Newsletter 9 (December 2018)
1.1. Danube-Networkers and Association DANET e.V.
Carmen Stadelhofer, Head of ILEU e.V., President of DANET
10 years educational Network Danube-Networkers (2008-2018) – 4 years International Association Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET)
1. Background
In 1995, ZAWIW (Zentrum für Allgemeine Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung, ZAWiW -Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education) of Ulm University initiated the European network “Learning in Later Life” (LiLL), the first non-formal internet-based network for seniors education, including by European projects more and more partner organisations from 21 European countries. In 1997 the idea was born to extend to the new EU countries in East and South-East Europe the successful ideas and good practice of LiLL in exchange and cooperation between educational organisations for older adults within the Danube region. (mehr …)
2.1 An Interview With A DANET Member For The Golden Book Of Diversity
Dušana Findeisen
1. Why and since when does your organisation believe and invest in diversity management.
Well, to begin with, non -profit organisations in the third sector differ form public and private organisations, as you know. The reason why we exist is different. Quite often NGOs are born to meet their founders’ needs as well as the needs of a social group or community. In my case, I am one of the two founders of Slovenian Third Age University, I was not happy with the possibilities offered to me by my ex-working organization. I wanted more and different. And I thought that we should not primarily think about making money offering language education and training the social elite. What about older people? If education is good for scientists, politicians, managers, doctors, lawyers, etc., it should also be good for older people. Why not them? So, from the very beginning in 1984 there was this idea of social fairness that led me and later us to the establishment first of The School for Third Age, then Slovenian Third Age University. We, my colleagues and myself, were involved in a creative process and in such processes, intergenerational intercultural bonds and diversity are welcome and natural. So, in our case this was not intentional diversity management as you call it.
2.2 Why am I a Danube-Networker?
Carmen Stadelhofer
For the preservation of a peaceful and united Europe the social inclusion of citizens of all European countries is highly needed. Particularly older people must be given the opportunity to participate actively in social developments and to become themselves the actors of social change. In time, when Europe is put into question by many people, especially older people, citizens are asked to fight against discrimination, social exclusion, to take actively part in constructing the future of Europe based on democratic values and solidarity. Good practice projects and methods are needed to foster social inclusion of all ages, to reduce stereotypes and prejudices about the others in own countries and about people living in the other countries and to strengthen European awareness and European identity.
2.2 Why did I join the DANET initiative?
Ana Zlibut, first vice president The Writers` League Timisoara Banat Branch
Photo: LSFTB archive
The association “The Writers` League” Timisoara Banat Branch- LSFTB was founded in May 2010 in Timisoara, Romania with the aim of supporting the artistic creation, expression and moral solidarity of its members. It is a professional, nongovernmental, apolitical organization, consisting of creators in the field of literature. The association has 36 members, most of them are teachers and professors, in function or retired. The target of the association is: encouragement, stimulation and promotion of literary creation by developing corresponding cultural, literary and artistic activities. LSFTB also encourages lifelong education projects by organizing cultural events focused on developing art skills, with a strong intergenerational focus. Between the events organized by LSFTB are also creative literary workshops, cultural salons and art exhibitions. The Writers League Timisoara Banat Branch participated in local, national and international projects. Book launches and literary debates took place in literary monthly meetings.
We started being involved in the Danube-Networkers network since 2011 and in March 2014, LSFTB became founding member of the international organization “Danube-Networkers for Europe” (DANET), e.V.
2.2 Why did I join the DANET?
Dušana Findeisen: Slovenian Third Age University
I do not think I have ever asked myself »why«. It came somehow naturally. My firstprofessional encounter with Ulm and Carmen Stadelhoffer was in 1995 (later we havebeen meeting all over Europe) when Prof. Dr. Ana Krajnc and myself registered for a conference with a highly attractive title Competence and Productivity in The Third Age, a topic that has never ceased to be of interest. The conference itself was an important breakthrough in older adult education, conveying images and ideas about how to understand older people and deal with them, images that were new and more in tune with social developments and completely in tune with our beliefs. We have walked together from 1995 till now, a way “23 years long”, which made us meet colleagues from many Danubian countries and enabled us to work and create with them in the field of scientifically grounded education for older people, intergenerational dialogue and social participation. No wonder that in i2013 we crowned our long lasting co-operation by establishing a more permanent co-operation within the Association Danube networkers for Europe ( DANET). (mehr …)
2.2 Why I am a Danube Networker?
Tihomir Žiljak, Public Open University Zagreb
Photo: Ivana Sabo
My participation in Danet started very spontaneously and silently (as silent partner in one EU project). Our first meetings in Ulm or in Šibenik were great opportunity to met nice people with simmilar ideas, similar interests and people who are very open minded. From our first meeting I feell very comfortable in DANET family, surrounded by friends and educational enthusiasts. In such environment I tried to give my input in different projects and initiatives. I think that goals and ideas of the DANET project worth my time, knowledge used in common activities. My discussions with Carmen, Dušana, Emiliy, Markus and Ana always gave me a new stimulus to look at things differently, from another angle. So, I think that DANET activities give me new educational experience, new intercultural skills and a lot of personal satisfactions.
2.3. Changes in the Danube Region in last 10 years
Tihomir Žiljak, Public Open University Zagreb
10 years ago, the cooperation of organizations connected within the Danube Network began. Over the past few years, the network has been running and has carried out several projects, and one of the results of this cooperation is the establishment of the NGO Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET) in 2014. At first glance it looks like it’s all the same or similar as it was ten years ago. But both Europe and the Danube region have changed in these ten years.
3. Inspirational practices
3.1 Bread as intangible cultural heritage
Carmen Stadelhofer, Head of ILEU e.V., President of DANET
Project Tastes of Danube. Bread connects
1st February 2017-31th July 2019
Supported by the State Ministry Baden-Württemberg, the town of Ulm and many other sponsors
Many partners in all Danube Countries
Photo: Ana Mitioglu
Background information:
For centuries, bread has been a symbol of community sharing and responsibility in almost every culture and religion in Europe. Bread is a topic in numerous traditions, festivities and customs on local, national and international level. The project’s central aim is to foster awareness for our common cultural roots in the Danube area and in Europe. In addition, by the topic “bread” the Danube community shall be united. It is about the appreciation of national cultural heritage and finding transnational commonalities. Citizens of all ages, ethnic origins and social and educational milieus are invited to experience bread as a common intangible cultural heritage, which can be found in many facets on local and transnational level. Bread shall be experienced as culturally specific and identity-sustaining measure for different target groups in the Danube area and demonstrate unity in diversity. Intergenerational, intercultural and inclusive baking activities on local and European level and qualification trainings are aimed at presenting bread as a cultural good in its diversity. The long-term goal is to create a virtual “Cultural Route of Bread along the Danube” based on the results of the project. The results are presented in the multilingual project website http://bread-connects.tastes-of-danube.eu/ (mehr …)
3.2 Creating Bridges for Europe – qualification training, 24th – 28th of July 201
in the frame of the project “Open Doors for Danube Countries for All (ODDA)”
Carmen Stadelhofer, ILEU
Photo: Marina Iser
Organised by ILEU e.V., ZAWIW Ulm University, DANET e.V.
in cooperation with Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg
Topic of the seminar: strengthening social cohesion in the Danube countries and in Europe through education and international understanding has been the objective of the educational Network Danube-Networkers since it has been founded in 2008. Europe is for us a common house under which roof a multitude of people of different national, ethnic, social, religious or cultural origins should meet and live peacefully together. Upon this background, the participants of this Workshop, including participants of the Project ODDA, created low-threshold methods and materials.
Communication was initiated through use of key words and sentences, gestures, images, music, dance, etc. and this also in situations when there is no common language knowledge. Confidence will be developed in situations of everyday life (what to do and not in greetings, eating, other daily situations).
Results of the seminar: http://odda.eu/seminar-july-2017-creating-bridges-for-europe/
3.3 Building Bridges for Europe
October 2017 until September 2019
Program Erasmus +
Carmen Stadelhofer
Nine partners from six countries and one goal: Strengthening European awareness with transnational projects and methods. “Building Bridges for Europe” is the name of the project that is financially supported by the EU for two years.
3.4 Partnermeeting Bread connects July 2018
International partner meeting of the educational network „Danube-Networkers” in Ulm July 12th – 15th 2018.
Carmen Stadelhofer
On July 12 until 15, 2018, the “Danube-Networkers” staged their international partner meeting in Ulm as part of the 11th International Danube Festival. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the education network, different events took place. On July 13th, there was a symposium on “Intangible cultural heritage in the Danube Region – a national asset or a contribution to European identity?” with about 120 representatives from 13 Danube countries. On July 14th, was a partner day with different actions planned, just like backing actions. Finally, on July 15th, the partner meeting ended with the Danube-Bridge-Breakfast on the “Herdbrücke”:
Photo: Hans Brendle
3.5 Baking competition “Bread connects Europe – Create and Bake your Europe”
Carmen Stadelhofer
To emphasize the European thought, ILEU started in February 2018 the baking competition “Bread connects Europe – Create and Bake your Europe”. With this baking competition, a platform was created which invited all interested individuals or groups/school groups and particularly baker apprentices to show their idea of Europe through a baked good and to send it to ILEU with a title and description. For this, a special flyer was created which was translated into all Danube languages and which was designed accordingly. By 22nd April, in total 79 contributions from eight Danube countries had been handed in – 62 for the general competition, 4 for the schools’ competition and 13 from vocational schools teaching the bakery trade. Apart from known partners, people and groups were reached which had not been in contact with a western country before. It led to local competitions in Bulgaria whereby the whole project had always been presented. The linguistic communication turned out to be a problem as the school partners from Moldova, Serbia and Romania could not communicate in English and we had to engage native speakers on a voluntary basis. Subsequently, a jury of 5 was formed which selected the winners. Photos from the 28 best submissions were chosen and prepared for the exhibition at Haus der Begegnung in Ulm which was on display from 10th May to 9th June. (mehr …)
3.6 ODDA-Open Doors for Danube Countries for All
Ana Zlibut, Writers League, Timisoara, Romania
An International project to foster intercultural communication between the Danube Countries
The ODDA Project has taken place from February 2017 until February 2018 and it was coordinated by the Institute for Virtual and Face-to-face Learning in Adult Education at Ulm University (ILEU e.V.), president Carmen Stadelhofer. Five regional teams in the frame of the international educational network Danube Networkers from Bulgaria-University of Ruse ”Angel Kanchev”, Center for Life Long Learning, Croatia -The Public Open University Zagreb (POUZ) University of the Third Age, Germany– DANET e.V. c/o ILEU e.V., Romania -The Association “The Writers League” Timisoara Banat Branch and Serbia– Youth Club of Backa Palanka worked together in the project and contributed to fostering the intercultural communication in Europe and in the Danube area in particular. (mehr …)
3.7 Open Doors for Danube Countries for All 2 (ODDA 2)
Carmen Stadelhofer
March 2018 until January 2019
In ODDA 2, the focus will be on the continuation and expansion of the translator package developed in ODDA 1, both offline and online, with the inclusion of pronunciation, thus enabling individual mini-communications in various language combinations. In addition, the Danube learning game for young and old “The wanted Danube” developed by ILEU in ODDA 1 will be further developed with the results of the test runs and a larger one in print and online in the partner languages German, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian and Bulgarian. It will be available to the public. Through its contents, its methodological structure (4 consecutive learning packages) and its pictorial nature, the educational game contributes to promoting Danube country knowledge in the areas of culture and environment among different age groups and ethnic groups in a national context such as transnational and community spirit. (mehr …)
3.8 Foto campaign “Give a sign of friendship”
Carmen Stadelhofer
During the Bread Baking Week in October, ILEU called for action to “Give a sign of friendship” which was continued as the campaign “Give a sign of friendship” from December 2017 on. It took up the good experiences with the ribbon of friendship in the project “The wanted Danube”. This time, a virtual ribbon of friendship made of photos was planned to be created in a period of 6 months which will be exhibited as a big photo wall during the International Danube Festival Ulm/Neu-Ulm 2018. All participants expressed their wish to better get to know people from other Danube countries and their wish for a peaceful and solidary Europe. The goal was to collect 1.000 signs of friendship. (mehr …)
3.9 Pilot pen pal project 2018
Carmen Stadelhofer
In the beginning of 2018, ILEU e.V. launched a pilot pen pal project between Bulgarian pupils learning the German language and German pupils and adults. Fourth and tenth grade pupils have taken part. The aim was to get to know each other, and by exchanging letters, to give the Bulgarian pupils the opportunity to apply their knowledge of German in lifelike conversations. (mehr …)
3.9.1 Festival “Talent has no age” and international meeting in Ruse and Brashlen, Bulgaria
Carmen Stadelhofer
The Union of Pensioners’2004 – Ruse Region (UP) invited partners from Galati and Bucharest (Romania) and Ulm (Germany) to an international meeting in the frame of the 22nd festival of amateur art Talent has no age which took place on the 20th and the 21st of October 2018 in Ruse and included the best artistic groups of elderly performers, as well as individual performances in all genres of art (songs, dances, speech, music). The international guests of the festival admired the talents of 33 groups and 15 individual performances. By an international workshop in the guest house of community of Slivo Pole in Brashlen they had the opportunity to speak about their experiences made in Bulgaria, Romania and Germany in the context of the projects Bread connects and ODDA and to develop new ideas for the future cooperation. (mehr …)
3.9.2 Danube Women Stories
Belinda Hofmann-Schmalekow, Markus Marquard
Who are the most famous women in the Danube region? How many women do you know, who have shaped your town or your region? Surely you know some amazing women, dedicated to making this world a better or more beautiful place. We want to point out fascinating women in history and from today. (mehr …)
4. Danube-Networkers present themselves
4.1 The Writers` League, Timisoara Banat Branch- LSFTB
Ana Zlibut, first vice president LSFTB
The association “The Writers` League” Timisoara Banat Branch- LSFTB was founded in May 2010 in Timisoara, Romania with the aim of supporting the artistic creation, expression and moral solidarity of its members. It is a professional, nongovernmental, apolitical organization, consisting of creators in the field of literature. The association has 36 members, most of them are teachers and professors, in function or retired. The target of the association is: encouragement, stimulation and promotion of literary creation by developing corresponding cultural, literary and artistic activities. LSFTB also encourages lifelong education projects by organizing cultural events focused on developing art skills, with a strong intergenerational focus. Between the events organized by LSFTB are also creative literary workshops, cultural salons and art exhibitions. The Writers League Timisoara Banat Branch participated in local, national and international projects. Book launches and literary debates took place in literary monthly meetings. (mehr …)
4.2 Newcomer in DANET network and DANET partnership
The Italian Federation among the Third Age Universities (FEDERUNI)
The Italian Federation among the Third Age Universities (FEDERUNI) was founded in 1982 in Turin and counts among its primary tasks that of supporting the Federated Universities. The aim of the Federation is to offer cultural and scientific support to its Universities, through meetings, organizing conferences and other initiatives but above all through publications on the problems of third age people and on the methodologies of the various disciplines. In this way the Federation solicits the partner members for reflection in order to improve the quality of life of mature people and to develop useful tools for the preparation of its teachers.The Third Age Universities have developed in Italy since the Eighties and have multiplied through the initiative of cultural centers, trade unions, voluntary groups, associations, unlike many European countries where they were promoted by the Universities of Studies.The Federuni now gathers about 200 Universities in Italy, with over 60 thousand students and with the contribution of 4,250 teachers. The federated offices are present in every Italian region and meet annually for a national congress, for an organizational conference and for inter-regional meetings. (mehr …)
4.3 Center for Studies in Cultural Development
Belgrade, Serbia
The Danube is one of the verticals of the Serbian culture. It connects Serbia with Central Europe, from where fruitful cultural influences, but also conquests, came throughout history. It can be said that it’s one of the symbols of the Serbian culture being a part of Europe.
The Danube also connects us with Eastern Europe, that is, with other Slavic and Orthodox Christian countries. This is the route that Slavs took to move into the Balkans, according to the still-ruling theories. (mehr …)
4.4 ILEU e.V., Ulm Germany
The association is named “Institut für virtuelles and reales Lernen in der Erwachsenenbildung an der Universität Ulm (ILEU) e.V.” (Institute for virtual and face-to-face learning in the area of adult education at Ulm University). ILEU was founded in 2002 and is a small but effective working non-governmental association with a president, an office and project workers. The association executes model projects and qualification training and offers services in the area of general project consultation and guidance in the above mentioned context. To aid adults in coping with new tasks and activities in society, economics and science, the association provides further qualifications and offers consultation to persons in all phases of life. The association also offers services in the area of virtual and face-to-face learning. (mehr …)
4.5 Soroptimist International Clubs along the Danube join in network
Carmen Stadelhofer
The representatives of the Soroptimist International Clubs along the Danube had met from 12th to 15th of July 2018 within the frame of the 11th Danube Festival Ulm/New-Ulm and the meeting of the partners of the education network Danube-Networkers. (mehr …)
5. Conferences and political events
5.1 5th Danube Participation Day with the Danube Civil Society Forum
Dejan Zagorac, Center for Study in Cultural Development
The Participation Day in Sofia was preceded by National Participation Days in participating states of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.
Majority of the Participation Day participants have attended the two-day seminar on Expanding Civic Space in the Danube Region held on the 15th and 16th October in Sofia that was organized by the Citizen Participation Forum from Sofia and the Foster Europe Foundation, and which discussed the models of participation of civic societies in the decision making process, so this event was also a kind of preparation for the EUSDR Participation Day. (mehr …)
5.2 We are the ones we have been waiting for
Dušana Findeisen
Old age, older people, their employment and education in Slovenia
DANET, its activities and achievements were discussed in a number of international events hosted by Slovenian Third Age University over the last six months.
Representatives of this university took part in the 3.rd International Conference on the development of organisational sciences in March in Portorož to lead a Panel on silver economy, flexible forms of employment of older people which are necessary as to make the labour market truly flexible for all generations. (mehr …)
6. Impressum
Herausgeber
ILEU e.V.
Schweinmarkt 6
D 89073 Ulm
Tel.: + 49 (0) 731 37995166
E-Mail: info@ileu.net
Web: http://www.ileu.net/
Vereinsregister: VR 1808 (Ulm); Steuernummer: 88042/77609
Das Institut ILEU ist ein eingetragener Verein und als gemeinnützig anerkannt.
Chairwoman: Carmen Stadelhofer
E-Mail: carmen.stadelhofer@uni-ulm.de
Copyright © Institut ILEU
Editorial of Newsletter 9: Ivan Štruklec, ivan.struklec@gmail.com