Report from the 1st meeting
in Kosice 1-4th of February 2006

Group 1

Assessing the potential for adapting and transferring good practice – DVD production, surveys and national/local workshops

Group membership
Czarina Wilpert– CEJI, Belgium
Vasiliki Tsekours – Dafni. Kek, Greece, (Coordinator)
Klitos Symeonides – AEA, Cyprus
Susanne Gratzi – IZKS, Austria
Piotr Powliscze– Ac4M, Poland
Piort Harhaj Poland –AC4M, Poland
Maria Hirtenlehner – IZKS, Austria
Lenford White – NIACE, United Kingdom

Discussion

1. Where do we start and what do we have to share?
2. How important is transferability, this might get us too hung up and prevent us from discussing a process.
3. Transferability from one country to another, i.e. older European countries to another.
4. What do we want to transfer in the first place?
5. What would the DVD show, teaching methods??
6. How does the production of a DVD link with the planning of a conference in Poland (May 2007)

Assumptions

The main language for DVD production to be English (might be in different languages initially) and then sub-titled into various languages of “new” European countries.

Content

1. 4 case studies. On DVD, these will be short aspects of the project with a detailed script and photographs to support it.
2. DVDs will illustrate a range of situations, in the classroom and in the community for example, and be for the benefits of adult educationists, policy makers, government officials and potential funders. The DVD would also serve to raise public awareness and encourage debate with regards to: racism, discrimination, exclusion, unemployment etc.

What type of projects will be appropriate?

The group agreed that case studies should aim to illustrate specific types of adult education services. In particular the group are interested in projects which illustrate/demonstrate:

• Empowerment/capacity building/active citizenship
• Work with specific client groups’ such as Roma, Travellers, Africans, Turkish, asylum seekers and refuges, adults from ‘new’ European countries in older European countries etc
• Linked to basic skills such as language, maths and English
• Are innovative demonstrating new methods to attract reluctant learners
• Demonstrate mentoring and/or role modelling
• Out-reach, providing services which are community-based
• Linked to employment and training

What we have agreed to do

1. Lenford to co-ordinate the group, distribute minutes, support activities, ensure that meetings are organised etc
2. Four countries (minimum) to identify case studies and for one country to co-ordinate each. Susanne and Maria to identify case study for Austria
3. Czarina to identify case study for Belgium (possibly Germany)
4. Klitos to work with Lenford to identify case study from the Netherlands (with the support of Marina, Odyssey)
5. Lenford to Identify case study from UK
6. Piotr to produce a treatment for each country, this will be shared with all group members. Case study co-ordinators will be responsible for providing the details for the treatments for each of their countries and to liaise with projects and with Piotr in order to arrange for film crew visits and recording of the case study.

The DVD

Some initial discussion took place around the content of the DVD, this will be worked out in greater detail at the next planned meeting of the sub-group. However, it was agreed that each DVD case study would include

• The notes
• Details about how project organisers initiated their work
• Where funding come form?
• What to do and what not to do
• What was learned by project co-ordinators (and what we can learn if the project is transferred)
• How would we do things differently?
• Methods of evaluation

Agreed that the DVD would serve two purposes: one for educators etc and the second for Polish public television. Piotr(s) agreed to look for additional funding for the DVD and for the conference that will support its dissemination..

Piotr

1. Will aim to get additional money from the government – about 50%
2. Research from each case study x 4 surveys, case study co-ordinators to carry out the research and liase with Piotr
3. Translations for each country
4. A treatment will be done and sent to us within ten days

Next meeting

Agreed to have the next meeting in Greece on May 29-30th. With some people arriving over the weekend.
The main meeting agenda will be around the content and structure of the DVD, previous work and what’s come out of Vienna (Piotre will visit Vienna at the end of April to have an initial look at the police/migrant tandem project).
Meeting will also be an opportunity to talk about the conference in Poland planned for May 2007. The main purpose of the conference will be to share good practice and explore the potential of the medium of DVD and film for doing this. The conference will also be an opportunity to trial the DVD with practitioners. This will enable the group to further refine the product and complete a better end of project resource.
It was agreed to disseminate notes and to ensure that all sub-group members have each others contact details, possibility also to use Skype and use electronic means for keeping in contact in-between project and sub-group meetings.
LW agreed to ask Beate if it would be possible to invite Marina to Greece to share some of the work that she is aware of in the Netherlands. Marina would be the main contact with project in the Netherlands – these would feature as a case study on the DVD.
Agreed also that each country co-ordinator would be responsible for identifying an appropriate project for the DVD and would be responsible for carrying out local survey, or research and play a central role as co-coordinator between project and film crew/Piotr etc and feeding back to the group on progress.