Carmen Stadelhofer, President of DANET e.V, Ulm, Germany.
Social Cohesion: the Role of the Educational International Network in the Danube Region
– Danube Networkers for Europe (DANET)”
The mission of the international Association Danube-Networker for Europe (DANET) e.V. is to foster and provide grounds for highly professional national and transnational structures and cooperation in the field of learning and education in later life, social participation of older persons and intergenerational dialogue. As an umbrella organization DANET was founded in March 2014, but the idea of the “Danube-Networkers” based on different European activities and projects since 2008 with many outstanding results achieved. More at www.danube-networkers.eu
DANET recognizes capacity building as an effective instrument to enhance the capabilities and effectiveness of civil society organizations and institutions, especially in the field of education. The project Qualification Training in December 2014 demonstrates very clearly how this works. With funding from the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, DANET invited representatives from European organizations, especially in the Danube Region, to a qualification training to learn more about European programs and to start concrete project ideas. Several project ideas had been developed in subgroups in this frame, six of them have already been submitted as applications for a European grant in March 2015. More about the workshop: http://danet.gemeinsamlernen.de/ .
DANET’s fundamental goal is related to the work with older citizens – how to bring people together, to provide the possibilities for learning and cooperation and to foster intergenerational dialogue on national and international level. A way to achieve it shows the Learning partnership Personal TownTours, where organizations from Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia had been involved, as well as AIUTA members: ZAWiW, Germany (coordinator); UTA (University of the Third Age) Vannes, France; Vicenza and Mestre, Italy (www.danube-networkers.eu/project-overview.html). In the international project The Wanted Danube, more than 6.000 individuals from eight Danube countries had been active. This very successful project demonstrates how informal learning can involve people of all ages, ethnic and social backgrounds in theme-based learning settings. More about the project: http://www.thewanteddanube.eu
DANET takes part in the Danube strategy of the European Commission in different conferences and with corresponding statements. All partners agreed that learning in later life in the Danube Region and Europe has a critical role in the achievement of a wide range of social objectives. These can be reached by community education (Universities for all Ages) for fostering participation in society and by cooperation of various potential EU partner organizations, specially existing UTAs.
DANET succeeded to step up in some partner organisations in the Danube Region structures and educational activities for the Third Age mainly missing in the Danube countries until know. We would like to invite UTAs in the West European countries, which can provide large experiences in this field, to support the creation and development of UTAs in the Danube Region, and to promote through discovery tourism and common projects more awareness about the “new and the old neighbors” in the European Union. Cooperation can be supported by different European programs such as Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens, etc. and national foundations.
For more information contact:
Carmen Stadelhofer, DANET e.V. c/o ILEU e.V.
Weinhof 9, 89073 Ulm, Germany
Tel: 0049 (0)731-37 995 166
Mail: Carmen.stadelhofer@uni-ulm.de