The Soroptimist Club Ulm-Donaustadt hosted the first conference of the new Danube network SI-Danube with its partner club in the Bulgarian Danube city of Ruse in May (1.-3.5. 2019).

Representatives from Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium and Germany developed strategies for further networking at the two-day conference at the University of Ruse. The focus was on the joint adoption of a call for European elections against the background of growing populism and low turnout in Eastern European countries in the last elections to the European Parliament in 2014. Women from East and West called for voting for candidates in EU member states who stand for social justice and progress, the protection of human rights and equal rights. The content of the conference and the call for elections were well received by the local media.

The informal network gave itself a structure in Ruse. Annette Schmidt from the SI Club Ulm-Donaustadt was elected chairman of the SI Danube Committee, to which clubs from each country will send representatives in the future. The Danube networker Carmen Stadelhofer from Ulm (founder of Danube Networkers and ILEU) is honorary chairman of the association.

From a series of proposals for joint Danube projects, the conference decided on a first priority work in the field of education on Danube water quality and environment.

The new network SI Danube was founded on the initiative of the SI Club Ulm-Donaustadt at a soroptimistic meeting on the occasion of the International Danube Festival Ulm/Neu-Ulm in July 2018. Through an effective network it supports the dissemination of the goals of Soroptimist International and promotes the personal acquaintance of women in the Danube countries.

Contact: Anita Schlesak, President Soroptimist Club Ulm-Donaustadt 2018-2020 Phone 0172-45 26 838

The successful Project „Tastes of Danube“ will be continued – start of the project „Tastes of Danube: Bread Connects“ in spring 2017

The very successful, intergenerational and intercultural Danube Project „Tastes of Danube: Bread. Wine. Herbs“ will be continued. The follow-up project „Tastes of Danube-Bread Connects“ is based on the findings and experiences in the project „Tastes of Danube-Bread.Wine.Herbs“.

At the heart of the project „Tastes of Danube: Bread Connects“ is the promotion of awareness raising for the common cultural roots in the Danube Region and in Europe and the strengthening of the Danube community by working on the subject of bread. Through various activities, citizens of all age groups, ethnic groups and social situations will be invited to experience bread as a common immaterial cultural heritage, which is reflected in many facets of local level. Through doing things together at local and transnational level, the aim is to demonstrate the possibilities offered by the cultural heritage of intergenerational and intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and economic development in the Danube Region and in Europe.

http://bread-connects.tastes-of-danube.eu/

A Digital Photo Competition about Bread, Wine and/or Herbs in relation to daily life (e.g. bread in the family, baking bread, producing wine, planting herbs, etc.) or in relation to living cultural and religious customs. Please send us your photo(s) plus your application form/copyright (see Website )

until latest 1st of May 2016 to info@tastes-of-danube.eu

More: http://tastes-of-danube.eu/digital-photo-competition-first-call/

Associations Like DANET Are  Social Investment

Including And Engaging Older People And Other Generations

The Ljubljana EURAG Conference Is Approaching

Two days ago at Slovenian Third Age University took place They are us. (slov. Oni smo mi), a  round table on migrants and migrations. The round table was about migrants and how they are welcomed  but as a matter of fact,  it was also about  older people since  it was focused on inclusion, integration, social engagement and their impact on societies. Migrants or older people need to be included. But not one by one…What is needed are systems and organisations.

Based in Ulm, DANET (https://danube-networkers.eu/ ) is a European association and a network of  organisastions for learning in later life,  social participation and intergenerational dialogue along the Danube. It is in itself  social investment creating bridges among different cultures, organisations, institutions, among generations and older people themselves. To put it differently it is in itself social capital or social investmet bringing together older people and professionals’ knowledge, skills, experience and culture.

I am going to introduce DANET at the EURAG Conference  that will be held in my hometown Ljubljana from 6.-8.  May, the conference being devoted to the role of organisations of and for older people or mixed organisations and and their impact on society. Such organisations are what sociologists call. social capital. Without them human and cultural capital would be lost, societies would be less effective.

Currently the term social capital is being widely used by sociologists and other professionals, though for a long time it was burdened with economic connotations. But social capital is nothing really new. It is like old wine in  a new bottle. (Field, 2008 ). The central thesis of social capital  can be summarised: relationships matter and relationships transform the actors and transform society.

In my contribution to the EURAG conference I will be introducing DANET, its political and pragmatic role in the countries along the Danube. I will be touching upon its past and its current experience uniting  older people (notwithstanding the level of their formal education and their social background) and their communities.

Dušana Findeisen

Collection of proverbs and sayings in the different Danube countries about bread, wine herbs. More about: http://tastes-of-danube.eu/proverbs-and-sayings/

Collection of wine labels from different Danube Regions . Please be so kind and send photos or scans (if possible as jpg files with max. size of 500 kb) to wolfgang@doster.de. See: http://tastes-of-danube.eu/wine-labels/

University students from the Faculty of Education, Economics and Technology of Ceuta and other faculties of the University of Granada, Span, are students now at the University of Ruse, Bulgaria, under Erasmus+ program. They congratulate the participants of the International Project Tastes of Danube: Bread, Vine and Herbs.
The students very often organize joint dinner with Bulgarian bread and food.