Welcome to the third NACE News!

In this version we would like to provide information about NACE activities and upcoming events, that could be interesting for you.

We are proud to announce, that we started preparations for the third CEC Conference. Building on the first conference, it focused on assessing the development of the sector, built on the 60 recommendations and updated them in an effort to align to the current context, ensuring relevance through a participatory approach. About 200 experts, academics and practitioners from 31 countries gathered to discuss the current state of Civic Education in the MENA region. Several NACE Members took active part in the framework of the conference in the thematic workshops. We are planning to hold the third edition of the CEC by the end of 2018 (03-07 December) in Morocco. The conference will gather 200 participants from the MENA region, Europe and other regions in order to ensure geographical diversity involving various backgrounds (Civil society, Academia, Media, Corporate institutions and Governmental bodies). Civic Education will be the main conference topic that will be treated from different functional angles: Institutionalization, content, advocacy and communication.

If you have any feedback, suggestion please do not hesitate to contact us. Furthermore, if you want us to spread some activities and events, please just tell us. We consider ourselves as a learning organization so please give us feedback on this issue and help us step by step to improve this newsletter concerning your needs.

Yours sincerely

Moez Ali (Tunisia), Shahdan Arram (Egypt), Nelly Corbel (Egypt/France), Jacob Erle (Denmark), Petra Grüne (Germany), Sina Lebert (Germany/ Egypt), ElHossien Mahmoud (Egypt), Mona Shahien (Egypt), Louisa Slavkova (Bulgaria)

– The NACE Executive Board

LOOKING BACK: ACTIVITIES OF NACE AND ITS PARTNERS

Euroclio Conference/ Marseille, France

21-26 April 2018

EUROCLIO – European Association of History Educators organised the 25th Annual Conference from 21-26 April 2018. The conference was hosted and co-organised among others by NACE and EUROCLIO’s co-founding member organization from France, the Association des Professeurs d’Histoire et de Géographie (APHG). The conference took place in Marseille, France’s door to the Mediterranean horizon.

To understand the current challenges around the Mediterranean, history, heritage, and citizenship education has a key role to play. That is precisely the reason why EUROCLIO and APHG have decided to choose “Mediterranean Dialogues: Teaching History beyond our Horizons” as the theme for its 25th Annual Conference. The conference was an interesting opportunity for NACE to explore the lines of intersection between history teaching and civic education. This is also the reason why the conference was also very interesting for NACE. We are fortunate that our NACE Executive Board Member Nelly Corbel moderated the panel “Teaching Islamic History and Values”, where the a NACE Advisory Board Member took part in the assiciated auditorium, which was high-calibred. In addition, NACE sees itself as a network platform, so we are glad that several NACE members attendet the Euroclio as well, where another networking opportunity for different members to get in touch with similar organizsations across the Atlantic, as well as different Arab organizations participating. was offered and different exchanges took place in Marseille. Topics of teaching controversial issues as controversial, empathy as a tool of teaching, and also how civil wars are taught in schools were the highlight of the controversial issues discussed. We are very happy to take advantage of such opportunities.

For more information please visit euroclio.eu | facebook.com/euroclio | @EUROCLIO

Goethe-Institut Cairo: ToT Civic Education: Module 1/ Sekem & Cairo, Egypt

Under the framework of the “Dialogue & Transition” programme supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut is implementing several projects facilitating mobility in the culture and education sectors and fostering exchange between stakeholders in North Africa, the Middle East and Germany. Recognizing the importance and strong potential of civil society in shaping societies, one of these projects in particular aims at strengthening civic education and active civil society organisations in the region.

Goethe-Institut Kairo / Roger Anis

Since 2014, the Goethe-Institut Cairo has been partnering up with the Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP) at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, to offer a Training-of-Trainers course on civic education. The course brings together trainers with different backgrounds (communication, leadership, organizational development, advocacy, media, art etc.) from civil society organisations from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. The contents of the training are based on the experiences and discussions on civic education within the trainings of the past four years (tolerance, identity, acceptance of differences, gender equity, inclusion, leadership, project management and organizational development). It relates principles of democracy to everyday decision making. Concepts such as equality, freedom or diversity are applied in the group context, allowing the participants to reflect on their role in group processes. Rather than learning about democracy as a theory the programme thus offers a practical and experiential approach. The first module took place from 6-12 May in Egypt (Sekem and Cairo. The programme was designed and implemented in close coordination with the three co-trainers from Egypt, Jordan and Morocco (the latter both being alumni of the ToT themselves), mostly in English, partially in Arabic. The different tools and methodologies that have been introduced, can be found in the comprehensive open source manual “Civic Education. Identity, Diversity, Change. Training Manual for Civil Society Actors in the MENA region” (https://www.goethe.de/ins/eg/ar/kul/sup/trp/tlo/20713630.html).

The first module included a one-day field trip that allowed participants to get to know and exchange with representatives of three different civil society organizations in Cairo, namely ADEF, Ambassadors for Dialogue and Think Tank.

The second module will be implemented in Germany in June, the third module in Tunisia in November.

Egyptian Subnetwork

An Egyptian National Network for civic education stakeholders was initiated with a kick-off meeting in October 2017 under the umbrella of NACE by the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI), Goethe-Institut and Tahrir Lounge with the objective of creating a platform for civic education practitioners in Egypt, providing a safe space with the opportunity to network, share best practices, discuss common challenges and opportunities, while contributing to the strengthening of active citizenship in the country.

The first regular meeting took place at Goethe-Institut Cairo (Downtown) on 20^th March 2018 with the goal of further expanding, strengthening and consolidating the Egyptian network. The meeting agenda was designed in a participatory manner with the purpose of participants taking responsibility and ownership of the network at the earliest stages. The meeting provided the opportunity to network, share experiences and best practices, discuss common challenges and opportunities and introduced the participants to NACE visions and values. Discussions thus centered in a first round on (knowledge) exchange of attendees on training offers and needs, possible venues for trainings, an NGO database, experiences and ideas for the network. Subsequently, working groups focused on crucial elements of the network itself (communication, objectives, governance, and core group).

Around 30 stakeholders from the field of civic education attended (both with and without institutional affiliation), among them representatives of international organizations, local/national NGOs and initiatives as well as individual experts. Network meetings will be held quarterly. The second meeting will take place on 2 July 2018.

AGORA – for creative Entrepreneurship

Agora is a 18 month program for young people who have a good idea with a focus the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) that they want to make a reality! The Agora Programme, which the NACE Partner Fotoessa is currently working on and which will be implemented with other organisations from Sweden, England, Romania and Greece is starting from June 2018 till June next year.

They are always looking for engaged and creative young participants who seek a career in the creative or cultural sector and have a great interest in learning from other people, as well as a belief in diversity and collaboration. Applicants should be between the ages of 18-28, situated in commuting distance from Malmö, Sweden and have a personal project within the CCIs that they would like to develop during the process.

For futher information please contact admin@fotoessa.gr.

VOICES ABOUT NACE

Networking for Change

In 2017, the zenith-magazine met with the Executive Board of NACE in Berlin to discuss its view of the recent developments in Europe, as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. Below is a short excerpt from the article, which was published online. Please find here the full version of the article: https://magazine.zenith.me/en/society/connecting-arab-civil-society

Organizations promoting civic education in the Arab world often face difficult working conditions. Connecting MENA NGOs with one another, and with NGOs in Europe, helps spread expertise and resources.

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, many MENA countries that saw popular uprisings or protests have in turn witnessed counter-revolutionary reactions. The traditional powers-that-be have tried to reassert their positions, clamping down on freedom of expression and association. Moez Ali, a seasoned fighter of corruption in Tunisia and an NGO activist focused on human rights, is blunt when he describes the political dynamic.

“Regimes in the Arab world would like to have subjects; they don’t want citizens who are informed about their rights.”

Ali, and many other civil society activists in the MENA region, are meeting the challenge head-on. The vision? To participate in implementing sustainable democracies, where citizens can live freely, have freedom of speech and play a full participatory role. A number of initiatives have been launched by the Goethe-Institut in recent years to bolster civil society in the MENA region, including two civic education conferences (CEC), in Alexandria in 2013 and in Hammamet in Tunisia in 2016, organised in close cooperation with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education.

One outcome from the 2016 conference was the official launch of the Networking Arab Civic Education (NACE) organization. This connects NGOs both within the Arab region, allowing them to share resources and expertise, and with their counterparts in Europe, recognising that certain problems – such as migration and radicalisation – are shared by both the north and south Mediterranean countries.

These developments come as many citizens in the West – in the EU and in the US – are growing aware that the democratic culture in their own country is not guaranteed, but can be eroded by populism and nationalism.

It also connects Arab NGOs with organizations in Europe, including NGOs in Eastern Europe, where countries made the transition to democracy after 1990, which can provide insights into lessons that were learnt as part of that process. The network is also a powerful advocacy tool for the importance of civic education, says Louisa Slavkova, a founding member and director of Sofia Platform, a Bulgarian organization that promotes democracy.

Another threat is apathy. Mona Shahien, founder of Tahrir Lounge@Goethe, relates her experience when she was invited to German schools and universities to talk about the Egyptian revolution in 2011.

“I was surprised to find that many young people [in Germany] do not feel how political participation is important. I told them, ‘You have something, and you have to respect and protect this.’ There are a lot of lessons that we need to learn from each other.”

For more information about the zenith-magazine please visit facebook: @zenithMagazine or contact contact@zenith.me

CEC III 2018

3 – 7 December, 2018

NACE is honoured to announce that the third Civic Education Conference (CEC) will be take place in Morocco from 3rd till 7th December 2018, where Europe meets the Arab World and the interaction on cultural, social, ecological and political base can happen. The first CEC, which was insprired by NECE (Networking Citizenship Education) and organized by the Goethe-Institut, was launched in December 2013 and took place in Alexandria, Egypt. In total, more than 200 participants from various sectors and different countries participated in the CEC. They all discussed over 60 recommendations that should serve as a basis for the development of the sector. Three years later, the second CEC took place from 13 to 15 May 2016 in Tunis, Tunisia. Most participants of the first conference were reunited to discuss the urgent need for a umbrella network and finally to establish the platform CEC. With the implementation of CEC’s third version, NACE hopes to seize the opportunity to bring together as many stakeholders and Civic Educators as possible this year. We are looking forward to interesting encounters, exciting panels and fruitful discussions.
As soon as we have more detailed information we will provide it on our website: www.nacecommunity.org and will share it with you within our next NACE News. Stay tuned!
Please also note the Goethe-Institut’s website for detailed content of CEC I and CEC II: http://www.goethe.de/ins/eg/prj/cec

Ambassadors for Dialogue Egypt

18 – 24 June, 2018

The Ambassadors for Dialogue Egypt will provide a seminar in Tunisia from the 18th till the 24th of June 2018, it is basically a training on ‘Democratic Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion.’ The seminar aims to strengthen the participant’s competencies in leading and nurturing democratic and dialogical practices, processes and structures within organizations and managing diversity and fostering inclusion of minorities and marginalized youth. The intention is thus to strengthen the participants’ capacity to contribute to the ‘Youth Culture and Diversity’ program. It is organized by: The Danish Youth Council, West East-Center, the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute, KFUM-Spejderne and Les Scouts Tunisien.

DEDI Dialoue Practioners Summer School

12 – 17 August, 2018

Another upcoming activity is DEDI’s annual Dialogue Forum: This year the Dialogue Forum will be organized jointly between DEDI, the newly established Center for Dialog I/S and DUF to bring 12 Danish dialogue practitioners together with 12 Egyptian dialogue practitioners for 5 days from the 12th to the 17th August 2018 in Denmark. The objective is to provide a space for dialogue practitioners to network, share and reflect on their own tools and their impact, and exchange knowledge, best practices, and experience. The link to the application is here:

http://www.dedi.org.eg/blog/call-for-applications-dialogue-practitioners-summer-school/

CENESA

5 – 9 November, 2018

Civic Education Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (CENESA) is planning the CENESA Regional Meeting from 5th – 9th November 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. For more detailed information please contact cenesa2017@gmail.com.

NECE Conference 2018

6 – 9 September, 2018
“Brave New Worlds? The Future of Democracy and Citizenship Education”

With support of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Agency for Civic Education can offer subsidy to cover travel and accommodation expenses for the duration of the NECE Conference 2018 in Marseille, France. This subsidy is to offer financial support to civic education stakeholders (professional or volunteer) from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, so they may take part in the NECE Conference 2018 in Marseille, despite financial constraints. Do you have partners, networks or other contacts in the mentioned countries? Please feel free to forward this information to persons who might be interested. Thank you! Please find further information on requirements and the application procedure, the conference’s programme as well as the application form on the conference website: www.nece-conference.eu/register-now/

Applications are accepted until 15 June 2018. (Applicants will be informed as soon as possible, at earliest by 22 June, if their application has been accepted or not.)
Visa procedure: In case of admission, an official invitation letter will be sent to you to be presented at the French consulate in your respective country. However, we would like to point out that it is your own responsibility to obtain a valid visa for France in due time. More information about visa requirements is available at: https://france-visas.gouv.fr. We highly recommend taking all the necessary steps for obtaining a visa as soon as possible. For more information on the conference and NECE – Networking European Citizenship Education in general is published at www.nece-conference.eu.
If you require any further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact: NECE-subsidy2018@labconcepts.de

CALLS

DEDI: Dialogue Practitioners Summer School

The Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI) would like to invite you to participate in this year’s Dialogue Forum. The forum aims at bringing together 12 young Egyptians and 12 Danes to practically explore and engage in dialogue. This year’s Dialogue Forum, in partnership with the Danish Youth Council (DUF) and the Danish Center for Dialogue, will focus on the exchange of experience and knowledge among Egyptian and Danish dialogue practitioners under the theme: “Dialogue Tools: differences in contexts – differences in methods or styles?”

This year’s forum will be for 6 days on the 12th -17th of August in Haslev, Denmark. All expenses are covered by DEDI.

Who’s the right candidate:

The eligible applicant is a 20-35 years old Egyptian or Dane and would consider themselves a dialogue practitioner. S/He should typically be willing and enthusiastic about working in teams among a diverse group of participants. An applicant must be completely dedicated to the forum and fully present during the forum week. Selection will intend to fulfil a high degree of cultural and social diversity among participants.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying, please contact df2018@dedi.org.eg

Preparing Global Leaders Forum/ Bulgaria

Application is now open for the Preparing Global Leaders Forum (PGLF) that will take place from 12^th to 19^th August on the premises of the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) in the city of Blagoevgrad. The program for young leaders will gather talented students and young professionals from all around the world alongside with leading professors from top universities such as Georgetown, Oxford and the Sorbonne as well as guest speakers from Bulgaria. Scholarships are available for top candidates. Visit the website of the program for all application requirements: https://bulgaria.pglf.org/

PGLF is an international network with local programs in countries like Russia, Croatia, Jordan, Brazil and more than 1000 Alumni participants from over 100 countries worldwide. PGLF mission is to cultivate and prepare a network of innovative leaders who excel at bridging across diverse disciplines, demographics, and divides. The focus of the Bulgarian program would be the divide between the public, the non-governmental and the business sector.

The program targets students and young professionals between 18 and 35 years who are eager to develop their leadership skills. The courses emphasize on skills for negotiations and influencing others, presentational and public speaking skills, effective decision-making, leadership and communication, preparation for job interviews, psychology of the global leadership. The classes would include plenty of simulations, working in groups and presenting the results of completed tasks. Each participant is to receive a certificate for successfully finishing the program.

More about the program, the criteria for participation and the deadlines for applying can be found on the PGLF Bulgaria website: https://bulgaria.pglf.org/

Westerwelle Young Founders Programme/ Autumn 2018

The Westerwelle Foundation just opened the Call for Applications for the Autumn 2018 Westerwelle Young Founders Programme and they are looking for outstanding young entrepreneurs from developing and emerging economies to participate in the Young Founders Conference in Berlin, Germany from 16 to 20 October 2018.
During the year-long programme, all fellows will get access to:

- - The Young Founders Conference in Berlin, Germany; 16th – 20th October 2018
  - a mentoring programme: monthly mentoring calls with an experienced entrepreneur and with the group of Westerwelle Young Founders
  - Invitations and scholarships for entrepreneurship conferences
  - an international alumni network
  - and the best: Travel and accommodation for the Young Founders Conference will be covered by the Westerwelle Foundation. All fellows are expected to actively participate in the Young Founders Conference as well as in the scheduled mentoring calls.
  - The application form will be open until 25 June 2018 at http://yfp.westerwelle-foundation.com.

Lazord Fellowship

Call for Applications for Fellows

If you are a visionary leader, who aims to generate ideas for social change in areas such as education, women’s rights, social entrepreneurship, youth, corporate social responsibility, and human rights, we encourage you to apply!

The Lazord partners are pleased to announce the opening of applications to become a 2018-2019 Lazord Fellow. As a Lazord Fellow, you would be joining a multi-dimensional program that seeks to empower its fellows to develop a critical understanding of civic engagement, and to improve their leadership and technical skills for their future careers, regardless of the sector. The program achieves its mission through offering mentoring, providing job opportunities in organizations striving to advance the common good, and creating enriched educational opportunities. The Lazord Foundation is pleased to announce that we are including applicants that meet the criteria below coming from: Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, and Libya.

Eligibility criteria:

- - For public universities graduates: open to all graduates from any branch;
  - For private university graduates: need-based scholarship granted for at least 2 years;
  - Having graduated in 2016 or after;
  - Proven record of being civically engaged;
  - Ready to commit to a one-year full-time fellowship starting September 2018;
  - Be available to attend the annual regional retreat from September 23 to September 29;
  - Be a resident of the country of the fellowship to which you are applying.

Fellows will:

- - be hosted for one year in a local non-profit organization as a full-time employee;
  - receive a living stipend (based on the country) and a modest housing stipend (based on the fellow’s placement and needs);
  - be offered a minimum of 10 training sessions by influential civil society leaders and professional trainers on an array of topics surrounding civil society, entrepreneurship management, leadership, team building, business skills, and much more;
  - receive monthly mentoring sessions with professional mentors with civil society experience;
  - have networking opportunities with professionals and influential individuals from all sectors – both local and international;
  - males applying from Egypt have to either be exempted from military service, already received the certificate of exemption, or be done with their service;
  - attend the annual opening and closing retreats with the regional cohort of fellows from all 3 countries.

Application deadline: July 1, 2018

For more information and to apply, please contact your local Lazord partner listed below and visit: http://nacecommunity.org/index.php/lazord-fellowship-2018-2019/

Country	Local partner institution	Contact person	Contact person’s email address	Link to Application
Egypt	Gerhardt Center, AUC	Gerhart Center	gerhartcenter@aucegypt.edu	Apply
Jordan	INJAZ	Thourya Ibrahime	lazordcall@injaz.org.jo	Apply
Tunisia	UTIL	Moez Ali	contact@util.tn	Apply

War or Peace? Crossroads of History 1918/2018

17 – 21 October, 2018

1918 is essentially linked to the end of the First World War, the “Great War” that had upended Europe and the world. 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. While some were mourning losses and defeat, 1918 marked the rise of new nations and identities for others. Hopes and visions for a brighter and peaceful future collided with continuing violence in various shapes and forms. Entirely different notions of coexistence, peace and democracy were deliberated both peacefully and with violent or suppressive means. Ambiguities like these are symptomatic not only for the time after the First World War, but for many crossroads of global history. This in mind, the festival “War or Peace?” aims to capture the variety of different – sometimes competing – narratives and to explore their consequences for todays reality. On the occasion of its remembrance, the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and the Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin invite international guests and artists to explore questions of “War or Peace?” throughout history.

Sounds interesting to you? Via different topics and approaches, as a participant of the festival we invite you to investigate how notions, expectations and reality of War and Peace differed throughout space and time and how memory and mutual understanding have strong effects on current political and civic activity. By pooling different identities, diverse perspectives as well as ideas of remembrance and utopia, you will aim to voice common perspectives on the past, the present and the future in unexpected and creative ways. Innovative and unexpected methods and perspectives are part of the festival’s unique approach. The Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin will contribute to the multi-perspective approach of the festival by setting up a corresponding cultural programme. If you are interested in the revelation and examination of historical contrasts and constructs, we want you to participate. The application is starting from tomorrow, June 13th 2018 for everyone aged 18-30 yrs with a strong interest or professional background in history education, remembrance work, public or urban history, peace and conflict studies, arts or related subjects.

More detailed information about the festival, the program and the registration you will find tomorrow on the website: www.warorpeace1818.org/ Please note the deadline for application: until June 30^th, 2018.

If you have further question, please contact warorpeace@bpb-registration.de.