The European Wergeland Centre

Intercultural meetings within institutional borders - Nordic Network for Intercultural Communication

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The conference "Intercultural meetings within institutional borders - Nordic Network for Intercultural Communication" will be held in Oslo, Norway, and is organized by the Centre for Educational Research and Development in cooperation with Intercult at Oslo University College.

The Conference will be opened by the mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang and rector of Oslo University College Sissel Østberg.

Preliminary keynote speakers are:

Post doc. Sharam Alghasi, Culcom, University of Oslo
Professor Knut Aukrust, University of Oslo
Professor Knut Kjeldstadli, University of Oslo
Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen, University of Oslo
Associate Professor Anne Birgitte Leseth, Oslo University College

Dr. Claudia Lenz from the EWC will have a lecture about "Council of Europe on Intercultural Dialogue - the Challenge of Bridging Policy and Practice".

The main focus of the conference will be intercultural meetings that take place within the borders of an educational institution. In particular, we wish to raise the consciousness of academic staff in their meeting with a diverse student body. How do they adapt personally and pedagogically and how do they overcome the challenges of communication?

The aim of the conference is to encourage scholars and researchers with different theoretical and practical backgrounds to discuss the current issues and prospects of intercultural communication. Emphasis will be placed on the views which allow an exchange of ideas and interaction between various practitioners and researchers of intercultural communication.

In addition to the main theme Intercultural meetings within institutional borders, we therefore wish to invite papers addressing any of the following themes:

Implications of the mass media and the world situation on intercultural communication
Minority – majority communication issues
Values in a multicultural society
Cultural diversity and professional demands in vocational studies and professions
Intercultural conflict handling
Intercultural communication in different professions and areas of work
Bilingualism as a social and professional asset
Intercultural business communication
Nordic identity and language attitudes within the Nordic countries
The effect of internationalization through professional cooperation across national borders and through students’ and staffs’ exchange periods

The different themes will be divided into separate seminars as well as workshops.

If you have any questions related to the registration, please contact Mona F. Holmgren, + 47 22 45 22 55, leo@lui.hio.no

Further information on the conference can be obtained at NIC2010@hio.no .

The Conference is sponsored by the Research Council of Norway.

Education and Citizenship in a Globalising World

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Moral Education, Values and Citizenship
Multicultural Education, Diversity and Social Cohesion
Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism and Education
Sustainability, Development and Global Citizenship

Participants will have the opportunity to:

interact with, and learn from, global leaders in the field of citizenship and education
gain new perspectives in this challenging and important area or work
network with colleagues from the UK, China and elsewhere
experience central London.

Conference news:
The deadline for abstracts in English has been extended to Friday 11 June. Click here for the Call for Papers and information on submitting an abstract.

1 March 2010: Registration for the conference opens

15 February 2010: The IOE and BNU issue a Call for Papers

International conference: Educating for Human Rights, Peace and Intercultural Dialogue

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The conference 'Educating for Human Rights, Peace and Intercultural Dialogue' will be held on the Parramatta Campus of the University of Western Sydney from 4-6 November 2010.

It will examine the contribution of human rights culture to the good functioning of the civil society; highlight key trends and achievements in human rights education in particular, and aim
to secure greater commitment for future human rights education.

Topics and Themes

Plenary Sessions, workshops and presentations of case studies and best practice from around the world – including from the Indian sub-continent, the Asia-Pacific Region, Latin America, the USA, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. Embrace the diversity of human rights education experts and practitioners across a range of critical issues, including the key themes of:

What are the Global Trends in Human Rights Education (HRE)?

Analysis of key UN initiatives, including the World Programme for HRE, the Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training and the Draft Human Rights Education Competencies and their implementation and impact.
Key national initiatives in HRE – in search of best practice.

Global Citizenship: What Values should be given Priority in Modern Education?

Human rights as unifying standards for a society.
What is the culture of human rights?
The nexus between the human rights and well functioning democracy.
Key values in education: human rights, peace and social diversity.
Universal values versus religious specificity.

How to Nourish Human Rights Culture?

The role of government and the law in shaping human rights culture.
The role of civil society in educating about human rights, incl. education by the trade unions and NGOs.
Can the media shift the public opinion on human rights issues?
Human rights in professional training, e.g. for lawyers, social workers, police and in military.

Where and How to Educate about Human Rights?

Do we need a human rights-based approach to schooling?
HRE in primary and secondary schools.
Universities and HRE.
Contribution of national bills of rights to HRE.
Implementing the HR based approach in community organisations.

Human Rights of Most Vulnerable Groups, Indigenous People and Development

What are the linkages between the HRE and development?
Human Rights as Community Development?
Education to advance women’s rights in developing nations.
Rights of people with disabilities.
Realising economic rights, incl. the rights of homeless?
The application of human rights in a natural disaster and war contexts.
How to secure human rights of Indigenous populations in mining areas?

View conference program, and register here.

For more information, please view the conference website.

Forum on the Universality of Human Rights

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The "Forum on the Universality of Human Rights" will be held in Oslo, Norway, 21-22 October, organized by the Education Committee of INGOs at the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the EWC.

The aim of the forum is:
- To reaffirm the universality and indivisibility of human rights, in accordance with the
Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of 12 May 2009,
the Declaration of 1st July of the Committee of Ministers on human rights in culturally
diverse societies and the Council of Europe White Paper on intercultural dialogue
launched by the Council of Europe Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 7 May 2008;
- To contrast this with the diversity of cultures;
- The recognition that we live in a multicultural world is in no way intended to undermine the
common basis of human rights, which implies that all women and men are fundamentally equal
in dignity and rights;
- Can we accept different “sovereign universal rights” in each country?
- Similarly, shouldn’t “universal rights”, laid down by some religions, all join together in serving
this common human heritage?

The forum will deal with specific topics and controversial questions such as:

- Can there be a hierarchy of rights? Case-law of the European Court of Human Rights;
- How to resolve conflicts between rights;
- Education in human rights;
- The function of the Council of Europe.

The participants will have the honor of listening to, among others,

Mr. Gérard FELLOUS, Secretary General of the French National Consultative Commission of Human Rights;
Mr. Peter LEUPRECHT, Director of the Institute of International Studies of the UQAM at Montreal;
Mr. Abdelwahab MEDDEB, Director of the newspaper Dédale;
Mr. Solon SMITH, Doctor in Philosophy and Psychology

Participation is by invitation only.

For more information, please visit the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe

Conference on Law, Religion & Education: Religious Freedom in the Sphere of Education

Fri, 8 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

About the conference:
Religion has returned forcefully both as a subject of academic debate, as a lived reality in contemporary societies and as a renewed challenge for secular systems of governance. The Conference will examine the relationships between “Law, Religion and Education”, addressing the accommodation of religious diversity as well as the content and meaning of education, notably religious education, in a human rights context.

The topic addressed and examined over two days is full of tensions and complex issues. It is also extremely newsworthy. In the Lautsi case at the European Court of Human Rights it was recently held that the presence of crucifixes the classroom at State schools was contrary to the State’s duty of neutrality and violated the plaintiff’s right to freedom of religion under Article 9 of
the Convention.

In a comparative and multidisciplinary perspective, this extremely timely project will study the key concepts of laïcité, discrimination and religious freedom; it will present the different models of religious regulation adopted in Europe, and different models of Church-State relations. General sessions will be followed by case studies targeting topical and controversial issues raised in various European jurisdictions under three different headings: defining religious beliefs, defining teaching content and religious symbols.

Who should attend?
The conference will be attended by academics, legal practitioners, NGOs and policy advocates in the fields of law, religion and education. This conference is directly relevant to legislators and policy makers given ongoing discussion on bills before the French and British parliaments.

Conference venue:
Maison Française d’Oxford, 2-10 Norham Road, Oxford OX2 6SE

View the programme and booking form here.

More information:
Maria Keeley               UCL Faculty of Laws
Direct telephone:         +44 (0)20 7679 1478
Direct fax:                   +44 (0)20 7679 1424
Email:                        m.keeley@ucl.ac.uk

European Workshop: School Culture(s) – Values – Identities

Sun, 3 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Workshop of The Council of Europe Pestalozzi Programme will focus on:

School Culture(s) – Values – Identities

October 3-5, 2010 in Wels, Austria

Workshop outline:
The workshop focuses on the significance of values (religious as well as non-religious) within school communities shaped by (increasing) socio-cultural diversity. The topic will be approached from different perspectives - mainly related to practice through workshops with experienced trainers from a broad variety of institutions.

The following questions shall guide the workshop:

How can one connect the very individual focus on identity to the broad context/macro level of
school culture? In what ways can teachers deal constructively with a plurality of values among
pupils, colleagues and the school community as a whole? How can teachers and the school
community support pupils in their individual values development process? What values (of a
school’s culture) should be the basis of intercultural learning at school in connection with
citizenship education? How to become aware of and how to develop a school community and a
school profile?

How can schools contribute to the education of responsible democratic citizens sensitive to
socio-cultural diversity and be capable of intercultural dialogue? Why is religious education or
the study on religions linked to citizenship education? What does the study of religion have to
do with a dialogue and agreement upon common values?

During the workshop, a special focus will be given to the instrument of dialogue, which forms a potential basis for the democratic development process of a school’s culture or ethos.

The workshop is a joint cooperation between Council of Europe, the University College of Teacher Education in Upper Austria, Private University College of Teacher Education of the Diocese of Linz, Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture, and the European Wergeland Centre.

Prof. Robert Jackson and Dr. Claudia Lenz from the European Wergeland Centre will contribute to the workshop by presenting the findings of a European comparative research project: Religion in Education. A contribution to Dialogue or a factor of Conflict in transforming societies of European Countries (REDCo).

REDCo explored young people’s views of religion, religious diversity and possibilities for dialogue, as well as of classroom interaction and teacher-strategies.

Click here to view more detailed information and the workshop's draft program. If you are interested in joining the workshop, please apply via your National Liaison Officer.

Seminar: Dialogue about religious issues in the classroom

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

How can teachers contribute to a classroom climate in which discussions about religions and beliefs contribute to mutual respect and understanding? Under which circumstances can religious diversity result in tensions and conflicts? And how can it become a source of inspiration resulting in positive encounters and experiences? In multicultural classroom students sometimes have more detail knowledge than the teacher. How can the teacher still facilitate dialogue, so that diversity results in understanding rather than in tensions between students?

These questions will be addressed at a teacher training seminar “Dialogue About Religion in the Classroom”, organized by the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities in cooperation with the EWC, September 20 in Oslo.

The seminar invites participants to examine their experiences of dealing with religious issues in the classroom. Some recent examples of research in the classroom will be presented and discussed, showing that most students have thoughts about existential questions of life, questions which might find religious or non-religious answers. Furthermore, ways to facilitate dialogue on religious issues will be explored.

Time: Monday, 20th of September,10.00 – 16.00

Place: HL-senteret, Villa Grande, Huk Aveny 56, Oslo/ Norway

Target group: primary school teachers

Language: The seminar will be held in Norwegian.

Please register with undervisning@hlsenteret.no if you want to take part in this seminar. Deadline for registration is the 6th of September, 2010.

This seminar is the first event in a series of “educators’ consultations”, the EWC is organizing across Europe in autumn 2010, to present the findings of a research project on Religion in Education - REDCo to students, teachers and other educators and to discuss possible implementation for educational practice. For more information on the upcoming events, click here.

Dialogue about religion – Integrating students with and without religious identification

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The workshop "Dialogue about religion – Integrating students with and without religious identification" is organized as a cooperation between Høgskolen i Oslo (HiO) and The European Wergeland Centre (EWC).

How can religions and beliefs become a topic in school education that enhances intercultural understanding and mutual respect? How can students with and without religious identification become interested and engaged in acquiring knowledge and practicing dialogue? These questions will be the center of attention in a workshop for teacher trainers, teacher students and others who are interested in the topic of religion in education. Experts on religious education and community representatives will reflect on their religious and non-religious positions. Additionally, the method “philosophical conversations with children” (P4C) will be introduced.

Time: September 14, 2010, from 9.15 – 14.30

Place: Litteraturhuset, Wergelandsveien 29, Kverneland i 2. etg., 0167 Oslo

The workshop will be held in English. No registration is required.

About the workshop's background:
In 2009, the international research project ”Religion in Education. A contribution to Dialogue or a factor of Conflict in transforming societies of European Countries” (REDCo) published the results of investigating the attitudes of young people in 8 European countries on questions of religion and belief. The results where, despite national variation quite similar:

Irrespective of their religious positions a majority of students are interested in learning about religions in school.
Those who learn about religious diversity in school are more willing to enter into conversations about religions and worldviews with students from other backgrounds than those who do not have this opportunity for learning.
Most students would like to see school dedicated more to teaching about different religions than to guiding them towards a particular religious belief or worldview.
Students express their desire that learning about religions should take place in a safe class-room environment governed by agreed procedures for expression and discussion.

Thus, the question is how these identified interests of young people can be met by teachers who are prepared to be moderators and facilitators of dialogue, ready to create open learning environments. This workshop wants to contribute to finding some answers to these questions.

The workshop is part of a series of “educators’ consultations”, organized by the EWC across Europe in autumn 2010, to present the findings of the REDCo research project to students, teachers and other educators and to discuss possible implementation for educational practice. For more information on the upcoming events, click here.

Summer Academy on Democracy at School was held successfully in Poland

Tue, 3 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The first Summer Academy, ’Democracy at School’, ended after an intense week on July 17, in Sulejówek, Poland. Eleven teams of educators from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine joined the Academy. Each team consisting of a teacher, a head teacher and an NGO representative coming from the same school/local community.

The Academy aimed at training educators to be multipliers and to help them incorporate the principles of human rights and democracy into their daily work. It is meant to put the Council of Europe (CoE) policy into practice through trainings based on recommendations and publications.

An experienced team of trainers was carrying out the training: Ms Felisa Tibbitts (USA), Ms Olena Styslavska (Poland), Mr Andrey Ioffe (Russia), Mr Milosz Czerniejewski (Poland), Ms Malgorzata Tur (Poland), Ms Leah Davcheva (Bulgaria).

The official opening ceremony (view guests and program in Russian/ English) on 12 of July took place at the Centre for Education Development (ORE) in Warsaw, where the participants and trainers were joined by representatives of the Polish Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Education Development Centre, European Wergeland Centre (EWC), embassies and NGO representatives.

The speakers all underlined the importance of initiatives like the Summer Academy and welcomed the plans of making it an annual event. Mr. Mandt, the EWC Special Adviser emphasized:

"If you want to have a democratic society, this must be reflected in the schools. Human rights, democracy and intercultural understanding do not come automatically. The history of Europe clearly tells us so. You must work for those ideas every day. Once you have them, they must be protected."

The Polish Ministry of National Education was applauded for making the initial proposal at the EWC Inauguration in May 2009, and all organizing bodies were acknowledged for their contributions in making the first Summer Academy a reality within a year of the proposal.

To translate the CoE policy into educational practice, the Summer Academy's program was based on two CoE manuals: Democratic School Governance, How can all teachers can support citizenship and human rights education: A framework for the development of competences. In accordance with the manuals, the training addressed multiple levels of HRE/EDC work, ranging from the individual teachers, the classroom, and the school to the community.

The week was packed with activities, and the enthusiasm and high motivation of participants indicated that the program served its purpose well. Participants gave very positive feedback, stressing the space given for sharing and building on their own personal experiences, and the opportunity to have a closer look at their whole school development.

The Summer Academy was organized by the Ministry of National Education, Poland, the Centre for Education Development, Poland, The Council of Europe, and the EWC.

Roma Rights Summer School 2010

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) organizes an annual Roma Rights Summer School which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from 25 July – 4 August 2010.

The 10-day Summer School is intended for young Romani activists, students, and Roma/Human rights activists from all European countries. The Summer School will offer both an introduction to human rights as well as an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas, innovation and expertise for participants who are at an early stage of their careers.

The Summer School provides participants a unique chance to immerse themselves into the theory and practice of human rights, minority rights and non-discrimination, and to benefit from the knowledge and experience of committed human rights experts. This intensive programme includes a variety of social activities that allow participants to network with each other and the experts, ensuring the programme is instructive and enjoyable.

The main goal of the school is to develop the capacity of a new generation of Romani human rights activists to use international, regional and domestic human rights instruments and mechanisms to advance the rights of Roma, both domestically and internationally, and to combat discrimination from grassroots to governmental levels.

Objectives of the Summer School:

Analyse issues and situations affecting Roma in their respective countries based on internationally accepted human rights values and principles;
Develop knowledge to use domestic mechanisms (such as national legislation) and international human rights instruments (i.e., United Nations Treaties, European Treaties, and other Council of Europe and European Union legal and political mechanisms) to protect and promote the rights of Roma;
Strengthen skills in monitoring and reporting human rights violations as well as advocacy;
Increase capacity to apply learning within organisations and societies/communities; and
Explore and facilitate opportunities for networking and developing partnerships with NGOs and government officials to further advance the cause of Roma rights throughout Europe.

For further information, please visit the ERRC website.

Summer Academy on Democracy at School

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Summer Academy in Poland is organized by the EWC in cooperation with The Polish Ministry of National Education, the Polish Centre for Education Development, and the Council of Europe.

The Summer Academy 2010 “Democracy at School” will take place outside Warsaw from July 10-17 and will bring together headteachers, teachers and representatives from parents associations and NGOs from up to 13 countries, including the Eastern Partnership countries, Germany, Poland and the Nordic countries. The Academy will be held in English and Russian.

The Summer Academy translates Council of Europe’s policy into practice by offering training based on the recommendations and manuals of the CoE in the field of education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. Furthermore, the Academy aims to initiate and strengthen cooperation between the participating countries by the exchanges of experiences and good practices in the field. The participants will also be trained to become multipliers who can promote and incorporate the principles of democracy and human rights in their practices and local communities.

A team of international teacher trainers and experts will run the training programme, which will include sessions based on two of the main manuals of the Council of Europe: “Democratic governance of schools” and “How all teachers can support citizenship and human rights education: a framework for the development of competences”.

Application procedure is closed.

"....the need to ensure that their young adults become fully participating members of society, through education."

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Initial findings of International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) at a press conference in Goteborg on June 29, 2010

The largest international study ever conducted on civic education in secondary schools tested and surveyed over 140.000 students in more than 5,000 schools from 38 countries. The study wanted to find out how well prepared students are to be citizens in a fast-changing world, and how much they have learned about civics through their formal education.

Some general trends have been presented:

The level of civic knowledge among students shows large variation among the participating countries
Significant decline of civic knowledge in fifteen countries
Parental occupational status and parents' political interest is associated with students' civic knowledge, less associated with parents' migrant background
At an average, students tend to be better informed about the political and electoral system of their countries than about possibilities of active engagement. More young people expect to vote in national elections than to be engaged in other civic activities.
In almost all countries girls showed a higher degree of civic knowledge and understanding than boys

IEA chair Dr Seamus Hegarty said at the press conference:

"I hope the findings of the study will serve to enhance the role of citizenship education in all our schools."

The EWC plans a series of Educators' Consultations in 2011 to introduce and discuss the findings of the study with teacher trainers and teachers in Europe. To view our ongoing Educators' Consultations on the issue of "Religion in Education", please click here.

Click here to download the report on initial findings.

View the IEA Press conference here.

Launching conference on new Council of Europe history teaching project was held in Drammen, Norway

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Launching conference on new Council of Europe project "Shared Histories for a Europe Without Dividing Lines" took place in Drammen, Norway

How can history teaching in Europe contribute to overcome old dividing lines without creating new ones? How can it help young people to engage themselves in a diverse and constantly changing world?

These were some of the leading questions when the new Council of Europe (CoE) project ”Shared Histories for a Europe Without Dividing Lines" was launched at a conference on June 16-17, 2010 in Drammen, Norway.

The conference was organized by the CoE in co-operation with The European Wergeland Centre and the support from the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

More than hundred participants, among them representatives from the Ministries of Education, historians, authors of text books, teacher trainers, decision-makers, as well as representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations took part in this event.

Norway's Minister of Education, Ms. Kristin Halvorsen held the opening speech, in which she underlined the importance of diversity as a resource necessary to build peaceful and sustainable democracies in contemporary Europe. Emphasized was as well the role of the European Wergeland Centre - and other resource centers - as an important tool when it comes to preparing the pupils and teachers in Europe for living together in diverse societies.

In her welcome speech, EWC executive director Ms. Ana Perona-Fjeldstad highlighted the dynamic between the finalized CoE programme “The Image of the Other”, and the new one, “Shared Histories without dividing lines”. History teaching, through the deconstruction of stereotypes and the focus on interactions and convergences, can effectively contribute to the prevention of conflicts and can support reconciliation processes.

In this way, history teaching in Europe and beyond – through dialogue with its neighbor regions – can contribute to cultures of mutual respect and acknowledgement.

Ms. Tatiana Minkina-Milko, Deputy Head of the CoE History Education Division, presented some of the challenges history teaching is facing in the 21st century:

Skills among young people such as flexibility in thinking, empathy and willingness to interact need to be enhanced
Roles of history teachers are changing: being rather a partner and a mentor of learning processes than a transmitter of knowledge
New types of local, national and transnational partnerships have to be developed, including the fields of education, science and culture

As it was underlined by Ms. Minkina-Milko, the new programme will create a space for action, transforming concepts and insights into educational realities.

Conference on Interactions, convergences, conflicts: European lessons in shared histories

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The launching conference "Interactions, convergences, conflicts: European lessons in shared histories" of the new Council of Europe Project "Shared Histories for a Europe without dividing Lines" will take place16-17 June 2010 in Drammen, Norway.

The conference is organized by the Council of Europe in co-operation with The European Wergeland Centre and the support from the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

The Conference will present the conclusions of the finalised project on "The Image of the Other in History Teaching", and will give an overview of the general orientations of the new project "Shared Histories for a Europe without Dividing Lines", adopted by the CDED in 2009.

About hundred participants will bring together representatives from the Ministries of Education of the member states and experts. Among them historians, authors and designers of text books, teacher trainers, decision-makers, as well as representatives from international organisations and NGOs involved in the Council of Europe activities.

The official opening of the conference will be held by Norway's Minister of Education, Kristin Halvorsen. Participation is by invitation only.

New Council of Europe Charter on EDC/HRE was adopted

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

On 11 May 2010, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)7 on the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education at the 120th Session of the Committee of Ministers.

The Charter – which was developed over a period of several years with wide consultations – is non-binding. It will be an important reference point for all of Europe and will serve as a basis for the Council of Europe’s future work in this field.

The Charter is divided into the following sections:

I General provisions
II Objectives and principles
III Policies
IV Evaluation and co-operation

In section I, the text offers a definition of the key terms “Education for Democratic Citizenship” (EDC) and “Human Rights Education” (HRE), in which we can find an emphasis on the outcome of education being not simply knowledge but empowerment to appropriate action.

As the Charter takes account of the diverse educational systems within the Council of Europe, it offers a framework that can be applied by each state to suit its system. In section II and III, a series of objectives and principles are stated, providing guidelines for policies, legislation and practice.

EDC and HRE as a lifelong process involve a wide range of stakeholders, among them, policy makers, NGOs, youth organizations and educational institutions, which play a vital role in providing a space where children, young people and other learners can practice human rights and democracy.

In the field of formal education, the Charter gives special emphasis to the promotion of democratic governance reflecting human rights values and principles in all educational institutions. Within this framework, it calls upon all member states to provide training for teachers, teacher trainers, and others in the educational system, including appropriate teaching and learning methods, objectives and principles relevant to these approaches.

As expressed in the text, partnership and collaboration of stakeholders involved in EDC and HRE at state, regional and local level is another important principle to be encouraged.

The Charter itself is an outcome of international cooperation among the Council of Europe’s member states, and thus urges the practical benefit of future cooperation in the field: such as sharing good practices and research, disseminating information to all stakeholders, and supporting European networks in the field.

As a more weighty document than those previously adopted in the field by the Council of Europe, it leads the path for future action addressing all stakeholders involved in education.

For further information, please click here.

Education for Sustainable Democratic Societies: the Role of Teachers

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

June 4-5, under the heading “Education for Sustainable Democratic Societies: the Role of Teachers”, the 23rd session of the Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education was an opportunity to discuss these issues and consider the role of education and, more specifically, teachers, in finding common, viable and effective solutions to the challenges facing European societies at present, such as the increasing diversity of our societies.

The conference took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and was organised in co-operation with the Slovenian Ministry of Education and Sport. It brought together high officials and representatives from the Council of Europe and it's 47 member states. The EWC participated as an observer.
View list of participants.

The main theme “Education for Sustainable Democratic Societies: the Role of Teachers” was divided into three strands:

Teacher competences for diverse democratic societies
Social recognition and professional development
Partnerships and networks in education

Ms Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe opened the conference. View the opening speech.

At their meeting in Ljubljana, the Ministers of Education of the 50 states parties to the European Cultural Convention were able to draw on the discussions at the conference to devise strategies for education and teacher training policies and thereby give direction to future Council of Europe action. Declaration on the conference theme.

For further documents and information, please view the conference website.

Call for papers: Conference on Education and Citizenship in a Globalising World

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The third international education conference "Education and Citizenship in a Globalising World" convened jointly by the Institute of Education (IOE), London and Beijing Normal University (BNU). The languages of the conference will be English and Mandarin Chinese.

The conference sub-themes are listed below. Contributions are welcome in the form of academic papers based on research or scholarship; case studies of practice in schools, communities and formal and informal education settings; reports of projects and initiatives at local, regional, national or international levels.

Contributions are welcome from academics and researchers from education, sociology, politics and other relevant disciplines, as well as teachers, political or community activists, and those working for NGOs, national or local government agencies.

1. Moral Education, Values and Citizenship
Within this strand will fall issues around moral authority, rights and responsibilities, and democracy in education. Also contained in strand 1 will be school approaches to moral and citizenship education, the promotion of children's rights through education, the tensions between local struggles and universal human rights, and the concepts and practice of active citizenship and service.

2. Sustainability, Development and Global Citizenship
This strand will encompass issues in education and sustainable development alongside an examination of the role of school partnerships and linkages in global citizenship education. Also relevant to strand 2 will be discussions on linking local, national and global agendas, as well as education and its role in the struggle for human dignity and the impact of citizenship education on peace, development and climate change.

3. Multicultural Education, Diversity and Social Cohesion
Within this strand will be discussion of the role of urban schools and issues of diversity in the context of citizenship education. Equally, the multicultural curriculum will be discussed, as will the impact of prejudice and discrimination on citizenship and society. Finally, issues around multilingualism and pluralingualism will be examined.

4. Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism and Education
The focus of this strand will be examination of issues around unity and diversity. This will include global interconnectedness and solidarity, textbooks and national narratives and the impact of patriotism. Also under discussion will be citizenship and history education and the role of education in developing cosmopolitan citizenship.

Abstracts of around 1000 words in length should be should be submitted by 11 June 2010 to internationaloffice@ioe.ac.uk

For further details see conference website.

7th International Human Rights Forum Lucerne (IHRF) 2010

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The 7th International Human Rights Forum Lucerne (IHRF) will discuss the topic "Human Rights and Pervasive Computing"on May 18th and 19th, 2010. The following questions will be addressed throughout the forum:

Does the omnipresence of information technology limit our privacy? Does it guarantee more security for all, through a reduction of the freedom of the individual? Does it foster freedom of expression and autonomy? How can equal access to information technology be assured throughout the world?

Among others, Nobel Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Matthias Kaiserswerth (Director of the IBM Research Laboratory Zurich), Niraj Nathwani (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Union FRA), Felisa Tibbitts (Director and Co-Founder of Human Rights Education Associates HREA) and Hanspeter Thür (Swiss Federal Data Protection Commissioner) have already confirmed their active participation.

The International Human Rights Forum Lucerne aims to support and develop the debate on Human Rights. It also wants to promote Human Rights in the public agenda through giving the different players (politics, science, the private sector, interest groups and the media) a forum where they can meet and discuss current Human Rights issues together. For this purpose, various formats of discourse and dialog will enable contact and fruitful exchange between the groups. A clear goal for the Forum is to ensure that not only dialog will be established but also that concrete projects will be initiated and carried through.

To register for the 2010 Forum, please click here. For more information, please visit the forum's website.

Human rights education with children - Compasito was presented in Germany

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

On May 6, one of the latest Council of Europe (CoE) publication “Compasito - a Manual for Human Rights Education With Children“ (German version) was presented to educational professionals in Berlin/ Germany.

The German Institute for Human Rights invited primary and secondary school teachers, school heads, NGO representatives, and other practitioners to learn more about this new practical tool.

During the day, the following sessions were offered, covering some of the manual’s main human rights themes:

children rights
participation
violence
discrimination
poverty and social exclusion

The EWC contributed actively by introducing some methods which can be used when starting to explore children rights.

During the day, around 100 participants got to know several learning and teaching tools which can be used with children wherever they spend the greatest part of their daily life: in schools, in childcare centres, afternoon-schools, leisure centres, or children’s organisations.

Participants reflected on how to use these tools in their own practice, and many shared examples of how they already work for children and human rights in the classroom/ school and/ or local community. Among them e.g. children rights election for the whole school, a school project which links human rights education with community development.

Compasito was strongly valued as a very important resource offering practical help to explore human and children rights with children. Yet the main challenge for participants remains to adapt the methods related to different contexts and target groups.

At the end of the day, participants felt very inspired by sharing practical examples within such a diverse group of professionals, and urged the need for further networking activities among local actors. In this regard, a stronger focus on good practices and peer-to-peer learning opportunities was requested.

The German version of Compasito was published last year, thanks to the efforts of the German Institute for Human Rights/ Human Rights Education Department. This year, the Institute will offer several training courses for multipliers on national level to spread Compasito broadly in formal and non formal education.

Compasito was developed by the Council of Europe, Directorate of Youth and Sport/ European Youth Centre Budapest and published in 2007. It was designed for educators and trainers working with children, teachers, caretakers and parents as well, especially those who are interested in human rights education with children and who are looking for practical tools to discuss values and social issues with children. The activities are designed for children from six to thirteen years.

The manual was inspired by ‘Compass – A Manual on Human Rights Education With Young People’, which was developed by the CoE in 2002. More than expected, ‘Compass’ is used with younger people of secondary school age and in school environments in many European countries. Yet this manual is translated into 25 different languages, more are in progress (e.g. Urdu, Greek, Lithuanian).

Order the German version of Compasito here.

An online version of the German translation is offered by the Centre of Human Rights Education (ZMRB) Lucerne/ Switzerland and available at: www.compasito-zmrb.ch

Pestalozzi Seminar in Lillehammer

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

3rd European Seminar in Lillehammer will focus on:

"Preparing future teachers for intercultural understanding"

May 10-14, 2010

Application procedure is closed.

Focus of the training:
This training seminar will focus in particular on the needs of future teachers in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes to help their students to develop the necessary basis for intercultural understanding.

Teacher trainers in pre-service teacher education will explore the guidelines and try out the tools the Council of Europe has developed and test their use and usefulness for their own teaching context. The proposed tools will include in particular

Draft framework of for the development of intercultural competence
Training units for intercultural education developed in the Pestalozzi Programme
Autobiography of intercultural encounters
Guidelines for school partnerships for intercultural education
Guidelines for individual exchanges for intercultural education

Working language: English

Number of available places:

28 participants from the signatory States to the European Cultural Convention
up to 5 places for participants from outside Europe (South of the Mediterranean, Arab countries)

Expected results :
After the seminar the participants will know better how to

understand the work of the Council of Europe in this crucial field
take into account the full range of aspects concerned by intercultural understanding and education and to
introduce education for intercultural understanding in a transversal way in their practice
identify and undertake appropriate actions to prepare their trainees for intercultural understanding
understand similarities and differences in pre-service teacher education across and beyond Europe
establish beneficial cooperation and exchange in a thematic Pestalozzi/European Wergeland Centre network

Venue: Nansen Academy, Lillehammer/ Norway

Organising body:
Curriculum Management and eLearning Department Council of Europe, Directorate General IV
The Pestalozzi Programme, Avenue de l’Europe, 67075 STRASBOURG Cedex
Contact : Ms Hélène SCHMIDT
Tel. :        ++ 33 3 88 41 36 56
Fax :    ++ 33 3 88 41 27 88,
E-mail : helene.schmidt@coe.int
Web site : http://www.coe.int/pestalozzi

In cooperation with:
The European Wergeland Centre, Stensberggt 25, NO-0170 OSLO, NORWAY
Tel. :        ++ 47 21 01 45 00
fax:            ++ 47 21 01 45 01
web:         www.theewc.org
e-mail:        k.klette@theewc.org

More information available on the Pestalozzi Programme website.

Apply now for rest places! Summer Academy "Democracy in School" in Poland

Thu, 6 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Summer Academy offers training in the field of education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. The EWC, in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education in Poland, invites school heads, teachers and representatives of local NGO’s such as parents’ association to participate:

Share your experiences with and learn from other school heads, teachers and representatives

Take part in peer-training and collaborative work facilitated by some of the most experienced and recognized trainers in the field
Experience workshops on teaching and learning activities, community involvement and competence development
Become a multiplier and learn strategies for implementation in your school and local community
Be part of an online network of local multipliers who discuss common issues, share experiences and support each others efforts

Apply now for the first Summer Academy:

Democracy at School

July 10-17, 2010 in Sulejówek/Warzaw

New application deadline: 20/05/2010

The Target groups:
Teams of school heads, teachers and representatives of local NGOs, in-service teacher training institutions or parents` associations from the same school or local community in the following countries: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Russia and Germany.

Goals:
Translate the Council of Europe’s policies into practice by:

offering training to representatives of local schools and communities
encouraging exchanges of experiences and good practices
facilitating a network of multipliers who promote and corporate the principles of democracy and human rights in their practices and local communities

Main topics:

Knowledge and understanding about Human Rights Education (HRE) and Education for Democratic Citizenship (EDC)
Learning and teaching tools for the classroom and the whole school
HRE/EDC in action: community involvement

Manuals/ tools:
The training program will include in particular the following manuals and tools:

Democratic governance of schools
How all teachers can support citizenship and human rights education: a framework for the development of competences
Autobiography of intercultural encounters
Participatory evaluation tools

Working Languages:
The training will be held in English and Russian. Participants need to speak one of the languages well enough to take active part in the training. Plenary sessions will be translated in both languages.

Subsistence and travel expenses:
The Academy is free of charge. Subsistence expenses and activities included in the program are covered by the host country for all participants. For information about the reimbursement of travel expenses to and from Warsaw, including VISA costs, please view the participant information sheet (available in Russian and English).

Partners:
The Summer Academy is organized by the EWC, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of National Education, the Polish Centre for Education Development, and the Council of Europe.

Organizing bodies and contact persons:

Centre for the Education Development
Coordinator:   Ms. Olena Styslavska
Tel:               +48 22/345 37 52
Fax:              +48 22/345 37 52
E-mail:          Olena.Styslavska@codn.edu.pl
Website:       www.ore.edu.pl

The European Wergeland Centre
Coordinator: Ms. Kjersti Toverud Klette
Tel:              +47 21 01 45 03
Fax:             +47 21 01 45 01
E-mail:         k.klette@theewc.org

For more detailed information, please view the EWC teacher training section.

EWC meets Norwegian Council for Teacher Education

Wed, 5 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The EWC participated on April 29 in the Norwegian Council for Teacher Education meeting, where among other issues the "Internationalization of Higher Education" was discussed.

EWC's research coordinator Claudia Lenz highlighted several ways of how students can serve as bridge builders between formal education, research and civil societies to foster a culture of democracy, human rights and intercultural understanding.

Students engage in moderated online discussions on EDC, HRE and ICE (peer-to-peer learning)
Students engage in school development projects linked to theoretical reflection opportunities (action research approach)
Embedded into study modules students participate in local/ international events related to human rights, democracy, intercultural dialog (service learning approach)

The reactions from the participants underlined the strong motivation of teacher training institutions to contribute to sustainable democratic societies – in Norway and internationally. The EWC is looking forward to future cooperation in this field!

EWC participated in conference on “Learning Democracy and Human Rights”

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

EWC executive director Ana Perona-Fjeldstad participated in the Council of Europe (CoE) conference on “Learning Democracy and Human Rights”, 15-16 April in Strasbourg.

The conference aimed at having a look at the results achieved under the CoE Program “Learning and living democracy for All” (2006-2009) and at planning future cooperation in the field of Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights (2010-2014).

It brought together over 200 participants from the CoE member states and beyond. Among them representatives of member states, decision makers in the field of education, education practitioners, and civil society representatives.

As one important result of the program and as a strong tool for future work in the field, the upcoming Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights was emphasized. Furthermore the EDC/ HRE network of coordinators and the series of manuals on citizenship and human rights education were mentioned as strong and valuable resources.

On the agenda of the second day were important key issues to be worked on in future: among them sustainability and visibility of HRE/ EDC programs and activities, including the need to have close cooperation with local actors.

The question of how to put CoE instruments into practice was addressed by participants in several workshops. Within this context, the EWC was mentioned as an important partner to provide and disseminate information relevant for educational professionals, to work on evaluation issues, and to establish networks.

EWC launches Share & Connect - A new expert database

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Today, the European Wergeland Centre (EWC) has launched Share & Connect – an expert database designed to facilitate online networking among people working in the field of education for human rights, democratic citizenship, and intercultural understanding.

Researchers, PhD students, teacher trainers, teachers and other education professionals across Europe and beyond can connect through the database to share their experiences and to benefit from each others’ expertise.

Share & Connect provides several opportunities:

Exchange information within a safe network by adding your own profile
Look for experts throughout Europe and beyond
Explore potential cooperation and partnerships
Connect with peers from theory and practice

You are welcome Share & Connect and to create your own profile here.

We hope that the EWC database will become a valuable resource for those looking for information and exchange possibilities in the field of human rights education, education for democratic citizenship and intercultural learning.

Launch of Human Rights Education on amnesty.org.

Fri, 9 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Amnesty International's work in human rights education spans formal, non-formal and informal sectors across all continents. Information about international human rights education is online now.

Amnesty International believes that human rights education is fundamental for addressing the underlying causes of human rights violations, preventing human rights abuses, combating discrimination, promoting equality, and enhancing people's participation in democratic decision-making processes.

Many people worldwide have recognized the contribution of human rights education to make human rights a reality worldwide. Find out what Amnesty International is doing at the international and regional level with a range of organisations, partners, networks and supporters to contribute towards this goal.

At the national level across all continents, Amnesty International offices are actively involved in advocating for mainstreaming human rights education in the formal sector, including working with governments on policy and legislative measures, developing learning processes and tools and resources, creating enabling learning environments, and facilitating the training of teachers and educators.

As well as in formal education, AI also works with other sectors of the global community linking human rights education to active participation and empowerment, working with young people, indigenous and marginalized groups, professional associations and groups, traditional/ religious leaders, and community based organizations.

Read about the AI International HRE Network; in Africa with the Africa HRE Project and in Middle East North Africa; the Human Rights Friendly Schools Project; the Rights Education Action Programme; and advocacy for human rights education at the international level.

You can access Amnesty International human rights education methodologies and resources online. These pages will be updated regularly and are available in English, French and Spanish.

EWC participated in Euro-Arab Dialog

Fri, 9 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

EWC Special Adviser Gunnar Mandt participated in a meeting within the framework of the Euro-Arab Dialogue in Strasbourg, France this month. The meeting on "a comparative study of school books" was jointly organized by the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The Euro-Arab Dialogue is an initiative from UNESCO and sponsored by the MBI Al Jaber Foundation.

High officials and academic representatives from countries in Europe and the Arab region took part in this event, including Germany, The United Arab Emirates, France, Hungary, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia and Tunisia. Organizations present were ISESCO, UNESCO, Council of Europe, MBI Al Jaber Foundation and The EWC.

On the agenda was the presentation of country reports on national school textbooks. It aimed at shedding light on stereotypes contained in school books in the countries concerned with the study. Examples from several countries were given. All country reports will be completed within the next six months. A working group was set up to facilitate the process.

The meeting agreed on a road map for the work ahead, with the next meeting planned for late autumn. This will include more comparative studies of school textbooks. The final conference will be held in autumn 2011.

Still some places available in HREA distance learning courses - April to July 2010

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Human Rights Education Association (HREA) is issuing a call for applications for e-learning courses offered in the second trimester of 2010 (April-July). Due to the high demand HREA will be offering multiple sessions of the following courses:

Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Child Rights Programming
Einführung in die Menschenrechtsbildung
Human Rights Advocacy
Human Rights Monitoring
Le Plaidoyer pour les droits humains
Minority Rights, Indigenous Peoples and International Law
Monitoring Children's Rights
Monitoring Women's Rights
Project Development and Management in the NGO Sector
The European Union and Human Rights

The registration deadline for these courses is Thursday, 1 April 2010. Applications can be submitted online. For further information about each course please click on the Distance Learning Program.

COMENIUS project on teaching about historical memories has started!

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

“History teaching today should not only deal with the transmission of factual knowledge but with the competence to participate in the negotiations of the past within societies.”

This statement was made last Monday by Prof. Andreas Körber during the opening of the first seminar within the framework of the project “TeacMem. Developing Competence-Orientated Teaching on Historical Memories”.

The project is jointly organized by institutions in the fields of History Didactics, Research in Public Memory Culture, Teacher Training and Secondary Schools in Denmark, Germany and Norway. The project is funded by the COMENIUS program of the European Union. It runs from October 2009 to September 2012. Claudia Lenz from the EWC is among the organizers of the project.

Several seminars will be held in the participating countries to work inter-professionally on the question of how to learn and to teach about memorial cultures in contemporary European societies.

The project is based on a historical learning approach saying that individual backgrounds and perceptions are essential for the way people make sense of the past, even more when dealing with traumatic pasts. Still, the question, which aspects of the past are regarded to be relevant and in which ways they are interpreted, is highly influenced by cultural, social and political contexts. Thus, questions of identity building social cohesion and democratic participation are crucially linked to historical thinking and history cultures.

For historical learning, competences related to

the capacity to autonomously get interested in and engaged with questions related to history,
the capacity to reflect about one’s own historical perceptions,
the awareness and capacity to understand differences between collective memory cultures and,
the capacity to reflect about political uses of the past,

seem to be of higher relevance than a high score in canonized fact knowledge.

The first seminar in Germany brought together a range of professionals such as teachers, teacher trainers, museum and memorial educators from the participating countries and provided the necessary conditions for learning about, through and because of existing differences. Taking the own experiences as a starting point, the participants got aware of the decisive function of historical thinking in the development of intercultural and democratic competences.

The capacity to engage in a dialog about different narratives and interpretations related to certain eras of the past is essential for sustainable democratic societies, not least when facing differences which are related to former or continuous hostility.

For more information, please view the project website

On-line Consultation on World Programme for Human Rights Education extended!

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Global On-line Consultation is ongoing from March 1-28, 2010. It is a participatory process for all stakeholders of drafting a plan of action for the second phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE). Among others, teacher training and higher education institutions are invited to contribute.

The focus of the Second Phase (2010-1014) of the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education WPHRE:

“Human rights education for higher education and on human rights training programmes for
teachers and educators, civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel at all
levels.” (UN Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/12/4, paragraph 2, adopted in September 2009).

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been mandated by
Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/12/4 adopted in September 2009 to prepare a
draft plan of action for the second phase of the WPHRE for submission to the Human Rights
Council 15th session scheduled for September 2010.

In response to the inquiry from the OHCHR Methodology, Education and Training Section (METS) regarding views of as many stakeholders as possible, a global on-line consultation has been launched by Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) in cooperation with the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG ON HREL) of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN (CoNGO), Geneva.

The results of the Global Online Consultation will be made into a summary report for submission to the OHCHR METS as a contribution by stakeholders to the formulation of a plan of action for the second phase of the WPHRE.

Read more

Intercultural Cities – Study visit to Oslo

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

11-12 March, 17 participants from 9 different cities, including e.g. Russia, Greece, Poland, Germany, Italy and Serbia, participated in a study visit organized by the City of Oslo, together with the Council of Europe (CoE) and The European Wergeland Centre.

The two-day meeting took place in the City Hall. The first day included a key note speech by Professor Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund, who talked about the minority background population, and the situation in the Norwegian school system.

Of Oslo’s population, about 25 % is of minority background. Of the pupils and students in the schools of Oslo (grade 1-13), approximately 30 % are of minority background.

The participants also visited Elvebakken Upper Secondary school, and met with head teacher and teachers, as well as 10 of the school’s over 1.200 students.

The students, all with minority background, discussed what it meant for them personally to be integrated, how they perceive themselves and see the future of the Norwegian society, as well as the media’s role in the debate about and the process of integrating both first and second generation immigrants.

Day two included a key note speech by Senior Researcher Jon Rogstad about political participation on a governmental and local level. Furthermore, a panel discussion about democracy, participation and dialogue took place. All participants, representing the political sphere, business management and ministries, were eager to discuss the situation in their home countries and to learn more about the situation in Oslo regarding intercultural governance, policies and every day life.

For more information about the Intercultural Cities Programme, please visit the CoE website.

International Academy on Remembrance and Human Rights

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The International Academy on "Remembrance and Human Rights" will take place in Berlin from March 14-19, 2010, organized by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future. The International Academy is a unique learning opportunity for people working in the fields of human rights education, historical education and remembrance. The academy is primarily targeted at project managers and educators in the named fields from Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Israel and Germany. The total number of participants is limited to 20. The Academy will be conducted in English.

Main topics:

Development, importance and foundations of human rights
Human rights enforcement system from a current and historical perspective
The meaning of human rights in the midst of social upheavals in Eastern Europe
Perspectives on human rights at historical locations in Berlin

Goals of the Academy

Demonstrate possibilities for the connection of historical education with human rights education
Convey fundamental knowledge and skills in the field of national and international human rights protection
Encourage the development of corresponding project ideas and educational offerings

Costs:

A 250 Euro program fee includes room and board.
For international participants it is possible to waive the program fee, as well as to grant a travel allowance.

Registration Deadline: January 20, 2010

For more information, view program flyer or visit the EVZ website.

NERA Congress on Active Citizenship

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Malmö University, School of Education host this year's Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA) congress on "Active citizenship". The 38th edition of the annual NERA Congress will take place March 11-13, 2010 in Malmö, Sweden.

Active citizenship and citizenship education have often been seen as having the potential to empower individuals to both use opportunities to participate in public life at various levels and to meet their civic obligations. The benefits of citizenship education and the development and exercise of active citizenship can thus be seen as the ability to consider differing perspectives and divergent values from individual to group level, from local to global level, and to take action on political and ethical decisions that are often controversial, concerning, for example, environmental issues and social justice.

Five scholar keynote speakers/panel discussion experts have been invited to participate and lead discussions on the topic Citizenship Education. The congress is opened with a moderated discussion between three of the keynote speakers and Malmö University Vice Chancellor, Lennart Olausson. The focus of the opening theme will be Active citizenship in local, regional and global perspectives: critical and interdisciplinary approaches.

Parallel lecture sessions will present evaluations of and reflections on various issues and contributions representing perspectives of the congress theme and related areas.

For more information, please view the Congress website.

Seminar held at Oslo University College: Religious Diversity in Intercultural Education

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Wergeland Center and the Oslo University College invited to join a Seminar on "Religious Diversity in Intercultural Education - Policies and Practices". Prof. Jackson, the EWC Special Adviser, talked about international policy documents with regard to religious diversity in education. A vivid discussion took place about opportunities and challenges when integrating religious diversity into educational practice.

During the seminar international policy documents were outlined, e.g. the Toledo Guiding Principles, emphasizing the importance of religious diversity in education. Jorun Nossum presented the Oslo University College's INTERKULT project, which aims at creating a multicultural and international learning environment.

The presentations were followed by a vivid discussion. It became clear, that international policy documents can be an inspiration for educators, but there are challenges with regard to how to address and integrate religious diversity in practice:

Different national situations have to be taken into consideration, e.g. related to the question, if and how religion is part of the curricula. Here, the contribution of participants from Austria and Norway showed, that these structural conditions can to a large extend prepare the ground for dialogue or its absence in schools.

Religious diversity should be more than a teaching subject. The attention should be directed towards schools and other educational institutions as overall environments of learning and living together. As a starting point, educators should reflect aspects of this environment (food, sports, social events etc) and their relation to religious practices and expressions, and how they could be used for the promotion of dialogue.

It was acknowledged that dialogue is not to be misunderstood as “harmony” – religious topics are sometimes linked to strong emotions. There is a need to prepare teachers/educators to moderate conflicting situations, which requires their personal openness but also an awareness of the limits of dialogue. Not all controversies can and have to be solved in the classroom, but having them addressed dialogically is better than ignoring them. Here the participants approved the results of the REDCo research project introduced by Prof. Jackson.

Openness to religious diversity can lead to dilemmas. Sometimes not all stakeholders in an educational setting are aware of or agree with the principle of plurality, which is an integral part of religious diversity. The rejection of attempts to use educational settings for missionary purposes were named as an example for the establishment of “rules of the game”, which have to be respected by all.

As a result of the discussion, the participants agreed on the necessity to have spaces just like this seminar to be able to articulate questions and insecurities, to share experiences and to develop ideas as how religious diversity can become a part of inclusive and joyful learning environments.

Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion in Europe through EDC/ HRE

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The conference "Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion in Europe through Education for Democratic Citizenship / Human Rights Education" is hosted by the Black and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS) and the DARE Network (Democracy and Human Rights Education in Adult Learning). It will be held in Glasgow, March 3-5, 2010.

General information:
The conference takes place in the Glasgow City Chambers and the Parish Halls. Accommodation (please wait for a confirmation after your conference registration) is likewise centrally located at the Jurys Inn. The conference is open to everyone interested in the field of tackling poverty and social exclusion in Europe through education for democratic citizenship and human rights education. There is no conference fee.

Food and drinks during the conference events will be provided for free. Travel and accommodation costs for DARE project members can be reimbursed. For DARE network members these costs can be reimbursed only if they contribute actively to the conference in form of a case study/best
practice presentation or a country report. We strongly encourage all others to apply at their national agencies for individual mobility grants under the EU programmes GRUNDTVIG or COMENIUS, as this conference will be listed in the GRUNDTVIG training database.

For more information, please read the conference flyer.

Seminar on Religious Diversity in Intercultural Education - Policies and Practices

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Wergeland Center in cooperation with Oslo University College is organizing the
seminar "Religious diversity in intercultural education - policies and practices" on the 2nd of March, 2010.

Which place do religions and beliefs have in different approaches towards intercultural education? Which are the consequences of these differences with regard to education policies and educational practices?

These questions will be addressed in a lecture by Prof. Robert Jackson, an international expert in the field of religious diversity from the University of Warwick. Jackson will give an outline of the differences between OSCE and Council of Europe’s approaches towards religious diversity in the light of educational questions.

A presentation of the Oslo University College’s INTERKULT project will show that many of the assumptions to be found in the policy field are mirrored in this intercultural practice.

Based on these presentations, we invite to a discussion about the place of religious diversity in intercultural approaches in the educational sector and possible improvements in taking this aspect into consideration.

Date: 2nd of March, from 13:00-16:00
Venue: Oslo University College, P46-PA113 Athene 1 (Pilestredet 46, 1. etg)

European Master in Human Rights and Democratisation: Call for applications

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) in Venice calls for application for its European Master Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA) 2010/2011.

The Master Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation is an intensive one-year advanced master’s programme to educate 90 professionals annually in the field of human rights and democratisation. It is an inter-disciplinary programme that reflects the indivisible links between human rights, democracy, peace and development.The programme offers an action and policy-oriented approach to learning about human rights, democratisation and international relations from a legal, political, historical, anthropological, and philosophical perspective. Students have the opportunity to meet in a multi-cultural environment and be taught by a considerable number of leading academics, experts and representatives of international organisations (including the United Nations, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the EU) and non-governmental organisations.

The deadline for application is 19 March 2010 (date of the receipt in Venice of the application materials). More detailed information available on the EIUC website.

Religious Diversity in Intercultural Education - An open seminar in Oslo!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The European Wergeland Center in cooperation with Oslo University College is organizing the seminar "Religious Diversity in Intercultural Education - Policies and Practices".

Main speaker: Prof. Robert Jackson, University of Warwick
Place: Oslo University College, Pilestredet 46, 1. etg
Time: March, 2nd 2010, 13.00-16.00

Which place do religions and beliefs have in different approaches towards intercultural education? Which are the consequences of these differences with regard to educational policies and practices?

These questions will be addressed in a lecture by Prof. Jobert Jackson, an international expert in the field of religious diversity. Jackson will give an outline of the differences between OSCE and Council of Europe's approaches towards religious diversity.

A presentation of the Oslo University College's INTERKULT project will show that many of the assumptions to be found in the policy field are mirrored in this intercultural practice. Based on these presentations, we invite participants to discuss the significance of religious diversity in intercultural education, and to discuss possible improvements in taking this aspect into consideration.

No registration required.

Attacks targeting teachers and students worldwide on the rise, says UNESCO report

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The number of politically and ideologically motivated attacks on teachers, students and school buildings is rising, says the report "Education under attack", launched by UNESCO this week. These attacks are perpetrated by non-state armed groups and state actors alike.

“Education under Attack 2010” is the second report on the subject; the first was published in 2007. This report is launched together with a second UNESCO publication entitled “Protecting Education from Attack: A State-of-the-Art Review”, in which several experts take critical stock of knowledge on prevention and response, with respect to both international law and interventions on the ground.

The 2010 report reveals that the problem is much more extensive. Education was attacked in at least 32 countries between January 2007 and July 2009. Often, an attack on the educational system represents an attack on the State. Conversely, certain States or paramilitary organizations may target academics in order to neutralize real or imagined opponents.

The report also covers the issue of child soldiers – the number of which is currently estimated at 250,000 worldwide. Abductions are frequently carried out for the purpose of forced recruitment or sexual violence against girls. The report expresses particular concern about the systematic nature of crimes committed and sinister tactics used in several countries against teachers, pupils and unionized education workers.

Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, has underlined that UNESCO is concerned by these attacks for three reasons: “...they constitute a threat to the right to life, and a threat to the right to education, which is itself the key to other freedoms and basic rights; lastly, these attacks jeopardize the achievement of the Education for All goals.”

The report also examines the reasons why attacks on education often attract little attention and it points to the role that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could play in strengthening accountability and ending impunity for such attacks.

In his recommendations, author Brendan O’Malley (U.K), advocates the creation of a global observatory on the subject. The United Nations currently lacks reliable data for an accurate assessment of the problem. More in-depth research is needed, he says, to enable better analysis and understanding of the causes, means and impacts of attacks on education.

Finally, while we have limited information on the effectiveness of protective measures and negotiations with armed groups, O’Malley lists possible solutions: providing armed guards at schools or for transport to or from school, encouraging community defence of schools, providing distance learning where it is too dangerous to attend classes, relocating schools within community homes to make them less visible targets, and providing rapid repair and resupply of educational materials.

View the full report here.

Study on materials used to teach about world religions in schools in England

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU) has just released a report on a large scale study for the UK Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families. The first ever conducted study to focus on the use of materials used in religious education involved 29 researchers and reviewers.

The overall aim of this research was to examine the materials available to schools and used by them for teaching about the six main world religions in the UK.

The study includes an evaluation of the published materials readily available, consideration of the contextual and pedagogical factors that influence their selection and use in schools and classrooms, and the materials’ contribution to learning.

A particular focus has been on their contribution to education for community cohesion both in terms of their ability to enhance young people’s understanding of the principal religions in British society, and in terms of the messages these materials may convey about inter communal, particularly inter-religious, harmony and cooperation.

The project used quantitative and qualitative methods and comprised an audit of available Religious Education (RE) materials and a review of a sample of materials by members of faith, academic and professional RE experts; case studies in 20 schools and a survey of a nationwide random sample of schools.

Professor Brian Gates, Chair, The Religious Education Council of England and Wales:
"The Religious Education Council of England and Wales welcomes the publication of this major research study, commissioned and funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and produced by the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, at the University of
Warwick by a team led by Professor Robert Jackson.

The report identifies many examples of good professional practice, teachers’ use of a range of pedagogies and approaches to learning and their creative use of resources, particularly web-based materials. The report also highlights a number of serious weaknesses which the REC now calls on the DCSF, publishers and RE professional organisations to address. It identifies the ways in which teachers use RE to promote community cohesion and to develop personal and social values, positive attitudes towards those of other religions, and critical thinking."

View the full report.

UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training - Discussion continued

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee continued its discussion on a Draft Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training on January 25 during its fourth session in Geneva, as mandated to it by the Human Rights Council.

Emmanuel Decaux, Rapporteur of the drafting group on the declaration, in concluding remarks, said when discussing human rights and human rights education, many challenges were encountered, and this was therefore a very valuable discussion. The question of who the declaration was for had to be addressed - whether it was for the general public or for States. Each State had a tradition of education and human rights. States were very diverse, and this had to be dealt with, as did the diversity of national players and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and how they dealt with education. In the midst of all this diversity, an encouraging factor was that all mentioned the importance of human rights in practice.

Among issues raised by other speakers, including States and NGOs, was that human rights education and training were invaluable tools for enshrining the values of dignity, freedom, equality and justice, values that underpinned human rights as they affected the daily lives of all across the planet. Common values like freedom and equality were fundamental and came under the tolerance umbrella, which embodied respect for peace, dignity and human rights. A global common value system had to be allowed to flourish. Human rights education signified a new kind of governance based on human rights within educational policies for both policy makers and civil society.

In the process of improvement of the current draft, aspects on definition and principles should be more appropriately included. Each individual young person upholding human rights and joining with others could create a line of networks protecting and promoting human rights that would eventually permeate the entire globe: the role of youth should be included as a substantive factor promoting human rights education and training. There was room for further refining the text - a concise and accessible text was what was required by all, but it should be comprehensive and address all aspects of human rights education and training.

Speaking during the afternoon was the Philippines. Also speaking was the Advisory Council of Human Rights of Morocco, as well as the International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education, Soka Gakkai International, Amnesty International, New Humanity, European Disability Forum, Indian Council of South America and World Peace Council.

Read the full discussion on the draft.

New FRA study on Holocaust and Human Rights Education released in Auschwitz

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

“It is not enough to listen to a witness who is over 80 years old if you do not connect his/her experience to the present time, if you don’t recognise there is still a deficit in human rights today.” (Teacher, Focus Group, Milan)

At a Ministerial Conference being held in Auschwitz from 26-28 January, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is releasing the findings of the first ever EU-wide "Discover the past for the future - A study on the role of historical sites and museums in Holocaust Education and Human Rights Education". On the eve of the 2010 International Remembrance Day for the Victims of the Holocaust, the report reveals that at historical sites and in schools across the EU, teaching about the Holocaust rarely includes discussion of related human rights issues.

Teachers and guides are considered to be key to ensuring interest in the subject, yet there is a lack of human rights training on behalf of both groups. Based on the findings of its study, the FRA encourages national governments to better integrate human rights education into their school curricula to reflect the significance of human rights for both the history and the future of the EU.

FRA Director Morten Kjaerum: "The findings of our report reveal the importance attached to Holocaust education, democracy education and human rights education by governments throughout the EU. However, this is not sufficiently reflected in school curricula and links are not established between important historical events, like the Holocaust, and human rights. When this is achieved young people in the EU will be able to fully understand their past and go on to build a more united future."

Students ask for link to the present
Many of the interviewed students stated that they would appreciate a stronger connection to the present in education activities about the Holocaust, both at school and at historical sites and museums. However, only one of the 22 surveyed Holocaust commemoration sites regarded informing people about human rights as its most important objective. Based on the findings of the study, the FRA is of the opinion that Holocaust education should go beyond the mere transmission of historical facts to include discussion and debate on past and present human rights issues.

Teachers call for guidance
Interviewed teachers appealed not only for financial support for visits to memorial sites, but also for guiding material on how to make best use of such visits. The FRA will publish a handbook for teachers on Holocaust education and human rights education, as well as a handbook to be used by memorial site staff, later in the year.

View the Main Results Report "Discover the past for the future".

The Politics of Misrecognition: An Interdisciplinary Conference

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Centre for Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol is hosting "The Politics of Misrecognition: An Interdisciplinary Conference" on 22-23 January 2010.

Keynote speakers include Axel Honneth, Michel Seymour and Melissa Williams. What is 'misrecognition' and why does it matter? This conference aims to explore this question, and to consider how the idea of misrecognition can help us understand the interaction and political orientations of different cultures, social movements and state policies. Conference organizers are Wendy Martineau (University of Bristol), Nasar Meer (University of Southampton) and Simon Thompson (University of the West of England, Bristol).

More information...

Call for participation: 7th International Human Rights Forum Lucerne

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The 7th International Human Rights Forum Lucerne (IHRF) will discuss in the public the topic "Human Rights and Pervasive Computing" on May 18th and 19th, 2010. Among others, Nobel Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi and Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union, have already confirmed their active participation.

For more information about participation fee, program, and to pre-sign up and ensure your seat at the 7th IHRF 2010, please contact: info@ihrf.phz.ch

Human Rights are a major theme globally as well as in Switzerland. The International Human Rights Forum Lucerne (IHRF) aims to support and develop the debate on Human Rights. It also wants to promote Human Rights in the public agenda through giving the different players (politics, science, the private sector, interest groups and the media) a forum where they can meet and discuss current Human Rights issues together. For this purpose, various formats of discourse and dialog will enable contact and fruitful exchange between the groups. A clear goal for the Forum is to ensure that not only dialog will be established but also that concrete projects will be initiated and carried through.

Human Rights Education Associates: New e-learning courses will start soon!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) organises specialised courses via distance education for human rights defenders and educators, development workers, and staff members of social justice organisations, international and inter-governmental organisations.

Now the organisation is issuing a call for applications for the following e-learning courses covering a variety of human rights topics, which will be offered in the second trimester of 2010 (April-July):

- Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
- Einführung in die Menschenrechtsbildung
- Human Rights Advocacy
- Human Rights Monitoring
- Le Plaidoyer pour les droits humains
- La Programmation basée sur les droits humains
- Minority Rights, Indigenous Peoples and International Law
- Monitoring Children's Rights
- Monitoring Women's Rights
- Project Development and Management in the NGO Sector
- The European Union and Human Rights

Please note that the registration deadline for these courses is Monday, 1 February 2010. Applications can be submitted online. Further information will be found:

HREA Distance Learning Programme.

EWC contributes to conference on Culture, Civilization and the World

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The conferenceCulture, Civilization and the World – the Semantics of Globalization, organized by the University of Oslo/ Kultrans, in cooperation with Concepta – International Research School in Conceptual History and Political Thought, will discuss the role of language, and especially the role of concepts in exploring the processes of globalization. In addition to the uses and meanings of single concepts, such as “culture”, “civilization” or “world”, the event will focus on clusters of concepts, semantic fields, discourses, texts, genres and experiences – constituting what is referred to as the “semantics of globalization”. The conference will take place from January 25-26, 2010 at Oslo University.

The European Wergeland Centre is participating in this event, and EWC's Research Coordinator Dr. Claudia Lenz will be giving a lecture on: "Citizenship – an ambigram in the context of national and global interpretations" at the conference .

View all abstracts of the conference

UN General Assembly marked the end of the International Year of Human Rights Learning

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

With millions fighting a daily battle against discrimination to gain access to education, health services and decent work, the President of the General Assembly ALI ABDUSSALAM TREKI (Libya) urged the United Nations family to join hands with Governments and other stakeholders around the world in embracing diversity and ending discrimination, during a special meeting to mark the end of the International Year of Human Rights Learning.

“Human rights stand, alongside development and peace and security, as a pillar of the Organization,” he said, reaffirming that promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction to race, sex, language or religion, was a fundamental purpose of the United Nations.

The special meeting -- held on Human Rights Day, as well as the sixty-first anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- followed the Assembly’s adoption of a resolution on follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning (A/C.3/64/L.33/Rev.1).

By that text, which was recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), the Assembly encouraged States to expand on efforts made during the International Year and to consider devoting the resources necessary to design and implement long-term human rights learning programmes of action at all levels. It also recommended that the Human Rights Council integrate human rights learning into the draft United Nations declaration on human rights education and training, which had been prepared and would be considered by the Council during a high-level discussion on the matter in March.

Welcoming the text’s adoption, the representative of Benin, which was the main sponsor of the resolution that established the International Year, said that in a world where the majority of humanity had no access to dignity, freedom or responsibility, the objective was to build momentum among everyday citizens to discover their human rights and identify how those rights worked to make their daily lives better. “We have often failed to focus on what is really at stake: we must give people the means to become aware of the decision-making processes that are affecting their lives,” he declared.

Emphasizing the link between education and progress toward the realization of human rights, the representative of the United States said knowledge of human rights was their first defence. Human rights learning, thus, formed the heart of promoting human rights. Among other things, this learning should include training programmes, developing human rights curricula, and incorporating human rights education and learning into extracurricular activities.

Several speakers highlighted their own country’s efforts to extend human rights learning to their citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. For example, Thailand told delegates his country had translated the Universal Declaration into Braille and created a child-friendly version. Kazakhstan had set up a digital library of legal documents on human rights.

Switzerland’s delegate stressed that a United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training would both provide a definition of principles and responsibilities related to human rights education and deliver the message that such education was not just “nice to have”, but necessary in preventing rights violations and improving countries’ human rights records.

Amnesty International seeks Human Rights Education Project Coordinator

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The Human Rights Education Team at Amnesty International is seeking a Project Coordinator to coordinate an international human rights education initiative, which is aimed at raising awareness, informing debate and enabling action in order to tackle human rights abuses that drive and deepen poverty. Together with both internal and external partners, the post-holder will ensure that the project is coordinated, planned, implemented, reported on and evaluated within the agreed timeline and resources.

The organization is seeking an experienced communicator who has the ability to facilitate, lead, and motivate a team of individuals and project partners.The successful candidate will have proven experience in project planning and development, including stakeholder engagement, budget management and reporting and evaluation.They will demonstrate solid understanding of human rights education methodology, as well as have practical experience in using participatory methodologies to design, plan and deliver human rights education projects, workshops and courses. They will have experience in curriculum or human rights education resource development, particularly for young people. The successful candidate will also have proven experience of supporting the exchange of dialogue, ideas and information between diverse partners and stakeholders, and be aware of the implications of cultural diversity for effective delivery of human rights education.

USEFUL INFORMATION: The Education for Human Dignity Project is a three-year international partnership project funded by Europe Aid, aimed at raising awareness, informing debate and enabling action in order to tackle human rights abuses that drive and deepen poverty. Through human rights education and participatory approaches, young people and those that work with them (including teachers, youth workers and multipliers) will have an increased understanding of the relationship between poverty and human rights, and will be equipped and empowered to take action and call for human rights solutions to poverty.

Location: Clerkenwell, Central London
Contract duration: Fixed term contract for three years, expected to start from 1st March 2010
The post is a full-time/fixed-term contract for three years, and will require some travel.

The closing date for applications to this post is Midnight on Monday 18th January 2010.

For full details and to apply, please see the following website:
www.amnesty.org/en/jobs_all/vacant-positions

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) Fellowship

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) is offering an eight month National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) Fellowship. RWI strives to be a meeting point for theory and practice in the implementation of human rights. The aim of the fellowship programme is to expand the understanding of the role NHRIs play in promoting and protecting human rights, to support research associated with NHRIs, and to help facilitate dialogue between NHRI scholars and practitioners.

The Fellow will have the opportunity to further her/his professional development by conducting research related to NHRIs and interacting with leading human rights scholars and expert NHRI practitioners from around the world. It is expected that the Fellow will be based at RWI for the eight month fellowship period and that she/he will not have any other professional commitments during that time period. The Fellow is also required during the course of the fellow-ship to complete a research project resulting in a written work. The Fellow will form part of the RWI research and academic community and be expected to contribute to RWI NHRI related lectures, seminars, and workshops, and to provide feedback on RWI related NHRI initiatives that are ongoing or under development.

The NHRI Fellow will be provided with a stipend sufficient to fully cover all necessary personal expense in Sweden. In addition to the stipend, the Fellow will be provided with a modest travel allowance to support costs travelling to/from Lund, office space, computer/Internet connections, acute medical insurance, and access to the RWI library and its unique collection of NHRI materials.

Human rights practitioners and scholars with in-depth knowledge of and/or experience working with NHRIs are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to scholars who hold post graduate degrees, and to practitioners with law degrees (LLB or JD) and a solid track record working with or for NHRIs. The Fellow must be able to write and speak English fluently. For details regarding the application procedure, please view RWI's website.

First ever EU-wide survey of minorities: Mapping Discrimination across Europe

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released on 9 December the European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey, the first ever EU-wide survey of over 23,000 individuals from ethnic minority and immigrant groups about their experiences of discrimination, racist crime, and policing in the EU. The results reveal shocking evidence about the discrimination faced by minorities in everyday life; in the classroom, when looking for work, at the doctor's, or in shops. On the eve of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, the FRA calls for targeted policies to combat the marginalisation of these groups.

1 in 4 (24%) of all respondents was a victim of crime at least once in the last 12 months. Members of minority groups, often stereotyped as criminals themselves, can clearly also be victims of crime in need of assistance, protection, and support.

The survey exposes the serious lack of awareness of anti discrimination legislation amongst ethnic minority and immigrant groups. Almost half (46%) of respondents were unaware that legislation exists forbidding discrimination against people on the basis of their ethnicity in relation to shops, restaurants, bars or clubs.

82% of those who were discriminated against in the past 12 months did not report their most recent experience of discrimination either at the place where it occurred or to a competent authority. The most common reason for non-reporting was the belief that ‘nothing would happen’.

FRA Director Morten Kjaerum: "The results of the EU-MIDIS survey reveal the serious difficulties faced by significant numbers of those from ethnic minority and immigrant groups in accessing the most basic of services. Discrimination in education is particularly damaging as it can have a negative impact on young people's opportunities in the labour market. Actors at all levels, from governments to service providers, must use this evidence, collected on the ground through in-depth interviews, to develop targeted policies to prevent the exclusion of these groups from European societies."

7th Meeting on the World Programme for Human Rights Education

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

On 3 December 2009, the 7th Meeting of the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee “Human Rights Education in the School System” (UNIACC) was held in Geneva. The meeting was devoted to the evaluation of the 1st phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-2009), which focused on primary and secondary schools, and the preparation of the 2nd phase of the Programme (2010-2014). The participants included representatives of the OHCHR, UNESCO and UNICEF. The Council of Europe was invited to the meeting of UNIACC with a special guest status.

Read more about the consultation on the focus of the second phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education.

Asia and Europe need to refocus on common values

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The recent referendum in Switzerland in which the majority of Swiss voted in favour of banning the construction of new minarets in Switzerland has re-ignited the controversial debate of religious freedom and tolerance in Europe. Following this development, a group of education and interfaith experts from Asia and Europe point to the urgent need to refocus public attention on our common values.

While differences among different religious creeds can pose problems, common values do exist among them. Nevertheless, a lot remains to be done, according to the participants, who noted that these common values needed to be actively shared in practice. The group highlighted that ASEM governments should work with UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilisations and other international initiatives to promote common values through educational cooperation programmes.

This was the key message from the 16^thTalks on the Hill organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Casa Asia. This meeting, which was held in Barcelona last month, gathered a group of education and interfaith experts from Asia and Europe for a collective reflection on the challenges and opportunities of promoting common.

Topmost in the expert group’s recommendations was the need for broad-based education about the world’s major religions as well as non-religious beliefs. The group warned against a pervasive ignorance about the diversity of religions and beliefs in societies across Asia and Europe today, fueling misunderstanding and intolerance at the root of societal tensions and conflict.

Government-led efforts to implement values-based citizenship classes to promote social cohesion were seen as the right way to go. The group called for long-term investment in teacher training, which is a critical prerequisite for the success of any education programme that addresses sensitive issues like religion, beliefs, values and multiculturalism.

“Our discussions highlighted the important role that civil society organisations play, especially in the non-formal education sector, where changes and initiatives can move faster,” says the meeting facilitator Thomas Uthup of the UN Alliance of Civilisations. “Every opportunity should be given to increase civil society competence in non-formal education,” he added.

The Talks on the Hill is an ASEF dialogue programme that provides a neutral venue for open and non-confrontational Asia-Europe dialogue and debate between opinion-leaders and area experts. Since 2003, the Talks have engaged diverse individuals and audiences on issues of cross-cultural significance, ranging from the tension between press freedom and religious freedom, to the management of emotional and at times violent public responses to external conflicts.

Multidisciplinary university program in human rights in Johannesburg

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The International Human Rights Exchange (IHRE) is the world's only full-semester, multidisciplinary program in human rights for undergraduate students. The program is housed at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa and is a joint venture with Bard College. Each year -- starting in late July and ending in November -- students and faculty from North America and Africa come together to participate in a deep and multifaceted intellectual engagement in human rights. In addition to a required core course, students choose from 12 or more electives exploring human rights from the perspective of a variety of academic disciplines.

IHRE also opens up possibilities for substantive participation in human rights work. Students enrolled in the Engagement with Human Rights course intern with an NGO working on contemporary rights in post-apartheid South Africa. Students also explore human rights
challenges in rural South Africa through a Community Human Rights Workshop, visit the Apartheid Museum and other relevant sites, and attend guest lectures from human rights experts from South Africa and around the world.

Application Deadline = March 1, 2010

Lisbon Forum 2009: Creating a culture of human rights through education

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Several high-level representatives from the Council of Europe and other international organisations, as well as Human Rights Education (HRE) Experts from Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Middle East joined the Lisbon Forum 2009 to promote the creation of a culture of human rights through “quadrilogue” action, i.e. governments, parliamentarians, local and regional authorities and civil society.

This year the participants discussed global strategies for strengthening human rights education and underlined the importance of quality HRE for sustainable peace. The integration of HRE into the formal schooling system was identified as one of the main ares of future work. The outcomes of the Forum are now available online.

The Lisbon Forum is a platform for dialogue and for sharing experiences, expertise and good practices between Europe and the other continents, especially the Middle East, Africa and the countries on the south side of the Mediterranean. The Forum has been held by the North-South Center since 1994.

Lisbon Forum 2009 conclusions

Jagland signs agreement with MBI Al Jaber Foundation

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland has signed an agreement with the London-based MBI Al Jaber Foundation, in order to develop cooperation on Intercultural Dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

In line with the recommendations and policy guidelines outlined in the White Paper for Intercultural Dialogue, the partnership between the Council of Europe and the MBI Al Jaber Foundation shall focus on the strengthening Euro-Arab co-operation and promoting education for human rights, rule of law, democratic citizenship and intercultural understanding. The agreement covers activities in the fields of research, support to in-service training and curriculum development, networking and discussion forums.

MBI Al Jaber Foundation has also recently signed a co-operation agreement with the European Wergeland Centre (EWC).

"Intercultural understanding is one of the main challenges of our societies: the Council of Europe has acted as a bridge in the last 60 years between different cultures in our Continent. Fostering dialogue is crucial for human rights' protection and development. I welcome this agreement with the MBI AL Jaber Foundation. It will enhance co-operation in the Euro-Mediterranean region, building on the MBI`s extensive experience, know-how and contacts in the area."
Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland

ERRC seeks human rights trainer

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) seeks a Human Rights Trainer to coordinate, develop and implement ERRC human rights training programmes to enhance the capacity of Romani activists and other relevant actors for the promotion of human rights respect of Roma. S/he coordinates the ERRC internship programme, oversees the implementation of bi-annual ERRC Roma Rights Workshops and coordinates and contributes to the development and implementation of all other ERRC training activities as required.

Application deadline: 10 December 2009

For details and application requirements, see the full vacancy announcement.

The European Roma Rights Centre is an international public interest law organisation, which monitors the human rights situation of Roma and provides legal defence in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the European Roma Rights Centre, visit the ERRC on the web at http://www.errc.org

Seminar on Democratic School Governance

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

27 school heads and other educational professionals from 17 different countries were gathered in Oslo last week to discuss, practice and be trained in democratic school governance, in the 2nd seminar cooperation between the EWC and the Council of Europe Pestalozzi program.

The seminar included participants from countries such as Cyprus, Portugal, Malta, Georgia and Saudi-Arabia, and the four working days were divided between plenary and group sessions, as well as individual work, all coordinated and facilitated by Benedetto Maffezzini, Ulrike Wolff-Jontofsohn and Margaret Wood.

The participants worked, among other things, on identifying and discussing different stake holders in school today, responding to specific cases, analyzing and comparing their own situation with other participants, as well as exchanging examples of current practice, the participants worked together and individually to get a better understanding of what democratic school governance means and implies, and also what and how things can be changed and improved at their own school.

The seminar included a visit to Ila School (primary and lower secondary) in Oslo. During the visit, school head Rita Hellesjø Orderud, together with the deputy head, teachers and pupils, presented their way of practicing democratic school governance. The participants also visited and got a guided tour at the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo.

Launch of Portal for Human Rights Schools

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

HREA commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) with the launch of a new web portal to promote understanding and application of a human rights-based approach to schooling.

The CRC calls for all children to be treated with dignity and respect. In the context of schooling this means:

• access to a quality education;
• children’s active participation in the life of the school;
• protection from all forms of abuse that may occur in the school setting;
• the provision of human rights education.

A human rights-based approach (HRBA) to schooling is concerned with the organisation of learning so that it is reflective of human rights principles and promotes understanding and cherishing of the human rights framework. The HRBA process involves complex interactions between the right to education in general, the implementation of human rights practices within the structure of the school itself, and the teaching of human rights through schooling.

HREA has compiled a wealth of resources on the human rights-based approach to schooling, which can be found in their new Portal for Human Rights Schools. The aims of this portal are:

• to provide viewpoints on the theoretical underpinnings of the HRBA;
• to present a range of HRBA practices that are emerging in schools worldwide;
• to encourage "best practices" in the documentation and evaluation of the HRBA by sharing resources dedicated to examining the most pressing issues in evaluating human rights education.

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Democracy and Diversity

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The Department of Philosophy at Queen's University has a postdoctoral fellowship program in "Democracy and Diversity", funded by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Each year, one non-renewable 12-month fellowship is awarded. The successful applicant will have a demonstrated expertise in political philosophy/political theory, with a special interest in issues of the accommodation of diversity in democratic societies, show evidence of teaching potential, and be able to participate constructively in departmental and collegial activities.

The 2010-11 fellowship will start on July 1, 2010. Applicants must have submitted their doctoral dissertation by that date, and must be within five years of having received their doctorate.

The salary for the postdoctoral fellowship will be $34,000, which includes remuneration for teaching a half-course in political philosophy or a cognate subject.

Queen's University is a leading centre for the normative study of democracy and diversity, with active research programs located in both the Ethnicity and Democratic Governance project (EDG) and the Forum for Philosophy and Public Policy. The Fellow would be affiliated with these programs, and would participate in their activities.

More...

IAU 2009 International Conference

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

EWC Executive Director Ana Perona-Fjeldstad participated and gave a presentation at the IAU 2009 International Conference that took place in Lebanon; 4-6 November. The theme for this conference was: The Role of Higher Education in Fostering the Culture of Dialogue and Understanding.

From left: Imma Tubella, President, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Spain; Bakary Diallo, Rector at the African Virtual University, Kenya; Ana Perona-Fjeldstad, EWC Executive Director

The conference brought together higher educational leaders, scholars and students to discuss how higher education today, contributes or could contribute to creating a culture of dialogue at the institutional, local, regional and international levels.

Course on International Human Rights Law

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham organises short course on International Human Rights Law. The course is aimed at government officials, lawyers, human rights field workers and other NGO and IGO personnel and gives a full overview of international human rights standards in practice around the world.

International Human Rights Law Short Course

The three month course gives students an in-depth understanding of international human rights standards and the international machinery of the United Nations, Council of Europe, the OAS and the African Union. The course also shows how these standards are implemented and how they work in practice. There are two programmes each year: January to March and September to December.

Further information about the course

The next course application deadline is 10 December with the start date on 7 January.

The EWC has signed an agreement with the MBI Al Jaber Foundation

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The MBI Al Jaber Foundation will support the EWC in its work in the field of education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. The MBI Foundation and the EWC will cooperate on several research- and capacity building related projects in the forthcoming years.

The Foundation, which is based in London, will provide funding for projects that support the mandate of the centre. The capacity building projects will consist among other of several training modules aimed at education professionals in the areas of education for human rights, democratic citizenship and intercultural understanding. The target groups of the modules are primarily teachers and teacher trainers from Europe and neighbouring countries, and this is only one of many projects that will be undertaken by the EWC in cooperation with the MBI Foundation.

In relation to the official signing of the agreement, Founder and Chairman of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation, H.E. Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, visited the European Wergeland Centre in Oslo last week; a great honour for the EWC staff. He also had the opportunity to meet with High Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as representatives from the Council of Europe.

The agreement was signed by Foundation Chairman MBI Al Jaber and Professor Svein Lorentzen, Chair of the EWC Board.

From left: Ana Perona-Fjeldstad, EWC Executive Director; Inger Enger, Headmaster and EWC Board Member; Kari Brustad, Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Education and Research; H.E. Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, Founder and Chair of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation;
Olöf Olafsdottir, Director of Education and Languages at the Council of Europe

“We are delighted to have formalised our partnership with the MBI Al Jaber Foundation, and are confident that with their involvement we can make further great strides in our work in the field of human rights.” Ana Perona-Fjeldstad, The EWC Executive Director

More information about the concrete projects will follow.

The MBI Al Jaber Foundation

Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber is a self made businessman and philanthropist who has sought to promote better understanding between the Middle East and Europe through greater engagement and cultural exchange. The MBI Al Jaber Foundation, a UK registered charity offers opportunities for hundreds of undergraduates in the Middle East and North Africa to continue their studies in Europe.

The Foundation seeks to champion education for young people across the Arab world, and puts particular emphasis on the important of increased education for women in the Middle East. This pledge has been reinforced by the granting of scholarships to students at Dar El Hekmah Private College for Women and the all-female Effat College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and major donations by MBI Al Jaber to both institutions.

MBI Al Jaber’s efforts to bridge the divide between the West and the Middle East have seen him named as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Education Tolerance and Cultures in the Middle East and a UN Spokesperson for Global Forums on Reinventing Government.

MBI Al Jaber is an Honorary Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, founding patron of the London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and has endowed the MBI Al Jaber Chair in Middle Eastern Studies at the university.

Good practices in human rights education

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A new practical tool to promote human rights education is now available. Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice aims to support the successful teaching and learning of human rights values and competencies. It was developed by HREA under the guidance of the publishers OSCE/ODIHR, Council of Europe, OHCHR and UNESCO.

This is the first publication that has been co-sponsored by these inter-governmental agencies, reflecting the high priority placed on this field. All of the agencies have been engaged in human rights education. The Compendium presents resources developed by the agencies in their support of human rights education. What the Compendium demonstrates is the breadth of practice already in place, ranging from national education laws that reference human rights to participatory, self-evaluation practices in training teachers to carry out human rights education in their classrooms.

Designed for primary and secondary schools, teacher training institutions and other learning settings, the new tool, which collects 101 exemplary practices from Central Asia, Europe and North America, is a valuable resource for teachers and education policymakers.

It provides resource materials relevant to key elements for successful human rights education, including 1) laws, guidelines and standards; 2) learning environment; 3) teaching and learning tools; 4) professional development for educators, and 5) evaluation.

The collection demonstrates creative approaches to human rights education and aims to facilitate networking and exchange of experience among education professionals. The practices can be adapted to local conditions anywhere in the world.

Young People in Mixed-Faith Families

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The three-year project ‘Investigating the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in Mixed-Faith Families’ (June 2006–September 2009) was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), a public funding body in the United Kingdom. The research team consisted of Prof. Eleanor Nesbitt and Dr Elisabeth Arweck.

The project built on previous studies on religious nurture within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU) in the Institute of Education at the University of Warwick. Using ethnographic research methods, it examined the factors which influence young people’s religious identity, allegiance, activities and beliefs in relation to their parents’ faith backgrounds.

With a number of individuals from a mixed background very much the focus of public attention, such as President Barak Obama and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, and mixed relationships featuring in TV and radio serials, awareness of ‘mixedness’ is growing, not only in the UK, but across the world. The WRERU project on mixed-faith families complements previous and current work in other European countries, such as France and Germany, where the focus of study has been on Jewish–Christian and Muslim-Christian families.

While national surveys in some countries, such as the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) in the United States and Canadian Social Trends in Canada, have captured the steady increase in the number of individuals of mixed religious heritage and households where parents come from different faith backgrounds, in the UK, the 2001 Census only provided data on the mixed-race population. Therefore, statistical information on mixed-faith or interfaith marriages in Britain is still only beginning to be extracted, but the Census data reveal an upward trend for both mixed-race and mixed-faith couples and individuals. However, faith communities have been aware of this trend for some time, particularly among younger adults. Some evidence of their existence and the issues which arise from religiously mixed families have been discussed in web chat rooms where contributors exchange approaches to mixing and meshing traditions in wedding ceremonies, holiday celebrations, and child-rearing. Further evidence has been the presence of support groups, both in the UK, such as the Interfaith Marriage Network and the Muslim/Christian Marriage Support Group, and in other countries, such as the Groupe des foyers islamo-chrétiennes in France or the Dovetail Institute in the United States, which provide a forum for couples and individuals to share views and experiences.

While some people are sceptical and even negative about the mixed-faith background of children who grow up in interfaith families, others see it as an enrichment, a fertile ground for creativity, and a fine example of successful conflict resolution. However, there is no conclusive sociological evidence that children raised with two faiths are any better or worse off than children raised in a single faith. Academic research in this area has been scant, although some work has been done on Muslim/Christian families and families with a Jewish parent. The WRERU study on mixed-faith families sought to expand the knowledge about both mixed-faith couples and their children.

For the purpose of this research, families in which mother and father came from any combination of Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Sikh faith backgrounds were ‘mixed-faith families’. The four faiths allowed for six possible combinations: Christian/Hindu, Christian/Muslim, Christian/Sikh, Hindu/Muslim, Hindu/Sikh and Muslim/Sikh.

The aim of the project was to identify and explore processes in the religious identity formation of young people in mixed-faith families. The project had three objectives: 1) to identify differences and commonalties between children’s identity formation and parents’ expectations and perceptions of this; 2) to assess the impact of religious socialisation (formal and informal) and religious education on young people’s religious identity and their response; 3) to inform theoretical debate in religious studies and religious education on the representation of ‘faith communities’/’religious’ in syllabuses. The research questions explored the importance of several factors (gender, parents’ commitment, education, socio-economic status, locality, religious calendars, perceptions of faith) in young people’s faith development and how they and their parents represented these. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people (from age 8) and parents over a period of about 18 months—185 interviews in all (112 with adults, 73 with young people). On average, four or five interviews (lasting between 20 min and over an hour) were conducted with each participant. Most interviews were conducted in person (110), the rest by phone. The interviews relate to 28 families of the following combinations: 2 Hindu–Sikh, 10 Hindu–Christian, 6 Christian–Sikh, 10 Christian–Muslim, 0 Hindu–Muslim, 0 Muslim–Sikh. Participation was entirely voluntary and participants were assured of confidentiality and anonymity.

Although the project was conceived as a nation-wide study, the challenges during fieldwork were such that the team had to rely on personal contacts and snowball sampling. This restricted the geographical reach of the study to England, especially to the middle and south of England.
Findings from the study were presented at a number of national and international conferences and seminars (including BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group, International Society for the Sociology of Religion, International Seminar for Religious Education and Values, Association of Religious Education Teachers and Advisors), culminating in a project conference in March 2009. (A list of conference presentations can be found in the personal profiles of Eleanor Nesbitt and Elisabeth Arweck on WRERU’s web site.) Articles and book chapters reporting data from the study are forthcoming or in progress (see list below).

We would like to express our deep gratitude to the families who took part in this project. We are also indebted to many colleagues who have assisted us in various ways—too many to list here. And we are grateful to members of the project’s steering committee who accompanied this study with support and advice. We appreciate the grant from the AHRC, which made this research project possible.

Eleanor Nesbitt & Elisabeth Arweck
eleanor.nesbitt@warwick.ac.uk & elisabeth.arweck@warwick.ac.uk

Publications Arising from the Project

Articles in refereed journals:
Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Research Report: Studying the Religious Socialization of Sikh and “Mixed-Faith” Youth in Britain: Contexts and Issues’, Journal of Religion in Europe 2 (1) 2009, 37-57.

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Young People’s Identity Formation in Mixed-Faith Families: Continuity or Discontinuity of Religious Traditions?’, Journal of Contemporary Religion 25 (1), January 2010 (in press).

Nesbitt, Eleanor & Arweck, Elisabeth. ‘Issues Arising from an Ethnographic Investigation of the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in Mixed-Faith Families’, Fieldwork in Religion 4 (2), 2010, forthcoming.

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Enrichment or Estrangement: Young People in Mixed Faith Families and their Dual Heritage’ (under review).

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Plurality at Close Quarters: Mixed-Faith Families in the UK’, Journal of Religion in Europe 1, 2010, forthcoming.

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘The Role of Religious Education in the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in Mixed-Faith Families’, British Journal of Religious Education (to be submitted shortly).

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Close Encounters? The Intersection of Faith and Ethnicity in Religiously Mixed Families’, Journal of Beliefs and Values (under review).

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Mixed-Faith Families: Models for Christian-Muslim Relations?’ (provisional title), Journal for Christian-Muslim Relations (in planning stage).

Book chapters
Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Growing up in a Mixed-Faith Family: Intact or Fractured Chain of Memory?’, in Religion and Youth. Edited by Sylvie Collins–Mayo and Pink Dandelion, Ashgate, 2010 (in production).

Arweck, Elisabeth. & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘The Interaction of the Major Religions at Close Quarters: Religiously Mixed Families in the UK’ (provisional title), Proceedings of the 2008 conference of ISREV 2008 (in preparation).

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Young People in Mixed Faith Families: A Case of Knowledge and Experience of Two Traditions?’ (provisional title) Proceedings of the 2009 conference of the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group (in preparation).

Other
Arweck, Elisabeth. ‘Investigating the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in ‘Mixed Faith’ Families: Report of Project Conference, held in March 2009.’ RE Today, September 2009.

Walters, Rosemary. ‘Investigating the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in “Mixed Faith” Families Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit Project Conference March 2009’, posted to the RE net area of the TTRB net web site, April 2009.

Arweck, Elisabeth & Nesbitt, Eleanor. ‘Mixed-Faith Families: Implications for RE and RE Teachers’ (provisional title), REsource (in planning stage).

Call for applications for e-learning course 'Introduction to Human Rights Education'

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Call for applications
Course 8E10: Introduction to Human Rights Education
3 February-20 April 2010 | Application deadline: 1 December 2009
Course instructor: Felisa Tibbitts

The course will introduce the international field of human rights education (HRE), including presentations of programming approaches, teaching and learning resources, and related theory. The course is intended for educators and trainers working in both the formal and non-formal sectors. Participants will be assisted in the development of a curriculum, training, or plan to use these skills to further their organisation's advocacy efforts. Participants might be expected to apply these skills within formal education settings, for staff development within their own organisations, and for outreach and advocacy.

The course has the following sequence. First, it will introduce the human rights framework and programming approaches and teaching materials in use worldwide. This will be followed by a presentation of interactive teaching methods and related pedagogical theory. Participants will then explore discipline-based approaches to HRE, examining programming and sample materials that come from the social sciences, the humanities and the sciences. This will be complemented by an examination of "issue" oriented education and advocacy approaches to HRE, drawing examples from children's rights, women's rights and the rights of minorities. Several sessions will be devoted to building the skills of participants, by reviewing how to develop a learning experience and integration of assessments.

The course involves approximately 50 hours of reading, on-line working groups, webinars, interaction among students and instructors, and assignments, and is offered over a 11-week period beginning on 3 February 2010. This course will integrate active and participatory learning approaches within activities and assignments, with an emphasis on reflective and collaborative learning. Participants will do the required reading, prepare interim and final project assignments and participate in group discussions.

The maximum number of course participants is 25. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation. It is also possible to audit the course.

Course outline

Week 1. Orientation to the course
Week 2. Introduction to human rights
Week 3. Introduction to human rights education
Week 4. Models and methods of teaching HRE
Week 5. “Open week”
Week 6. HRE and the social sciences
Week 7. HRE and the humanities
Week 8. HRE and the sciences
Week 9. Developing learning activities
Week 10. HRE Approaches for children's rights
Week 11. HRE Approaches for women's human rights

Further information about the course and an on-line application can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=555&language_id=1

The application deadline for this course is 1 December 2009.

EWC Summer Academy in Poland

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

From left: Ana Perona-Fjeldstad - EWC Executive Director, Stefania Wilkiel - Counselor to the Polish Minister of National Education, Gunnar Mandt - EWC Special Adviser

The Summer Academy

The summer academy is based on an initiative made by the Polish Ministry of National Education to The European Wergeland Centre in May 2009.

The first course will take place in July 2010. The content and theme will vary slightly from course to course, but the structure will be more or less the same; 30 teacher trainers from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus coming together in Warsaw to analyze and exchange practice and ideas, identify problematic issues and helping them to incorporate the principles of human rights, democracy, tolerance and mutual respect, the rule of law and peaceful resolution of conflicts into daily practice of teaching and learning.

The academy will consist of online preparations, face to face seminars and online follow-up after the seminar.

The trainers will also be asked to act as liaison officers for the summer academy in his or her country.

Further information and details about the Summer Academy will be available in the beginning of 2010.

Global Education Week: 14-22 November

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The Global Education & Youth programme of the North-South Centre (NSC) has, since 1999, been organising the Global Education Week (GEW), an annual decentralised event encouraging global education awareness-raising activities within educational and youth settings in the Council of Europe’s (CoE) member States. This event is facilitated by the GEW network, composed of national coordinators liaising, following-up and disseminating NSC global education activities at their national level.

Global Education Week 2009 will take place from 14 to 22 November and its theme - chosen in consultation with the North-South Centre GEW network and having the Millennium Development Goals as an inspirational background - is “Food for All”.

Through this event - and other complementary activities such as the World Aware Education Award, and the dissemination of pedagogical information through its GEW webpage and through its electronic Global Education Newsletter - the NSC aims at increasing global education understanding and practice in Europe and beyond. Recently, this strategy has been reinforced with the dissemination of the Global Education Guidelines and the introduction of a Global Education on-line training-course for educators and youth activists, as well as for policy-makers, thus completing NSC awareness-raising and capacity building role in the field of global education.

You will find complementary information on the Global Education Week website

Policies and Practices for Teaching Sociocultural Diversity

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

“Diversity and inclusion: challenges for teacher education”

Final conference of the Council of Europe project

“Policies and Practices for Teaching Sociocultural Diversity”

2006 - 2009

26 – 28 October 2009, Oslo, Norway

The conference is organized by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Policies and practices for teaching socio-cultural diversity” (2006-2009), and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Norway and the Oslo University College. The EWC will assist with the logistics.

The conference will bring together invited senior officials from member states governments dealing with issues concerning teacher education policies as well as key players (managers, teacher trainers/educators, researchers) and experts from teacher education institutions and other relevant international Non-Governmental Organizations, by invitation only. It aims to give the participants the opportunity to enlarge their vision of key issues concerning diversity and inclusion in the field of teacher education and identify new perspectives for work at European level.

More...

The European School 2.0

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

In the age of the Social Web (Web 2.0/3.0), virtual learning environments empower teachers and learners to open their classrooms and be part of emerging folksonomies– the social construction of learning. Upcoming learning solutions gradually replace presentation tools with shared discussion and work spaces, offer coaching utilities instead of help desks, and learning resource repositories instead of ready-made digital materials. Teachers and learners alike are now using ICT very differently from one another and ever more creatively.

But, what real impact is this revolution making on school education? Are schools preparing more adequately their students to live and work in a multi-cultural environment and meet key qualification requirements?

In the emerging School Education Paradigm for the 21st Century, the European School 2.0 (ref. to the European Commission consultation document: Schools for the 21st Century)Ministries of Education and other education authorities as well the whole education ecosystem in Europe need to embrace a set of priorities in the following lines:

Curriculum planning and assessment should be revisited to allow for the application of learner-centered methods addressing varying learning needs.
The immersive open educational resources, combined with social software (Web 2.0 and 3.0) are emerging as critical instruments for innovative (lifelong) learning, while fostering new Knowledge building paradigms and collaborative forms of learning materials.
Furthermore, schools should go into Partnerships and Networks, among themselves - with a cross-cultural and inter-cultural character -, as well as with their social environment.

Apart from the School Networking and Innovation Workshops, education experts and policy-makers joined plenary sessions with keynote addresses and panel discussions as well as roundtables and other interactive sessions.

Professor Robert Jackson meets the Dalai Lama in Montreal

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Ethics and Religious Culture is a new course (introduced in 2008) taught in all elementary and high schools in Quebec province, Canada. It replaced denominationally based forms of religious education in public schools and is compulsory in all schools, private as well as public. The aim of the subject is to promote and understanding of the religious heritage of Quebec. The programme's key principles are Recognition of Others and Pursuit of the Common Good. The course also aims to promote a ‘culture of dialogue’ among students. The fact that the course is compulsory has caused some controversy.

In order to place the course in an international context, an international symposium for educators, scholars and policymakers was held by McGill University’s Faculties of Education and Religious Studies on October 2^nd 2009. Professor Robert Jackson, Director of the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, UK, and Professor of Religious Diversity and Education at the European Wergeland Centre, Oslo, gave the opening keynote presentation. Professor Jackson set the Quebec course in a wider international perspective, giving reasons why a knowledge and understanding of different religious traditions and secular philosophies is important in the public education of all societies that embrace the human rights principle of freedom of religion or belief. Other presentations were made by Professor Diane Moore of Harvard University, USA, Dr Isabelle Saint-Martin, of the Sorbonne in Paris and Dr Spencer Boudreau of McGillUniversity.

On Saturday 3^rdOctober, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met Professor Jackson and Dr Isabelle Saint-Martin together with the Principal and senior staff from McGillUniversity before speaking to and answering questions from a large audience, including 500 students from universities in Quebec who are training to teach the Ethics and Religious Culture programme.

Report on the discussions on HRE in the UN Human Rights Council 12th session

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The UN Human Rights Council 10th Session (14 September - 2 October, 2009) and Human Rights Education

1. Substantive Session

During the 12th session (14 September - 2 October, 2009) of the UN Human Rights Council, human rights education and training were dealt with under Agenda Items 3 and 5.

As for the second phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE), the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights entitled “Consultation on the Focus of the Second Phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education” was made available (A/HRC/12/36 of 20 August 2009).

The Platform for Human Rights Education and Training announced that Senegal had newly joined the Platform at the second informal meeting of Member States held by the Platform on 23 September for consultation on the draft resolution on the WPHRE which was open to the public including NGOs. Now the Platform is comprised by 7 Member States: Costa Rica, Italy, Morocco, Slovenia, Philippines, Senegal and Switzerland.

In the general debate on 18 September under Agenda Item 3, Slovenia on behalf of the Platform spoke at the plenary meeting of the Council. It referred to the draft resolution prepared by the lead of Costa Rica on behalf of the Platform, called upon all Member States and other stakeholders to support the proposed focus of the second phase of the WPHRE and emphasized that the WPHRE structured in consecutive phases could contribute in the short, medium and long terms, to the promotion of a worldwide culture of human rights, equality, prevention of conflicts and human rights violations, and enhancement of democratic processes.

Colombia, on behalf of the GRULAC (Group of Latin American and Caribbean States), under the same Agenda Item welcomed the proposal on the second phase of the WPHRE prepared by the Platform. It stressed the importance of continuous efforts to implement the first phase which the proposed focus of the second phase should also help to facilitate. It called upon all Member States to continue to develop initiatives for human rights education within the framework of the WPHRE and to contribute their input in the drafting process of a UN declaration on human rights education and training.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a post-conflict country, expressed its support to the proposed focus of the second phase and all kinds and means of promotion of human rights as a crucial factor to building a more just future for all citizens of all countries. It referred to its national efforts for teaching programmes in primary and secondary schools including human rights and democracy education, which were yet to overcome several challenges to full implementation with defined goals.

NGOs also took the floor with a joint statement of 13 organisations supporting the draft resolution prepared by the Platform. In the statement, the NGOs called upon the Member States to ensure (i) maintenance and development of any activity initiated during each phase; (ii) a national plan of action to be prepared by each country; (iii) a vital role to be played by civil society actors in all Phases, and that establishing a voluntary fund for human rights education within the UN would substantially assist civil society in this area; and (iv) a national evaluation report of the first phase to be prepared by all Member States for which the respective Member State could be held accountable.

In the general debate on 28 September under Agenda Item 5, a few statements were made regarding the drafting process of a UN declaration on human rights education and training.

Morocco on behalf of the Platform briefly reported on the Marrakech Seminar held from 16-17 July in Morocco at which concrete elements for the drafting of the declaration were contributed by participants. Based on the outcome of the Marrakech Seminar and the ongoing drafting process, Morocco mentioned the need for a high level discussion at the 13th session of the Council (March 2010) in order to provide and confirm high level support to this initiative, stating that for this purpose the Platform would submit a draft decision to the current session of the Council.

Senegal, as the latest and a new Member State of the Platform, expressed its commitment to support the initiative of the Platform of the draft declaration. Senegal mentioned its view that the draft declaration should take into account inter alia issues on illiteracy, access to information technology, poverty reduction, and the gender dimension. It also mentioned the usefulness of scientific contributions from academic and university circles, parliaments and local communities, and the need for sharing good practices and financing for high quality education.

The Advisory Council on Human Rights of Morocco (National Human Rights
Institution) emphasized that the declaration should be drafted with a strong definition of human rights education and training which would effectively raise awareness among people of their own rights and to the need to defend those of others. It also stated that the declaration should indicate the importance of NHRIs as key actors and expressed the wish that human rights education and training would be considered by the declaration as a strong indicator of school education quality and as a determinant factor in the promotion of a culture of gender equality.

NGOs also took the floor on 30 September under the same Agenda Item, in a joint statement of 15 organisations. In the statement, the NGOs emphasized on the need for: (i) further consultation with stakeholders on the first draft before the March 2010 session of the Council; and (ii) an interactive dialogue on the first draft of the declaration during the High Level Segment of the March 2010 session of the Council.

2. Resolution on the World Programme for Human Rights Education*

(* Draft resolution number: A/HRC/10/L.9. The resolution will be officially numbered by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and be available on the website of the Human Rights Council 12th session later.
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/12session/documentation.htm )

Costa Rica on behalf of the Platform introduced the draft resolution to the Council on 1 October, mentioning the support and impetus provided by NHRIs and NGOs. The draft resolution was eventually cosponsored by 58 UN Member States including those of the Platform which were the main sponsors of the draft resolution.

From the first to the second phase

The resolution was adopted by consensus of the Council on 1 October, and it was thereby decided that the second phase of the WPHRE would focus “on human rights education for higher education and on human rights training programmes for teachers and educators, civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel at all levels” for five years, 2010-2014
(paras.2 and 4).

The Council also “Encourages States that have not yet taken steps to incorporate human rights education in the primary and secondary school system to do so, in accordance with the Plan of Action of the first phase of the World Programme” (para.3).

The Council requested the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to “prepare, within existing resources, in cooperation with relevant intergovernmental organizations, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and non-governmental actors, consult States on and submit for consideration to the 15th session of the Human Rights Council (September 2010), a plan of action for the second phase of the World Programme (2010-2014), (…)”
(para.4).

The Council also reminded “Member States of the need to prepare and submit their national evaluation reports on the first phase” to the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Human Rights Education in the School System of the WPHRE (UNIACC). Based on those reports, the UNIACC will prepare the report on the first phase for submission to the General Assembly sixty-fifth session in 2010 according to the plan of action of the first phase (paras.5 and 6).

Prior to its adoption, two informal meetings for consultation on the draft resolution were held on 17 and 23 September. While the proposed focus was well accepted, several delegates raised questions on (i) financial implications particularly in terms of preparation of a plan of action; and
(ii) the relation between human rights education and the right to education.
The question on financial implications was eventually formulated in the resolution as “(…) within existing resources, (…)” and so adopted. In respect of question (ii), the relevant paragraph contained in the very first draft, “(…) human rights education is widely considered as an integral part of the right to education (…)” was deleted at the first consultation meeting as this definition was questioned by several delegates and eventually considered irrelevant in this resolution.

The focus of the second phase may seem to be too wide of a range to be a focus for 5 years duration. There is an evident intention of the Platform to synchronise the second phase with the draft declaration on human rights education and training. In order to make best use of the WPHRE, the identification of duty-bearers should also be critical in drafting a plan of action for the second phase.

While the second phase is to be launched in January 2010, a plan of action will not be ready until September 2010. According to informal talks with the Platform and the OHCHR officers, this time gap was unavoidable in consideration of the need for sufficient preparatory time and necessary technical arrangements. Until then, all actors including Member States are expected to take possible actions for both the national evaluation report on the first phase and implementation of the second phase.

3. Decision on the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and
Training*

(* Draft decision number: A/HRC/10/L.11.)

The draft decision was prepared by the Platform and was eventually cosponsored by 63 UN Member States including the 7 Member States of the Platform. Introducing the draft decision, Morocco on behalf of the Platform addressed the Council reminding Member States that the first draft of the declaration was to be prepared and submitted by the CAC to the 13th session of the Council to which end effective intergovernmental negotiation should be ensured. In order to facilitate such a negotiation by the Council, the draft decision was proposed by the Platform.

High level discussion on the first draft at the Human Rights Council session in March 2010

The decision was adopted by consensus of the Council on 1 October, by which the Council decided to “hold a high-level discussion on the draft declaration during its thirteenth session” (para.2) in March 2010. The first draft of the declaration will be the substantial material for the planned high-level discussion.

EWC visit to the North-South Centre

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The EWC Executive Director Ana Perona-Fjeldstad and Special Adviser Gunnar Mandt recently had the pleasure of visiting the North-South Centre, European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, to discuss future activities and possible collaboration projects. It was very positive and fruitful meeting.

North-South Centre's mandate: provide a framework for North-South co-operation to increase public awareness of global interdependence issues and promote policies of solidarity in conformity with the aims and principles of the Council of Europe.

From left: EWC Special Adviser Gunnar Mandt, EWC Executive Director Ana Perona-Fjeldstad, NSC Executive Director Denis Huber, Gordana Bergan, NSC Coordinator for Education and Youth, and Gabriele Mazza, Former Director of Education and Languages, CoE.

Moscow universities offer Master's degrees in human rights for the first time

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This year's start to the academic calendar will be a very special one for a group of students in Moscow. Three of Moscow’s Universities have signed a formal agreement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to introduce a new academic specialization at the Master’s level in human rights studies.

Through the pilot phase of the programme which has just begun, scholarships will be offered to as many as five students from each of the universities. Run over four semesters, the Human Rights Master’s programme will give students an opportunity to study abroad for one full
semester to research their thesis, broaden their cultural horizons and gain practical experience.

The OHCHR agreement was signed with the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, the Russian State University of Humanities and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. It is the centrepiece of the OHCHR program in Russia and follows the signing two years ago of a
Framework of Cooperation with the Russian Government.

Dirk Hebecker, the Senior Human Rights Advisor to the UN Country Team in Russia says of the program, "We hope that the creation of a new generation of human rights professionals will help improve the human rights situation in Russia. More people in different positions and
organizations and at various levels will know about human rights not only in the government system but also in the civil society".

The European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation in Venice is also participating in the project and will provide guest lecturers for the program and training for their Russian counterparts. OHCHR will supply a number of the publications used in the
Master’s course including "Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme a Handbook for Civil Society".

At the Moscow Book Fair, OHCHR presented the three participating Universities with the first comprehensive compilation of Russian language publications on human rights. The catalogue - a bibliography made up of specialist human rights publications, academic research works
and textbooks - was compiled by Anatoli Azarov of the Moscow School of Human Rights, in collaboration with OHCHR Moscow.

The OHCHR event at the book fair was attended by prominent civil society and academia representatives as well as human rights defenders from the Perm region of eastern Russia who presented a number of texts which are included in the catalogue. The publications from Perm make up a part of the collection which has been put together from many regions including
Kazan, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Ekaterinburg and Tomsk.

OHCHR’s programme in Russia has four major themes: the rule of law, equality and tolerance, education and information on human rights and the mainstreaming of human rights within the UN Country Team in the Russian Federation. The senior human rights adviser was deployed to
Moscow in March of last year to oversee the OHCHR programme in the region.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Press release
5 October 2009

Teaching about Religions in European School Systems - Policy issues and trends

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Luce Pépin, 2009, Network of European Foundations (NEF), 92 p.

This study was prepared within the framework of the "Religion and Democracy in Europe" Initiative of the Network of European Foundations (NEF). It provides an overview of the diversity of approaches in place in the European Union as far as teaching about religions in schools is concerned. While confessional education remains the most widespread approach, non-confessional and pluri-religious teaching, as well as teaching about “religious facts” seems to be gaining ground, in line with recommendations adopted at European level. The study identifies key issues and challenges facing EU education systems if teaching about religions is to contribute effectively to intercultural and citizenship education. It proposes a European reference framework on the conditions for high-quality intercultural teaching about religions and other convictions in state education.

The study is accessible in English and French on the NEF website: www.nefic.org

Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This publication collects 101 exemplary practices from Europe, North America and Central Asia in the area of human rights education, education for democratic citizenship, and education for mutual respect and understanding.

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR), the Council of Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have jointly published Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice.

Launched on 2 October at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw (Poland), the collection contributes to the national implementation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, a global initiative of the United Nations General Assembly.

The full version of the compendium, including numerous examples of teaching materials, will be available both online and on CD-Rom in December.

Source: HREA website

A review of outcomes from the 2nd Alliance of Civilizations Forum

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

On 6-7 April 2009, almost 2000 people gathered in the capital of Turkey, Istanbul, for the 2nd Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Heads of government. Ministers and policy-makers. Business leaders and philanthropists. Civil society activists. Religious leaders. Journalists. Thinkers and scholars. Young people.

Over two days, lively debate stretched from dawn to dusk. Political leaders interacted with Forum participants from all walks of life. And through the dozens of workshops, presentations and breakfast meetings, a dialogue took place about a vision. A vision of a world in which different faiths and cultures could not only live side by side in peace, but be brought together for the good of all humanity. More...

The Istanbul Forum Report

A short film about the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations