APEL conference next March

Our French member, APEL is announcing their conference in La Rochelle on the 28th March 2015 on Howard Gardner’s 8 intelligences theory and news from French neuroscientists about how brain learns.

The whole day will be split in many one and a half hour workshops that will allow participants to really meet the speakers who will display theses intelligences through various means (clown, singing, theatre ..).

Save the date if you can understand French speaking specialists and let Regine Florin know. APEL will be happy to welcome you. 700 participants, ranging from parents to teachers and directors are expected. Don’t’ hesitate to pass this information on to some people who might be interested French speaking people and within your organizations.

Conference leaflet here

NGO's raising important questions before the public hearing of the new Commissioners

During the summer EPA joined a group of NGOs all active in the field of education who listed a few key demands about inclusive education and for protecting basic rights is education towards the new European Commissioner responsible for Education. One of these five key issues is the participation of parents. You can read the full text below. 

EUCIS-LLL has also prepared a set of elaborate and very important questions to raise for the successors of Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, Marianne Thyssen and Tibor Navracsics. They all reflect crucial matters of EU governance in the field of education, training and lifelong learning that EUCIS-LLL - EPA is a member of - has identified and tackled in the past years.

Less stress at work – more effective workers and better parents

The European Employers’ Forum for Work-Life Balance was organised in Helsinki on 8-9 September within the framework of the Alliance 2014 for Reconciling Workand Family Life. The main message of the event was that working at a family-friendly workplace, being able to work flexible hours makes employees who are parents less stressed and better at work, while it also helps better parenting. On the first day we learnt about the situation and experience in Finland while on the second day we could look at the topic from diverse perspectives, including the perspectives of employers, women entrepreneurs, the service sector, small businesses and trade unions. The report below gives a lot of references to links to further reading.

New Commission: Suspense ends but questions remain about the future of learning in Europe - EUCIS-LLL Press Release

While negotiations are ending about the composition of the new European Commission, EUCIS-LLL welcomes the willingness to build more synergies within the institution with thematic clusters, to bring the EU closer to its citizens and to gather education, culture, youth and citizenship under a same portfolio. However the Platform warns that Mr. Juncker’s will to “put Europe back on the path to jobs and growth” should come along with a strong emphasis on social inclusion, which starts with tangible investment in education and training and a clear vision for the future of learning in Europe. 

International Literacy Day, 8 September - a good opportunity to read

The United Nations' (UN) International Literacy Day annually falls on September 8 to raise people's awareness of and concern for literacy issues in the world. It is a good opportunity for every parent to think about the importance of reading, reading every day to your children, helping them to learn reading, helping them to become apt readers and - last but not least - to make sure you read every day yourself. You should never forget the quote by Emilie Buchwald, the well-know children's book author : 'Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.'