Voices in Pictures (VIP)

The Greta du Velay is a public training organisation gathering 21 educational institutions in a rural area in the South of Auvergne, under the wing of the Ministry of Education. Certified ISO 9001, it exists since 1975. Half of the activity is supporting disadvantaged groups towards social and vocational inclusion (migrants, unemployed, disabled persons, women returners). The other half consists in supporting small and medium organizations in their learning processes. It works on the detection of training needs, delivery of training, evaluation and follow up. It provides courses in various areas: hospitality, care, languages (mainly French and Spanish), French as a foreign language... It is actively involved in the devlopment of innovative training methods (eg. recently to train Spanish through drama techniques elaborating a theater play). It works for the participation of migrants to the French society and to support the understanding of the various cultures. It delivers courses for immigrants to learn French and to be integrated in work and society. It has produced reference and training material (http://citim.velay.greta.fr & http://afip.tk), organized conferences ("Intercultural dialogue", "Migrants and IT"), videos and debates ("From migration to management"), strategies (http://epil.me). It employs 4 training advisers and 40 trainers. It is a member of the 288 GRETA network covering France. It works in close partnership with non profit groups and administrations in charge of migrants and refugees. These groups and networks can be mobilised both for testing and for the deployment of innovative learning methods.

The Greta will participate to the meetings and organise one. It will be responsible for the dissemination on France (and in the French language) on the web site and though other means (mailing, articles in newsletters, participation to meetings). It will sensitize the trainers to the methodology, produce and collect pictures, participate to the elaboration and the test of the didactic material with leaners in France and adapt it to the French language learning language context. Reporting regularly to all partners about progress and involvement of learners. It will maintain an active communication with the project team.

Having over 60 years of experience in providing education for adult learners the Volkshochschule Olching (Adult Education Centre) has achieved a high level of acceptance and recognition in the city and the region. The Center differs substantially from other educational institutions by its unusual engagement for the spreading of European values and its contribution to migrants´ integration as well as its efforts to fight to social inequalities.

Thanks to its long experience in teaching and in taking care of the education of different generations, of people from different countries and with different needs and expectation, the VHS disposes of adequate response to the challenges issued from changes in population structures and from the insecurit<y of the job market This long experience is a guarantee for the success of this project.

Quality and reliability, personal involvement and high qualified tutors are the characteristics of our institution.

Because of the diversity of our courses we are able to provide an appropriate respond to the expectations and to the needs of course participants. We are continuously adapting our programme to the changes of the work market.

Our institution offers a large range of different courses and workshops e.g. in art, philosophy, literature, health, IT, languages, social and political skills, courses for professional purposes, courses for house management and way of life and more.

This term over 70 language courses in about 15 languages will be conducted by our high-qualified tutors. Furthermore during the last years. selected teachers have been trained for the qualification of examiner for different languages from A1 to B1 EU - levels

In our city and in the region the social impact of our association is extremely important as it reaches more than 40% of the local population (about 10,700 from 25,000 inhabitants in our city).

The conductor of this project is Chairwoman of the Board of the school since 1998, Master of Intercultural Competence, speaks four languages and is responsible for tutors´ training in intercultural competence skills and languages.

The VHS initiated the project and will insure the coordination as well as the internal evaluation and take part to all activities and mobilities.

Latvia: Kusa Elementary School

Kusa Elementary School has been so far a school that served primary education functions for children. However, this year the situation has changed, because the school is involved in a project "Folk School and Leisure center". There is a variety of different educational activities promoting active citizenship, which take part on evenings and weekends. These activities are open for people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of the planned activities include: national traditions, arts, crafts, computing, language classes, etc. The Leisure center is designed as an independent structure that is managed by the local government. We have very little previous experience in working with adults; so that participation in Grundtvig Learning Partnership would be particularly important to ensure the sustainability of our project. Kusa Elementary School is located in Madona district, which is one of the rural areas that need special support because of high unemployment, weak industrial production and agriculture, and many low-income families. There are also increasing numbers of students with identified learning disorders. By introducing the European dimension in the routine our Folk School and Leisure center we can significantly reduce the risk of social exclusion for participants.

Poland: Deinde

Deinde (DinD) is a private limited liability company established on the basis of long-term experience and knowledge of people specialized in non-school forms of education and implementation of projects in the field of education and counseling. Staff of Deinde Ltd. took part in the implementation of five projects financed by the ESF in the framework of OP HC and took part in international activities under the EC-Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig Programmes. Partners of Deinde participated in the implementation of over 30 projects in five Polish regions on the total amount of several million zlotys. Deinde conducts extracurricular educational activities directed at adults and is registered in the Register of Training Institutions run by the Regional Labour Office in Lublin (No 2.06/00057/2010). Furthermore, the organization takes care of logistic organization of educational services for other entities in Lublin region (training rooms, coffee breaks etc.) and provides educational services also for social economy entities (currently, a series of training courses for legal and civil law advisers in the field of organizing and conducting counseling services). Deinde offers also training courses in finance, marketing, sales, computer literacy and others. Deinde is located in disadvantaged area (rural area, one of the poorest regions in EU).

We believe that our personnel's experience in national and international field will ensure the fruitful cooperation and proper implementation of the project.

Spain: Escuela Oficial de Idiomas of Gijón

The Escuela Oficial de Idiomas of Gijón is a public organisation specialised in teaching foreign languages. The School offers two different options for students. Learners can either attend classes in the school (there are over 2000 in English, over 400 in French and over 300 in German) or they can sit the external exams that takes place in June and September. The diploma issued by the Regional Education Authorities can be obtained in three levels A2, B1 and B2 although in the near future the C1 level with also be taught.

The School of Languages of Gijón also offers classes to teachers who are involved or will be involved in bilingual education. These are courses offered as part of the agreement reached between the Schools and the Regional Education Authorities.

The Institution is not only offering learners the possibility to assist affordable L2 classes, it is also giving many unemployed the opportunity to improve their professional prospects. Also, university students, young professionals or even retired workers who like to travel attend classes as a way to improve their language skills. The organisation is greatly valued by learners who, generally speaking, see it as a innovative way to learn languages, where they can not only acquire foreign language skills and cultural knowledge but also meet people with similar interests.

WE Bridge International stands for West-East Bridge. Our vision is to use education, business and cultural exchange to build bridges of understanding between people of different backgrounds and experiences. The school was founded in 2009 and has been accredited by the British Council since May 2012. We provide high quality General English courses, English for Academic and Specific Purposes and exam preparation courses. We also offer professional development courses for teachers and professionals who are interested in developing professional skills and learning about Welsh culture in a friendly environment. Our students come from all over the world. We also offer a small number of scholarships to refugees and migrants in Cardiff, as we are trying to do something for the community while helping those disadvantaged by the language barrier. We have excellent staff, who not only teach at high standard, but also provide support for our students. We organise social programmes to help students become familiar with Welsh traditions and cultures, while practising their English in real situations. We would like to be part of the project as it fits well with our vision of connecting people, cultures and nations through mutual respect, clearer communication and genuine learning on the part of both students and teachers. Taking part in this project will help us not only expand our knowledge of the European dimension, but also to provide our students with a new and challenging learning experience.