GENERAL INFORMATION

Creativity and Innovation in Adult Education.

The continuous and increasing need for novelties and originality in all aspects of our lives, along with the initiative of the European Union to declare the year 2009 as the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, is what gave the impetus to the Cyprus National Agency to organize a contact seminar entitled "Creativity and Innovation in Adult Education". Having 2008 as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, the attempt is now to go beyond that and cover not only education and culture, but also other policy domains such as enterprise, media, research, social and regional policy and rural development.

Emphasis is unavoidably placed on better use of knowledge and rapid innovation. A broadening of the creative skills base involving the whole population is therefore a sine qua none. In particular, there is a need for skills and competences that enable people to embrace change as an opportunity and to be open to new ideas in a culturally diverse, knowledge - based society. Education and training are determining factors in this.

In effect, this Contact Seminar aims, through the synergies that will result from it, at disseminating practices from the local or national level to the European level. It also aims at stimulating the cooperation in various practices, namely the teaching and training of adults as well as promoting good examples of creativity and innovation.

• To identify and encourage project ideas by exploring common needs and interests for innovation and creativity in adult education organizations.
• To provide information on Grundtvig Learning Partnerships and give examples of good practice.
• To provide a forum for finding partners
• To jointly prepare applications.

Representatives of Adult Education Organisations who are interested in the seminar’s theme and are committed to develop a Grundtvig Learning Partnership.

The seminar will take place in a four star hotel in Nicosia. The name of the hotel will be announced later.

The seminar includes a key note speech, a European fair, presentation of examples of good practice, guidelines on applying and workshops. The working groups will be formed according to the interests of the participants. The working language of the seminar is English. Applicants’ language skills should be sufficient to enable active participation in the working groups.

The seminar fee is 500 Euro. The fee includes transport from and to the airport, accommodation in a single room from Thursday 6th November to Sunday 9th November, all meals and sightseeing including a visit to a museum.

Please note that the deadline for paying the seminar fee is 15 October 2008. All payments  are to be arranged with the secretariat of the seminar, TOP KINISIS travel, to whom we forward the registration forms of the participants approved by their National Agencies.

Potential participants should apply to their National Agency for Grundtvig Preparatory Visits grants.

The participants are kindly requested to:
• Complete a registration from (to be sent by 15th September 2008)
• Complete a profile form (to be sent by 15th September 2008)
• Prepare a visual presentation of their organization and country/region (e.g. organization prospectus, photographs, leaflets, tourist brochures, flag, map etc) for display purposes at the European Fair (see programme)
• Contribute to the food/drink-tasting session at the European Fair by bringing typical products from their own country.

The programme as well as other information can be found on our website www.llp.org.cy under the title Grundtvig Contact Seminar. The website is often updated, so participants are urged to visit it on a regular basis.