The end of culture ? - Investigations in the theor..
The end of culture ? - Investigations in the theory and practice of interculturality
Start date: Jan 1, 2016,
End date: Jun 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
Although the concepts of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue have attracted severe criticism in the last decades, they still form an important role in the self-conceptions of international youth work. One could reduce this persistency to the argument that it just forms a traditional concept, which keeps to be transmitted without further reflections. However it can also be seen as a sign that the frames of culture and cultural identity posses a quality and refer to experiences which can't easily be dissolved completely. It therefore seems a promising approach to organise a critical reflection on its basic assumptions and to transform it in a way, which suit the complexity of modern societies without neglecting the role it can play in the (self-) perception of young people. Looking at the available literature in the academic world there is already a huge source of inspiration, which also has relevant aspects for the practice. However the bigger part of the articles and studies are written in a way, which make the access for people working in the field rather difficult. Another common limitation of the available literature is that it often fails to address the consequences for the youth work practice.Taken into account the described context the seminar "The end of culture? - Investigations in the Theory and Practice of Interculturality" therefore aims to connect both spheres through combining theoretical reflections with the discussion and further development of tools in this field. The specific objectives of the seminar are:• To give youth workers and youth leaders a deeper insight in contemporary (academic) debates in the field of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue and to examine related concepts and their underlying assumptions• To explore the connections between intercultural learning and other important youth work fields such as human right education and anti-discrimination work• To connect theory with practice through the sharing, analyzing and further development of methods and tools in the field of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue • To develop follow up projects in the thematic field of the seminar, which will take into consideration and make use of the outcomes of the projectIt will gather 26 youth workers from programme and EECA partner countries for a common exploration of the theory and practice of intercultural learning and dialogue. The methodology will be based on the ideals of non-formal education and will combine theoretical inputs with interactive exercises as well as sessions based solely on the contributions by the participants. The main impact on the participants will be their improved competences regarding the theoretical reflection on topics related to intercultural learning and dialogue as well as the ability to make a link between theory and practice in this field. Furthermore they will get to know new and innovative tools , which they will be able to apply in their work with young people. On a long term we expect this seminar to make a substantial contribution to the ongoing discussion about concepts of interculturality in youth work and to gather people and organisations who will continue to explore the links between educational theory and practice.
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