16-18 October 2014, Vienna (Austria)
In remembrance of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, NECE 2014 will focus on questions involving conflicts in Europe and the role citizenship education plays in conflict management and reconciliation processes. Against this backdrop, experts at this year’s conference will approach and discuss crisis and conflict intervention measures that involve citizenship education on a number of different levels.
Although the EU is a unique association of countries offering many opportunities and possibilities, crises within and between EU member countries are common, just as they are in regions that border on the bloc. Populist and nationalist resentments continue to pose a threat to Europe’s democratic constitution, although lessons learned from the First World War and other European conflicts have taught us it desperately needs to be preserved.
Can citizenship education today provide new ways of thinking, arguments and practical ways to solve and overcome conflicts? Not just at local and national levels, but also across borders? These questions will be discussed in the course of the NECE Conference 2014 in Vienna. The event will also pursue relevant theoretical and practical directions together with organisations from civil society and action groups.
You can pre-register for the conference by sending an email to: nece-wien2014@lab-concepts.de
More information about the programme soon at: NECE Conference 2014

30 March - 1 April 2014, Belgrade (Serbia)
In preparation for the NECE Conference taking place in Vienna in October 2014, the NECE Initiative will be hosting the European workshop “1914 – 2014: Conflicts and the role of citizenship education in conflict management and reconciliation” in Belgrade. A number of scholars, multipliers and civil society stakeholders from Southeast Europe have been invited to the event to discuss conflicts and the role of citizenship education in Europe today. The reference point of the workshop is the First World War, which in many countries is still regarded as “The Great War” – a conflict that even today continues to have an impact on collective memory, expressions of national identity and remembrance days and memorials. In this context, the NECE Preparatory Workshop will focus on issues involving historic and current conflicts, as well as conflict management and reconciliation in citizenship education in Europe today.
Find out more at: NECE Website

From 28 April 2014 on, the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) Wahl-O-Mat will be online. The online tool has been designed primarily to interest young or first-time voters in the election process, inform them about important issues, and motivate them to take an active role in the vote. Up until the beginning of March, European citizens were allowed for the first time to make suggestions about which topics should be included in this European Wahl-O-Mat. Together with experts, a panel of 25 young and first-time voters then discussed and formulated the final Wahl-O-Mat topics at a workshop that took place in Cologne in early March.
More information (in German) at: Wahl-O-Mat

The Focus Group has begun work in different project teams looking at conceptual and practical topics, including the state-of-the-art in current research designs and guiding questions on HTR groups, transnational spaces, training networks and ideas for a school-to-school network for multicultural schools. Organised in partnership with the SDSA (School Development Support Agency), the group will present and discuss the teams’ first results at a meeting in Leicester (UK) in July this year.
For more information on the Focus Group and the meeting, please contact: focusgroup-hardtoreach@lab-concepts.de
You can find more information at NECE FG Hard-to-reach learners and youth

Three of the partner institutions within the CLEAR project have started activities based on the CLEAR learning methodology in the spring term.
Blended learning at Teachers College, Columbia University (Teacher: Ass. Prof Felisa Tibbitts): CLEAR is set up as an extra credit option within a course on Human Rights Education to be carried out over 10 weeks. Four students have chosen to participate and have decided on the following process: to first carry out their written work individually, meet weekly to share and then take turns synthesizing their results into a single document each week and post on the CLEAR platform. The concept chosen for the work is “slavery”.
Blended learning involving University of Luxembourg (Teacher: Dr. Oliver Kohns) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Teacher: Ass. Prof Claudia Lenz): Students from both universities discuss meanings and definitions of relevant key concepts in their respective courses. At both places, students take part in an initial working phase, resulting in a first input for the online exchange with the students from the other university. The exchange takes place at the CLEAR platform over a period of four weeks. The participation in that exchange is mandatory in both courses. The students work on concepts like “masculinity”, “authority” and “tolerance”.
More information at NECE FG CLEAR

SALTO-YOUTH EuroMed supports and reinforces the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Cooperation by offering training sessions and events for youth workers, youth leaders and trainers active within the Youth in Action and EuroMed frameworks. The cooperative project compiles, publishes and disseminates good practices in education, methods and tools, while the EuroMed Youth Programme IV supports and strengthens participation and contribution of youth organisations and youth from the Euro-Mediterranean region to the development of society and democracy, and seeks to promote dialogue and understanding. It also promotes mobility among young people and understanding between peoples through three types of actions: youth exchanges, voluntary services and training/networking.
To find out more, visit: Salto-Youth EuroMed or Euro-Med Youth Programme

NECE partners from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia and Romania have come together to implement an international project focused on raising awareness of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The project is co-funded by the European Commission’s DG Justice financial programme. Together with ombudsmen from national offices, its participants have identified frequent examples of citizen right violations. Based on those cases, theatre groups from each country then developed interactive performances involving scenarios in which someone seeks to fight for a particular right, but fails. The project deals with topics like access to social security, consumer rights, the right to environmental protection, the right to equal treatment/non-discrimination, access to public information, patient rights and employee rights. Taking place in rural communities, the performances are organised together with local partners such as public libraries. Every “Evening with an ombudsman” begins with a short film that introduces the topic, is followed by the interactive play, and concludes with a discussion involving representatives from the national ombudsman’s office.
Find out more at: Evening with Ombudsman

The European Law Review published an article by Kris Grimonprez entitled “The European dimension in citizenship education: unused potential of Article 165 TFEU” in February 2014.
Read the whole article at: NECE publications

The barbarians are at the gates of the EU! Scarcely a day goes by in Brussels without a conference speech or high-profile article warning of legions of eurosceptic populists set to invade the European Parliament after this summer’s elections. The message is always the same: the malevolent newcomers will be bent on destroying the last 60 years of progressive European integration, and will be numerous enough to block parliamentary business and so create political chaos across the EU. But it’s worth thinking about the possibility of a very different scenario. The euro-barbarians’ arrival might actually have an unexpectedly positive effect. This article by Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe appears as an editorial in the Europe's World Spring 2014 issue.
Read the whole article at: Friends of Europe

In the presence of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the beginning of March, artists, scientists and intellectuals unveiled their final declaration on a "New Narrative for Europe". Its aim is to mobilize the cultural world and citizens for Europe by outlining why Europe matters, and explaining why people have to fight for Europe and against nationalism and populism. The project's cultural committee defines Europe as a state of mind – as a moral and political responsibility that is shared by citizens across the continent. The narrative seeks to remind us of common European values that continue to attract people from all over the globe. The final declaration can be viewed at “Mind and body of Europe".
Find out more at: European Commission

At its meeting in December 2013, the European Youth Foundation’s Programming Committee on Youth agreed on a method for recognizing the time volunteers donate to youth activities supported by the organisation. The method will have an impact on EYF grant applications and reports for work plans and international activities beginning on 1 April 2014, and on pilot activities that began on or after 1 January 2014. The EYF Secretariat would like to emphasize that the method is on a two-year trial period that will be assessed at the end of 2015.
Find out more at: Volunteer Time Recognition

In reaction to the financial and institutional crises that have taken place over the last several years, the European Civic Forum (ECT) is demanding new EU policies aimed at encouraging European citizens to take a more active role in the democratic process: “We are calling for public policies that give real substance to values claimed by the EU, which also pursue the collective objectives of solidarity, equality and democracy. Europe must rebalance finance and economy with social justice. Europe should allow the principles of equality, solidarity and democracy to rule the market. Europe should reintroduce a virtuous circle linking cohesive policies and active citizenship.”
Download the full “Equality, Solidarity, Democracy” manifesto here.
Find out more at: European Civic Forum

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its fifth report on Germany and Belgium in February 2014. ECRI is a human rights body of the Council of Europe. It is composed of independent experts who monitor problems involving racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, intolerance and discrimination on grounds of “race”, national/ethnic origin, colour, citizenship, religion and language (racial discrimination).
Read the Reports at: ECRI homepage

The “Democratic Europe Now!” campaign – a critical platform focused on the current lack of inclusion of European citizens in political processes – is demanding a more democratic, participatory and transparent EU Convention process. The driving ideas behind the campaign are to ensure a higher level of debate, to better inform policymakers and to come up with more suitable and effective proposals for reform.
Find out more at: Democratic Europe Now!

Following an April 2013 call for proposals to co-finance a European Platform for festivals (EAC/S07/2013), the European Festivals Association project was selected and preparations are now being finalised. Views on ‘Europe for Festivals – Festivals for Europe (EFFE)', a European platform for festivals in the field of culture, were exchanged on 30 January with Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou during a conference at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.
Find out more at: EFFE - Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe

The CitizED conference will be taking place at the University of Birmingham on 17-19 July 2014 under the theme “Raising standards in citizenship education: ideas, ideals and issues from around the world”. Its organizers are interested in the range of possibilities on offer for achieving high standards within citizenship education programmes. They also want to explore the ways in which citizenship education programmes contribute to the achievement of high standards in other curriculum areas, as well as how they affect whole school issues and other educational matters. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2014.
Find out more at: CitizED

The Youth Democracy Award is to be granted for the fifth time in 2014. By awarding a project that advocates Democracy or Democratizing in Europe in an outstanding way, it aims to appreciate and acknowledge the commitment of/to young people. The €3,000 award is based on the International Democracy Award. The deadline for submissions is 1 April 2014.
Find out more at: German Federal Agency for Civic Education

Upload your video! Doc Next Network is calling on media makers, social activists and critical thinkers to take a stand and share their views on Radical Democracy for Europe. How can we create an open and inclusive European society? Submit your media works to our video challenge and win €2,500! Deadline for entries is 13 April 2014.
Find out more at: Doc Next Network

The next issue of Open Citizenship will be looking at the challenges facing youth in Europe, and will seek to link these debates with citizenship. In particular we’ll be examining whether young Europeans are being given the chance to address the issues they face in their own ways, and whether this need is being recognised by the EU. By considering the concerns, needs and actions of young people, we hope not only to describe the current state of European citizenship, but also to build a picture of its potential future. The deadline for submissions is 23 June 2014.
Find out more at Citizens For Europe e.V..

19 March-12 May 2014, Brussels (Belgium)
At this exhibition at the Philanthropy House in Brussels, nine artists from Algeria, Turkey and the UK use their distinctive styles to “reframe” perspectives on Europe. Through their graphic short stories, they examine and expose the cultural, social and political dynamics between Europe and their respective countries of origin. The exhibition was organised by the European Cultural Foundation and the Philanthropy House.
For more information, head for: European Cultural Foundation

2-3 April 2014 in Berlin (Germany)
A belief in democracy is something EU Member States have in common – and yet perceptions of the ideal differ immensely. Are referendums like those held recently in Switzerland or Crimea really democratic? Even when there is a very low turnout, does a referendum represent and legitimize ‘the wishes of the people’? At this event, we will be confronting these questions critically together with experts from the Studienkolleg zu Berlin and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW). Registration deadline is 30 March 2014.
For more information about the event and registration details in German, head for: BBAW

7-8 April 2014, Berlin (Germany)
The Academy of the Berlin Jewish Museum and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation are jointly organising the conference to have a look at at our understanding of citizenship and the construct of inclusion, focusing on their practical impact on political, social, economic and cultural participation. The primary theme at the event will be the question of the meaning of citizenship in 21st-century Europe, and participants will examine which concepts are currently most effective at creating more political inclusion.
For more information (in German), head for: Academy of the Berlin Jewish Museum

15 April 2014, Brussels (Belgium)
The ECI Day 2014 provides a perfect opportunity to look at the first successful and complete ECI processes, to discuss best practices, and to set up a list of recommendations that can raise the efficiency of this instrument for direct democracy and make it more citizen-friendly.
For more information, head for: ECI Day 2014

6 - 7 May 2014 in Milan, 30 June - 1 July 2014 in Rome (Italy)
You are cordially invited to Rome and Milan for the first learning events of the training programme “Art of Hosting Transformation”. The first module, which is entitled “Engaging in Transformation”, is an invitation to experience a range of participatory processes and principles that evoke individual and collective potential, restore hope and offer fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to the complex issues we face as organisations or communities. Unlike in most training events, participants in the programme are encouraged to experience the different methods directly and apply them to their own individual context. The working languages at the training session will be Italian and English (with Italian interpretation). Early-bird registration for Milan is open until 31 May 2014, and for Rome until 30 April 2014.
For more information in Italian, head for: Art of Hosting Transformation

7-11 May 2014, Berlin (Germany)
Up to 500 interested young people from all over Europe will meet at the beginning of May in Berlin at the HistoryCampus – the central core of the Europe 14I14 history festival. Europeans between 18-25 years of age will come together at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in the German capital to investigate the personal significance of the First World War to young Europeans, both in terms of their national identity and for modern-day Europe as a joint peace project. The festival’s primary focus is on creative approaches and transnational exchange. The HistoryCampus is embedded in an extensive public programme that includes an Open Campus and a Supporting programme with a wide range of events such as readings, movie screenings and discussions.
For more information, head for: Europe1414

9-11 May 2014, Strasbourg (France)
The European Parliament in Strasbourg is organising a youth event showcasing political debates, culture and lots more! For three days, young people from all over Europe will flock to the Parliament building in the French city to discuss, work and have fun. The topics that the participants in the event develop will also be tabled by European politicians in the parliament’s next legislative period.
For more information, head for: European Parliament

28-30 May 2014, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
This symposium seeks to offer a space to discuss future EU cooperation in the field of youth in the context of the EU’s new programme (Erasmus+) and to contribute to the development of a new map for future cooperation in the field. Applications must be received by 4 April 2014.
For more information on application and registration, head for: Salto Youth

You can find more current publications on citizenship education in Europe at the NECE website.

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The NECE Newsletter is published regularly and distributed via e-mail. It is available to anyone on the www.nece.eu website. The newsletter is published by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), which is responsible for its content according to definitions laid down by the German Telemedia Act.

Further contact information:
German Federal Agency for Civic Education
Adenauerallee 86
53113 Bonn (Germany
www.bpb.de / www.nece.eu

If you have any questions please e-mail to: nece@lab-concepts.de

The NECE newsletter contains information about current professional debates in the field of citizenship education in Europe. We hope it will serve as an important tool of communication and co-operation among stakeholders and institutions in Europe actively engaged in citizenship education. Our aim is to increase transparency for national actors in this field and for the growing NECE network.