About our project5. Chapter
About our project
Edited and the introduction written by Olympia Gesztes
/1. History Of The Project
2. Partnerorganisations In The Project
3. Participating Persons In The Project
1. History of the project
The initiative for the project came from Tobias Karcher SJ, who until 2000 was the bureau leader of AKSB in Brussels and Lothar Harles, who is the Executive Manager of ‘Arbeitsgemeinschaft katolisch-sozialer Bildungswerke in Deutschland’, Bonn (AKSB) (= umbrella organization of all Catholic-social education centres in Germany). After many personal talks with the partners of the project the first preparation meeting was organised in Ludwigshafen, where the main points of the project were clarified. Hungary became the main partner of the project, and submitted the project. Because of personnel changes in Hungary and Brussels the project suffered some delay and belatedly started in September 2001 in Budapest. In each country there was one partner, but the experts came from other organizations also (see the description of the organizations below). In every country a national team was formed and 2 people attended the first international meeting.
All seven countries (Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom) took part in this meeting, and the main aim was set, which is:
To train and support adults in developing strategies in order to increase young people's active involvement in the life of school and society.
At this meeting we also had a presentation from each country about the situation and organisation of pupils’ representation, which formed the basis for one of our chapters. We agreed that we had to widen our perspective to include citizenship education, as an important part of democracy.
The real hard work began in 2002 when our international team met in England, at Crewe in January. After the presentation of citizenship education in each of our countries we began to discuss the methods we would like to present in our handbook and seminar. It was clear that we didn’t want to present a fixed curriculum, as the different countries and target groups of our work have very different social, cultural and political contexts. So we designed our book as a flexible curriculum, in which each user, can look for tools and texts for their purposes. The international team, after very long discussion by a real English fireplace, identified firstly, a range of topics, which needed to be covered and secondly, skills to be developed in connection with pupils’ representation. The result of this work can be seen in the introduction of chapter 3.
Between the international meetings every country completed the theoretical parts, Chapters 1 and 2, for which an editor was chosen to write the comparative studies.
At the beginning of June we had our next international meeting in Paris enjoying the hospitality of our French team-members. For this session everybody brought the methods collected by their national teams. In Paris we agreed on the final format of the methods, and started to work on the plan of the international seminar for teachers. Every partner declared an interest in a new project, which is about teacher seminars.
By the end of October the text of the book was almost ready. In Gdynia in Poland beginning on All Saints Day the 4th meeting of the international team took place, where the final version was accepted. In working groups we reviewed and corrected all the chapters. Here we also agreed on the title of the book.
The edition and printing was completed in Hungary. In February 2003 the evaluation meeting was held in Salzburg, Austria, when the book was officially published.
The coordinators of the project were Edit B. Balogh (financial part) and Olympia Gesztes (professional part).
The project was financed by the European Commission, by Renovabis, and by the partner organisations.
2. Partner Organisations in the project
1Catholic Youth Austria – section school & KSJ
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
The Catholic Youth Austria concerns itself at present in four specialist areas with specific aspects, topics and fields of church youth work. The four specialist areas are called: “Young Parish”, “Work & KAJ”, “School & KSJ”, “Research & Education”. Principles of the Catholic Youth are: christian/catholic, spiritual, innovative, participial/democratic, gender specific, international, solidarity, voluntarity.
Specialist Area “School & KSJ”: The specialist area “School & KSJ” came out from the catholic pupil & pupil youth of Austria [KSJÖ]. He dedicates himself to specific youth work with pupils in the area of school and the target groups in the context of the catholic youth.
Activity of the organisation:
The activities of the section school:
“School & Spirituality”: The main topic of the “Inhaltswerkstatt Schule” for this year is sprirituality in school – chances and borders, new projects…
„Ein Herz für SchülerInnen”: award. Also this year we will give the award to a person for special engagement for students.
Free Sunday: In autumn we started an action for a free Sunday. Therefore we will make a picture competition and will print the best entry on free cards.
Gele-gele: It is a project to enhance class community. Gele-gele means living together and learning together (Gemeinsam leben – gemeinsam lernen).
Orientation days: In this project we work with school classes on different topics like: friendship, class community, spirituality, love and sexuality, aims of life, job orientation…
Outdoor-Project: This project focuses on experience and the transfer to life.
“Tankstellen”: Programmes for working in schools on different themes.
“2 get it there”: secondary students support pupils
Summer school
Work camps
Skiing weeks
Different trainings: Training for gele-gele Animators. Training for Orientation days, Animators and other training for secondary students on rhetoric, how to learn, conflict management…
Many other projects and activities
Address: / Phone: / +43/+1/512 16 21 – 33Johannesgasse 16/1
A-1010 Vienna
Austria / Fax: / +43/+1/513 94 60
E-mail: /
Website: /
Contact person:
Georg Preitler
2ARES –Assocation pour la Rénovation des Etablissements Scolaires
Type of organisation:
A non profit association (Registration number: N° 11750063175)
Activity of the organisation:
It was established in the sixties to promote greater involvement of the different partners in Catholic secondary schools (teachers, education supervisors, pupils). It has provided since the seventies in-service training for teachers and secondary schools. ARES is quite well known all over France among the 2500 Catholic schools. It organises training sessions in different parts of France or in the schools themselves. Last year it organised more than 300 day sessions.
ARES’ main areas of work are:
developing the different reforms of the educational system on different fields (pedagogy,citizenship, education)
helping teachers to develop and pilot effective models of citizenship
helping secondary schools to implement their projects
promoting the active participation of the pupils in the life of their schools
providing material for teachers to help them on their projects or their methods.
Address: / Phone: / +33 1 53 73 73 85277, rue Saint Jacques
75005 Paris
France / Fax: / +33 1 53 73 73 86
E-mail: /
Contact person:
Michel Braud, Director.
3Heinrich Pesch Haus (HPH) in Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Type of organisation:
The Heinrich Pesch Hausis a non-profit making formation house named after the Jesuit “Heinrich Pesch” who is regarded as the “father of solidarity” in the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching as he especially worked for the construction of a human society. It is a certified formation house according to the law on formation in Rheinland-Pfalz and a member of the AKSB (Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholisch-sozialer Bildungswerke in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), an umbrella organisation for all catholic-social oriented education centres in Germany.
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
Inspired by Heinrich Pesch’s heritage, the institution aims at spreading the values of “catholic social teaching”, which embraces a person’s uniqueness as well as involvement in society.
Activity of the organisation:
The Heinrich Pesch Haus participates in the field of political youth and adult education on the ground of Catholic social teaching philosophies. Political education is an indispensable part of general education. It should help people to gain fundamental knowledge about society, state and international developments, to take well-founded decisions to judge, encourage and enable people to participate in the democratic shaping of society, state and international relations.
An essential attribute of this pedagogical approach is the linking of educational content and life experience by not only conveying knowledge and skills but also values, authentically represented and justified by the instructor.
The topics that are dealt with in educational activities at Heinrich Pesch Haus reach from bioethics, gender issues, philosophy, religion to cultural aspects, democracy, violence and European integration. Much emphasis has been put into training seminars for multiplicators of youth work on issues like “active citizenship”.
Address: / Phone: / +49-(0)6 21 59 99 - 0Heinrich Pesch Haus
Frankenthaler Str. 229
67059 Ludwigshafen
Germany / Fax: / +49-(0)6 21 51 72 25
E-mail: /
Website: /
Contact person:
Florian H. Setzen
4Franziskanisches Bildungswerk e. V.
Type of organisation:
The Franciscan Education Centre (FBW) is an educational institution for youth and adults outside of schools, which is supported by Catholic and Franciscan institutions. Important areas of work are the political and religious education of youth, international youth meetings, support of gifted pupils, family-education and teachers-education. Our educational work has its roots in the Franciscan spirituality.
The FBW is a member of “Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholisch-sozialer Bildungswerke in Deutschland” (AKSB), which is the umbrella-organization for Catholic educational organisations.
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
supporting communication and co-operation in schools
qualification of those involved in the socialization process
motivation of youth towards commitment and taking over responsibilities in society
Activity of the organisation:
Seminars for families
seminars with a political, social or religious character for youth
further education of teachers
project: “Gifted Children in the Context of School and Family”
Counselling for schools, parents, teachers and pupils.
Address: / Phone: / (0049) – (0)6186 – 916 800Franziskanisches Bildungswerk
Niederwaldstraße 1
63538 Großkrotzenburg
Germany / Fax: / (0049) – (0)6186 – 916 807
E-mail: /
Website: /
Contact person:
Ulrike Stepan
(Education Officer for Political Youth Education)
5Catholic Youth and Adult Education Association (KIFE)
Type of organisation:
KIFE is an umbrella organisation in Hungary for NGO-s who deal with out of school education based on Catholic Social Teaching.
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
The mission of KIFE is to set up a forum for Catholic institutes and initiatives within youth and adult education and training in Hungary. KIFE is keen especially on developing the quality of training, promoting the work of member organisations and representing their interest in the country and abroad.
The main purposes of KIFE are:
to support the training programmes of the member organizations both financially and professionally, and through this, to establish an intellectual basis for KIFE
to contribute to the formation of the Hungarian educational politics
to enhance the representation of KIFE’s interests
Activity of the organisation:
contribution to the development and elaboration of educational models, which promote the introduction and practical implementation of the social education of the Catholic Church;
propagation and support of the programmes, elaborated by the member organisations;
organisation of programmes with the members, preparation of educational material, publishing informative material, and organisation of further educational programmes;
establishment and maintenance of relations with organisations, involved in youth and adult education inside the country and abroad;
providing information on opportunities of submitting applications inside the country and abroad;
taking part in social appraisal processes concerning codification, and participation at interest representation forums.
Our programmes are as follows:
Information days: providing information on current issues with regard to the organizations
International projects in the frame of Comenius and Grundtvig programme
Address: / Phone: / +36-62-426-785Dóm tér 15.
H-6720 Szeged
Hungary / Fax: / +36-62-426-785
E-mail: /
Website: /
Contact person:
Edit B. Balogh
executive manager
6Magnifier - Outschool Education for Pupils – Foundation
Type of organisation:
The Nagyító (Magnifier) Foundation is a self-supporting legal personality, a nationwide organisation of public utility since 1999 based in Szeged, Hungary.
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
to support pupils education in the field of skills, particularly the so-called key-skills of communication, decision making, conflict solving, tolerancy and team work, which are inevitable in life but are hardly attainable in schools;
to train youth workers who run seminars for pupils as part of out of school education;
to promote the status of out of school education in order that it gets accepted as a profession in Hungary.
Activity of the organisation:
The Nagyító provides week-end seminars for groups of pupils in the following topics: Communication, Addiction, Advertising, Aesthetics, Civilian Politics, Tolerancy, Love. The main pedagogical points of these seminars are: out of school, more days, group work, community building, cooperativ learning, experience pedagogics.
The foundation provides a wide range of educational programmes for youth workers, who are involved in the activities of Nagyító: seminars, supervision, courses abroad.
A youth magazine is published by Nagyító for pupils and students, about the themes of the seminars. Since October 2002 it is only available on the web:
The Nagyító foundation takes part in and organises conferences and seminars which make out of school education more popular and well known.
The methods of the Nagyító were published in 1999. A new edition is coming out in 2003.
Address: / Phone: / (0036) – 62 – 451 662Magnifier - Outschool Education for Pupils - Foundation
Nagyító – Középiskolások Iskolán Kívüli Képzése - Alapítvány
Szeged, Pusztaszeri u. 22.
6721 Hungary / Fax: / (0036) – 62 – 313 845
E-mail: /
Website: /
Contact person:
Olympia Gesztes
Mobil: (0036) – 20 – 2105 303
7Kauno apskrities jaunimo iniciatyvos centras
(Youth Initiative Centre of Kaunas district)
Type of organisation:
The Youth Initiative Centre of Kaunas district was established in 1998 to represent the interests of Catholic youth organisations, open groups and initiatives in publicity and administration of Kaunas district and to educate youth leaders.
Activity of the organisation:
Our goals:
To induce and support participation of young people in the life of society;
To exercise the skills of communication and cooperation, to increase personal and social responsibility;
To help young people to find and foster Christian values.
Actions:
Seminars for youth leaders in Kaunas district with different topics: self-knowledge, Christian values, communication and cooperation, project management;
Consultation of youth leaders;
Preparation of methodical materials;
Gathering and spreading information.
Address: / Phone: / (+370 37) 32 25 78Vilniaus g. 7
LT – 3000 Kaunas / Fax: / (+370 37) 32 25 74
E-mail: /
Contact person:
Ramunė Gecaitė, chairwoman
8Psychological support and counselling centre
Type of organisation:
Non-profit, non-governmental
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
To strengthen the mental health of people and society by implementing programmes and rendering various services of psychological support, counselling and teaching.
To influence social policy of local community and state
To form positive attitudes in the area of public mental health
To render and provide qualified psychological and social services to the various groups of society
To co-operate with governmental institutions, educational institutes and non-governmental organisations, implementing projects and other activities corresponding to our mission.
Activity of the organisation:
Individual and group psychological counselling. (Team of psychologists, social and youth workers consults children and adults, helps to solve conflicts and difficult situations; diagnose of psychological disorders and providing them with necessary services).
Programmes for youth:
- “Personal career” program
- Non – formal youth education
- Programmes committed to civil, social and leading skills training.
- Volunteers programmes
- Self-cognition, art psychotherapy groups
- Training of youth leaders
Programmes for youth at risk (drugs, alcohol, suicide, crime prevention; social skills learning groups)
Workshops and seminars for:
- Organizations (creating climate in the organization; staff motivation; personnel selection and management; crisis management in the organisation).
- Teachers (psychological peculiarities of children, the work with “difficult” pupils; the class forming as a group; conflicts and decision making).
- Parents (psychological peculiarities of different age children; parents-children relationships)
Conduction of social and psychological researches
International projects with similar activities fulfilling organisations abroad (conferences, programs, youth exchange).
Address: / Phone: / +370 (37) 563 531Ateities 13
LT-4324 Ringaudai, Kauno raj.
Lithuania / Fax: / +370 (37) 563 531
E-mail: /
Contact person:
PSCC director Osvaldas Stripeikis
Mobil: +370 680 97611
9Centrum Kształcenia Liderów i Wychowawców imienia Pedro Arrupe
(Pedro Arrupe Formation Center for Educational Leaders)
Aim (mission) of the organisation:
The Arrupe Center is non-public national in-service training centre for teachers recognized by the Polish Ministry of Education. Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, Jesuit tradition in education, and the mission of Catholic Church inspire the activity of the centre. We offer educational training for teachers and school administrators from both public and Catholic schools in Poland.
We want to share our long tradition and new methods we have worked out with others, so that the young men and women educated in Poland were more “a men and women for others”, leaders who are conscious about their role in society, competent and responsive to the needs of others.
Activity of the organisation:
Arrupe Center leads teaching skills workshops for teachers, leaders of youth groups, and Christian managers; organises biblical seminars for religion teachers; offers the teachers and parents meetings concerning the problem of sects, addictions, education to critical perception of the media and European integration; conduces formation meetings for those working in orphanages, and rehabilitation centers; trains headmasters of the schools in supervising the teachers and managing the personnel; publishes a quarterly bulletin “To Be for the Others”, and systematically publishes training materials; prepares the pedagogues, head-teachers, teachers and psychologists to act in prevention against drug addiction.