Empowering civil society in the Danube region: 50 participants and great ideas at DANET’s first qualification seminar

Ulm/Bad Urach (DANET) – The Ulm-based non-profit association „Danube-Networkers for Europe“ (DANET) e.V. has organized its first qualification seminar for 50 civil organization chief executives from all countries situated at the Danube river. The participants stayed in the “Haus auf der Alb” conference house in Bad Urach from December 8 to December 12. Goal of the seminar was to enhance the cooperation of civil society organizations all over the European Danube Area by dealing with project supporting measures.

The participants, being residents of twelve different countries, gained expert information about European Union project supporting measures suitable for topic-based transnational educational work in the fields of senior adult life-long learning, social participation and intergenerational dialogue. During the seminar definite project proposals were compiled and prepared for application for promotional funds in 2015. The participants, being representatives of a variety of civil society organizations, had prepared for the seminar by introducing themselves and their project ideas, either focused on education, culture, social work, environment or sports, on a public access website.

During the seminar, the members of the Environment workshop designed an intergenerational project of protecting endemic plants of the Danube region: Groups of senior citizens should be up to cooperate with groups of young students in growing, defining and catalogizing plants in a botanical garden, comparing the variety of endemic plants and developing protective measures together. The Food workshop put up ideas how to enhance integration of handicapped people in Danube festivities in different countries and special participation offers to be made to them, like olfactoric and haptic activities for blind people. The Culture workshop designed a digital interactive culture path along the Danube river. The Education workshop pointed out project ideas of development of “green jobs” for young jobless people. Each project outline was cast in a first application draft, following special EU fund programmes put out for tender, to be refined later via digital media.

The five-days seminar, which was supported by the foundation “Landesstiftung Baden-Wuerttemberg”, was run in cooperation with the “Landeszentrale für politische Bildung” (Federal Country Centre for Political Education) who are the owners of the “Haus auf der Alb” conference house with its well-equipped conference rooms and great hosting capacities. This cooperation helped keeping the expenses for the event moderate.

About half the number of guests reached Bad Urach via Ulm and took the opportunity to visit the famous Ulmer Münster cathedral with its world record church tower and the traditional Ulm Christmas Market.

DANET is an expert and institutional network aimed at the enhancement of education and social participation of elderly people and the intergenerational dialogue throughout the European Danube Area.

For more information about training in Bad Urach and the results, please visit the homepage
DANET gemeinsam lernen