ISSA Project Highlighted at EU Conference/Exhibition “Creativity and Innovation – best practices from EU programmes”

ISSA was honored recently to have its EU-funded project “Effective teaching and learning for minority-language children in preschool” recognized by the European Commission for its exceptionally high quality.  The project, implemented in partnership with Nadacia Skola Dokoran (Slovakia, ISSA Member), Hea Algus (Estonia, ISSA Member), COSPE (Italy) and SARDES (The Netherlands), was chosen from among 200 projects by a panel of 10 independent experts as an example of best practices in the field of creativity and innovation, helping to illustrate how the Directorate-General for Education and Culture supports this important subject which is at the heart of European Union policies. The project was recognized formally in March at the Conference/Exhibition “Creativity and Innovation – best practice from EU programmes,” organized in Brussels by the European Commission within the activities of the European Year of “Creativity and Innovation.” Examples of best practice among projects that have received funding through several European Union programmes and funds were presented during the event.

The conference included a special exhibition showing the results of 20 star projects from around Europe that are good examples of the EU contribution.  ISSA was extremely honored to have “Effective teaching and learning for minority-language children in pre-school” featured in a brochure launched at the conference, entitled “Creativity and Innovation” – the brochure is intended for use throughout the year in related events.

Aija Tuna, ISSA Program Director represented ISSA in this event that brought together wide audience of decision-makers, those responsible for human resources, entrepreneurs, representatives of educational bodies and cultural organizations.

Several important messages were delivered and discussed during the conference plenary sessions and workshops. Creativity is the basis for society’s development, and it is the task of every member of society to convert knowledge into innovative practices, products and services. Many presenters emphasized the importance of ensuring that the current economic crisis is not perceived as a time for scaling back or cutting programs, but rather as a time for creativity and change – an opportunity for mobilizing abilities and potential. Europe’s future greatly depends on its human capital; therefore “designer’s thinking” – creative, unconventional thinking – can be a powerful competitive advantage, especially supported by operational excellence. These assumptions should determine the approach to education and its outcomes.

The conference included the official launch of EVE, the electronic platform allowing beneficiaries of projects financed by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture to disseminate and exploit the results of their projects Europe wide.

The conference brochure can be downloaded from
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/valorisation/docs/bp-euprogrammes_en.pdf.

More information on the event and presentations can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/valorisation/conf-march09_en.html.

For more information about ISSA’s project, “Effective teaching and learning for minority-language children in preschool,” please contact Eva Izsak, Network Manager, at eizsak@issa.hu.