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DARE
Conference 2010
“Tackling poverty with Education for Democratic Citizenship and
Human Rights in Adult Learning” launched the European Year 2010
for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion from the NGO perspective.
More than 170 participants from NGO, research and policy making levels
gathered in the city of Glasgow (March 3-5, 2010) for sound exchange
and discussions (see
detailed conference documentation).
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“I am convinced that
there is an absolute connection between lack of education, democracy
and human rights and an increase in poverty and social
exclusion. Conversely,
if you increase education, democratic participation and respect for
human rights you will decrease poverty. I know that is your aim and I
share it with you.”
David Martin, MEP
2010
is
the European Year for Combating
Poverty and Social Exclusion. The project partner
BEMIS
(Black
and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructures in Scotland)
and the DARE network organised the 2010 kick off
conference for adult learning on the issue of the European Year.
It
involved the major European stakeholders –
research, policy
makers from the Fundamental Rights Agency, the Council of Europe and
the European Parliament as well as more than 170 NGOs: They explored
the field with the aim to search for an adult educationers approach
towards the issue of combating poverty and social exclusion.
At the conference case studies, country reports and best practices
out of the EDC/HRE Grundtvig community from all over Europe
were presented:
Education for Diversity:
Religious Diversity,
Anti-Discrimination Handbook (Bulgaria), Young Muslim Leadership
network (UK) and many others.
Recommendations:
Out of the perspective of EDC/HRE social cohesion in Europe is the
instrument to vitally tackle social exclusion and poverty. Social
cohesion in itself is not only a result of a functioning market but
even more a result of a well functioning education.
A special focus
should be set on most vulnerable target groups – refugees!
Programs to
tackle social exclusion and poverty should be formulated with and
targeted on the needs of the most vulnerable groups.
The EU is asked
to set their policy focus on the people
(see all recommendations
here or on the
DARE Blog).
Exploitation/Dissemination:
The
recommendations from the conference were widely distributed among
various stakeholders on European and national level (including the EAC
committee, the COE, the FRA).
Follow up:
Following the DARE conference in Glasgow, DARE was invited to present
the NGO´s perspective at the “Learning Democracy and Human Rights”
Conference in Straßbourg, France, 15-16 April 2010, organised by
the Council of Europe.
The European Fundamental
Rights Agency has set the issue of “Poverty
and social exclusion: a fundamental rights perspective” on the
agenda
of the FRA Fundamental Rights
Platform meeting,
where DARE was
also involved.
The Scottish Government followed up on DARE´s policy recommendations
and subsequently published the outcomes of the DARE conference in the
Scottish Government´s “Learning Points” series. Learning Point No 70
now features “Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion through Human
Rights and Democratic Citizenship in Europe”.
Download the full
document
here...
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