Vzdelávanie pre trvalo udržateľný rozvoj vidieckych oblastí na Slovensku, v Lotyšsku, Nemecku, Švédsku a Dánsku Erasmus Project

Project Title

Vzdelávanie pre trvalo udržateľný rozvoj vidieckych oblastí na Slovensku, v Lotyšsku, Nemecku, Švédsku a Dánsku

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Rural development and urbanisation; Environment and climate change; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Project idea came into being by Church organizations in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and Slovakia and its main goal was to build on good practices from further cooperation on the project in program Grundtvig -Learning Partnerships.
Rural areas are disadvantaged compared to cities. People living here have less opportunities to gain necessary knowledges and skills. Ambition of the project was to use potential of small church congregations to bring learning opportunities in rural areas with respect to sustainable development.

The aim of the Project – “to create complex educational program allowing to employees and staff from church congregations to teach goal groups in rural areas” – has been fulfilled. This created a base for development of basic and transversal skills on the field of adult education and could contribute to manage the problem of unemployment and social exclusion.

Number and profile of participants:
Slovakia: 8 people – 2 coordinators and 6 employees and volunteers
Germany: 7 people – 1 coordinators and 6 employees and volunteers
Denmark: 6 people – 2 coordinators and 4 employees and volunteers
Sweden: 7 people – 1 coordinators and 6 employees and volunteers
Latvia: 6 people – 1 coordinator and 5 employees and volunteers

Description of activities/methodology:
The project was structured into four work packages WP1-4. In each package there were described activities and responsibilities of partners for particular parts of the project. Progress of the project was monitored through project meetings, e-mail communication, and Skype – conferences. The time course of the project was set out in the schedule.

The educational program was designed for three levels of knowledge – “beginner”, “intermediate” and “advanced”.

It is planned, that the process of teaching the various levels could be organized in three stages:
1 / Phase of making the new material accessible – direct teaching
2 / Phase of strengthening and upgrading of skills
3/ Phase of control and evaluation of the level of knowledge – to assess the effectiveness of the learning process, draw real conclusions for further educational progress and if necessary modification of the didactic process

Day to day management of the project on the multinational level and coordination of the information flow between partners was provided by the project coordinator. At the national level this coordination was provided by responsible persons of each project partner – national coordinators.

Description of results and impact:
During the course of the project an educational program with teaching materials in paper and digital form was created. The concept of the educational program was verified on the first transnational educational event. Subsequently the concept was modified and completed; the comprehensive educational program was re-verified on the second transnational educational event. After introducing of the necessary last changes resulting final intellectual output was prepared.

Potential long-term benefits:
Project participants i.e. employees of participating organizations (small rural congregations) and volunteers took part on two educational activities and received educational tool that they can use in church communities and beyond to adult education. Educational tool can be used appropriately to the needs of the target groups in the particular partner country.

The project involved five partner organizations from five countries with specific cultural backgrounds and different experiences in adult education. Each of the participating organizations developed part of the educational program and/or provided adult education methods. A country-specific universal education program has been created to enable organizations to better fulfil their role of educational institutions in the communities. A wide range of possibilities has been used in the environment that exists in European society. The results of cooperation far outweigh those achieved by national isolation work.

The project focused on the use of the potential of the church congregations and was based on the situation in most rural areas. However, the educational tool to provide adult education is usable and beneficial to other groups of people in society.

The resulting intellectual output of the project is a multilingual, comprehensive educational program that will help to bridge the gap between nations and cultures in general. The project encouraged small communities to engage in co-operation on major issues of unemployment and social inclusion.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 156074,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Evanjelická cirkev augsburského vyznania na Slovensku & Country: SK

Project Partners

• Latvijas Evangeliski Luteriska Baznica
• Danske Kirkers Raad
• Svenska kyrkan, Lunds stift
• Evangelische Akademie Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.