DANET E.V.
Social Cohesion: The Role of an International Educational Network in the Danube Region
Danube Networkers for Europe (DANET)
Carmen Stadelhofer
President of DANET e.V., Ulm, Germany
ABOUT DANET
Learning, participation and intergenerational dialogue
DANET promotes international cooperation in the fields of learning in later life, social participation of older people and intergenerational dialogue.
The international association Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET) e.V. was founded in March 2014 as an umbrella organisation. Its roots go back to European projects and activities of the Danube-Networkers that began in 2008.
DANET brings together organisations and institutions from different countries and supports the development of professional national and transnational structures for education, learning and cooperation.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Strengthening civil society through education
DANET sees capacity building as an important instrument for strengthening civil society organisations and educational institutions.
A qualification training organised in December 2014 demonstrated this approach in practice. With support from the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, representatives of European organisations – particularly from the Danube Region – came together to learn more about European funding programmes and to develop concrete project ideas.
Several project ideas were developed in working groups. Six of these ideas had already been submitted for European funding by March 2015.
PROJECT EXAMPLES
Bringing people and generations together
A fundamental goal of DANET is to create opportunities for learning, cooperation and participation across generations and national borders.
One example is the learning partnership Personal TownTours, which involved organisations from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Germany, France and Italy.
Another example is the international project The Wanted Danube, in which more than 6,000 people from eight Danube countries participated. The project demonstrated how informal learning can involve people of different ages, ethnic backgrounds and social groups in a shared learning process.
EUROPEAN COOPERATION
Learning in later life as part of social cohesion
DANET advocates stronger cooperation between educational organisations and structures for older people throughout the Danube Region and Europe.
DANET has contributed to conferences and discussions connected with the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Its partners emphasise the importance of learning in later life for participation in society and for achieving wider social objectives.
An important focus is the development of educational structures for older adults, including Universities of the Third Age. Cooperation with experienced organisations from Western European countries can help strengthen and further develop these structures in the Danube Region.
International cooperation, common projects and educational exchange can help people learn more about their European neighbours and build long-term connections across borders.
CONTACT
Carmen Stadelhofer
DANET e.V. c/o ILEU e.V.
Weinhof 9
89073 Ulm, Germany