Meanwhile: in Copenhagen

Having the best of both worlds: that was the driving force behind the decision to have the 2nd INVEST partnership meeting in May organised in conjunction with the CEV conference. The theme of the Copenhagen conference was in fact very much in line with the path that had been trodden in the run-up to the Grundtvig project application of INVEST, namely: cross-sector collaboration. The backdrop: the beautiful location of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) at Christiansborg Palace, on the island of Slotsholmen in the centre of the Danish capital. After enjoying the CEV conference, its workshops,seminar sessions and opportunities for networking and disseminating, the INVEST partners met on Friday May 9th to hold two workshops in the company of their volunteers, volunteering coordinators and colleagues. The workshops were a first try out in a European setting, leading to stimulating dialogue and exchange of experiences. The overall mission and goal of the INVEST project is to strengthen volunteering interventions by training volunteers on a regular basis in order to increase motivation for volunteering, encourage the quality and continuity of volunteer involvement and empower volunteers themselves in their competence development. In the workshops given by the UK partner (Roehampton University)and the Italian partner (Ciessevi) the focus was in fact on those issues. Having been identified as a major component of any learning activity, reflection took centre stage in the discussions and debriefing moments after the workshops. Many times you could hear participants saying: "come to think of it , I now realise that .....". Another interesting reflection was expressed during the finishing round of remarks: "it was so good to talk to people involved in volunteering within the wider scope of Europe; there is so much common ground but we've never realised this up to now in this European setting by sharing these thoughts with European counterparts". Mission completed ? Not yet, but we are well underway ! The Grundtvig Learning partnership that started its activities in September 2011 is more or less midway by now, so it was time to take stock of the progress made during the first project year. This was done on the morning preceding the general opening of the CEV conference. Taking the opportunity to finetune further steps in the project, the partners outlined more detailed plans for the coming months and the 3rd partnership meeting in November, in Milan. Hopefully, by the end of June we'll have finished a number of chapters of the digital booklet we are to produce, so that from September onwards the focus can shift towards volunteer portfolios.


Posted later, a short videoclip of the INVEST meeting:

Exploring identity through a short study abroad experience

Recently an innovation award was granted to the University of Kentucky and the German Fulbright Commission for their twin programmes Discover USA and Discover Germany. These twin programmes share a common mission, namely to provide an opportunity to students from underrepresented groups in both countries to reconsider their own concepts of identity through an international experience at each other's academies. Students of diverse backgrounds from the University of Kentucky (minority, Appalachian, or first-generation college students) go and study in Berlin, and German students who are immigrants or first-generation citizens are sent to study at the University of Kentucky. What are the success factors one may well ask ? Briefly put, the overarching goal is to allow students to reflect on the concept of "otherness" in local, national, and global contexts. As they bond with each other and acknowledge their differences, they also affirm their German identity, and compare their feelings of inner versus outer identity with the ways that they are perceived by U.S. students. Similarly, the American students on the Discover Germany programmes are members of a racial, ethnic, or cultural minority or are first-generation college students. Whereas they see primarily their differences before the travel experience, once they are in Germany they also grapple with the dissonance between how they see themselves and how others perceive them. In other words, their study-abroad experience, alongside their own personal circumstances, turn them into keen observers of how citizenship, identity and nationality are defined and how cultural, racial, ethnic and religious diversity is experienced in other countries. The Germany—Discover USA programme is fully-funded, takes five weeks and is an authentic academic experience for these students. As educators across the globe agree that developing an international perspective is essential to students’ educational goals and their potential to become thoughtful, contributing members of our interconnected society, not many universities actually succeed in fulfilling this noble ambition. This is an inspirational example demonstrating how this can be achieved. For the American university involved in this programme it is an essential part of their strategy to implement internationalisation on their campus. Found through the website of University World News.

Benefits of Bilingualism

Here's an insightful infographic showing how bilingualism benefits people:

Via: BestCollegesOnline.com

Mapping Stereotypes within and outside Europe

Clipped from: alphadesigner.com (share this clip)

From London-based designer Yanko Tsvetkov come these Mapping Stereotypes in the shape of calendars, mousepads, prints on t-shirts etc. etc. 

And, just in case you are wondering, here's how he introduces himself:

"My name is Yanko Tsvetkov and I’m a freelance graphic designer and a visual artist. I am known as alphadesigner, a pseudonym that usually makes people think what I do is really important. That’s why I chose it."

A series of amusing, often tragicomically true maps of Europe based on various subjective perceptions and ideologies, states Maria Popova on Brainpickings. 

Here is the world seen through the eyes of the USA, for example:

Recently returning from a stimulating and inspirational European spirited conference on volunteering, I wouldn't dare to display an image map of European stereotypes, amusing though they would be for the beholder .... so I suggest you check these out yourself .... and snigger.

International Class 2012

International Class 2012, a set on Flickr.

Hello and goodbye international students ! Pictures taken on the first day in class (February) and the final day during the certificate ceremony end of April.
For some a lifechanging experience within those 3 months !