of the pool of presidents distribute the responsibilities of the presidium among themselves. These tasks include the representation of FIMCAP Europe in the Intercontinental Bureau Meeting, coordinating activities of FIMCAP Europe, and representing FIMCAP Europe externally. The spiritual assistant consults FIMCAP Europe concerning spiritual and theological issues. The current members of the presidium of FIMCAP Europe are:| Position | Name | Member organization / Country |
| Member of the presidium | Bernd Hirschberger | KjG |
| Member of the presidium | Matthias Schneider | KjG |
| Member of the presidium | Stan Driesens | Chiro |
| Spiritual Assistant | Fr Reuben Gauci | ŻAK |
Member organizations in Europe
Member organizations in Africa
Member organizations in Asia
Member organizations in Latin America
Former members
General Assemblieshttp://www.fimcap.org/fileadmin/user_upload/02_pdf-documents/link/link_en/Link_2012_3_en.pdf LINK Magazine 2012/3
| Number | Year | Country | City | Topic | Other information |
| 0 - Founding Meeting | 1961 | Munich | Founding Meeting | ||
| 1st General Assembly | 1963 | Leiden | The bases on which to build parochial organizations for the 17+ age group | ||
| 2nd General Assembly | 1964 | Berlin | The situation of young people between 14 and 17 years old | ||
| 3rd General Assembly | 1965 | Luzern | Youth work in the Third World | Two female organizations ask to be member of FIMCAP and are granted membership as the first female member organizations. | |
| 4th General Assembly | 1966 | Brussels | Youthwork in postconciliarian times | ||
| 5th General Assembly | 1967 | Vienna | The place and formation of small groups – looking towards the Church of tomorrow | ||
| 6th General Assembly | 1969 | Altenberg | International solidarity | ||
| 7th General Assembly | 1970 | London | Our common base, the present and the future in FIMCAP | ||
| 8th General Assembly | 1971 | Bad Schönbrunn | Common aim and structures | ||
| 9th General Assembly | 1973 | Marseille | Our work with the youth of today for tomorrow | ||
| 10th General Assembly | 1975 | Rome | The organisation of FIMCAP | JUPACH was adopted as full member of FIMCAP. | |
| 11th General Assembly | 1977 | Vienna | Situation of children and youngsters – children’s rights | ||
| 12th General Assembly | 1979 | Luzern | The parish | ||
| 13th General Assembly | 1981 | West Wickham | Relations between the European federations and those of the developing countries | ||
| 14th General Assembly | 1983 | Aix en Provence | International Year of Youth – participation, peace and development | ||
| 15th General Assembly | 1986 | Westmalle | |||
| 16th General Assembly | 1989 | Ryckevelde, Brugge | Living in an intercultural world | ||
| 17th General Assembly | 1992 | Brugge | Foreigners | ||
| 18th General Assembly | 1995 | Randa | |||
| 19th General Assembly | 1998 | Botha’s hill | Youth and sexuality | ||
| 20th General Assembly | 2001 | Accra | Young people, protagonists of peace | Ateitis becomes a full member of Fimcap. | |
| 21st General Assembly | 2004 | Barcelona | Young people in a globalizing world | ||
| 22nd General Assembly | 2007 | Assisi | Millennium Development Goals | ||
| 23rd General Assembly | 2010 | Munich | Climate change | CYO Nigeria was admitted as full member. | |
| 24th General Assembly | 2013 | Modra | Children's Rights | AGLT was admitted as Associate member. It is the first non-Christian organization becoming a member of FIMCAP. The General Assembly has adopted a Declaration on "enhancing mobility of young people". | |
| 25th General Assembly | 2016 | Melchtal OW | A child rights-based approach to the sustainable development goals | Hatsal becomes a member of FIMCAP. | |
| 26th General Assembly | 2019 | Westmalle | The value of play | Chiro Botswana was admitted a full member of FIMCAP. |
List of former Presidents
World presidents of FIMCAP
| Name | Member organization / Country | Time in office |
| Marie Lavall | KjG | 2019-2022 |
| Ruben Leeman | Chiro | 2019-2022 |
| Lourdes B. Galeano Cuellar | NIPPAC | 2016-2019 |
| James Dsouza | ICYM | 2016-2019 |
| Annette Wahle | KjG | 2013-2016 |
| Liese Vandenheede | Chiro | 2013-2016 |
| Lea Sedlmayr | KjG | 2010-2013 |
| Marvic Debono | ŻAK | 2010-2013 |
| Holger Witting | KjG | 2007-2010 |
| Carme Carrion i. Ribas | CCCCCE | 2001-2004 |
| Olivier Heyen | Chiro | 1998-2001 |