PROJECT INFORMATION

Cepa Son Canals
Folkuniversitetet
Académie de Crétiel
The Università del Tempo Libero (UTL)

Summary

This project aim to provide a large number of immigrant women (semi-integrated and non-integrated profiles) at CEPA Son Canals,UTL, Folkuniversitetet and Académie de Créteil, with access to learning opportunities for practical skills like host country language, networking, etc. but also promotes intercultural dialogue within a respectful framework: on the one hand, acknowledging differences and respecting diversity. On the other hand, recognizing that the recipient culture is a common link which must also be respected.

Other aspects:

the immigrant women participants will act as conduits to relay their new learning back to their domestic and community circles;
the women who demonstrate the most initiative will receive microloans for starting their own businesses;
the competences of the staff members from the four partner educational institutions will be increased;
the coordinating institution will take on a new community role as a neighbourhood centre;
staff and students at all partner educational institutions will become more interculturally-sensitive;
strengthened trans-European bonds between ;
school parenting developed by the French partners.

Results

Theatre presentation in which both target groups will take part. One of the results of the social theatre workshop will be a microtheatre production. Microtheatre is a small theatre format of fifteen-minute plays performed for up to 15 people in rooms of 15-20 m2. The viewer is only a short distance from the actors: it creates a very intimate experience.
Videos depicting the project’s progress and activities in each community, created by each country’s partner educational institution.
IT courses (skype, Facebook, e-mail, etc.) will provide the participants from the 4 institutions with a way to keep in touch, reinforcing the sense of being European citizens.
The e-handbook will include a diagnosis of the immigrant women’s situations in the participating countries; a description and justification of activities and products; a detailed stakeholder description; evaluation reports and statistics.
The European Passport for Competences in which the competences involved in this multi-disciplinary and multi-departmental project are included. Creation of the European CV.

Activities

Eco-Clothes Closet
Host community language courses
IT courses
Co-development programs
Open House days
Microloan programs
Exhibitions
Film series
Talks about women’s health at health centres
Employment counselling talks directed at the semi-integrated immigrant women; workshops addressed to the non-integrated women will include: designing a European CV; employment legislation, held at UTL at CEPA Son Canals.
Cultural activities: walking tours focused on women´s history in the host town
Rights and duties training
Social theatre as an educational tool

Participants

CEPA Son Canals (Coordinating institution) is an Adult Education School that provides formal and informal education as well as distance learning for students aged 18+. The school had nearly 1,500 students registered during the 2016-2017 school year. CEPA Son Canals is the oldest adult educational school in the Balearic Islands and one of the oldest in Spain.
The school is located in a disadvantaged area that houses many immigrants from North Africa, South America and Eastern Europe. Son Canals organizes informal education courses stressing IT teaching; and English, Spanish and Catalan language courses for immigrants. The regional government’s decision to build an Adult Education School in this area was based on the idea of eradicating illiteracy. In recent years, the school has organized many multicultural activities to promote immigrant integration and to teach the Balearics’ two official languages (Spanish and Catalan): seminars, workshops and festivals, etc. The immigrant women target groups of the Citizens’ First project will be formed mainly by North-African and South-American women. The school staff consists of twenty teachers and two members of the administrative staff as well as a librarian.

Folkuniversitetet is an adult educational association that offers a wide range of adult education all over Sweden. It is an association of five foundations: the university extensions attached to the Universities of Stockholm, Uppsala, Göteborg, Lund and Umeå. We have a broad, open educational program in a variety of subjects; we also run upper secondary schools; schools in higher vocational education; courses for seniors; and training, labour market education and further education and training for working life.
Folkuniversitetet is independent of all political, religious and commercial interests.
Folkuniversitetet’s central values include cooperation; pedagogical development; democracy; and a focus on the individual. We have made important contributions in the development of Swedish education and training, e.g., evening gymnasiums; language centres; Swedish for immigrants; college and ICT-based education. Visions and ideas for better learning methods are developed and tested in project groups, often involving international cooperation. Coaching, mentorship, validation, entrepreneurship, learning in working life, empowerment and active guidance based on individual needs are examples of areas we are developing and implementing in our own organisation.
We have 45 offices in Sweden and welcome over 140,000 students to a variety of lectures, short courses or full-time study programs with a duration ranging from six months to two years.We employ around 400 teachers on a full-time basis and a further 6,000 part-time. An administrative staff of some 500 people takes care of administration and development.
In our district – 4 offices – 175 staff + 800 Learners Quality system – ISO 9000

Académie de Crétiel The Public Interest Group for Basic Vocational and Further Training (GIP-FCIP: Groupement d’Intéret Public – Formation Continue, Insertion Professionnelle) for the Créteil (France) educational district aims at developing the national vocational policy in its region.
The Créteil GIP-FCIP ranks first among France’s regional educational districts in the number of choices its professional network offers for adult lifelong learning: 600 professional development paths in all sectors. Through its six GRETA networks, the Créteil GIP-FCIP coordinates more than 32,000 adult trainees at 180 schools per year.
The Créteil GIP-FCIP’s mission is to implement and develop cooperation among the different services offered by the regional educational office in: adult continuing education; professional training/integration through training and pedagogical engineering; accreditation of life experience; services/expertise for secondary schools (formal training); various local programmes designed to help marginalized young people gain access to the labour market (prevention, support, pedagogical assistance, etc.); and implementation of the European employment strategy in various ways (educational activities and involvement).
approximate number of paid staff: 120 people

The Università del Tempo Libero (UTL) cultural association is located in Fasano (Brindisi), Apulia, Italy. It was founded on November 20th, 1998 in order to provide social and cultural activities for the town.
Its headquarters, provided by the Municipality of Fasano, are in the heart of the old town, in the Portici delle Teresiane (Teresina Cloister) historical building.
Since 1998, the UTL has been registered with the Federuni (Federazione, Università Italiane = Italian Universities Federation) and the Regional Association of Folk and Third Age Universities.
The UTL is a non-profit association with social, civic and cultural objectives. It aims to promote participation, solidarity and pluralism; and a continuous cultural offering that favours a more complete development of the individual and of his creative integration into his habitat, thus contributing to improving citizens’ quality of life.
In 2014, thanks to the number of members and their many activities, it is the first “University” in the area of Brindisi. From the very beginning, the UTL has supported participation, solidarity and pluralism promoting continuous cultural events.
The UTL’s courses, workshops and informative and training activities are aimed at people of all ages and of all social and economic backgrounds.
For younger people, classes and workshops on music, games, and arts and crafts are organized.
All citizens are guaranteed the right to participate in UTL activities without any form of pre-selection based on social or economic conditions.
The UTL is a non-profit association, supported by voluntary work, with many active members.
Over time, the UTL has become a prominent presence in the region. Conferences, conventions and seminars on topics of general interest have been organized — not only for UTL members but also for the general public, responding to fellow citizens’ requests for informative and collective reflection.
The UTL’s activities have dealt with socially relevant themes, e.g. immigration, drug addiction, medicine, marginalization, globalization and religious tolerance.
In 2015, a cultural project was organized that focused on new areas of interest: Arab culture; new technologies; and, finances. The UTL participates in different projects in collaboration with the Municipality of Fasano in order to deal with the enormous challenge created by the immigrant situation and to make coexistance and their integration easier. These projects focus attention on human rights (diversity, gender equality, and, international rights).
The staff involved in these projects consist of professionals (e.g. doctors, lawyers, gynecologists) that will help the immigrant community with issues beyond their everyday problems and difficulties. The staff also includes artisans, photographers, gardeners, teachers, musicians, and ICT specialists ready to put their knowledge at the immigrants’ disposition and organize workshops and courses to teach job skills with a view to ensuring their future autonomy.
Last year, the UTL’s main theme was multiculturalism. This choice was born of the necessity to respond to the diverse needs of the migrants who have come to live in the town. As well, this theme addresses the challenges facing the regional population with regards to integrating the foreign newcomers.
As part of their mandate as a cultural centre for adults, several years ago the UTL started Italian language and culture courses to help with immigrant integration.
In particular, the UTL has started vocational courses that enable young immigrants to learn a profession and set up their own businesses.
The ‘university’ staff consists of 75 professionals and 350 learners.