Conference Blog & Documentation, Interviews, etc.
Externer Link: http://blog.nece.eu/
Against the background of a global "refugee crisis" deeply affecting the state of the European Union and its neighbours, NECE 2016 aimed at two areas: Firstly, we have looked at the ongoing European response to the issue of migration including the divisions within and between European societies. Secondly the conference discussed how citizenship education should react to the polarising debate and the controversies about migration, diversity and identity which have been triggered by migration movements and an unprecedented series of terrorist attacks in the past 18 months
According to political scientist Ivan Krastev, there is a clear danger that the "migrants’ revolution" will radically change European politics and the world view of many on the continent towards exclusion and closure. The refugee crisis seems to re-open the gap between the East and the West in Europe and between those who see cosmopolitan values as a threat and those who are struggling to defend these as the core of a new European identity.
In order to successfully participate in this debate and add new perspectives, NECE 2016 suggested to focus on three questions of fundamental relevance for citizenship educators:
How do we assess the uncertainties and changes brought about by migration and a "world without borders" over the past decades?
What kind of competencies, tools and/or projects do we need to deal with fears about migration and the ‘other’ and how should citizenship education look like e in diverse societies?
And against the background of the crisis of Europe and the European Union: What should be our vision for the future of Europe, its values and its political constitution?
NECE 2016 strived to act as:
An intellectual think tank involving a broad variety of international experts with different and controversial perspectives.
A European and international platform for stakeholders of civil society, scholars and citizenship educators.
A show case for good projects and a starting point for new ideas, concepts of citizenship education and transnational projects across Europe, its Eastern neighbours and countries of North Africa.
NECE 2016 offered a rich variety of lectures, workshops, and open formats/spaces, among them a ‘Train the trainer’ workshop on controversial and sensitive topics in formal and non-formal learning, and a scenario workshop on the future of Citizenship Education in a world shaped by migration and plurality.
Participants were invited to actively prepare and invest in the conference.
A spotlight on Croatia and the state of citizenship education and ‘field trips’ to Croatian initiatives and organisations working on citizenship and migration provided background information about this years’ conference location.
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NECE 2016 Aftermovie