Towards the ALF 10 Years

annalindhfoundation.org

The establishment of the ALF

Establishing a Euro-Med Institution for Dialogue

2002. The Euro-Med Foreign Ministers launch a programme for promoting Dialogue Between Cultures (Valencia).

2003. The Euro-Med Foreign Ministers approve setting up a 'Euro-Med Foundation' based on a Network of Civil Society Networks (Naples)

2003. A High Level Committee gathered by President Prodi recommends: Make education a vehicle for learning about diversity and

knowledge of the Other Promote mobility, exchanges, expertise, skills and social

practices Make the media a vital instrument of equality and mutual

knowledge Monitor Intercultural Trends in the Euro-Med Region. The Foundation must enjoy financial, administrative and

intellectual independence

2004. The Euro-Med Foreign Ministers approve the name of the ALF and the establishment of its HQ in Alexandria, shared by the Bibliotheca and the Swedish Institute (Dublin).

2005. Official launch of the Anna Lindh Foundation. (Alexandria, April)

Phase I (2005-2008)• Triennial Programme and Budget

Phase II (2009-2011)• Triennial Programme and Budget

Phase III (2012-2014)• Triennial Programme and Budget

Towards phase IV (2015 onwards) • Governance, Funding model and Management

ALF handbook on Education

Rationale for Handbook

• Globalisation produces all sorts of implications for the multicultural, multilingual, multi-ethnic characters of local communities in societies at economic, political, social and cultural level. This multi-perspective diversity has placed additional challenges before the education system and specifically the education of citizenship.

Concept of Citizenship Education

• The concept of citizenship education relates to educating people to become “responsible citizens,” who are capable of contributing to the development and well-being of the society in which they live.

Definition of Citizenship Education

• Citizenship Education is interactive and deeply embedded in specific formal, non-formal and informal contexts and includes the transmission of knowledge, competences and attitudes that serve personal fulfilment, social inclusion and active citizenship.

Purpose and Aim

• A knowledge of other cultures and behaviour patterns of availability, openness and dialogue.

• The acceptance and respect of diversity, but also the recognition of the place of the proper cultural identity in a perspective of mutual learning.

Process

• Consultations have been taking place since 2011 with the 3rd and final consultation convention to be held in Alexandria, Egypt, in June 2014 with an international group of educators to test the draft handbook. The aim is to publish the Handbook in Oct/Nov 2014. The Handbook will be the basis for a regional training programme to be launched in 2015 by the ALF.

Specific aims

• To develop critical understanding of the underpinning principles of citizenship education in local & global contexts;

• to explore contemporary citizenship education and challenges in diverse contexts, local and global;

• to present a theoretical and conceptual framework pertaining to citizenship education; -

• to apply principles of pro-active citizenship education to practice and pedagogy in a range of educational settings;

• and to enable the users of this Handbook to develop leadership styles that are informed by intercultural, pro-active citizenship-based approaches.

Approaches

• Until recently the dominant way of teaching

citizenship entailed a "thin" knowledge based pedagogy that exposed students to the mechanics of government and national focus approach . The new approach on citizenship education in many countries can be characterised by a shift towards "thicker" orientations that seeks to transmit attitudes, values, skills and approaches to political participation.

Challenges

• The main challenging question is how formal and non-formal education can promote education for pro-active citizenship, civic engagement and participation in an age of political alienation. This also includes the search for effective and successful practices of encouraging active citizenship and improving the “broad” school environment.

Key competences

• To enhance the belief among young people that they have the ability to influence what happens in their society is a question of know-how and education.

• By offering young people the awareness, understanding and sensitivity to democratic civic values, leadership skills, initiative and critical thinking as well as by providing them with the tools for active civic and political participation, intercultural citizenship education may offer in its broad learning agenda concrete responses to embracing diversity, dealing with change and building pro-active citizenship.