How can awareness of diversity be strengthened? How can diversity be better understood and valued? How can the individual contribute to the empowerment of a community, and changing perceptions of diversity and difference? And what is the impact of rapidly increasing diversity – what kind of success stories do we have, and what are the challenges?
We are now recruiting participants to Active Citizens programme in Finland. If you wish take part in the programme please apply by downloading and completing the application form and returning it to Annina Hirvonen before 15 September 2010.
Active Citizens is British Council’s global programme in the field of intercultural dialogue and these are some of the questions this programme aims to answer. The programme’s vision states the following: A world in which people recognise their potential and exercise their responsibility to engage with others in the sustainable development of their communities at local and international level.
And how are we planning to realise this ambitious vision? Our aim is to work with a community in which we will train some 30 trainers who will then cascade the training to their own organisations and environments, while tailoring the training to meet the needs of that particular community. This will be followed by social action projects that will make an impact on the grass root level. During their learning journey, the participants will explore identity, develop increased commitment to solving global issues at local level and most importantly, become more skilled in cross cultural communication and dialogue and become more aware of the role it plays in community action and community cohesion.
We will work with community leaders and through them, with their organisations and networks. They are people and organisations with:
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A value for social justice |
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Established community and national network/s delivering programmes of community/civic engagement |
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A strong sense of local culture and identity |
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Commitment to life-long learning and broadening horizons |
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Strong influencing and communication skills |
A wide variety of skills, tools and techniques have been introduced, strengthened and practiced during the training. These include: Appreciative Inquiry, Ubuntu, Questioning, Systems Thinking and Conflict Management. They will be applied in a number of different contexts, within the participants’ spheres of influence. The project is delivered in partnership with organisations already making a difference across the countries taking part in the project.
After the training period the Active Citizens trainers will train participants in their own communities in order to coach them to design, develop and implement their own projects around the theme of intercultural dialogue. They are encouraged to team up across national borders and professional sectors according to their field of interest and passion. The British Council will provide support in identifying and approaching potential partners and by offering a virtual platform for finding the right co-Navigators, ideas and inspiration. The British Council will be able to support some of the best projects also financially. This is the most crucial and significant part of the Active Citizens programme as the participants get to spread the benefits of their new knowledge, skills and spirit to wider audiences!
16-17 October (Module 1)
20-21 November (Module 2)
11-12 December (Module 3)
Please contact Annina Hirvonen for further information about the Active Citizens project in Finland.
Annina Hirvonen
Projects and Partnerships Manager
Tel. +358 9 7743 3390
first.last@britishcouncil.fi
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