European Education Campaign – EURECA, a project run in 2002 by AEGEE (the European Students Forum), has been concluded with a draft of a new European Education Programme. It proposes to introduce “Blended Learning”, wider use of summer courses combined with the e-learning. Education programs should be implemented with special focus on exchanges between EU and candidate countries, also for future rounds of enlargement.

According to AEGEE, education does not sufficiently reflect a European dimension. Current education programmes reach a limited target group and do not integrate formal, informal and non – formal techniques.

In 2002 European Students’ Forum (AEGEE) focused its activities on higher education. With the Yearly Plan – European Education Campaign (EURECA), students aimed at producing a new education program for Europe. "It's been a big challenge for AEGEE to run this project. We are happy that we have managed to come up with concrete results", states Mark de Beer, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “We strongly believe that Community policies should not only focus on increasing competitiveness and creating a mobile workforce, but put more emphasis on educating students in a holistic way in order to enhance the feeling of European citizenship”, adds Mark.

In the framework of EURECA, AEGEE organized in 2002 a series of conferences throughout Europe, dedicated to analyzing the main pillars that influencing the European dimension of education: Universities, Governmental Institutions on European, national and sub-national levels, private sector, media/ICT, and Non-Governmental Organisations. The results contain the recommendations for the future concerning each of these issues. The project also resulted in evaluating the existing Community programs, such as Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci or Youth and identifying the impact education programs had on enlargement and on education in candidate countries. Finally, the draft of a new education programme has been prepared.

“In order to complement the current programs, we propose to include in the next generation of education programs a form of “Blended Learning”, combining aspects of presence learning and e-learning/distance learning for merging physical mobility with virtual mobility” concludes Karina Häuslmeier, the coordinator of the project.
You can download o copy of the proposal of a new education program at: www.aegee.org/documents/yearplan.

European Education Campaign was supported by the Members of European Parliament: Lissy Gröner, Roy Perry, Luis Marinho, Christa Randzio-Plath, the President of the German Conference of Rectors - Prof. Dr. Klaus Landfried and College of Europe.

For more information please write to: eureca@aegee.org or call: +32-2-2452300
For more information on EURECA project go to: http://www.aegee.org/eureca

Responsible: Karolina Pomorska

“Over the years, AEGEE has played a fundamental role in making the ERASMUS programme a success. We believe that this success is a joint achievement” states Commissioner Viviane Reding. Currently AEGEE, with EURECA as a main project in 2002, is evaluating the impact of existing programmes in order to present new ideas about the future of European education.

“In the contemporary world students treat the summer break as a vital period for personal development and learning. We believe that setting up framework for accessible short courses, up to 2 months, would bring out better cultural understanding and academic enrichment for one’s studies. Such action will involve new technologies and offer opportunities for students who fall out of current mobility scheme” claims Tomek Helbin, the president of AEGEE-Europe.

The project has been running since February 2002, inaugurated with the Education Action Week, a simultaneous series of debates concerning existing education programmes in Europe. It was followed by an Opening Conference in Enschede (The Netherlands) in April and other four thematic conferences in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Krakow (Poland), Barcelona (Spain) and Tartu (Estonia). The next step is to evaluate the results involving other youth associations and external specialists. Also practical matters will be discussed during the seminar in Bonn in October 2002, organised in cooperation with DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). The public presentation of the proposal of a new education programme will take place in December during the Students´ Convention in Brussels.

EURECA has already received support of Members of European Parliament: Lissy Groener, Roy Perry, Luis Marinho, Christa Randzio-Plath; College of Europe and Klaus Landfried, President of the German Rector's Conference. The media partner of the project is EurActiv: www.euractiv.com

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project

From the 5th till the 7th of July 2002, students and members of various NGOs gathered in Tartu for an international conference: “Non-formal education – the role of NGOs”. Greeted by Mailis Rand, Estonian minister of education, they followed lectures and workshops on topics concerning the present situation of cooperation between educational institutions, public sector and youth NGOs in Europe. The participants and guests agreed that there is a need of recognition of non-formal education, such as one obtained by working in NGOs.

“As students we want to express our opinion concerning education and the direction towards which it should develop” states Tomek Helbin, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “Although European institutions promote European education, formal education of the present still lacks European dimension. This could be improved with the experience that international NGOs provide” adds Tomek.

The event in Tartu was the last one in a series of conferences organized throughout Europe by AEGEE in the frame of EURECA – European Education Campaign. The results will be evaluated during the Education Study Meeting in Mons (Belgium), taking place from the 25th till the 28th of July 2002. The concrete proposal of the new European education programme will be drafted at the seminar in Bonn in October 2002. Finally, it will be presented during the Students’ Convention in Brussels in December 2002. “We have seen deficits in the current programmes and taking into account their benefits we will see what can be the role of different actors in a new programme” states Karina Häuslmeier, the project manager.

EURECA has already received support of Members of European Parliament: Lissy Groener, Roy Perry, Luis Marinho, Christa Randzio-Plath; College of Europe and Klaus Landfried, President of the German Rector's Conference. The media partner of the project is EurActiv: www.euractiv.com

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project

From the 4th till the 7th of July 2002, European students and NGOs’ representatives are gathering in Tartu (Estonia) to discuss the future of European education. The international conference “Non-Formal education and the Role of NGOs” is organized by European Students’ Forum (AEGEE) in the framework of EURECA – European Students’ Campaign.

Students from Youth NGOs and students’ unions are coming to Tartu on the 4th of July for a European conference “Non-Formal education and the Role of NGOs”. They will be accompanied by university professors and representatives of municipalities and European Institutions. Mailis Rand, Estonian minister of Education, will give an opening speech of the event. “As students we want to express our opinion concerning education and the direction towards which it should develop” states Tomek Helbin, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “Although European institutions promote European education, formal education of the present still lacks European dimension. This could be improved with the experience that international NGOs provide” adds Tomek. During presentations and interactive workshops the participants will focus on the impact of non-formal education on students and elaborate concrete proposals for a cooperation framework between Youth NGOs, universities, governments and European Institutions. The workshops will concern the role of NGOs in integrating European education, the present situation of cooperation between the public sector and Youth NGOs.

“Non-formal education is represented in NGOs by our educational activity outside formal systems, which complements formal education”, claims Karina Häuslmeier, the project manager. “Therefore, recognition of the importance of non-formal education is an issue we care about and strive for”, she adds.

The conference is organized in a framework of EURECA – European Education Campaign, the leading project of AEGEE in the year 2002. Its aim is to present, by the end of the year, a draft of a new education program for Europe. EURECA has already received support of Members of European Parliament: Lissy Groener, Roy Perry, Luis Marinho, Christa Randzio-Plath; College of Europe and Klaus Landfried, President of the German Rector's Conference. The media partner of the project is EurActiv.

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project
Information about the conference in Tartu

From the 23rd till the 26th of May 2002 more than 60 representatives of European students, joined by academic teachers, came to Cracow (Poland) for a conference: “The role of universities in upbringing Europeans”. The event was part of EURECA – European Education Campaign, the main project of AEGEE (European Students’ Forum) for the year 2002.

What is the role of the universities in upbringing Europeans? More than 60 European students and academic teachers were trying to answer this question during the conference organized in Cracow from the 23rd till the 26th of May by AEGEE.

“I am glad that in the eve of the enlargement of the EU, students decided to discuss an important issue of responsibility” claimed prof. Maria Nowakowska, vice-rector of the Jagiellonian University. Lectures and workshops concerned networking of European Universities, advantages and dangers brought by the Bologna Process, possibilities offered by e-learning and teaching staff mobility. Participants also discussed the necessary changes in European education programs. “The university today is not offering the possibility to adjust to job requirements” stated Piotr Nowina-Konopka, Deputy Rector of the College of Europe in Brugge/Natolin and Head of the Polish Robert Schuman Fundation. “As a result a lot of graduates now are unable to teach themselves a new profession”, he added.

Also e-learning was given special attention. “This new way of learning can reach a bigger target group and reduce the costs of studying”, says Karina Häuslmeier, coordinator of EURECA. “We think it could be effectively integrated with the new European Education Programs” claims Karina.

The conference was part of EURECA – the main project of AEGEE this year. “We believe students should and deserve to influence the future of their domain”, says Tomasz Helbin, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “That’s why we created EURECA, a campaign that brings students say into the future of European education”, adds Tomasz. The main aim of the project is to produce a draft of a new educational program for Europe. It will be presented in December 2002 during the Final Conference in the European Parliament.

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project

From the 23rd till the 26th of May 2002 more than 100 European students is coming to Krakow (Poland) to discuss “The role of Universities in upbringing Europeans”. Polish members of the European Convention and EU Ambassador in Poland gave their patronage to this international conference, organized in a framework of EURECA (European Education Campaign) by AEGEE (European Students Forum).

“The role of Universities in upbringing Europeans”, organized between the 23rd and 26th of May 2002 in Krakow (Poland), is the 3rd conference in the framework of EURECA. More than 100 youth representatives from all over Europe will focus on the problems of networking and cooperation between European Universities, European Education Programs, the Bologna Process and the prospects it raises for the XXI century, as well as financing of higher education. "The strengthening of the Bologna Process is crucial to increase the mobility of students and to improve the quality of higher education”, states Tomek Helbin, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “We, in AEGEE, will be carrying out several measures to support the process. One of them is the statement on the Future of European Education ratified by AEGEE at the Spring General Assembly" adds Tomek.
Polish delegates to the European Convention – Danuta Hübner (the Minister of EU Affairs) and Edmund Wittbrodt, as well as the Head of the EU Delegation in Poland, Bruno Dethomas, gave their patronage over the event.

“Being students, we consider our position very relevant whenever the future of education in Europe is concerned” emphasises Karina Häuslmeier, the coordinator of the project.
EURECA is the main project of AEGEE (European Students’ Forum), a non-governmental students’ association with 17.000 members across Europe, for this year. Its main goal is to draft a new educational program for Europe, as well as raising the awareness about the importance of education in the process of European integration and EU enlargement. The project is supported by numerous Members of European Parliament (Lissy Groener, Roy Perry, Luis Marinho, Christa Randzio-Plath), Klaus Landfried, President of the German Rectors’ Conference and College of Europe.

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project
Information about the conference in Krakow

From the 11th till the 14th of April 2002, 100 students coming from 12 European countries were discussing the impact of education on the future enlargement of the European Union. The conference “The atmosphere in Europe: Enlargement” was organised by AEGEE (European Students Forum) in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), in the framework of EURECA – European Education Campaign.

“AEGEE is showing a great example of European integration, already for many years”, stated Mr. Vasile Puscas - Romanian Minister Delegate with the Ministry of European Integration, Chief Negotiator with EU - during his welcoming speech.

The conference was organised in the framework of EURECA, the leading project of AEGEE for the year 2002. Its aim is to prepare a new educational programme for Europe and present it to the European Institutions at the end of the year. „The actions of AEGEE are extremely effective to reach objectives connected to the Convention on EU reform” claimed Florin Lupescu, State Adviser to the President of Romania for EU and NATO affairs. He added that AEGEE should stimulate the wish of young people to desire another Europe.

“From the educational point of view, we can consider the enlargement of the European Union as an ended process. The European programmes on this theme are going on without any barriers between East and West, as from the Community’s "acquis" point of view, all the 12 candidate countries have closed for the time being the "Education and Training" chapter. Forcing a bit the terminology "educational", we can notice a European Union of 2010. A mainly technical analysis which sum up the results of these educational programmes are using numbers that fail to reflect the real programmes’ impact on the society of Central and Eastern European countries” states Karina Häuslmeier, the project manager.

Mr. Dan Grigorescu, Director of the Socrates National Agency Romania and Director of the Tempus Office Romania between 1991 and 2001 ads: “When we speak about European Education Programmes and their impact in the Central European countries, we can see it like a real Marshall plan for the educational systems in these countries. These programmes have the merit that they manage to focus and have concrete results. For example the Faculty of European Studies in Cluj-Napoca was set up via two Tempus grants, and now 1400 students study European subjects at that faculty.”

In May 2002, the complete results of the conference will be presented in public, during the General Assembly of AEGEE-Europe.

The next conference in line of the EURECA project, “Universities building Europeans”, will take place in Krakow (Poland) from the 23rd till the 26th of May 2002. “The organisers are expecting more than 100 students from all over Europe, joined by other members of Polish and European academic society and education policy makers, discussing the responsibilities of the academic world in European Education” concludes Pedro Panizo, the President of AEGEE-Europe.

For more information contact:
Karolina Pomorska - or call +32-2- 245.23.00
Information about EURECA project
Information about the conference in Cluj
Information about the conference in Krakow

From the 4th till the 7th of April 150 European students came to Enschede (the Netherlands) for the Opening Conference of EURECA – European Education Campaign. The project, launched by AEGEE, is aiming at drafting a proposal for a new educational programme that will bring a fundamental change to the European higher education area.

From the 4th till the 7th of April 150 students coming from 18 European countries met in Enschede at the conference: “European Integration of Higher Education”. “I am happy that AEGEE­Enschede could host the opening of EURECA, the project that is so important to us, European students, and that directly influence our future”, claims Paul Hoogstraten, the president of AEGEE­Enschede. The participants followed lectures on the history and the future of European Education Programmes. The workshops concerned the Europe-Media-Imagebuilding, immigration procedures as obstacles to studying abroad, the quality of higher education and the role the private sector plays in it, as well as the future developments regarding the Bologna Process.
“This is one of the most important conferences I am speaking at this year” said Bernd Wächter, director of the Academic Co-operation Associaton (ACA), when looking at the concrete goal and design of the project.
Organisers presented the results of the Education Action Week, series of conferences and discussions organised in 30 European cities. “I am impressed by a great number of debates which AEGEE managed to organise all over Europe. It shouldn’t be just civil servants designing the education system. After all it is about the future of the students”, says Janina Victor from Nuffic (Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education).
The conference was closed with the debate – “More Europe in Education?” which resulted in a statement that today’s education does not sufficiently reflect a European dimension.
“The speakers shared our opinion that students are still not enough involved in shaping education policy. We want to change that with EURECA”, states Karina Häuslmeier, the project manager.

Next conference in the framework of EURECA - “Atmosphere in Europe: Enlargement” will take place in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) from the 11th till the 14th of April. “The purpose of the conference is to analyse the present situation of European mobility offered by the educational programmes such as: Socrates, Youth, Tempus, Leonardo and also to identify their contribution to the European mentality in the perspective of EU enlargement. The main Romanian Institutions (Romanian Presidency, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of European Integration, Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Socrates Agency from Bucharest) have already confirmed their participation in the conference” states Diana Filip, president of AEGEE Cluj-Napoca.

EURECA is the main project managed by European Students’ Forum (AEGEE) in the year 2002. It aims at elaborating a proposal for a New Education Programme for Europe and raising awareness about the importance of education for the future of the European integration and its citizens.

For more information contact Karolina Pomorska or call +32-2- 2452300

Between the 4th and the 7th of April 2002 European students are gathering in Enschede (the Netherlands) for the conference “European Integration of Higher Education”, the opening conference of the project EURECA - European Education Campaign, launched by European Students’ Forum (AEGEE).

In 2002, AEGEE-Europe focuses on the topic of European Education. For this reason, we started the EURECA project, which stands for European Education Campaign. It aims at raising awareness about the importance of education for the future of European integration, underlining the role of the European Union in influencing European Education and last but not least to create a platform for debating on the different pillars that are influencing Education, like academic institutions, government, NGO’s, private sector and media. “We will evaluate the results of the Education Action Week, which took place in March 2002 in more than 30 European cities” - says Pedro Panizo, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “Through this European survey we gained valuable information about the views and expectations of young people concerning Education”, adds Pedro.

The project has already gained the support of Members of the European Parliament, like Mrs. Lissy GRÖNER, Member of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and Raporteur for the Youth Programmes; the European Youth Forum and the College of Europe Bruges.

“Our main goal is to elaborate a proposal for a new Educational programme for the whole of Europe” claims Karina Häuslmeier, the coordinator of the project. “Being students, we consider our position very relevant whenever the future of education in Europe is concerned” emphasises Karina.

Responsible: Karolina Pomorska
For more information write to eureca@aegee.org, check the websites - http://www.aegee.org/eureca; http://www.openeureca.com; http://www.aegee.org
or call +32-2-2452300

On the 18th of February students from 50 European cities will join the activities of Education Action Week that will last till the 22nd of February. Among them will be the youth coming from Bucharest, Utrecht, Maastricht, Katowice, Tirana, Youth Education Center from Podgorica, Istanbul, Pesc, Nis, Wien, Riga, Kaliningrad and Ljubljana.

The involvement of such a wide range of locals from different parts of Europe guarantees approaching the subject from different perspectives. During panel discussions, workshops, interactive role-plays and information campaigns students will have a chance to share and discuss their views and expectations concerning education.

“Education Action Week is intended as a pan-European opinion poll that will help in evaluating education systems in Europe and current education programs”, claims Pedro Panizo, the president of AEGEE-Europe. “We also want to launch a dialogue with decision makers about their vision of Europe” adds Karina Häuslmeier, the project coordinator. Together they want to discuss the contribution of current education systems to developing the feeling of European citizenship.

Education Action Week is the first event organized in a framework of EURECA – European Education Campaign. It is a Yearplan Project launched by AEGEE (an association with 17.000 members across Europe) democratically approved by its general assembly. The results of the Education Action Week will be gathered and evaluated in April 2002 during the next event of EURECA – the Opening Conference in Enschede (the Netherlands).

Students from AEGEE (the European Students Forum) will hold their statutory meeting – Action Europe Planning Meeting in Valletta (Malta) from the 6th till the 8th of September 2001. They will focus on EURECA – European Education Campaign, the project of the year 2002. It is aimed at raising awareness about the importance of education for European integration. “We will try to create a platform for debating on the different pillars that are influencing education, such as the academic world, institutions, the private sector, media and NGOs”, says Karina Häuslmeier, the president of the European students. The project is being established among members of AEGEE, but founded on the necessities stated by the European Commission. “The European Commission shows the need of a debate about the future of education in Europe, and EURECA provides practical and realistic answers to these requests,” claims Karina.

The project itself aims to reach in a personal basis an approximate figure of 2,000 students and young Europeans, but counting on the multiplier effect of such a project it is expected to reach an amount of at least 50,000 young Europeans, and a large group of the stake-holders of the European society.
AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l’Europe) is one of the biggest European students’ associations with over 17.000 members. Since its foundation in 1985 it has played a key role in the European education programmes, as well as in the establishment of the ERASMUS Programme. AEGEE has been also involved in several projects concerning education: “Socrates Action Day” (1997 and 1998), “Socrates Action Week” (1999), “Education for 2020” (1999) and “Socrates on the Move” (2000).

Responsible: Karolina Pomorska, for more information write to eureca@aegee.org or call +32-2-2452300