2009 - The year of People Power
People Power
Photo: Flickr
While politicians tried to stamp their mark on Europe 2009, off the political stage, and away from the corridors of power, the people of the continent were affecting change on a more local level. From the UK to Italy, France to The Netherlands, this year Network Europe spoke to those using "people power" to change their lives.
Lorella Zanardo made a documentary in 2009 focussing on the exploitation of women on Italian television.
"The real difference between Italy and other European countries is that women's bodies here are really shown as objects, irrespective of the programme you're watching," she says.
Lorella wanted to change the attitude of Italians and persuade networks to cast aside the sexist portrayal of women.
In Manchester, the UK's second city, the fight against gun crime has nearly been won thanks to the co-operation between police, voluntary workers and the local community. People power there means the city's unwanted nickname "Gunchester" is fast becoming a thing of the past.
Tony Winter is an ex-gangster turned community worker. He works for an organisation called the Street Pastors and says: "When you walk the streets at night, you don't feel as threatened or see groups that are dangerous. There's a new way of feeling free."
He talks to young people to turn them away from a life of crime.
Europeans have been contributing to helping avert climate change too this year, and not just at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit. In the Netherlands a new City of The Sun is being hailed as the world's first carbon neutral community.
The square island in the middle of a lake is home to detached houses and blocks of flats - all of which use solar energy for power. Architect Ashok Balohtra believes the idea not just helps the environment, but cultural and economic sustainability as well. There are other benefits too.
"Electricity has basically cost us nothing," says resident Ginny Blankendale who has lived in the community for just over a year. "This house is twice as large as our previous one, but it's clear it's energy usage is much less," she says.
And in France campaigners against poverty took direct action this year to make their point. In protest over rising food prices , they held surprise picnics in supermarkets every month, where they helped themselves to products on sale and broke open packaged food. Frederic Daniel, one of the activists, said the point was to raise awareness about how difficult it is for many families to feed themselves.
"Big supermarkets make big profits and we are denouncing it because people are getting poorer and poorer," he told Network Europe this year.
These are just some of the people across Europe fighting back in 2009 and you can hear more about them and others doing the same on our special programme.
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