Zentrum Polis: Young ideas for Europe

Posted in Associated Members

Since 2011 Zentrum polis has been a partner of Young Ideas for Europe. This European project, which is an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Inspiring young people for the European idea and shaping Europe with their visions are the main goals of this project. polis coordinates the project week, where young people have the possibility to debate and develop their ideas for energy policy and climate change, together with a partner school of another European country. 

In Austria the Commercial High School Schumpeter in Vienna will take part in the project week from 5 till 9 March 2012. The students will discuss their ideas via Skype call with the partner school in Denmark, the Rejsby Europæiske Efterskole. On the final day of the project week, they present and debate their visions with a group of high-ranking guests and media representatives. 

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Fourth Advisory Board Meeting of the Georg Eckert Institute

Posted in Associated Members

The members of the Georg Eckert institute met on 10 November in Braunschweig, Germany. They were welcomed by the director, Simone Laessig,who informed them about the results of 2011, a special year as it was the first Year the Institute has been operating within the framework of the Leibnitz Academic community. The profile of the institute is now firmly in research and several research projects were explained. The German/Polish Textbook Committee will celebrate its 40 years anniversary in 2012 with a big conference. The Committee is since 2007 working on the possibility of an ordinary textbook series for the agegroup 12-16, however as a cross-border production, taking in account the German as well as the Polish curriculum requirements and with a special focus on the history of Poland and Germany. The Committee launched a commercial tender for this textbook series, but, although the common textbook notion is heavily supported by the political leadership of both countries, publishers were not eager to step in the project. Dr Robert Maier informed the group of the two EUROCLIO projects, Historiana and  Tolerance Building Through History Education in Georgia, he has been on behalf of the Georg Eckert Institute involved in. EUROCLIO Executive Director Joke van der Leeuw-Roord is member of the Advisory Board. More information of the excellent work of the institute please take a look on the website of the Georg Eckert Institute.

Linking the Past with the present - EUSTORY Seminars 2011-11-09

Posted in Associated Members

"Brussels: City of Minorities?" and "Neglected Victims - the Fate of Soviet Prisoners of WW II"

43 prize winners from EUSTORY competitions in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Ukraine participated in the two seminars EUSTORY offered in 2011. This year the students had the chance to discover what it means to be part of an ethnic minority living in Brussels or to find out more about the historie(s) and the fate of Soviet prisoners of WWII (POWs). Even though both seminars had different topics and approaches, the core of both was the same: working with biographies. Both seminars were accompanied by excursions and talks to experts. While in Brussels the participants talked to representations of different minorities, the seminar in Berlin was focused on the story of Lev Aleksandrovitch Netto, an 86 year old former POW, who was interviewed by the participants for a whole day. You can find the interview here.

Austria: POLIS becomes an Associated Member

Posted in Associated Members

POLIS- The Austrian Centre for citizenship education in schools is now a new Associated Member. POLIS is the central education service institution for citizenship education in schools. The centre helps teachers to bring citizenship and human rights education into the classroom, serves as an information platform and advisory centre, develops new materials for the classroom on a regular basis, plays a part in the European and Austrian discussions on citizenship education, has an influential role in teacher training and organizes events for students.