The Council of Europe is partner to the City of Strasbourg in celebrating Europe for the entire month of May. Almost 50 events will be organised for the occasion, on several themes: going beyond borders, discovering European cultures, sharing common values, Franco-German friendship, democracy and European citizenship.

A Human Rights Education Symposium (HRES) on the topic “Educational Materials of Human Rights Education” was held in Luzerne April 28, 2012. The focus on teaching and learning material mirrored a need to stake stock, communicate about functions and uses of materials as well to communicate about standards and evaluation. In plenary sessions and workshops, these questions were discussed, often related to the presentation of concrete projects and the materials developed and applied by them.

Through the EEA and Norway Grants, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway contribute to reducing disparities in Europe and to strengthening bilateral relations with 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe. With governments across Europe struggling to respond to high unemployment levels, there is a renewed urgency in addressing the skills gap. Boosting transnational mobility helps students acquire new skills and strengthens future employability. The EEA and Norway Grants support student mobility through scholarship programmes in 11 countries. Opportunities under the Grants will be presented for educational institutions at a conference in Norway, 26-27 April.

Call for Applications: A Scholarship Programme for Young Professionals Active in Citizenship Education from Central and South-Eastern Europe. Closing date: May 31st 2012. The German Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Robert Bosch Stiftung are awarding 16 scholarships to young professionals from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Applicants are expected to be already engaged in civic education and promoting democracy and social responsibility in their home countries.

Students and teachers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Centre of Human Rights Education/ University of Teacher Education Lucerne have started to investigate and discuss key concepts in the field of Human Right Education.