Each year, the EU chooses a theme for a campaign to draw attention to a specific issue. 2009 will be devoted to creativity and innovation. During the year, hundreds of conferences, projects and exhibitions will take place across Europe, all intended to raise awareness of the need for imaginative solutions to today’s challenges.

The EU has long recognised creative thinking as key to success in a global economy. Innovation is an essential part of both the commission’s climate change package and its plan to revive the EU economy, now suffering its worst downturn in decades.

The world today thrives on rapid innovation. As the EU moves to a knowledge-based economy, it must develop its potential for creativity. In particular, Europeans must learn to embrace change and be receptive to different strategies.

Teachers have a critical – and difficult – role. Increasingly they will have to balance traditional education requirements with the need to give young people “soft” skills like a sense of initiative, according to education commissioner Ján Figeľ.

The campaign will help shape the EU’s agenda for cooperation between its member countries on education and culture. It will also feed into policy in other areas, like business and employment.

Will be organized a number of campaigns and initiatives at European, national and local level. Sourse: European Commission website

More information on the European Year of Creativity and innovation can be found on its official website: http://www.create2009.europa.eu/

This project under programme MINERVA aims to create the European educational resource manager for cities, based on the knowledge that the city is the stage where education and training occurs. On the same stage exists many different type of active actors ( public administration, trusts, foundations, private undertaking, non-governmental organisation, musseums and others). They offer education programmes to the general public, especially for the kids at school. These organs represents cultural and educational agents on territory of the city.

Several times a year, these suggestions are collected and systematized by the city council through the preparation of programmes for the activities, drawn up in diferent formats with the purposes of facilitating the teaching team to access information and select the best education plan.

Project aims: creation and systematization of working methodology serving for:

First: determine and analyse school needs in cities and also the use of communicative and informative technology for access to education resources.

Second: identify possible resources existing in every city. Also to describe and evaluate the education activities, based on the opportunity to shift in one of the thematic fields, which are defined by the project partners: Culture legacy; Ecological education and Culture diversity and other fields typical for some cities: Science – Technology; Culture and art; Entertainment; Communicative and informative technologies; Sport and Health.

Project- Plan D of General Directors “Communications” A2-1/2007 in Representation of European Commission in Bulgaria

Contractor: European Commission in Bulgaria

Performer: European Information Center, Veliko Turnovo

Duration of the project: 11 months

“Plan D”is a plan for democracy, dialog and debate. It’s started in 2005 and lays the foundations for extensive discussions about the future of Europe. It aims to bring more democracy to the union, to stimulate broad public debate, to built a new consensus for the future of European Union. There are prospects for the introduction of a discussion programme for the future of Europe with the assistance of national governments in all 27 countries in the Union. The aim is to built a new political consensus with regards to the correct policy as Europe must deal with the challenges of 21 century. European Information Center’s project aims to improve the provision of information and knowledge for European Union policy- social inclusion, social solidarity of women and girls through the formation of active civil regional network. Through discussion being led, it provokes a debate among the community about the identification of problems and formation of local community decisions by presenting practices for active involvement of the groups in the process of decision making on local, regional, national and EU level by creating real terms for transmission and institutionalization at all suggested levels. As a result of the project a stable regional women forum and a network for dialog and exchange of good practices linked with social inclusion were established. The project was organized in partnership with EIC, which exists and works since 1999 and covered the territory to north Bulgaria. Many regional dialogical forums, national Round Table and scientific-practical conference and others applied and information activities were held over the time period of 11 months

Regional dialogical forums

– “Lifelong education like a mechanism for social inclusion – realities and possibilities for the young woman in Bulgaria” ( 18-th October 2007 – Veliko Turnovo)

– “Dialog culture for social solidarity and the bulgarian woman – what we know and how we apply it” ( 15-th Novomber 2007 – Ruse)

– “The access to new technologies – reality, challenge, real opportunity for the bulgarian woman” ( 13-th December 207 – Sofia)

– “Feigned” or “Real” unemployment and labor market – challenges of bulgarian society for social inclusion” ( 24-th January 2008 – Gabrovo)

– ” The social entrepreneurship, homework and small business creation like alternative for social inclusion for the bulgarian woman” ( 21-th February 2008 – Pleven)

– “The relation periphery – centre and the acts of social inclusion of the bulgarian woman” ( 20-th March 2008 – Silistra)

– “Social inclusion- does it have it sex, ethnicity, profrsional and educational qualification?” ( 17-th April 2008 – Sliven)

– “Mixed communities, the relationship minority – majority and the projection of woman in the process of social inclusion” ( 8th May – Lom)

National Round Table “Aspects of social inclusion of the bulgarian woman and girl’

National scientific and practical conference “European dimensions of policy for social inclusion and social solidarity in bulgarian social life through the eyes of the bulgarian woman”