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ACC Bulletin No. 52
October 30th 2003
ACC International Programme Office
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ACC co-founding the Rites Tautskola (Rite Folk High School), Latvia
Snoghøj Seminar, Denmark
ACCENT -new magazine founded
New board of the ACC Latvia
Hristina Raycheva - the new volunteer at the ACC office
Invitations received
Calendar
New members

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Rites Tautskola, Latvia

On October 25th the ACC co-founded the NGO Rites Tautskola (Rite Folk High School).

The ACC has for some years been co-operating with the Rites Tautas Augstskola in Latgale, Latvia. During the summer of 2003 people backing the school have been working on re-founding the school as an NGO. Up until now it has in legal terms been a limited company (SIA). The re-founding as an NGO will to a larger degree make it possible for the school to apply for funds just as the re-founding should be seen in the context, that the NGO will take over the property, so that the school owns itself.

Since especially ACC-members in Latvia has been actively organising Community Colleges and events at the school, the ACC was invited to be among the co-founders of what is now named the Rites Tautskola. Please find more information about the school at http://www.zednet.lv/~rta/ The site is not 100% updated, but there are a lot of photos showing the site of the first school with ACC directly behind it.

With the ACC behind the school, it has been important to make amendments of two kinds in the statutes of the school.
(1) Global and European issue have now been added to the focuses of the school. The school is going to offer "...courses on general subjects, which make the students aware of the history, language and society of Latvia, Europe and the World, and which at the same time promote respect of democratic principles and of cultural rights of other peoples and human beings."
(2) With three founders behind the school it has been necessary to secure an equal representation in the supreme authority (the Asssembly) and in the daily leadership of the school (the board). The Assembly has 21 persons/votes out of which one third are pointed out by the ACC board. The 21 elect seven board members representing the day to day leadership of the school.

Find the English version of the statutes of the Rites Tautskola here: http://www.acc.eu.org/frontend/dynamic/page.asp?id=2023. Some very few changes are not yet updated! From the ACC especially Dainis Lasmanis, Linda Jakobsone, Marie-Louise Ebert Lauritsen and John Petersen have been working on adjusting the statutes to the "Latvian law on associations, NGO's etc...". The minutes of the statutory meeting, which was very professionally lead by Siebren de Boer, will be available on the website as soon as they have been translated.

Many receivers of this Bulletin have visisted the school in Rite. You will know that it needs repair and modernisation. In recent years a lot of work has been done though. We would still need a few extra facilities installed before being able to organise full-scall Community College events. Modernisations are continuously ongoing.

ACC Latvia has had success organising courses to prepare citizens for a future in the EU (English language courses and general courses about the EU). We hope to elaborate these courses further and with participation from more countries. The first steps have been taken to prepare co-operation with Fryslan/NL and other countries.

ACC has re-founded the school together with the Rites NVO (a local supporting group) and the Rite Højskoles Støttekreds (a Danish-Swedish supporting group). Both our new partners are NGO's already.

The 7-person board is composed with Linda Jakobsone and Inese Ardone from the ACC as permanent members and John Petersen as a substitute. The board is expected to constitute itself this sunday. In the 21-person board of representatives the following are representing the ACC: Siebren de Boer (Amsterdam), Linda Jakobsone (Riga), Ieva Astahovska (Riga), Inese Ardone (Riga), Sandra Salmina (Aarhus/Riga), Dainis Lasmanis (Riga) and John Petersen (Aarhus).

We are looking forward to cooperate closer with our new partners backing the Rites Tautskola.

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Snoghøj Seminar, Denmark

Under the headline "EUrope, the Folk High School format and the Youth of Europe" the Snoghøj Seminar was carried out on September 27th from 13.00 at the Snoghøj Højskole in Fredericia (Denmark). The Seminar was a public event, opened for everyone.

From the ACC we invited the persons who took part actively in discussions about opening a First European Community College (A European Folk High School in Denmark). As seen from inside the ACC, the idea of the Snoghøj Seminar was to try to investigate how a Local/Danish audience would see the possible links between the format of the Danish/Nordic Folk High Schools and the educational challenges and needs of an integrating Europe and a globalising world. Answers to this question is and was to be seen in the context of our ambition to open a European Community College -probably in Denmark.

The Seminar consisted of three introductory presentations followed up by two workshops.

As an inspiration Conchi Gallego introduced the EU-work and -policies within the Youth field. Mjellma Mehmeti introduced likewise the Council of Europe work and -policies within the Youth field. Jan-Christoph Napierski provided the seminar with a natural bridge to the workshops following. Jan-Christoph presented the Mission statement of the First European Community College (working title of a concrete project) as an example of a basis for future European Community College(s).

Two workshops followed up on the introductions. The workshops took as their point of departure a vision for the future, the quesiton was: Suppose there is a European Community College / a European Folk High School established in Denmark. What should be the contents offered at such school? Citizenship-education? Europe and the wider world? European identity? Making sense out of both unity and diversity? European values?

The answers to this question(s) have confirmed that the thoughts behind the First European Community College (FECC) are correct. It is our impression that the need described in the ideology of the ACC is shared by many. The results of the Seminar is going to be included in the next description of the FECC.

Please find more information at the http://www.acc.eu.org/SEEEMS/1943.asp

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ACCENT -new magazine founded

During winter 2003/4 we expect to release the first two issues of the new magazine ACCENT. When the ACC Board decided to launch the initiative, it was especially influenced by the wish to give members a way to actively contribute to the life and ambition of the ACC. It is a usual approach of the ACC that by taking initiatives we are contributing -even in small scale- to the development of a European public sphere/opinion. This counts for the ACCENT as well.

The title "ACCENT" and the subtitle "Community Colleges for Europe!" was decided upon at two subsequent board-meetings after a common discussion between ACC-members taking place at the internal yahoo-group. Your Bulletin-author unfortunately doesnt remember who came up with the idea to the main title.

The first two issues are going to be good examples of how the ACCENT is supposed to function. The first issue will be a follow-up of the Europe of Rights Community College (ERCC) carried out in Reggello (I) this summer. A Committee has been set up in order to edit this issue of the ACCENT.

The theme of the first ACCENT is then going to be the same as of the ERRC. If you would like to contribute to or advertise in the first issue of the ACCENT, you should address the coordinator Eva Valvo (icc@acc.eu.org) to ask if there is space left.

The second issue of the ACCENT is expected to come from the ACC Transylvania and ACC Hungary Committee(s). It is going to be a follow-up on the Transylvania Community College 2003 (TCC). The TCC was dealing with the EU-enlargement in the perspective of the multicultural Transylvanian reality. One main result of the participants of the TCC was the concrete proposal for amendments to the EU Constitution Treaty. This and other products is expected to be released in the second issue of the ACCENT. If you would like to contribute to or advertise in the the second issue of the ACCENT you should address Barna Kovacs and Agota Illyes at tcc@acc.eu.org to ask if there is space left.

Members of the ACC should check the website (http://www.acc.eu.org/frontend/dynamic/page.asp?id=2033) to find out how to become editor of an issue of the ACCENT.

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ACC Latvia, new board

Our branch in Latvia, the ACC Tautskolas Eiropai, has re-constituted the board: Inese Ardone – chairperson, Sandra Salmina – vice chairperson, Ieva Astahovska – secretary, Dace Salmina – board member, Inese Subevica - board member, Dace Krejere – substitute and Sanda Serafinovica – substitute.
Contact coordinates are the following: e-mail: s_salmina@hotmail.com, ACC Tautskolas Eiropai, Palmu iela 4-6, Riga LV-1006, Latvia.

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Hristina Raycheva - the new volunteer at the ACC office

Dear reader, my name is Hristina. I am the new volunteer at the ACC office. I arrived on September 27th. From September 28th til October 9th I was at on-arrival training course at Brandbjerg Højskole, DK.
I participated in Youth2002 and I was at Skælskør Folkehøjskole during my stay. I also took part in Youth2003 event that was held in July, 2003 at Højskolen Østersøen in Aabenraa. So I have a lot of experience with the format that inspired ACC. I am looking forward to comunicate with you.

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Invitations received

* Youth Summit on the UN Millenium Development Goals, Norway (January 8th-12th 2004)
* Violence by armed non-state groups and international security ( Andalo - Italy 11-18 January 2004)
* Expanding YOUTH Programme in Eastern Europe ( Lviv, Ukraine 12-24 May 2004)
* Seminar on the Illigal Odyssey ( Sliema, Malta 23 - 29 July 2004)
* New NGO Course in Denmark for students from new EU countries and others, especially post - soviet, countries ( January - June 2004)

Detailed information is to be found on the the website in the Members Section, Invitations received.

We would like to make you familiar with the World Youth Festival that is going to be held in the summer 2004 in Barcelona. For further information visit www.worldyouthfestival.org

Calendar

September 15th: Jan-Christoph Napierski visiting the ACC Office
September 21st: Laszlo Dani meeting the Civitas Foundation, Romania.
29th September - 5th October: Eva Valvo as delegate in the World Student Christian Federation, European Regional Assembly (ERA) in Aaland, Finland, presenting of the ACC
September 27th: New volunteer Hristina Raycheva arriving to the ACC Office, DK.
September 28th-October 9th: Hristina Raycheva at on-arrival training, Brandbjerg Højskole, DK.
September 27th: Snoghøj Seminar: EUrope, The Folk High School Format and the Youth of Europe. Snoghøj, Denmark.
September 27th-28th: ACC Board meeting at Snoghøj, Denmark
September 28th: Linda Jakobsone visiting the ACC Office, preparing the Rite Tautskola Statutes.
September 28th – October 4th: Dasa Bolcina visiting the ACC Office, preparing the Slovenia CC
September 30th: Sandra Salmina visiting the office.
October 2003: Rhisiart Talebots article in the periodical Carn (UK/Ireland).
October 3rd: Ieva Astahovska visiting the office.
October 21st: common meeting in NL (Bart?)
October 25th: ACC co-founding the Rites Tautskola, Rite, LV. Into the board goes Linda Jakobsone and Inese Ardone. Into the board of representatives goes Siebren de Boer, Linda Jakobsone, Ieva Astahovska, Dainis Lasmanis, Inese Ardone, Sandra Salmina, John Petersen.


A warm welcome to our new members:

Willem Glasbergen, The Netherlands
Filip Gecevic, Croatia
Diana Glinkova, Latvia
Suzana Maric, Slovenia
Stephan Kleinschmidt, Denmark
Marc Janku, Denmark
Erik Pedersen, Denmark
Nuno Coelho, Portugal
Patrycja Szczepanska, Poland

Our best regards
John Petersen and Hristina Raycheva

ACC International Programme Office
Falstersgade 44, st.
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

0045 7363 0043
0045 2425 3068
www.acc.eu.org
office@acc.eu.org
hristina@acc.eu.org

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