False-Identities and Cyber-Bullying in channel troy

What makes the internet so attractive to youngsters? How authentic are online identities? What dangers are lurking in the world wide web? What are the advantages of a global network?
The theatre play channel troy, developed within the framework of the EU Project Virtual Stages Against Violence; deals with all of these questions.

"channel troy: the super real-web-life-show!" is an engaging and energetic play on the numerous communication channels of the internet and on the media manipulation of private und personal information. The realities and world-views of online-media consumers are shaped and molded by chitchat and gossip. The play channel troy demonstrates the very mechanisms that produce this sensationalized reality.

“Of course I gotta be on facebook. All my friends are there. How else should I communicate with them? I can hide my whole life there. On facebook I am someone.”

What is virtual? – What is real?
In channel troy, life becomes virtual, and events online become real. What follows are hard truths and uncomfortable questions. This piece explores the concepts of privacy and mercy.
Online, the characters in channel troy are strong, self confident and competent. They are part of a community where they can enjoy security and trust. Their virtual lives seem uncomplicated and, to a large extent, much easier than real life. Here they can chat comfortably, flirt and arrange to meet up. Online, no-one is alone.

Yet the innocent simplicity of little white lies quickly turns into an intriguing and turbulent game, blurring the distinction between the real and the virtual, until finally, nobody can trust anybody else.

Was that not bad enough, the presenter of TV hit channel troy, with the help of her investigative online correspondent, tries to uncover this web of lies by using manipulative media to confront users with the hard-hitting issues from their own private lives.


EU project Virtual Stages Against Violence

Considering that the internet has increasingly become the main source of information and communication, it can be a source of the following risks, especially for young people:

• distorted messages
• false identities
• violent representations of reality


The EU project Virtual Stages Against Violence (VSAV) as well as the theater play channel troy tackle these risks faced by young people when using new media and technologies. Despite the risks, our intention is to not demonize new technologies. Instead our idea is to develop tools to properly use new technologies, to help young people enjoy and benefit its positive potential for their growth and daily life.

When?
10. March | 8pm
14. March | 10am
15. March | 10am and 12am
16. March | 10am (fully booked)
22. March | 8pm
24. March | 8pm

Where?
DasWERK, WERKerei
Neulerchenfelderstraße 6-81160 Vienna

To register for one of the shows please send an e-mail to channeltroy@gmail.com

Fighting climate change with CLIMES and climate friendly schools!

Climate change is widely recognised as a major environmental problem facing the planet. Climate change is happening now and in the whole world. Individual, political and institutional actions are necessary to address this threatening problem. Especially the younger generation needs to learn to live sustainably in order to combat climate change and subsequent environmental problems. CLIMES - Climate Friendly Management in European Schools – a Europe-wide project in which die Berater® is the Austrian partner, addresses this challenge, developing a climate-friendly management system for schools.


CLIMES – Climate Friendly Management in European Schools
CLIMES is a practical learning project that develops a concept to tackle the issue of climate change and climate change adaptation. By combining innovative learning approaches and instruments on curricular and extracurricular levels the project contributes to promoting transversal key competences in European school education. Stocktaking and context analysis on existing curricular and extracurricular approaches on learning on climate change in schools have already been carried out. The next step is to set up the Climate Friendly Management System in order to create a contextualised, active learning environment for European Schools.

Main area of activities:
Development of material and methodologies for “climate friendly schools”
Promoting students’ key competences by education for sustainable development

The carbon footprint will be calculated by environmental work groups at partner schools. In the “check” phase all participating schools identify those activities that influence climate change significantly such as:

• Energy use
• Traffic induced by school
• School meals
• Water use
• Waste disposal

Calculating the carbon footprint!
On the basis of the collected data of the “check” phase the pupils of the participating schools calculate regularly their carbon footprint (= total carbon dioxide emissions within a period) by using a well defined carbon footprint calculator.

After the “check” phase activities are planned to reduce the carbon footprint and to adapt to the climate change. An effective action plan is needed! This means to define the climate relevant objectives and targets for the school to be reached within a specified period and to specify a climate change programme with activities, responsibilities as well as necessary resources.
In the “do” phase these activities are to be implemented accordingly. The climate change group checks regularly on their effectiveness and efficiency and, if need be, redefines them.

The first CLIMES newsletter can be downloaded here.
To download the second CLIMES newsletter please click here.

Erasmus for All: What's the difference?

On November 22, the European Commission published its proposal for the new Erasmus for All programme, which combines all seven existing EU and international programmes for education, training, youth and sport into one single programme.

Running from 2014 to 2020, Erasmus for All has a proposed budget of € 19 billion, which is 70 percent higher than the current programme. This means that more than twice as many people, up to 5 million people, could get the chance to train or study abroad.

Furthermore Erasmus for All will have a streamlined structure to increase efficiency, making it easier to apply for funding and reducing fragmentation and duplication and will also include a loan guarantee scheme to help Master's degree students to finance their studies abroad and to acquire the skills needed for knowledge intensive jobs.


Who will benefit from Erasmus for All?
As the name suggests, Erasmus for All is open to all learners and trainers, through any public or private body active in education, training, youth and sport. It will support formal and non-formal learning experiences and activities across all sectors. It will be open to all EU-Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, EU candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy and other countries in the Western Balkans. In addition, non-EU, mostly neighbourhood countries, will be able to benefit from actions aimed at promoting study and training opportunities abroad, as well as youth activities.


The proposal is now under discussion by the European Council and the European Parliament who will take the final decision.

Practicing the Hattrick FootbaLLL Workshops at the EU Conference

The football pitch is one social location where integration seems to be successful in many cases. Hattrick aims to use the potential which young migrant footballers display on the football pitch for re-entering education and vocational training. By expanding transversal competences acquired in football and needed in professional life, social integration is also improved.





Hattrick aims to expand and develop the following competences:
• self-management / self-motivation
• intercultural competences
• teamwork / teambuilding
• communication skills
• (l)earn respect / Fair Play

These skills are made visible and further developed within the Hattrick FootbaLLL Workshops, which consist of almost 40 games and exercises. At the EU Conference “Hattrick” in Salzburg, participants were able to test these FootbaLL Workshops.

“Mine Sweeper”, being one of the exercises participants were able to test, aims to improve communication and the willingness to support each other.


To start this exercise two players have to form a team, one of them is blindfolded and has to cross a minefield. The field is bordered by pylons (at least 20 x 20 m) and the mines are balls, pylons or the like and mustn’t be touched by the blindfolded person. The blindfolded person must be guided by his partner from the outside of the field by instructions.


With “Mine Sweeper” the participants learn they have responsibility for themselves and for others. The blind person feels the relevance of listening to the right voice and to communicate. The seeing person experiences responsibility and importance of communication

The “Penalty Knowledge Quiz”, where questions on intercultural aspects are combined with the penalty shoot-out, brought the conference to an end. The idea is to raise intercultural awareness while playing a penalty shoot out as well as creating respect and awarding knowledge.

To watch the speeches of the EU Conference please click here.

Creative Learning Communities: be innovative - be active!

Adult education needs innovative and creative training methods in order to integrate disadvantaged groups into the educational system and the labour market. With the Creative Learning Communities (CLC) project, a brand-new training concept for creativity techniques for trainers in adult education is being developed.

CLC is about creating innovative ideas and turning these ideas into reality! As a result, CLC draws heavily on the European Reference Framework Key Competence 7 (KC7) for Lifelong Learning. KC7 is the “sense of initiative and entrepreneurship” and refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It encourages creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. This supports individuals, not only in their everyday lives at home and in society, but also in the workplace. With KC7 people also learn to seize opportunities and achieve their potential. Therefore, the competence “sense of initiative and entrepreneurship” constitutes a foundation for other skills.

The CLC projects builds on existing ideas and experiences of trainers in adult education and anticipates the creation of new creative learning communities. These CLCs are intended to provide new training materials and course materials as well as generate new access to innovative and creative materials.




The result of the CLC project will be materials for trainers in adult education, consisting of a script and tool box, applicable across the European community. To develop these materials, die Berater® is working closely with its four partner countries (Italy, Malta, United Kingdom and Poland).

The long-term goal of CLC is to disseminate new knowledge, to support innovations and creativity as well as to assure a high quality of training and development.

The Creative Learning Communities project is accessible on: www.skills4me.eu. Everybody can utilise a range of innovative training methods and can contribute to the development of new ideas and practices.