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International Global Education Seminar
Strategies for Increasing and Improving Global Education
1st – 4th March 2007 Lisbon – Portugal INTRODUCTION The North-South Centre (NSC) of the Council of Europe (CoE) held its annual seminar on “Strategies for Increasing and Improving Global Education” in Lisbon (Portugal), in preparation for the annual Global Education Week (GEW), an awareness raising event which takes place in the third week of November. The purpose of this annual seminar is to provide a meeting space for national co-ordinators of the Global Education Week network, and to share national strategies for increasing and improving global education within the Council of Europe boundaries. Global Education Week began as a pilot initiative in 1999 with 12 member states. Today, it has 36 member states and four international organisations participating and whose national coordinators form the GEW network. In 2007, GEW will take place from 17 – 25 November. As a result of the recommendations issued by the GEW network during the 2006 evaluation seminar held in Sinaia (Romania), the 2007 Lisbon seminar gave priority to the enhancement of co-ordinated strategies for the development of global education through the following channels:
The seminar was also the chosen setting to test, through a consultation method involving the participants, the draft version of the Global Education Guideline. This guideline, which came about as a result of the recommendations of the 2006 Sinaia evaluation seminar, is a pedagogical tool built up on experience gained by the Global Education Week network and partners. It aims at supporting educators in formal and non-formal systems to implement global education activities and strengthen global education fundamentals and practices. The Global Education Guideline is being prepared by a working group comprising national co-ordinators from the Global Education Week network. The guideline should be available in a printed version and on-line on the North-South Centre’s web-site.
PARTICIPANTSThe seminar was attended by representatives from Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, UK, Ukraine as well as representatives of the following international networks: Educating Cities, European Youth Forum, Foundation for Environmental Education and OBESSU-Organising Bureau of European School Students Unions. Albania, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and representatives of DEEEP-Development Education Exchange in Europe Project, and of the Council of Europe Division for Citizenship and Human Rights Education are also part of the GEW network. Participants included representatives from Ministries of Education, educational structures, NGDOs, universities, youth organisations and Teachers’ Unions. AGENDA During two days, five working sessions allowed participants to evaluate and endorse the progress of Global Education Week networking strategies; reflect together on how to progress towards a more inclusive approach of global education, namely taking into account the perspective of partners from the South, and explore the theme of Global Education Week 2007 and 2008 in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals and other international events. In order to get the most out of the meeting, participants were invited to work in groups and to report the results in plenary for reflection and discussion together. A consultation process was also organised through a questionnaire and a workshop to assess the draft version of the Global Education Guideline. Free networking time allowed participants to share experiences and pedagogical tools from Global Education Week 2006 and to network on a bilateral or multi-lateral level. Day 1 Session 1 During this session, a presentation of the North-South Centre Global Education programme focused on its new challenges with regard to its recent programmatic adjustments; its new co-operation mechanisms with the Council of Europe Directorate for Education, Culture & Heritage, Youth & Sport, namely the Division for Citizenship & Human Rights Education and the All Different All Equal campaign for diversity, human rights and participation; and finally in view of the Council of Europe’s priorities in the field of intercultural dialogue. During this session the presentation of the European Union and United Nations’ action plans for development/global education, led to a reflection on possible synergies between such programmes and the NSC/CoE. Session 2 focused on the evaluation of the GEW networking strategies at national level. A SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis developed in working groups helped to highlight and evaluate GEW practices and mechanisms and to reflect in plenary on the GEW format. It was outlined that : · The Week shall be seen as a ‘kick-off momentum’ for a year-round process and not as an isolated action;
As an epilogue to the day, a presentation on the North-South Centre Youth programme and the Intercultural Dialogue programme allowed to identify possible synergies between the GEW network and these programmes, such as enlarging the cooperation with youth networks and training issues and opening the consultation process on the CoE white paper on intercultural dialogue to the GEW network. Day 2 Session 3 was devoted to the presentation of the Global Education Guideline project by the guideline working group. An update about the process and the draft structure and content of the guideline was shared in plenary. A consultation process through a questionnaire and a workshop was organised in order to open the process to the network and integrate their feedback in the second phase of the writing process of the guideline. During the workshop, the participants were consulted on the following questions, each of them presented in a table chaired by a member of the GE guideline working group where and with whom participants could discuss and react : · How do you think the guidelines can be used in your country?
Complementing the questionnaire and the workshop results, it was agreed that participants could react directly on the draft version of the guideline which was circulated to the GEW network prior to the meeting, and send suggestions to the working group. The working group will integrate these suggestions in the finalisation phase of the guideline. The final version should be circulated to the GEW network coordinators and to mentors in June, preceding the working group meeting in July. Session 4 was devoted to perspectives for 2007 and 2008, opening with a presentation of the Alliance of Civilizations project and a presentation of the Council of Europe Education for Democratic Citizenship & Human Rights Education programme lines of action for 2006-2009 bringing to reflection possible synergies with the GEW network. The session continued with the discussion on the outcomes of previous sessions and the choosing process of the Global Education Week 2007 and 2008 theme and motto. The motto for GEW 2007 will be “6 billion – ONE humanity”, to assess the MDGs halfway in their implementation time frame. It was agreed that the theme for 2008 will be Intercultural Dialogue and that the motto will be chosen through an electronic consultation process during the course of the year. OUTCOMES The seminar outlined the strategies developed so far by the GEW network for more and better Global Education emphasising the co-ordinated approach between stakeholders at the level of educational practitioners, decision-makers and civil-society. It also gave the opportunity for a critical reflection on the network’s need for improvement, notably the inclusion of the Southern perspective about the perception and practice of GE, either by associating GEW network national coordinators’ partners from the South in the GEW process or enlarging the GEW network to members from the South. Furthermore, the development of the global education guideline, during its elaboration phase and in a future up-dating phase could reinforce the contribution of the GEW network and other partners and their interaction with the NSC GE programme. It allowed for reflection on how to optimise networking strategies through the CoE political channels and through the North-South Centre Youth programme and Intercultural Dialogue programme, an outcome that the Global Education programme of the North-South Centre should take into account and monitor in order to improve its strategy for more and better global education with the GEW network. The final selection of the motto for the Global Education Week 2007 “6 billion – ONE humanity” and discussing its adaptability to national contexts was also one of the results of the seminar. It was established that the choice of a motto did not exclude the possibility to adapt its wording in order to facilitate its understanding and impact to the national context. SEMINAR EVALUATION & RECOMMENDATIONS An evaluation of the seminar and the consultation process was undertaken in order to measure the fulfilment of the participants expectations regarding the seminar following objectives : - Information on the NSC strategy;
and on the participants motivation and inspiration at the end of the seminar. A critical reflection about the networking strategies and the further developments the network should consider in the light of new challenges was shared in plenary during the closing session, agreeing that the NSC should reinforce the participatory approach with the GEW network all year-round. The following recommendations are outlined : Global Education Week
The role of the North-South Centre
Follow-up measures resulting from the working sessions: As to: Improving synergies with CoE & other NSC programmes, the NSC GE programme intends to develop a systematic sharing of information and improved coordination with : . CoE DGIV and EDC programmes;
and by associating the GEW network to the NSC Youth and Intercultural Dialogue programme activities and by inviting above mentioned partners to be associated as mentors in the Global Education Guideline project now in progress. Furthermore, the NSC Youth and Intercultural Dialogue programme coordinators can facilitate the inclusion of Southern perspective in the GEW networking mechanism by identifying interlocutors for GE issues within their respective networks. The inclusion of Southern perspective will be reinforced through the foreseen cooperation between the NSC and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) and the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures (ALF). Improving synergies with other international events, the NSC GE programme intends to develop a systematic sharing of information with :
and invites GEW network coordinators to make contact with national offices/representations of such events/initiatives. Improving the interaction with the GEW network coordinators through : a regular consultation on the Global Education Guideline process, the GE country profile project and CoE white paper on intercultural dialogue white paper; and by formalising the creation of subgroups dealing with: . evaluation criteria and indicators for the assessment of GEW implementation strategies;
Global Education Week network national coordinators International Global Education Seminar
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