Children aged 13 to 14 from around of our country participated in an Intercultural Exchange Program from June 11 to June 30, 2023, within the project “Promoting and developing intercultural education for pre-service teacher training”. The “Children’s Village” in Trogen, Switzerland, served as the program’s host. For more than 70 years, it has provided children with new learning opportunities, such as communication with peers and interaction with other cultures.
The 40 teenagers participated in non-formal educational approaches, which varied in terms of organization and approach to topics, under the supervision of a group of local facilitators, thus giving them the chance to develop their own identities, become aware of their own limits, assimilate strategies for overcoming prejudices and stereotypes of all kinds, to eradicate discrimination, etc.
The values that went through all the activities carried out like a “red thread”, including with a group of teenagers from Switzerland, were: freedom of thought and action; tolerance; mutual respect; empathy; accepting diversity in the name of democracy; peaceful coexistence between peoples; and a better life for all.
The program provided each adolescent with a special opportunity/ a unique experience to gain knowledge and self-awareness, closeness and openness to others, knowledge assimilation and intercultural competence, teamwork, and ties to friends. This experience, which undoubtedly had a profound and long-lasting impact, was also enhanced by travel to significant tourist destinations in Romania, Hungary, Germany, Austria, and, of course, Switzerland. The project “Promoting and developing intercultural education for pre-service teacher training” is implemented by E.C. PRO DIDACTICA with the support of the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation in Switzerland and aims to increase the tolerance level among young people in the Republic of Moldova by developing and strengthening intercultural competences.

The Soft Skills Club of the EDUCATION PLATFORM added to its track record a new sequence of training carried out with the involvement of participants in the TRAINING OF TRAINERS training. The activity, with the generic TEAMWORK – THE ADVANTAGE OF THE MODERN WORLD, took place on February 10, at the MIHAI EMINESCU Theoretical High School in Ungheni, and was moderated by Elena CREANGĂ and Veronica ROTARI, trainers trained in the project.

Based on the structuring model of the Evocation – Realization of meaning – Reflection – Extension approach, the two training sessions were focused on addressing the following topics: Team. Stages of team development; Factors inhibiting and stimulating teamwork; Theoretical premises of the organization, implementation and evaluation of cooperative learning activities; The library as a model of cooperation in the didactic process: formative values in the development of the personality of primary school students; Cooperation with the library as a modern alternative for organizing learning; Applications. BELBIN test on teamwork etc.

The activity is part of the EDUCATION PLATFORM project of the European Union TRUST-PROMOTING MEASURES program, implemented by UNDP Moldova, in partnership with the PRO DIDACTICA Educational Center (coordinator – Lilia NAHABA) and the RAZVITIE Educational Center, Tiraspol. The current phase, carried out between March 2022 and May 2023, aims to develop the social skills of teaching and managerial staff on both banks of the Dniester.

On 1-2 June of the current year, in the city of Ghent, Belgium, the fourth meeting of the members of the team of the European Erasmus+ project took place – BILDUNG – “Building inclusive lifelong learning systems through the development of a European understanding of Bildung for future generations”. – https://eaea.org/project/bildung/. Mrs. Prof. Univ. V. GORAȘ-POSTICĂ, expert-researcher in promoting the initiative given in the Republic of Moldova, participated as a member of the team for the development of the intellectual product number 4 – Sustainable Development and Bildung. We recall that Bildung promotes an education that addresses all aspects of the development of individuals, communities and societies, including holistically integrated, ethical, emotional and scientific dimensions. In doing so, Bildung strengthens democracy, teaches individuals how to be active citizens, and prepares them for the challenges that, although managed by nation-states, are uniquely experienced by each individual.

The meeting began with discussions on a publication from the international press regarding a more critical approach to Bildung in this project, with counter-arguments on the updated and contextualized relevance of research and the collection of good practices of adult education in key areas such as democracy. , digitization, sustainable development and basic skills.

Members of international working groups from countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Moldova, Spain presented and discussed the results of the development of five intellectual products, which will be widely disseminated for the revival of different areas of adult education.

The visit to the Ghent City Council acquainted us with advanced experiences of adult education in the city. Officials acknowledged from the start that the entire municipality is affected by inflation and rising prices, but secular history forces them to work for and with all residents to create an insured present and a sustainable future. The need to change the common mentality, to educate the consumer for whom they work together with the associative sector (a local official is responsible for the partnership with the NGOs in the city) was highlighted.

T​​he experience presented in detail by the representatives of the Ghent City Council referred to an advanced practice, initiated in 2005 by the Department of International Solidarity Management – Fashion, Food and ICT Trade Shows – www.gentfairtraide.be. Since then, Ghent, the third largest city in Belgium, has been renamed the City of Fairs, supported and organized by a complex network of volunteers, civil servants, experts and entrepreneurs. The main activity strategies are the following three: support for innovators / pioneers; good leadership, sustainable procurement and the promotion of a sustainable and ethical lifestyle.

In 2024, the city of Ghent will become the European capital of youth, recognizing that the ancient city is also friendly to young people, being recognized in Belgium as a university city, open for international cooperation, including with the Republic of Moldova.

Finally, we invite academics and practitioners alike to “visit” the dimensions of Bildung in a reflective, pragmatic way: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YBBFjlY5xhiL-Og2vmdX7RaosqHggwWz, but also to value them various contexts of adult education.