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ACC Bulletin No. 62
March 9th 2005
ACC International Programme Office
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European Year of Citizenship through Education
Consultation forum concerning the future action programme to promote active European Citizenship
European Citizenship Education project (FECC - seminars, network & publication)
The ACC Annual 2004 is out
New First European Community College leaflet is out
Membership - reminder for the members
Invitations received
Calendar
New Members
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Launching the European Year of Citizenship through Education
2005 is proclaimed by the Council of Europe (CoE) to be the European Year of Citizenship through Education. The meaning of the "Year" is to give the Council of Europe the opportunity to emphasise the crucial role of education in promoting and protecting human rights, and in fostering active citizenship and effective participation in democratic society. Information about the concept of the European Year was provided during the conference "European Year of Citizenship through Education, 13th-14th of December 2004, Sofia, Bulgaria".
An action plan was presented to serve as a source of inspiration for activities that could be undertaken in the member states during the “Year”. The instruments given by the Council of Europe on education and democratic citizenship and human rights were presented and the conference opened space for discussion and exchange of information in order to define and establish co-operation activities within the member states.
The ACC was represented by Mjellma Mehmeti at the Conference. Mjellma/ACC tried to make aware that the approach to citizenship education should mirror the multilayered democracy. In particular we tried to stress the point of view, that citizenship Education is not only necessary at local and national level, but at European level as well. Moreover, it shouldnt be forgotten, that practitioners of European citizenship are present in many of the NGO's, INGO's and INGYO's already today.
The ACC beleives Citizenship Education in Europe should preferably have at least a national, a local/regional, a European and even a global dimension in it.
More information on the Year of Citizenship through Education is available from:
www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/education/E.D.C/Documents_and_publications/By_subject/Year_2005/
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Consultation forum concerning the future action programme to promote active European Citizenship
The EU-Commission arranged the "Consultation forum concerning the future action programme to promote active European Citizenship" on February 3rd-4th 2005 in Brussels.
The consultation in Brussels was prepared by a web-consultation that took place in December 2004. It dealt with the next generation of programmes in Youth and Education. The ACC participated in the web-consultation presenting the view points of the ACC on this matter and was due to this involvement invited to join the consultation in Brussels where the importance of strengthening the development of a transnational European public sphere was stressed.
One opening comment by former commissioner Pascal Lamy framed the consultation ironcially:"..we are dealing with an expected budget comparable to the budget of a medium size American think tank" (quoted from memory).
Since trade unions, cities ("town twinning" is part of the programme) and think-tanks expect a share of the budget and since they were strongly represented at the forum, there is reason to fear not much will be left for those dealing with citizens participation at European level and from a non-sectorial point of view.
The question is, if the practitioners of European citizenship and promoters of European Citizenship Education has a chance among interest organisations this size? The ACC contribution is - as usually - to stress the need for non-sectorial, meaning common European learning of the European Community College kind - making use of the boarding school format to make Europeans meet, discuss and learn about common issues. We hope the best for the final launching of the "action programme" after budgetary negociations of the EU.
John Petersen represented the ACC at the consultation.
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European Citizenship Education project (FECC - seminars, network & publication)
During autumn the ACC has carried out the project "First European Community College - webseminars, network and publication".
Obviously, the project is seen as a preparation for opening a real European Community College and/or to deliver material and/or inspire others having the possibilities to open institutions for European Citizenship Education.
The project has as an aim as well to discuss which values a European Citizenship Education should mirror?
For what became our new partners, we sent an invitation explaining that we are a European organisation working for the development of a European public sphere, using the residential Community College format. We explained that we are inspired by the Nordic Folk High School system and format and believe a parallel movement and network of schools could be developed at European level, committed to the common interest of Europeans.
We asked new partners to show their support by mailing one or more of the following:
- Comments and/or critique on the basic papers enclosed
- Expressions of support for the European Citizenship Education project and the First European Community College.
- Banners to use on the project website
- Help developing contents for a European citizenship education by forwarding
(a) tools and methods (games, simulations, material, etc.)
(b) principal considerations concerning what is common European?
(c) suggestions for basic contents of a European citizenship education
The web-seminars dealing with contents of a future European citizenship education took place at the acc-website on October 25th – 31st, the second from November 15th - 21st and the third from December 6th to 12th.
The mentioned enclosed basic papers were first and foremost the draft statutes of a model European Community College. These draft statutes were originally produced during the Schools for Europe Community College II in 2003 by 30 participants from all over Europe (http://www.acc.eu.org/SEEEMS/133.asp).
We can now present a revised version of especially the value basis (very first part) of a European Citizenship Education as it is included in the revised description of the First European Community College.
Please find this final description/publication, the network of supporters and especially the public storage of tools/methods, aims and principles compiled during the project from: http://www.acc.eu.org/SEEEMS/1381.asp
Of important frameworks supporting the idea of a European Citizenship Education as described, is for example the Youth Forum Jeunesse / European Youth Forum, Institute for Citizenship, EEE-Youth for Understanding, the European Adult Education Association (EAEA) and many others.
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The Annual of the ACC 2004 - "Learning and Living Together" is out.
The Annual is for download here:
http://www.acc.eu.org/SEEEMS/213.asp
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First European Community College leaflet:
If you are interested in seeing our new First European Community College leaflet: you can download it here:
(Publications/Miscellaneous/FECC Leaflet/First European Community College)
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Membership - reminder:
If you haven't done so allready - please do confirm your membership of the ACC for 2005. A reply on this email is enough!
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Invitations received:
From now on you can find all invitations received on:
http://public.acc.eu.org In the folder "Invitations"
If you have invitations (events, conferences, programmes) of interest for ACC-members and others, you are kindly invited to forward them to seminar@acc.eu.org . The same counts for job openings on the European job market.
The mailbox is public, meaning many more than ACC-members can benefit from the mailbox with invitations and the like. It has generally been a problem, that especially participants in youth events seem to be the same few persons from the same rather few frames. Please help us opening up by making whatever invitation public.
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Calendar:
23/11 Helle Villekold Jørgensen and John Petersen taking part in fundraising course of Danish Youth Council, Aarhus
28/11 Meeting between auditor Lene Albrechtsen, John Petersen and Mjellma Mehmeti.
x/11 Dasa Bolcina in Estonia
4-6/12 Linda Jakobsone visiting the ACC office
6-12/12 Web-seminar 3 of the project "First European Community College - Webseminars, Network and Publication."
13-14/12 Mjellma Mehmeti taking part in the CoE launching of the European year of citizenship through education, Sofia, Bulgaria
x/12, article about ACC in the 4th issue of the Journal Education in Bulgaria.
3-6/1 Jan-Christoph Napierski visiting the office
6/1 Meeting between Jan Hein, Jan-Christoph Napierski, Mjellma Mehmeti, John Petersen and Maria Bakari in Aarhus.
15-18/1: Angie Praom visiting the ACC Office
3/2: Founding meeting in the “European Civil Society Platform on Life Long Learning”, John Petersen, Brussels
3-4/2 John Petersen taking part in the “forum concerning the future action programme to promote active European Citizenship”, by the EU-Commission
3-4/2 John, Agota Illyes, Barna Kovacs and Jan-Christoph Napierski meeting. Discussing the future of the Transylvania Community College/Committee
5/2 John Petersen and Helena Soares meeting, discussing the “Parents” Community College.
6/2: Barbara Dietsche visiting the ACC Office
13/2: John Petersen, Helena Soares and Aleksander Hoefmans meeting, discussing the “Parents” Community College, Brussels
15/2 John Petersen meeting Bettina Schwarzmayr, vice-presisent of EYF/YFJ, Brussels
16/2, John Petersen, Agota Illyes, Helena Soares discussing the “Parents Community College” and the FECC, Brussels
17/2, John Petersen debating the FECC with Leif Haarbo, Brussels/Århus
3/3, John Petersen meeting Torben Dreier and Leif Haarbo (FO-Århus) debating the FECC, Århus
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A warm welcome to our new members:
Karsten Wenzlaff, Rüdnitz
Adrian Taylor, Hamburg
Marika Laudocá, Prague
Jørgen Olsen, Brussels
Miodrag Stamboldziev, Prilep
Bjørn Nørgaard, Frederiksberg
Helle Villekold, Århus
Amana S Ferro, Lisbon
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Our best regards,
John Petersen/Helle Villekold
ACC International Programme Office
Falstersgade 44, st.
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
0045 7363 0043
0045 2425 3068
www.acc.eu.org
office@acc.eu.org
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