NordplusCo-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic Countries
→ NordplusJunior→ NordplusHigherEducation→ NordplusAdult→ NordplusHorizontal→ NordplusNordicLanguages
NordplusCooperation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic Countries Joan Rask and Henrik Neiiendam Andersen
US2019:416© Nordplus 2019
Layout: Studio Bjørn OrtmannCover Photo: Michael Funch, Norden.org
Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.
Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and interna-tional collaboration and aims at creating a strong Nordic com-munity in a strong Europe.
Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Shared Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive.
Nordic Council of Ministers Nordens Hus Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen www.norden.org
Download and order Nordic publications from www.norden.org/nordpub
NordplusNordplus is the Nordic Council of Ministers´ programme for sup-port of co-operation and mobility between educations institu-tions across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Nordplus is one the largest initiatives of the Nordic educational co-operation and offers financial support for the collaboration between education institutions within the entire field of educa-tion, from kindergarten and primary education to higher educa-tion and adult learning.
Nordplus was established in 1988 and has supported the Nordic educational co-operation and the close cohesion between the Nordic countries for over 30 years. In 2008 the Baltic countries joined Nordplus.
NordplusCo-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries
→ NordplusJunior→ NordplusHigherEducation→ NordplusAdult→ NordplusHorizontal→ NordplusNordicLanguages
Intro
NordplusNordic and Baltic collaboration on education
Nordplus by numbers
Nordplus JUNIORYoungpeoplecelebratediversityFactsaboutNordplusJunior
Nordplus HIGHER EDUCATION InnovationinArcticteachertrainingFactsaboutNordplusHigherEducation
Nordplus ADULTSportopensdoorsforrefugeesandimmigrantsFactsaboutNordplusAdult
Nordplus HORIZONTALClimatechangeonthecurriculumFactsaboutNordplusHorizontal
Nordplus NORDIC LANGUAGES LanguagetechnologychangeslanguageteachingFactsaboutNordplusNordicLanguages
CONTENTS
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Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 4
5Intro
IntheOldIcelandicEddicpoemHávamál,itstates:“Healoneknowswhowanderswidely”.OnecouldsaythattheseancientwordsofwisdomaptlysumupthegoaloftheNordicCouncil’seducationpolicyonmobi- lityunderitsNordplusprogramme,aswellasreflectoneofthecentralobjectivesofNordiccollaboration.
InaNordicCouncilofMinisters´committeereportfrom2017,entitled“ValuableCooperation”(Ettvärdefulltsamarbete),over3,000NordiccitizenswereaskedfortheiropiniononNordiccollaboration.Thefin-dingsrevealedthatpeoplewereverypositivetowardssuchcooperation,particularlyintheareaofeducation.Amongyoungpeople,aroundhalfconsideredmobilitywithintheNordiccountriestobeoneofthegreatestbenefitsofthatpartnership.
Itisindeedhearteningtoseethataround9,000studentsandtea-cherstakepart ineducationalexchangeprojectswithintheNordiccountriesannually.ThisinteractionisfinancedundertheNordpluspro-gramme,thelargestofitskindinthefieldofeducationundertheaus-picesoftheNordicCouncilofMinisters.
ItisalsoworthnotingthatinadditiontothefiveNordiccountries,theFaroeIslands,Greenland,Åland,andthethreeBalticstatesarepar-ticipantsinNordplus.Thisshowsthewidedegreeofinvolvementbythecountriesintheprogrammeandtheircommitmenttocollaborationinthefieldofeducation.
Weknowthateducationisacontinuousandnever-endingprocess,andstudycantakemanyforms.Lifelonglearningisnotlimitedtoinsti-tutionsorplaces,andtodayitiseasiertohaveone´scompetenceevalu- atedindependentlyofhowitwasattained.Inanageofrapidchange,weallneedtoconsiderthedevelopmentofourindividualcompetenciesandknowledgeandallowourcuriosityandthirstforknowledgetobeourguidinglight.Opportunitiesforstudyareeverywhere,thetrickistobeabletoselectfromthatvastseaofinformationandrecogniseone´srightsandareasofinterest.Whenaccordedproperconsideration,fur-thereducationinthebroadestsenseisameansforachievingequalityanditbenefitseverybody.
Fortheperiod2019-2020,theNordplusprogrammewillhaveasitsfocus“Digitalcompetencesandcomputationalthinking:preparingpu-pils,studentsandadultsforadigitalisedsociety”.TheimpactofrapidlychangingtechnologiesonstudyandeducationisachallengethatalltheNordiccountriesarefacing.Wearefarmorelikelytobesuccessfulinrisingtothatchallengebyworkinginunisonandsharingknowledge.
Lastyear,Nordpluscelebrated30yearsofNordiccollaborationanda decade of cooperation between the Nordic countries and the Baltic states.Nordplusis,withoutadoubt,theNordicCouncilofMinisters´flagshipprogramme,andIverymuchlookforwardtoanevencloserworkingpartnershipoverthecomingyears.
PREFACEBYTHEMINISTER
↑ LiljaAlfreðsdóttir,IcelandicministerofEducation,ScienceandCulturePhoto:SigurjónSigurjónssonljósm
← Photo:YadidLevy/Norden.org
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 6
Everyyear,Nordplusearmarksapproximately9.6millioneuroforex-changeprogrammes,projectsandotherformsofnetworking,enablingsome9,000pupils,studentsandteacherstogoonexchangevisits.Aswellaslearningabouteachother’scultures,theparticipantsworktogetherinaneducationalperspectiveonavastrangeoftopics,fromclimatechangeandsustainabilitytointegration,digitalisationandlanguage.
Studentscollaborateonprojectsthatenhancetheirknowledgeofspecificacademicsubjects.Teachersandeducationalistsdevelopnewmethodsandapproachestoteaching.NGOsandcompaniesworkto-getherwithorganisations,studyprogrammesandspecialistunitstode-velopsolutionsthatrequireexpertknowledge.AllNordplusprojectshavesomeconnectiontolearningandeducationandarebasedonexchangesofknowledge,networkingandco-operationbetweenNordicandBalticcountries.
Nordplusisopentoagreatvarietyofthemesandideasdefinedbytheapplicants.
ManyinitiativesreflectandseeksolutionstotheissuesonthepoliticalagendaintheNordicandBalticcountries:Climatechangeandsustain-abledevelopment,digitalisation,inclusionandintegration,entrepreneur-ship,activecitizenshipandNordiclanguageandculture,tonameafew.TheexamplesfromNordplus,presentedinthispublication,reflectthis.
Asaninspirationforapplicants,Nordplushighlightedtheissueofinte-grationofrefugeesandimmigrantsin2017–2018,andfortheyears2019–2020,thefocusisondigitalcompetencesandcomputationalthinking,preparingchildren,youngpeopleandadultsforadigitalisedsociety.
Nordplus: 2012–2017 and the future
In2018,Nordplusenteredanewfive-yearprogrammeperiodandmarkedits30thanniversary.DagfinnHøybråten,SecretaryGeneraloftheNor-dicCouncilofMinisters,hasfollowedthedevelopmentofBaltic/Nordic
”Theworldaroundusischanging,andthatiswhytheBaltic-Nor-dic co-operation be-comesincreasinglyrelevant-notlessrelevant”—DagfinnHøybråten
NORDPLUS–NORDICANDBALTICCOLLABORATIONONEDUCATION
NordplusistheNordicCouncilofMinisters’mobi-lityandnetworkingprogrammeforeducationintheNordicandBalticcountries.
7Nordplus–NordicandBalticcollaboration on education
co-operationatfirsthand–notonlyinNordplusbutacrossalloftheNordicCouncilofMinisters’institutions.
“Nordplushasmostdefinitelymadeadifferenceontheindividualle-vel,andthatisquiteunique.Everydaytherearenewparticipantswhogettheopportunitytosharetheirexperienceandapplyitintheirday-to-daylife–it’slikearippleeffect,”saysHøybråten.
AdecadeofBalticco-operation
Latvia,LithuaniaandEstoniahavebeenequalpartnersinNordplusforthelasttenyears,somethingthattheSecretaryGeneralwelcomes.Nord- plusisoneoftheNordicCouncilofMinisters’biggestco-operationpro-grammes,andDagfinnHøybråtenseesitasoneofthosewiththemostwidespreadgrassrootssupport.
“Theworldaroundusischanging,andthatiswhytheBaltic-Nordicco-operationbecomesincreasinglyrelevant–notlessrelevant.TheNor-dicCouncilofMinisterscommitsmoretothisareathanwedidjustfewyearsago,”hesays.
ThethreeBalticstateshavetakenpartinNordplussince2008.BalticinstitutionsnowparticipateonanequalfootingwiththeirNordiccoun-terpartsandareeligibletoapplytoallNordplusprogrammes.
“Whenitcomestoeducation,supportforpartnershipsbetweentheNordicandBalticcountriesiswellestablished.Specifically,theNordicandBalticcountriespayequalcontributions intoNordplus,andsy- stematicevaluationsshowthatitisoneofourmostpopularprojects,”saysHøybråten.
Nordplus supports cooperation withinthefieldofeducationbetween the Nordic and Baltic countries.
→ fundsfornetworking,projectcollaborations,andexchange
→ fundsavailablefortheentirefieldofeducation,frompre-schooltohighereducationandadultlearning
→ atotalof9.6millioneuroisavailableforgrantseachyear
→ approximately600applica-tionsperyear,approximately400ofthemareapprovedforfunding
→ approximately3,000univer-sities,universitycolleges,andschoolsamongstothersparticipate in Nordplus each year.
→ approximately9,000pupils,students and teachers are eachyearonanexchangeinanother Nordic-Baltic coun-trywithsupportfromNord-plus
→ annualdeadlineforapplyingforNordplusis1stFebruary
Atwww.nordplusonline.org,youcanfindapplicationforms,applicationguides,andinfor-mationonNordplusagenciesineverycountry.
FACTS
→ DagfinnHøybråten,SecretaryGeneraloftheNordicCouncilofMinisters2013-2019Photo:JohannesJansson,Norden.org
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 8
NORDPLUSBYNUMBERS
Number of project applications in the period 2012-2018 Intheyears2012-2018,Nord-plushasreceivedatotalof4,821applications,ofwhich3,015receivedfunding.In2018,atotalof628appliedofwhich415activitieswereawardedfunding.
NumberofapplicationstoNord- plusintheperiod2012-2018-categorisedbyprogramme.
1660
1366
1757
981
821
370
368
159 215
139
HigherEducation
Applied
Tothecountry
Awarded
Outofthecountry
Junior Adult Horizontal Nordic Languages
Mobility per country in the period 2012-2016Thenumberofpupils,students,teachers,researchersamongstotherswhohaveparticipatedinmobilityactivities.
Atotalof47,259peopleparti- cipatedinmobilityactivitiesintheperiod2012-2016.Certainmobilityactivitiesarelong-termprojects,thatiswhytheperiodonlygoesto2016.Similarnum-bersareexpectedfor2017and2018.
Sweden6245
57575159
46714451
43114219
53374280
60339368
709
909
339316
576
40873840
74368361
444
7670
Lithuania
Iceland
Finland
Estonia
Norway
Latvia
Greenland
Faroe Islands
Denmark
ÅlandIslands
9Nordplusbynumbers
4804
3202
2393
858
2846
1442
1215
612
HigherEducation
Applied Awarded
Junior Adult Horizontal Nordic Languages
Funding in 1000 euro in the period 2012-2018NordplusisoneofthelargestprogrammesundertheNordicCouncilofMinisters.Approxi-mately9.5millioneuroperyearhavebeengrantedtoprojects,networks,exchange,andmobil-itywithineducationandlifelonglearning.
In2018,morethan24millioneurowereappliedfor,andatotalof9.5millioneurowereawardedinfunding.
Number of organisa-tions applying in the period 2012-2018Intheperiod2012-2018,28,001partnersappliedforfunding,and21,430wereawardedfunding.
In2018,Nordplusreceivedatotalof3,945applicationsfrompartners,and3,141wereawar- dedfunding.Incomparisonwith2008,2,223applied,and2,220partnerswereawardedfunding.
Thenumbersincludeorganisa-tionsthathaveappliedforfun-dingrepeatedlyduringthetimeperiod.
1674
4
1531
5
HigherEducation30,662 €
Junior18,747 €
Adult8,274 €
Horizontal6,987 €
NordicLanguages4,342 €
6%
10%
12%
27%
45%
→ …thatNordplussent9,014peopleonexchangeinanotherNordic/Balticcountryin2016?
→ …thatNordplushasapartnersearchdatabasewhereyoucanpresentyourproject,ideaorac-tivityandsimultaneouslysearchfor partners in other Nordic and Balticcountries?Perhapsitisyouandyourorganisationtheyarelookingfor.
DIDYOUKNOW
NORDPLUSJUNIOR
11
→ NORDPLUS JUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Asocietyshouldbejudgedbyhowittreatsitsweakestmembers.ANordplusJuniorexchangeprogrammecalled“PromoteTolerance–Cel-ebrateDiversity”,hasbeenexploringthisidea,originallyespousedbytheEnglishsocialscientistPeterTownsend.Itisabigproject,involvingsixcolleges,sixnations-and89studentsand35teachershavebeenonexchangevisits.
OneofthecollegestakingpartisHaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentreinasmallseasidetownabout100kmwestofTal-linn,thecapitalofEstonia.Thecollegehasaround800studentsand90staffmembersandprovidestraininginsubjectsrangingfromcookery,healthandsocialservices,toofficework,constructionandIT.HeliHei-mo,theinternationalcoordinator,hasbeenworkingtherefor10yearsandseenthecollegebecomeincreasinglyinternational.Andthereisareasonforthat.
“Usually,studentsjustgotocollege,theylearnabouttheirfuturejobsanddoalotofpracticalstuffbutnotmuchelse.Theseinterna-tionalprojectsallowthemtobecreative,totalk,topracticetheircom-municationskillsandEnglish,andtoworkwithotherpeopleoftheirownage,”shesays.
Theprojectaimstoreducesocialexclusionandhelpyoungpeoplebecomemoretolerantandopentopeoplewhoaredifferent.Ithassixsub-themes,oneineachcollege/country:genderandsexuality;disabili- ty;religiousdiversity;socialstatus;raceandethnicity;andageandin-ter-generationaldialogue.
WhenitwasEstonia’sturntoactashost,itarrangedforitsNordicandBalticguests,andEstonianstudents,tovisitahomeforpeoplewithmentalhealthdisabilities.Thecollegechosetoworkwithdisability
ByJoanRask
YOUNGPEOPLECELEBRATEDIVERSITY
StudentsinvocationalcollegesintheNordicandBalticcountrieshavebeenstudyingdifferences,similaritiesandopportunitiesintermsofreligi-on,sexuality,generation,socialstatus,physical/mentalhealthdisabilitiesandethnicity.Andtheyloveit.
”Immigrantsbringnewideas,newthin-king,newskillsandnewcontacts.Thiscanbeofbenefittothelocalcommunity.”—BryanRoberts
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 12
ininclusivelocalcommunitiesbecausethetownhasaschoolforthedisabled,aswellasarehabilitationcentre.
“Ourcollegeteachesstudentswithminordisabilities–wespecialiseinit.That’swhywewantedtotakeownershipofthistopicbecauseIfeelthatwearestronginthisareaandhavesomethingtooffertherestofthenetwork,”saysHeliHeimo.
Helidescribeshowstudentsandresidentsofthehomepaintedsmallbagstogether.
“Itwasinteresting.Becausestudentswouldn’tnormallysitatthesametableaspeoplewithmentalhealthdisabilities.Itwashardforthemtocommunicatewitheachother,buteveryonewantedittoworkandhelpedtranslate,”shesays.
Afterwards,boththeEstonianstudentsandtheirNordicandBalticguestswereenthusiasticaboutthevisit.
↑ ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“PromoteTolerance-CelebrateDiversity”takingpartinaworkshopwithintellectual-lydisabledcitizensinHaapsalu,Estonia.Photo:HeliHeimo,HaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentre
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“Ourstudentswereabitnervousatfirst,butwhentheystartedtowork,andtheresidentsstartedaskingquestions,theymanagedtocommunicate.Whenwewereleaving,theresidentswantedtocomewithusandaccompaniedusalongtheroadforquitesomedistance,”explainsHeliHeimo.
Aninternationalmindset
Theproject’sFinnishpartner,PointCollege,isinPorvoo,atownabout50kmeastofHelsinki.Thecollege,whichisalsotheco-ordinatingpart-neroftheproject,chosetofocusonraceandethnicity.Projectco-or-dinatorAnitaEglite-OsmaneisoriginallyfromLatviabuthaslivedinFinlandformostofherlife.Sheisresponsibleforapplicationsforinter-nationalprojectsatthecollege,andsheandhercolleaguesareclearlyverygoodatwhattheydobecausethecollegeisnowveryinternational.
Anitaisveryclearaboutthepositiveroleeducationplaysinthefightagainstbothexclusionandradicalisation,andthatitisimportantforstudentstoknowthattheyhavenothingtofearfromdiversity.
“Weshouldseediversityasanadvantageratherthanadisadvan-tageand,sometimes,ifsomethingcan’tbelearnedinaclassroom,thestudentsjusthavetogooutintotherealworld.Theylearnalotmoreoutthere,”shesays.
Eachyear,NordplusJuniorgrantsapprox.2.6millioneurofortrans-nationalclass,pupilandteacherexchangesaswellasnewnetworksandprojectinitiativeswithinpri-maryandsecondaryeducation.
→ TARGETGROUPPre-schools,elementaryschools,uppersecondaryschools(generalandvocational)andvocationalcollegesaswellascultureschoolsandotherorganisationsandactorswithinterestandrelevancefortheschoolsector.
→ ACTIVITIESExchangeofpupilsisforfullclas-sesorgroupsofpupilsaswellasforindividualstaysforpupilsofup-persecondaryschoolandvocation-alcolleges,includingworkplace-ments.Teacherexchangesinformofjob-swappingorjob-shadowing,studyvisitsorteachingstays.Fundingforpreparatoryvisitsaimedatthepreparationofapro-jectandanapplication.
→ PARTICIPATIONAbout200applicationsaresubmit-tedtotheprogrammeeveryyearandabout100areapprovedfor
funding.Around400schoolsandorganisationsparticipateintheprogrammeeachyearandabout4,000pupilsandteachersareonanexchangeeachyearwithsupportfromtheprogramme.
→ DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary,butfundingisalsoagainavailableforpreparatoryvisitsfromthe1stofOctober.
→ FUNDINGAtotalof2.6millioneuroisgrantedeachyear.
FACTSONNORDPLUSJUNIOR
“Ourcollegeteachesstudentswithminordisabilities–wespe-cialiseinit.”—HeliHeimo
→ NORDPLUS JUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 14
BryanRobertsisheadoftheInternationalProgrammeatPointCol-legeandthecontactpersonforthestudents.Together,heandAnitalaidthefoundationsfor“PromoteTolerance–CelebrateDiversity”.
“Wefeltthatdiversityneededtobediscussed,andthatitwouldhelptheintegrationprocess–bothforourinternationalstudentsandfortheFinnishhostsociety,”Bryanpointsout.
HestressesthatthereareenormousbenefitsinlocalFinnishcom-munitiesandtheinternationalstudentsgettingtoknoweachother,andthattheprojectishelpingtofacilitateandspeedupintegration.
“Immigrantsbringnewideas,newthinking,newskillsandnewcon-tacts.Thiscanbeofbenefittothelocalcommunity.Finlandisasmallcountrywithjust5.5millionpeople,socompanieshavetothinkinter-nationally.OurinternationalstudentsbringresourcestoFinlandthathavenotbeenusedenoughinthepast,”hesays.
Thecollegeiskeenlyawarethatvaluesarenotsomethingyoulearnjustbyreadingaboutthem.AsBryanandAnitastress,it’sallaboutexperiencingthingsandbeingpartofacommunity.Newinsightsaremadewhenstudentsobservetheirteachersandpeersshowingrespectforpeopleirrespectiveofgender,raceordisability.
“Studentsareoftensurprisedathowmuchfuntheseprojectsareandhowmuchtheylearn.Itisquitebeneficialforthem–andforus.
“Weareasmallcol-lege,andmanyofourstudentsarefromruralbackgrounds.Theydon’tcomefromwealthyfamilies.Theyhaven’ttravelledbefore,andsomeofthemhavegrownupwith prejudices and preconceptions about othercountries.Wewanttobreakthatmindset.”—HeliHeimo
← ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“PromoteTolerance-CelebrateDiversity”takingpartinaworkshopwithintellectual-lydisabledcitizensinHaapsalu,Estonia.Photo:HeliHeimo,HaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentre
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AnitaandIlistentotheseyoungpeopleofvariousages.Whentheydiscussrealproblems,theydoitinaveryadultway,andtheycomeupwithsomeincrediblesolutions,”saysBryanRoberts.
Toleranceonthecurriculum
InHaapsalu,HeliHeimohastriedtospreadthepositiveenergyarisingfromtheexchangeprogrammetotherestofthecollege,andherdreamisformorestudentstohavetheopportunitytotravel.
“Thestudentsreallylikedthisprojectandtheverydifferentnatureoftheencountersabroad.Aftereachtrip,theyhavetomakeapresen-tationtothewholecollege.Alotofstudentscomeuptomeafterthepresentationsandsaythattheywouldliketobeinvolvedintheproject,”shesays.
Fromtheoutset,itwasoneofthecornerstonesoftheprojectthatasmanypeopleaspossibleshouldbenefitfromtheenergyandaccep-tanceofdifferencesbroughtbackbythestudents–andtheirteachers.
“Forusthemostimportantprojectgoalsweretocreateaninclusiveeducationandinclusivecommunitiesandtobeabletorecogniseandappreciatedifferencesandseethevalueofdiversity–and,ofcourse,Nordicvalues,whicharegenerallyverystronginourinstitutionsaswell,”saysBryanRoberts.
HeliHeimofindsthattheexchangeprogrammeishavingalastingeffectontheyoungpeople.
“Weareasmallcollege,andmanyofourstudentsarefromruralbackgrounds.Theydon’tcomefromwealthyfamilies.Theyhaven’ttravelledbefore,andsomeofthemhavegrownupwithprejudicesandpreconceptionsaboutothercountries.Wewanttobreakthatmindset,”shesays.
TheFinnishstudentsarealsoabitshy,butBryanRobertsiscertainthatwillchange.
“Oncetheygetgoing,almostnothingwillstopthem,andthat’sac-tuallyquitenice.They’reveryhesitantatfirst,butthentheirconfidenceincreases,andwhenitdawnsonthemthattheiropinionshavevalue,thatiswhentheyreallystarttogrow,”heexplains.
ThepartnercollegesinSweden,FinlandandDenmarkhavemanystudentsfromethnicbackgroundsotherthanthetraditionalNordicones,andthisaddsafurtherdimensiontotheproject.Thesheernum-berofdifferentcountriesalsomakesitquitespecial.
“Beingalargegrouphaslotsofadvantages.Wedon’tjustseetheSwedishandFinnishviewpoints.WeseetheDanish,BalticandIcelandicviewpointsaswell.Allthesecountrieshavesimilarproblemsandthesameneedforsolutionsandunderstanding.Andthestudentsneedtoseetheopportunitiesthattheseissuespresent,”saysBryan.
→ …thatmostNordplusJuniorprojectsareschoolexchangeprojectsinwhichaclassvi-sits a class in another Nordic orBalticcountryaspartofacommonacademiccourse?
DIDYOUKNOW
→ PorvooInternationalCollegeFI-POINTCollege,Finland
→ HaapsaluVocationalEdu-cationandTrainingCentre,Estonia
→ KaraliausMindaugasvoca-tionaltrainingcentre,Lithua-nia
→ LearnmarkHorsens,Den-mark
→ NyköpingsGymnasium,Swe-den
→ TheComprehensiveCollegeinAkureyri,Iceland
PARTNERS
FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK
www.nordplusonline.org
→ NORDPLUS JUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
NORDPLUSHIGHER
EDUCATION
17
Sámi,Kvens,Inuit,Norwegians,Swedes…Almosteverybodywhoworkswitheducationorteachertraining,regularlyrunsintoproblems.TheArcticishometoarangeofcultures,andtheeducationalsystemsinNorway,Sweden,FinlandandDenmarkhavenotproperlycometotermswiththisdiversity–atleastnotyet.
“It’sfrustratingthatwehaveagenerationofSámiandKvens–toquotejusttwoexamples–whoaren’tfluentintheirownlanguages,”saysGregorMaxwell,aresearcherandlecturerattheArcticUniversityofNorwayinTromsø.
GregorMaxwellspecialisesinhowtheeducationsectorcopeswithgroupswhoareinsomewaydifferent,whetherbecauseofdisability,religion,sexualityorethnicity.InnorthernNorwayethnicity,inparticu-lar,hasaspecialdimensiontoit.
“ThewholesystemispredicatedonaNorwegianculturaloutlook,”hesays.“ButwholegenerationsofSámiwanttoholdontotheirlan-guage,cultureandidentity.”
FiveArcticuniversitiesinNorway,SwedenandFinlandareseekingtoaddresstheissue.In2015,theyformedthe“Arctic5”network.NowtheNordplusproject,“ArcticTeacherEducationforSocialJusticeandEquality”,hasledtoitsfirsttransnationalmodule,ajointonlinecourse,“ArcticInclusivePedagogyMasterStudyCourse”(10ECTS)inthefieldofteachertraining.
GregorMaxwellandresearchcolleaguesfromSwedenandFinlandareworkinghardtoprovidetheacademicandpracticalsettingforthemoduletobeofferedtomaster’sstudentsinallfiveuniversitiesin2019/20.
ByJoanRask
INNOVATIONINARCTICTEACHERTRAINING
Hugedistancesandarangeofculturalidentitiesandminoritylanguagesposeauniquesetofchal-lengesforteachertrainingandresearchintothesubjectintheArcticpartoftheNordicregion.Anew10ECTStransnationalmodulehelpsaddresstheissues–andmoreinnovationistocome!
”IfeelthatthereisaNorthNorwegianidentitythatstandsoutfromthegene-ralNorwegianone,andImeetthesamethinginFinlandandSweden.It’sthesamehistoricalandgeo-graphicalisolationbecause the North hasn’talwaysbeentreated as particular-lyvaluablebythecountryasawhole.”—GregorMaxwell
NORDPLUSJUNIOR→ NORDPLUS HIGHER EDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 18
Educationwithoutborders
Approximately600kmeastofTromsø,Vice-DeanOutiKyro-ÄmmäläandlecturerErikaSarivaaraareworkingonthesametaskattheUni-versityofLapland,Finland,whereculturalinteractionandanArcticoutlookarepartofeverydaylife.ErikaspecialisesinSámicultureandlanguage.
“WemayallbeNordiccountries,butwedon’tworktogetherwellenough.Wedon’tknowwhattheotheruniversitiesintheArcticaredoing–noteventheotherFinnishones,”shesays.
ErikatrainedinbothnorthernNorwayandFinlandandhastaughtandresearchedatuniversitiesinbothcountries.Shedrawsalargecir-cletorepresenttheentireArcticregion.Shehastouseherwholearm–becauseit’sbig.
“Wealreadyhaveabetterpictureofwhat’sgoingonintermsofinclusion,”shesays.“Now,weknowwhatLuleåUniversityisdoing,forexample.That’sprogress.Wedidn’tknowthatbeforethisproject.”
NordplusHigherEducationgrantsabout4.2millioneuroeachyeartonetworkingactivities,collabo-rations,andexchangeofstudentsandteacherswithinhighereduca-tion. → TARGETGROUPUniversitiesandotherrecognisedhighereducationinstitutions,aswellasotherorganisationsandrelevantactorsinterestedinhighereducation.
→ACTIVITIESFundingforestablishingnetworks,collaborativeprojects,andex-changeofstudents,teachers,andotheracademicstaff.
→ Exchangeofstudentscanbeintheformofeitherastudyexchangeatahighereducationinstitute or an internship at a company.
→Exchangeofteachersandotheracademicstaffcanbeintheformofteaching,tutoring,de-velopingteachingmaterials,orplacementandworkingwithprofessionallife.
→ Fundingforestablishingnet-works,collaborativeprojects,developingsharedcurricula,amongstotherdevelopmentprojects
→ PARTICIPATIONAbout225-250applyeachyear,andabout200oftheapplicationsareacceptedforfunding.Around2,300partnersparticipateintheprogrammeeveryyear,andabout4,500studentsandteachersgoonexchange. → DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary.
→ FUNDINGAtotalof4.2millioneuroisgrant-edeachyear,ofwhich60-70%comprisemobilityand30-40%net-worksandprojects.
FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION
”WemayallbeNor-diccountries,butwedon’tworktogetherwellenough.Wedon’tknowwhattheotheruniversitiesintheArcticaredoing–noteventheotherFinnishones.”—ErikaSarivaara
19
Themanagementview
OutiKyro-ÄmmäläexplainsthatteachertrainingisgrapplingwiththesameorsimilarproblemsinalloftheArcticnations.Theyallhavemi-noritygroupswiththeirownlanguages,customsandidentities,andsomepeoplefeelthattheindigenouspeoplearehavingtheirculturessuckedoutofthembythedominantNordicones,aschismwithwhichnewlyqualifiedteachersneedtolearntocope.
“Ifinditdeeplyrewardingthatthestudentshavebeeninvolvedinthepreparationsforthenewmodule.It’salsoaboutnetworkingandtheopportunitytosharevariouskindsofknowledge,”OutiKyro-Äm-mäläsays.
TheuniversitiesofLaplandandTromsø,liketheothersinthepart-nership,haveenteredintoastrategiccollaborationondevelopment↑ Photo:YadidLevy/Norden.org
NORDPLUSJUNIOR→ NORDPLUS HIGHER EDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 20
andactivitiesthatwillbenefitthewholeoftheArcticregion.GregorMaxwellseesitasastepintherightdirection.
“ArangeofchallengesareuniquetothenorthernmostpartsoftheNordicregion.It’softendifficulttofindqualifiedstaff,forexample,andthatgoesforschools,kindergartensandeventheuniversity,wherewehavetoofewapplicantsforvacantpositions,”hesays.
GregorMaxwellexplainsthattheproblemisexacerbatedbythefactthatjobsintheNordiccountriesarebecomingmorespecialisedingeneral,thantheywerejustafewyearsago,whichmakesstaffre-cruitmentmoredifficultandplacesgreaterdemandsonthestudypro-grammes.
“Thepedagogicfocususedtobeondisabilities,”hesays.“Butithasshiftedtolanguageproblemsandemotionaldifficulties.Ifwecouldincorporatethemulticulturalaspectaswell,thatwouldbereallygood.”
GregorbelievesthatnorthernNorwaywillbeanevenbetterplaceifitsschoolsanduniversitiesbecomebetteratembracingminorities.
“Itcutsbothways–it’snotjustaboutcomingupwithspecialini-tiativesforincludingminorities,”heexplains.“Knowledgeofminorityculturesneedstobeintegratedintothegeneraleducationsystemsothatallchildrenandyoungpeopleencounterit.”
”Ifinditdeeplyrewardingthatthestudentshavebeeninvolvedinthepre-parations for the newmodule.It’salsoaboutnetworkingandtheopportunitytosharevariouskindsofknowledge.”—OutiKyro-Ämmälä
↓ OutiKyrö-ÄmmäläPhoto:MarkoJunttila
21
Whatis“inclusion”?
“Howdowedefineinclusion?”OutiKyro-Ämmäläthrowsouttheques-tionandsmiles.“Wemighthavedifferentviews,butIdon’tknowyetjusthowbigthosedifferencesare,”shesays.
Workontheproject,whichwillrunfortwoyears,hasonlyjuststar-ted,withthefirstworkshopbeingheldinJune2018.Sofar,ithasn’trunintoanychallenges.
“Butweknowthatthechallengeswillcome,”saysErikaSarivaara.“Legislationisaproblem...weneedtogetittofittogether.”
About20studentsareexpectedtosignupforthefirstmodule,andOutiKyro-ÄmmäläandErikaSarivaarahopethatitwilleventuallyat-tractupto100.Buttheirambitionsdon’tstopthere.
“Wewanttoshareourideasandcreatesomethingnewtogetherwithcolleaguesfromcompletelydifferentcontexts,”saysOutiKyro-Ämmälä.
ErikaSarivaaratakesupthethread:“Participantsintheprojectarereallymotivatedandinterested.They
wanttowork,andtheyfeelthatthey’recreatingsomethingnewhere.Ithasbeenveryrewardingtobepartofthisproject.”
Virtualknowledgecentre
ErikaSarivaaragrewupinLapland,asdidOutiKyro-Ämmälä,butGre-gorMaxwellisScottish.Itwashisinterestininclusion,exclusionandthetreatmentofminoritygroupsthatbroughthimtothefarNorth,butnotuntilafterspendingseveralyearsinSweden,wherehewrotehisPhD.
“IfeelthatthereisaNorthNorwegianidentitythatstandsoutfromthegeneralNorwegianone,andImeetthesamethinginFinlandandSweden.It’sthesamehistoricalandgeographicalisolationbecausetheNorthhasn’talwaysbeentreatedasparticularlyvaluablebythecoun-tryasawhole,”hesays.
AmbitionsarehighforboththeFinnishandtheNorwegianpartsoftheproject.ThenextbigchallengewillbeajointArcticMaster’sdegree;whichmightbearealitywithinatimespanoffivetosevenyears.Gre-gorMaxwellhesitatesslightlybeforeexplaining:
“We’dliketocollaborateonresearch.Maybesettingupa‘GraduateSchoolofArcticPedagogy’orsomethinglikethat–that’sthedream20yearsdowntheline.”
Itmaysoundlikeaverydistantdream,butitisonesharedbythepartnersinLapland.
“We’redreamingofaCentreofExcellence,akindofjointresearchcentre.Wedon’tknowhowtobuildit...and,ofcourse,itwouldn’tbeaphysicalplacebutavirtualresearchcentre–butthe10ECTSmoduleisastart,”saysErikaSarivaara.
→ …thatuniversitiesandhigh-er education institutions can co-operate on joint pro-grammes,andthestudentsarestudyinginatleasttwodifferentcountries?
DIDYOUKNOW
→ UniversityofLapland,Fin-land
→ LuleåUniversityofTechnolo-gy,Sweden
→ TheArcticUniversityofNor-way,Norway
→ UmeåUniversity,Sweden→ UniversityofOulu,Finland
PARTNERS
NORDPLUSJUNIOR→ NORDPLUS HIGHER EDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK
www.nordplusonline.org
NORDPLUSADULT
23
Playtogether,takepartinsports,bepositiveandbestrong–bothphysicallyandmentally.Itcreatesnewbondsandthestrengthtofaceuptoyoursituation.Insimpleterms,thisishowavideofeaturinganumberofyoungmenexplainsthebenefitsofplayingsports,whiletheywait.TheyarerefugeesorimmigrantswhohaveendedupinaNordiccountry.TheNordplusAdultproject“IntegrationofRefugeesthroughSport”isallaboutpeoplelikethem.
TheprojectwasinitiatedbyISCA,whichisasportsandculturalin-stitutionbasedinCopenhagenandinvolvespartnersfrommostoftheNordiccountries.ProjectmanagerMonikaRešetarhasbeenworkingonitforaboutayear.Sheissurprisedathowvitalthisprojecthasbecomeatapersonallevel.
“Beforebecominginvolvedinthiswork,IusedtojustreadaboutrefugeesinthepapersorsawnewsonTV,butwhenyousitdownwithrefugees,it’snolongerjustsomethingthat’shappeningsomewhereoutsideofoursafecountries.Itbecomesarealitywhenyoufindyour-selftalkingwithhumanbeingsjustlikeyou,face-to-face”,Monikasays.
MonikaRešetaris33yearsold,fromSlovenia,andshecametoDen-marktodoaninternshipwithISCAinCopenhagen.Thejobevolved,andMonikastayedontobecomeoneofthedrivingforcesbehindthecoordinationoftheproject.
“Iama‘makingtheworldabetterplace’kindofperson.ItmeansalottomethatIcanactuallycontributesomehowtothecause,even
ByJoanRask
”FromMondaytoThursday,Igooutwith representati-vesfromlocalsportsclubs.Theydemon-strate their respec- tivebranchesofsports,andinthiswaywetrytoteachrefugeesandimmi-grantsaboutsportsinSweden.”—PaavoVäyrynen
SPORTOPENSDOORSFORREFUGEESANDIMMIGRANTS
TheInternationalSportandCultureAssociation(ISCA),aworldwideNGO,anditsNordicpartnershavebuiltupanetworkoforganisationsandvolun-teerswhoencouragerefugeesandimmigrantstogetinvolvedinsportinthecommunity.Agreatdealofnewknowledgeisemergingfromtheirwork.
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION→ NORDPLUS ADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 24
thoughI’mnotworkingoutinthefield.ButI’mhelpingthecauseinotherways,withmyknowledgeandexperience.Andhopefullywithin-spirationtoo,”shesays.
Sportcreatesnewcommunities
OneofthoseoutinthefieldisPaavoVäyrynen,whoworksfortheSwe-dishSportsEducationOrganisation(SISU),anotherprojectpartner.Hehasworkedwithrefugeesandimmigrantsfor17years,particularlywithsport.
“FromMondaytoThursday,Igooutwithrepresentativesfromlocalsportsclubs.Theydemonstratetheirrespectivebranchesofsports,andinthiswaywetrytoteachrefugeesandimmigrantsaboutsportsinSweden,”Paavoexplains.
ItisuptotheexistingclubstoseizetheopportunityoncePaavoVäy-rynenhasgeneratedinterest.Hisworkingdayisfilledwithsport.Hisbagisfulloffootballs,handballs,volleyballs,shuttlecocksandevery-
”Theother,lessexpe-rienced countries wereveryinterestedinseeinghowwehadsucceededingettingrefugeesintosports.”—PaavoVäyrynen
Eachyear,NordplusAdultgrants1.2millioneuroforNordic/Balticnetworking,collaborationandexchangeofadultstudentsandteacherswithinthefieldofadultlearning.
→ TARGETGROUPAlltypesofadulteducationinsti-tutionsandotherrelevantorgani-sations and associations within all partsofthefieldforadultlearning-bothgeneralandvocationaladulteducation,formaleducationaswellasnon-formalandinformaladultlearning,includingactorsofliberal education and adult teacher andguidancecounseloreducationandstudiesandanalysesofadultlearning.
→ ACTIVITIESFundingforformingofnetworks,projectinitiativesandexchangeof adult students and teachers andotherlearningresponsibles.Andfundingforpreparatoryvisitsaimedatthepreparationofapro-jectandapplications.
Exchangeofadultstudentsinadult education institutions in an-otherNordic/Balticcountryorasworkplacementincompanies.
Exchangeofadultteachersandlearningresponsiblesintermsofjob-swop,job-shadowing,studyvisitsorteachingstays,orpartici-pationincourses.
→ PARTICIPATIONAbout100applicationseachyear,approximately50aregranted.Around200institutionsandor-ganisationsparticipateeachyear,andmorethan300adultstudentsandteachersareonexchangeeachyear.
→ DEADLINEAnnualdeadlineforapplyingis1stFebruaryandforpreparatoryvisitsagain1stOctober.
→ FUNDINGAtotalof1.2millioneuroisgrant-edtoprojectseveryyear
FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSADULT
25
thingelsehecantakeoutside.Oncethere,it’sjustamatterofgettinggoingandseewhoturnsup.
“Whenwestarted,onlyafewparticipantswouldcome,butnowwecanhaveuptoseveralhundredparticipants.Theyareofallnationalities,inclu- dingSwedes.We’retryingtoreachthosewhodon’tbelongtoaclub,”hecontinues.
Itisquitesimplyamatterofawakeningtheirinterestandengagingthemindialoguesothattheybecomeawareoftheopportunitiestheyhavetojoinsportsclubs.TheplacesPaavoturnsupinarealwaysinthemostdeprivedareas,whereupto90%oftheyoungpeopleareeitherrefugees,immigrantsorchildrenofthem.
Paavoandhiscolleaguesoftenencouragethemtobringtheirpar-entsalongtolearnwhatsportsclubshavetooffer.InBorås,anaver-ageofaboutathousandchildrenandyoungpeoplecomeintocontactwithsomebodyfromSISUeverymonth,sothepotentialfortheclubsishuge.
“Theclubsarelosingmembers,soitisawayofhelpingthemtoo.Sportisalsooneofthebestwaysofintegratingpeople,”hesays.
Infact,anybodycanborrowequipmentfreeofchargefromFritids-banken,akindoflibrarywithsportequipment.Membershipfeesforsportsclubsareonlytokenamounts,sothebarriertogettingstartedisbynomeansinsurmountable.SISU’sworkhasbeensuchasuccessthatlocalauthoritiesnowpayforitfromtheirbudgets,andsomesportsclubsarenowstrugglingtocopewithalackofspacebecausedemandformembershiphasgrown.
→ Bettersportopportunitiesforrefu-gees,immigrantsandguestworkers.ThiswasthefocalpointoftheNordplusAdultproject“Integrationofrefugeesthroughsport”.Photo:ISCA.org
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION→ NORDPLUS ADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 26
Nordicknowledgesharing
PaavoVäyrynenmayhaveconsiderableexperienceinthefield,butheisparticularlypleasedwiththisproject.
“Thisprojecthasgivenusagreatdeal.Itwasveryhelpfultotalktopeoplefromothercountriesaboutthiswork.Andthosethatdidnothavesomuchexperiencewereveryinterestedinseeinghowwehadsucceededingettingrefugeesintosports,”hesays.
OneofthecountriesmoreorlessstartingfromscratchwasIceland,whichhasonlyrecentlybegunworkonsportsforforeigners.It’snotaboutrefugeeshere.Icelandhasveryfewrefugees,butabout30,000areforeigners.Whenthepopulationonlyareapproximately320,000,ithasgreatimpacthowtheforeignersintegrate.
RagnheiðurSigurðardóttiristhenationalspokespersonforUMFÍ,anumbrellabodyforsportsorganisationsinthecountry.
“AccordingtotheIcelandicRedCross,childrenofnon-Icelandicori-gindon’tintegrateintosocietyaswellasIcelandicchildren.Theyhavefewerfriends,aremorelikelytobeleftoutthantheirIcelandicpeers,
”Wecanseethattheseorganisationsneedinspirationfromothercountries.The-reisalackofknow-ledge–ormaybeinsomecasesalackofinspiration.”—SaskaBenedicicTomat
↓ ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“Integrationofrefugeesthroughsport.photo:PavoVäyrynen,SISU
27
andthereisatendencyforthemtobebulliedmore.UMFÍwantstoimprovetheirwell-being,”saysRagnheiðurSigurðardóttir.
ShepointsoutthatUMFÍgainedalotofknowledgeandinforma-tionbytakingpartintheNordplusproject,andthishasimprovedtheorganisation’sabilitytosucceed.
“UntilrecentlytheissueofforeignerssportsactivitieshasnotgottheattentionitdeservesinIceland.Ihopethatthisprojectwillleadtogreaterawareness,andUMFÍcantakeactionatthegrassrootslevelinvariouslocalsportsclubs.Thatwillincludetrainingofcoaches,staffandcommitteemembers,”shesays.
Sharedonlinetool
Oneoftheproject’smaingoalswastosetupawebsitefeaturingguide-lines,goodexamples,specificideasandinputonhowtogetagroupofvolunteersupandrunningbecausetheyoftenstartcompletelyfromscratch.Thewebsiteirts.isca.dknowoffersafullsuiteofinformationandaclearlywrittenmanualonhowtogetstarted.Butdilemmasonlyarisewhentheworkactuallybegins.Meetingpeoplewithverydifferentnormsandrulesforgroupbehaviourisdifficult,andthenatthesametimedecideexactlywhichideastodeploy.
SaskaBenedicicTomatisresponsibleforcoordinatingthemanyprojectpartners,voluntaryorganisationsandprojectmanagersandforevaluationsandknowledgeacquisitionintheglobalISCAorganisation.Sheunderlinestheenormousimportanceofthelatter.
“Wecanseethattheseorganisationsneedinspirationfromothercountries.Thereisalackofknowledge–ormaybeinsomecasesalackofinspiration.Theyneedtoaskothers:Howdidyoudothat?CanyoushareyourtipsandmethodssoIcanlearnthem?AndhowdoItransferthisknowledgetomycountrysoIcanseewhatworkshere,”shesays.
SaskaTomathasworkedforISCAformorethanadecadeandbuiltupanenormousamountofknowledgeaboutsportsprojectslinkedtointegration.
“Wecanseethattheprinciplesoftransferringknowledgeactuallyworkinalmostallcountries.Itmeansthatwebringpartnerstogether,bringorganisationstogetherandwebringpeopletogetherwhowanttoknowmoreandlearnmore,”sheexplains.
ThewebsitewasdevelopedfortheNordiccountries,butISCAspreadsitsknowledgefurtherafieldandhasstartedafollow-upEU-wideprojectonrefugeeintegrationthroughsport(MOVEBeyond)thisJanuary.
“ThemessageabouttheseresultswillgoalloverEurope.Thetoolswehavedevelopedaresharedwithourmemberorganisationsandourpartners–andtheysharethemintheirhomecountriestoo,”SaskaTomatadds.
→ …thatNordplusAdultalsofundspreparatoryvisits?Itispossibletoapplyforfun-dingofmeetingswithfuturepartnerstodeveloptheproject idea and prepare an application.
DIDYOUKNOW
→ Theorganisationhas231memberorganisationsandoperatesin83countries.Itsmainobjectiveistocreateaframeworkforsportandwellbeingforall,regardlessofage,ethnicity,etc.
→ SportandCultureAssocia-tion(ISCA):www.isca-web.org
ISCA
→ InternationalSportandCul-tureAssociation,Denmark
→ AcademyofPhysicalEduca-tionOllerup,Denmark
→ AkershusIdrettskrets,Nor-way
→ TheIcelandicYouthAssocia-tion,Iceland
→ SISOVästergötland,Sweden
PARTNERS
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION→ NORDPLUS ADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK
www.nordplusonline.org
NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL
29
Globalwarming,meltingglaciers,vastareasoftheArcticexposedastheicecapthaws….Theeffectsandwhatweknowaboutthemareeasyenoughtorhymeoff.Butnoamountoffacts,figuresanddoomsdayprophecieswillactuallysolvetheproblemsweface.
“Visually,it’sadifferentmatter.It’seasy–oratleasteasier–toshowchildrenthesethings.Whenyou’retalkingabouttheArctic,youcanshowthemexactlywhatishappening,”saysElīnaPekšēna.
ElīnaPekšēnacombinesartsandcraftswithteachingandpreventa-tiveenvironmentalworkinheractivitiesasaself-employedcraftswo- manandasaprojectworkerattheEnvironmentalEducationCentreinRiga,thecapitalofLatvia.Thecentreisoneofthe12NordicandBalticpartnersintheNordplusproject“CreativeEnvironmentalEducation”,whichusesinnovativemethodstoengageandempowerschoolpupilsaged6–15andheightentheirawarenessofenvironmentalissuesandsustainability.AllarepartnersintheCreativeEnvironmentalEducationNetwork(CEENetwork).
“GettingtocommunicatewithpeoplefromGreenlandisreallyinte- restingandusefultome,”explainsElīnaPekšēna.“Theysaywhattheyhavetosayinaveryauthenticmanner.Welookatpicturesandseetheircultureanddances.ThechildrenandIaredevelopinganemotionalbondwiththeirpartoftheworld,whereglobalwarmingismakingsuchanimpact.”
Artasatool
Artsandcraftsdon’tusuallyappearinthesamesentenceasclimatechange,butElīnaPekšēnahasafootinbothcamps.Shehasabachelorinarts,amaster’sinenvironmentalscience,andhasbeenworkingin
ByJoanRask
CLIMATECHANGEONTHECURRICULUM
Climatechangeisperhapsthemostchallenginglegacythatcurrentgenerationswillleavetoourchildren.AnetworkofNordicandBalticcolle-ges,schoolsandNGOsissharingideasaboutteachingchildrenandencouragingthemtoinno-vatesothat–hopefully–theywillbebetteratlookingaftertheplanet.
”Icombineenviron-mentalthemeswithartsandcrafts,andIliketousetheword‘upcycling’becauseitmeansthatwearetakingoldthingsandmakingsomethingnewfromthem.Wekindofupgradethem.”—ElīnaPekšēna
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT→ NORDPLUS HORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 30
after-schoolclubsforthepastsixyears,teachingchildrenaboutenvi-ronmentalissuesthroughartsandcrafts.
“Isoonrealisedthatjusttalkingaboutissuesisn’talwaysveryef-fective.Ifyoureallywanttotalkaboutclimatechange,youhavetoshowkidsthattheenvironmentissomethingthatisallaroundus-youtouchit,youinfluenceit,andyouchangeit,andviceversa.Ifyoucan’tfeelit,thenit’sdifficulttounderstand,especiallyforchildrenandyoungpeople,”sheexplains.
ForElīnaPekšēnaitwasjustamatterofseizingtheopportunitywhenitcamealong.In2016,Nordplushostedaseminarthatcreatedtheframeworkforbringingtogethermostofthepartnersnowinvolvedintheproject.RepresentativesattendedfromIceland,Denmark,Green-land,NorthernNorwayandLatvia–andshewasoneofthem.
Nordic,Baltic+abitAmerican
TheoriginaldrivingforcebehindtheideaisactuallyanAmerican,Da-vidYoken,whohaslivedmostofhisadultlifeinFinlandandiscur-rentlySeniorMusicLecturerattheFacultyofPerformingArtsatthe
↑ Collagecreatedfromrecycledma-terials when the partners in the Nordplus project“CreativeEnvironmentalEduca-tion”metinGreenland.Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences
31
TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciencesinTurku,amedium-sizedcityinthesouth-eastofthecountry.
DavidYokenistheprojectcoordinator.Heishighlyconsciousofthenatureofhisroleandknowsthatitisuptotheteachersinschoolsandstudentsinhighereducationtodeveloptheprojectalongwiththechildren.ThefirstphysicalmeetingofthenetworkwasheldinFinlandinspring2018,andDavidYokenhasbeendeeplyimpressedbythecre-ativityandqualityondisplayrightfromthestart.
“ItwasincrediblewhenwesawtheworkfromLatvia–itwaslike‘wow’!Everyonewassodeeplytakenbytheworkshop,andwhenallthepartnerswentouttovisitthelocalTurkucityschool,theyweresoimpressedabouttheconcreteeffectoftheco-design,”hesays.
Wow-factorsinreallife
Oneofthose“wow-factors”attheworkshopwasdowntoElīnaPekšē-na–eventhoughallshedidwaspresentthekindofworkthatshedoeswithLatvianchildreneveryday.
“IfIamtalkingtothechildrenaboutplastic,thenwemakesome-thingwithit.Icombineenvironmentalthemeswithartsandcrafts,andIliketousetheword‘upcycling’becauseitmeansthatwearetakingoldthingsandmakingsomethingnewfromthem.Wekindofupgradethem,”sheexplains.
NordplusHorizontalgrantsabout1millioneuroinfundingeachyeartoinnovativeprojectsandnetworkactivitiesthatcutacrosstraditio- nal school- and educational sectors intheNorthandtheBalticstates.
→ TARGETGROUPAllinstitutionsandorganisationsworkingwitheducationandlife-longlearning.Theprojectsmightalsoinvolvepartnersnotdirectlyinvolvedineducation.
→ ACTIVITIESFundingisavailableforawiderangeofactivitiesandareas,aslongastheseinvolveatleasttwodifferentsectorsandincludepar-ticipantsfromaminimumofthreecountries.Anexampleofsuchcouldbe education and professional life,entrepreneurship,integration,democracyandactivecitizenship,inclusionofmarginalisedgroups,digitalisation,furthereducation,health,fitness,artandculture,sustainability,andthedevelopmentofnewteachingmethods.
→ PARTICIPATIONAbout45coordinatorsapplytotheprogrammeNordplusHorizontaleveryyear,andabout.20oftheapplications are accepted and re-ceivefunding.Approximately150schools,organisations,andcompa-niesparticipateintheprogrammeeachyear. → DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary.
→ FUNDINGAtotalof1millioneuroisgrantedtoprojectseveryyear.
FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSHORIZONTAL
”Theartscombinedwithinformeden-vironmentalscien-cecantrulyengagestudentsinavisceralsensesotheytrulyunderstandandtakeproactiveactionstowardsglobalwar-ming.”—DavidYoken
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT→ NORDPLUS HORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 32
ElīnaPekšēnaruesthefactthatLatviadoesn’thaveadepositandreturnsystemforbottles,liketheonesintheNordiccountries.Butthatonlyfuelsherdrivetodosomethingaboutthebottleproblem.
“Iteachthechildrentomakepracticalthings,likeself-wateringpotsfromplasticbottles,butalsobeautifulthings–jewellery,brace-lets,necklaces.Youcanevenmakeacrownwithallsortsofnice,brightplasticthings,”saysElīnaPekšēna,whogesticulatesexcitedlyassheexplainsallthepossibilities.
Sheasksthechildrendirectquestions:“Howlongdoyoureallyex-pectthosecheapearringsthatyouboughttolast?”“Youdon’talwayshavetobuynewthings.Whydon’tyoureusethingsandsavemoneyandresources?”Thisprovidesanopeningtotalktothemaboutenvi-ronmentalimpactandtoreusethingsthattheywouldnormallythrowaway.
ElīnaPekšēnawasintroducedtoevenmorepossibilitieswhenshewasinFinland.
“Theotherteachersandspeakersdeeplyenrichedmyunderstan- ding,”shesays.“IreallyhopethatIcanimplementsomeoftheideasthatIlearnedaboutinFinland.Manyofthemwouldn’tcostmuch.IalsodiscoveredteachingmaterialsthatIhadn’tbeenawareof.Ihopethenetworkwillcontinue.Ifinditreallypositive.”
↓ PartnersintheNordplusproject“Cre-ativeEnvironmentalEducation”,meetingintheautumnof2018,Greenland.Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences
”Ihopethenetworkwillcontinue.Ifinditreallypositive.”—ElīnaPekšēna
33
Thecarbonfootprintproblem
Thenetworkrarelyholdsphysicalmeetingsduringtheprojectperiod.Whenitdoes,themembershavetothinkaboutanddiscusswhetherflyingisokay–it’sdefinitelynotanenvironmentallyfriendlywaytotravelafterall.
“It’sachallenge,andwereallyhavetothinkaboutit,”saysDavidYoken.“Wetrytoworkremotelyasmuchaspossiblebuthavetocometogetheronceayear.WhenwemetinGreenland,ofcourse,thatin-creasedourcarbonfootprint.”
Thisisoneofthereasonswhyvirtualsolutionsaresovaluable–onlinemeetingsandwebplatformsforsharingmaterials,discussingissuesandhelpingeachother.OneimportantobjectiveoftheprojectistomakemethodsandtoolsavailabletoteachersinschoolsthroughouttheNordicandBalticregions.Differencesinlanguagesalwaysposeachallenge,ofcourse,buttestsarebeingrunwithGoogleVoicethreadandmuchofthecommunicationtakesplaceviavideoandgraphicele-ments.
“Wehaveasecureplatformonthewebsite,wherewehopethatthepartnerswilluploadmaterials,andpupilswillengageactivelyindigitalinformationexchange,”Davidexplains.
Schoolsaretheaxis
ElīnaPekšēnahasalistofallschoolsinLatvia.Shewritestothemof-feringassistanceandintroducingthenewwebsite.DavidYokenisoftenaccompanyinghisArtsAcademystudentstotheschoolswheretheyareteachingtheenvironmentalartsworkshopstotheprimaryschoolpupils.
“Butourstudentsaredoingtheteaching…Iamobservingandha- vingimportantdialoguewithourstudents,aswellastheclassroomteacher,”hesays.
Infact,partoftheteacher-trainingcurriculumconsistsofplace-mentsinschools.OneofthemostimportantonesisPääskvyuoriPri-marySchool.
“Withouttheschool’sinterest,supportandtheopportunityforustoworkwiththepupils,itwouldhavebeenimpossibletoevenhavethisCEENetwork.Finnishprimaryschoolsareingeneralextremelyim-portantpartnersforus–andtheyjustwelcomedtheprojectwithopenarms.Ithasbeenreallyfantastic,”hesays.
Davidisconvincedofart’spotentialtoenhanceunderstandingofclimatechanges.
“Theartscombinedwithinformedenvironmentalsciencecantrulyengagestudentsinavisceralsense,sotheytrulyunderstandandtakeproactiveactionstowardsglobalwarming”.
→ …thatuppersecondaryschools,folkhighschools,anduniversitiescancollaborateacross sectors and subjects inNordplusHorizontal?Thatmeansaprojectcouldin-cludepartnersfromvariousindustriesifthey,forexam-ple,canofferexpertknow-ledgeorknowledgeaboutthe educational needs of the labourmarket?
DIDYOUKNOW
→ TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences,Finland
→ Sabro-Korsvejskolen,Den-mark
→ DanishAssociationofMan-agersandExecutives,Den-mark
→ Garðaskóli,Iceland→ KangillinnguitSchool,Green-
land → NuukInternationaleFriskole,
Greenland→ RezekneMunicipality,Latvia→ SámiUniversityCollege,Nor-
way→ TheDanishNationalSchool
ofPerformingArts,Denmark→ TheEnvironmentalEduca-
tionCentreinRiga,Latvia→ PääskyvuorenElementary
School,Finland→ UniversityofGreenland,
Greenland
PARTNERSINTHECEE-NETWORK
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT→ NORDPLUS HORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK
www.nordplusonline.org
NORDPLUSNORDIC
LANGUAGES
35
Frasar.net,alanguage-learningtoolforIcelanders,wasoneofthemostvisitedwebsitesattheUniversityofIcelandwhenitwasfirstlaunched.ProfessorofDanish,AuðurHauksdóttir,hasbeeninvolvedinthedeve- lopmentandimplementationprocessfromthebeginning.
“Language-learningtoolsdothingsdictionariescan’t–whetherthedictionaryisaphysicaloradigitalcopy,itisorganisedfromAtoZ,andwhenyouarelearningtospeakalanguage,youcan’talwayslookupaword,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.
Frasar.nethasawiderangeofusers,includinggovernmentmini-stries,interestedindividualsaswellascompaniesandtheirboards.Thewebsiteprovidesdetailed,concretedescriptionsofhowaphraseisused,whatitmeansinIcelandic,andthecontextsinwhichitisused.
“Unlikeordinarydictionaries,frasar.netalsocontainsthepronunci-ation,”saysAuðurHauksdóttirandexplainsthatmuchofspokenlan-guagediffersfromthewrittenlanguageduetotheenormousinflu-enceofparticularphrasesandidiomsontheunderstandingofspokenlanguage.ShecitestheexampleoftheDanishidiom:“Hængligepå”(Hangon).
“EvenifIhadalifetimetoguesswhatitmeansandtothinkaboutit,Iprobablystillwouldn’tbeabletofigureitout,”saysthelinguist.
AuðurHauksdóttirhasworkedwithDanishallherlifeandwasHeadoftheVigdísFinnbogadóttirInstituteofForeignLanguagesattheUni-versityofIcelanduntilafewmonthsago.Itisabout15yearssinceshebegansystematicallycollectingphrasesinDanish.
Idiomscanbedifficulttolearnbecausetheydonotnecessarilymakeimmediatesensetonon-nativespeakers.“Hængligepå”isaprimeexam-
ByJoanRask
LANGUAGETECHNOLOGYCHANGESLANGUAGETEACHING
Language-learningtoolsonwebsitesand smartphonesarehelpingIcelandic,FaroeseandGreenlandicchildrentolearnDanish.Thetoolshavealsoopenedtheeyesoflinguiststojusthowgreatthelinguisticandculturaldifferencesarebetweenthethreecountries.
“Wehavebuiltawealthofknowledgeonhowtodevelopdigitallanguagelear-ningtoolssoitwouldberelativelyeasytotransfer this to other languages.SomanypeoplearelearningDanishafterall!”— AuðurHauksdóttir
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL→ NORDPLUS NORDIC LANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 36
ple.Literally,itmeans“justhangon”,butitisusedduringphonecallsinsteadofsaying:“Waitaminute,I’llberightback”.Thephraseharksbacktothedayswhenthepersonontheotherendofthelinewouldaskyounottohangupthereceiverwhiletheydidsomethingelse.Fewphoneshaveareceiveroraplacetohangoneanymoresotheidiommakesabsolutelynosense,butitisstillusedallthetimeinDanish.
“It’scompletelynormalthatalanguageisfullofidioms.It’sthesameinIcelandic,butthespecialthingaboutFaroese,IcelandicandDanishishowincrediblysimilarthelanguagesare.Theycomefromthesamelanguagefamily,anditseemsobvioustothinkaboutlanguageteachingforallthreeinthesamevein,”saystheprofessor.
In2016,forexample,theworkwithfrasar.netledtoajointdeve- lopmentprojectbetweentheUniversityoftheFaroeIslandsandtheGreenlandicMinistryofCulture,Education,ResearchandReligions,which resulted inthewebsite “taleboblen.dk”andtheapp“Tale-boblen”.TheseprojectsarefundedbyNordplusandthemostrecentone,“Sproghjælpismarttelefoner”(LanguageHelponSmartphones),wassupportedbyNordplusNordicLanguagesin2016.TeachersinDa- nishandpupilsfromallthreecountrieswereinvolvedinthedevelop-mentandtestingprocess.
”EvenifIhadalifeti-metoguesswhatitmeansandtothinkaboutit,Iprobablystillwouldn’tbeabletofigureitout.”—AuðurHauksdóttir
Eachyear,NordplusNordicLan-guagesgrants635,000euroinfundingtoinitiativesstrengtheningtheknowledgeoftheNordiclan-guages,whichareDanish,Finnish,Faroese,Greenlandic,Icelandic,Norwegian,Sami,SwedishandNordicsignlanguage.
→ TARGETGROUP Allactorswithineducationandotherrelevantactors,includinglanguageteachingforimmigrantsorrefugeesintheNordic/Balticregion.
→ ACTIVITIESFundingisavailableforprojects,networks,andactivitiesthataimtoimprovechildrenandyoung
people’slanguagecomprehensionofNordiclanguages(primarilyDanish,Norwegian,andSwedish),aswellasdevelopingmaterials,methods,andstrategiesforim-provinglanguagecomprehensionoftheNordiclanguagesatalleducationallevels.Forexample,itcouldbemethodsforteachingthelanguagesofneighbouringcoun-tries,developingcurricula,generalinformationwork,conferences,courses,publications,languagetechnologyprojects,learningtools,andteachingmaterials.
Moreover,fundingisalsoavail-ableforpreparatoryvisitswiththegoalsofpreparingfuturecollabo-rationsandpreparinganapplica-tion.
→ PARTICIPATIONAbout35coordinatorsapplytoNordplusNordicLanguageseachyear,andabout20oftheappli-cationsareacceptedandreceivefunding.Approximately85schoolsandorganisationsparticipateeve-ryyear.
→ DEADLINE Annualdeadline1stofFebruary,butfundingisalsoagainavailableforpreparatoryvisitsfromthe1stofOctober.
→ FUNDINGAtotalof635,000euroisgrantedtoprojectseveryyear.
FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES
37
Speakandlisten
The“Taleboblen”websiteandappbothbuildonwhathasbeenlearnedfromfrasar.netandtheFrasarapp.Bothcontainmanyofthesameidioms,buttheyalsooffernewfunctions–totheextentthatthequali- tyofthelanguage-learningtoolshasbeenmuchimprovedintermsofqualityandfunctionality.
MargrétKarlsdóttir,aDanishlanguageteacheratHvaleyrarskóliinthetownofHafnarfjördur,isoneofthepeopleinvolvedintesting“Taleboblen”and“Talebob”inclassroomsinIceland.
“It’sgoodthatthepupilscanpracticeconversationwhentheyuse“Talebob”and“Taleboblen”.Itworksreallywell,”saysMargrétKarlsdóttir.
Thepupilshearthecorrectpronunciation,hearthemselvessaysen-tencesoutloud,recordtheiranswersandgetdirectfeedbackontheirsentences.Theycankeeppracticingtheirpronunciationandintonationuntiltheyhavelearnedtosaythesentencecorrectly.
MargrétKarlsdóttirreiteratesthatappsforsmartphonesandiPadsareagoodidea.
“It’seasyandeffortlesstogetstarted.Thepupilsallhavesmart-phones,andmanyschoolsprovidethemwithiPadsaslearningtools.It’sgoodthatadigitalsolutionhasbeendevelopedratherthanonlyusingbooksinlanguageteaching,”sheexplains.
↑ “Languagesupportinsmartphones”issupportedbyNordplusNordicLanguages.TeachersofDanishandpupilsfromIceland,GreenlandandtheFaroeIslandshavebeeninvolvedinthedevelopmentandtestingoftheapp.Photo:Unsplash
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL→ NORDPLUS NORDIC LANGUAGES
Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 38
BigdifferencesaroundtheWestNordicRegion
Thedevelopmentoftheappdidnotproceedasexpectedbecauseoftheverydifferentlearningenvironmentsinthedifferentcountries.
“Ithasreallysurprisedmethat–eventhoughtheFaroeseandIce-landiclanguagesaresosimilar,especiallythewrittenlanguage–thechildren’slearningsituationsareverydifferent,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.
Infact,FaroesechildrenlearnDanishatalmostthesametimetheylearnFaroese.OneverytangiblereasonforthisisthatDanishTVshowsandfilmsarenotalwayssubtitledinFaroese,sothechildrenhavetolearnDanishtounderstandthem.However,thereisanothercrucialdif-ference.
“ChildrenandteenagersfromtheFaroeIslandsoftenhaveahardtimeworkingouthowmanytimesthey’vebeentoDenmarkbecausetheyhavebeentherealot,andsomeofthemhavefamilythere.It’snotatalllikethatinIceland,wherechildrenmayhavebeentoDenmarkacoupleoftimesatmost,andsomehaveneverbeen,”saysAuður.
ItvariesgreatlyhowoftenthechildrenhearDanish.GreenlandicandFaroesechildrenhearitalotmoreintheireverydaylivesthanIcelandicchildren,whoonlybeginstudyingDanishinschoolwhentheyare12–13yearsold.
“TheGreenlandicchildrenwhotested“Talebob”thoughtitwastooeasy.TheywereallfromNuuk,andIhaveoftenwonderedhowthere-sultswouldhaveturnedoutifwehadgonetocommunitiesoutbythecoast,”Auðursays.
”Ithasreallysurpri-sedmethat–eventhoughtheFaroeseandIcelandiclangu-agesaresosimilar,especiallythewrittenlanguage–thechil-dren’slearningsitu-ationsareverydiffe-rent.”—AuðurHauksdóttir
↓ Languagesupportinsmartphonessecuresthatthetoolisavailablewhenthepupilsneedit.Photo:Unsplash
39
Newknowledge,availabletoeveryone
AuðurHauksdóttir ismorethanhappywiththeresultstheyhaveachieved.Bothfrasar.netandtaleboblen.dkareavailabletoeveryone,andschoolsinIceland,GreenlandandtheFaroeIslandscanusethemfreeofcharge.Theprojecthasmadegreatacademicimpactandtheambitionnowistotakeitfurther–Auðurdreamsaboutaddingmorefunctionsandevenmorelanguages,phrasesandsituations.
“Wenowknowfarmoreabouttheissuesinvolvedindevelopingdi- gitallanguage-learningtoolsandwhattodoaboutthem.Wenowhaveinterdisciplinaryknowledge,whichcouldn’thavebeenachievedbefore.Thathashappenedthroughtheprojects–frasar.net,taleboblen.dk,andtheappsbasedonthem.Everythingisopensource,it’savailabletoanyonewhowantstobuildonourwork.”sheaddsthoughtfully.
Theprojectisnowcompleted,butAuðurHauksdóttirhopesthe“Taleboblen”appwillcontinuetobedevelopedandwillpavethewayforfutureapplicationsandimprovements.
“IthinkwehavethelargestcollectionofDanishphrases,”sheex-plains.“Wehavebuiltupawealthofknowledgeonhowtodevelopdigitallanguage-learningtools–itwouldberelativelyeasytotransferthistootherlanguages.SomanypeoplearelearningDanishafterall!”
Theprofessorknowsthatthelanguage-learningtoolsalreadybene-fitlanguageteachinginthesmallnano-communitiesintheWestNordicregion,andshehopesthatonedayperhapstheywillbedevelopedfortheotherNordiclanguages.
“Idon’tthinktherearemanyNordicuniversitiesthatareasad-vancedinthisareaasweare,”shesays,“butIwouldlovetogetintouchwithanybodywhoisworkingonthis–nomatterhowadvancedastagetheyareat.Thepotentialishuge,andIverymuchhopeotherpeoplewouldwanttoworkwithusandtaketheprojectfurther.”
Multipleinnovativeideasarealreadyattheplanningstage.TheVig-dísFinnbogadóttirInstitute,forexample,isdevelopinganentertainingandengagingvideogameinwhichpupilssolvetasksandmakeprogresswhilelearningDanish.However,digitaldevelopmentandexperimentsareexpensiveintermsofresources.
“Togetherwithexpertsinlanguagetechnology,wehaveshownthatit’spossibletodevelopdigitallearningtoolsbasedonplay.TheNord-plusprojecthasmadeanincrediblyvaluablecontributionandmadeitpossibletomoveelementsoflanguageteachingfromoldbookstonewdigitalmedia,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.
→ …thatNordplusNordicLan-guagesalsofundsprojectsin the Baltic countries that increaseunderstandingandknowledgeoftheNordiclan-guages?
DIDYOUKNOW
→ VigdisFinnbogadóttirInsti-tuteofForeignLanguages,Iceland
→ CopenhagenBusinessSchool,Denmark
→ TheMinistryofEducation,Culture,ChurchandForeignAffairs,Greenland
→ UniversityoftheFaroeIs-land,FaroeIslands
PARTNERS
NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL→ NORDPLUS NORDIC LANGUAGES
FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK
www.nordplusonline.org
Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences
Nordplus
Through the Nordplus programme, the Nordic Council of Ministers supports collaboration and exchange between education institutions and other actors across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Every year, more than 3,000 institutions participate in Nordplus, and approximately 9,000 pupils, students and teachers go on exchange visits to another Nordic or Baltic country with Nordplus.
In 2018, Nordplus celebrated its 30-year anniversary and 10 years with Baltic participation. Also in 2018, a new five-year programme period was commenced, which ensures future collaborations and supports the close ties between the Nordic and Baltic countries. We mark this with a number of articles which close in on the experiences and benefits from projects and general information on Nordplus and some key figures from the period 2012–2018.
NordplusStyrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse - SFUBredgade 40DK-1260 København Kwww.ufm.dk/nordplus