First Traces – Annual Meeting 1988
In preparation for the 20th anniversary of the EDYN network, we have embarked on an exciting journey through our archives and contemporary documents. The EDYN network emerged from the international dissemination of the Diaconal Year. In 1995, for example, the anchoring of the Diaconal Year in church institutions was at the centre of the Annual Meeting in Budapest. Research quickly showed that a common understanding of international voluntary service was being worked on long before the network was founded in 2004, e.g. at a conference in Holland in 1986.
It is therefore a special treasure to have found a detailed report of the 1988 Annual Meeting, with program, list of participants and summary of content. The Annual Meeting took place from 25 to 29 May 1988 in Grävlingsberg, Sweden, under the motto ‘The Diaconal Year – the volunteers and the church’.
The document is a nostalgic representation of the possibilities of the time; written by hand and typewriter, stapled together and presumably sent by post to all participants.
28 representatives of volunteer programs from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Germany, East Germany, the USA, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden took part in the conference.
The conference program shows that over 30 years ago, the EDYN community was already focused on exchange, cooperation and getting to know each other. Until now, key values of our work.
Although the EDYN network was only formally founded in 2004, key issues for common quality standards had already been raised in the 14 years before the foundation:
“Would it be possible for the Diaconal Year administration in the country sending volunteers to take any kind of responsibility for the application and admissions procedures?
Would the Diaconal Year administration sending volunteers be prepared to meet with young people applying to the further information about the receiving country?
Will the sending country be able to check the applicant’s physical and psychical stability?”
Today we are reaping the fruits of these initial considerations. Sending and hosting organizations work together across continents to provide comparable programs worldwide for an enriching experience for young people in a healthy environment. Thanks to the people who raised questions and developed ideas over 30 years ago. We can deduce from the contemporary document how committed the individual participants were to each other and their respective programs. „The main goals of this year’s conference was […] to inspire each other in order to continue developing and working with the Diaconal Year […]“. Let’s keep inspiring each other. We kindly invite you to take a closer look on this historical testimony, to get inspired by our long common commitment.
