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Below are case studies featuring Irish participants who took part in visits to other European countries. To read a case study of a UK participant who came on a study visit to Ireland in November 2009 (on Supporting skills development of adults in the labour market), visit the Ecotec site.
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Participant: Rachel Wasson
Organisation: Donegal Country Enterprise Board
Study Visit: Entrepreneurship Across Borders, Fauske, Norway, 25 to 29 May 2009
The study visit to Fauske, Norway was both an informative and enjoyable experience. Eighteen participants from the ten different countries attended. The host organized several field trips for the group, which highlighted the educational authorities', organisations' and the Norwegian people's determination to be at the forefront of enterprising education. It was clear from the field trips and the presentations by the hosts that this remote area of Northern Norway values its young people and is a good example of best practice in the area of enterprising education.
A visit to First Scandinavia Group, where we were given a presentation on the administration of the FirstLego League and the Newton Programme, identified that young people today (the millennials) live with technology that the previous generations do not understand and that education systems mainly follow traditional ways of teaching. It was felt by the presenters that this way of teaching does not support entrepreneurial thinking in young people and that the traditional approach often fails to harness the potential in many young people and misses opportunities to take advantage of these new technologies.
Another interesting talk was from Ove Peterson from HIBO, the third level local college, who highlighted that a key difficulty faced by this region of Norway is the ‘leakage' of young people from the area to the south of the country. He informed the group of the initiatives and ideas that would encourage young people to stay in the region and promote small indigenous business in the area. This was particularly interesting to me as Donegal faces similar challenges in keeping young talented people.
The theme for the study visit was Entrepreneurship Across Borders which was of particular interest to me living and working in a border area. The hosts facilitated a visit to Sweden with whom the hosts have developed cross-border programmes to aid and develop trade which will help both of these remote regions. While they may not face some of the issues that we face in Ireland on a cross-cultural level, we saw good examples of working together to meet the challenges they face in relation to weather and remoteness and indeed turned these to an advantage (click here for more information).
While I really enjoyed the field trips and the examples that were shown, of particular benefit were the group sessions. There was great discussion and exchange of information around types of assistance given and the challenges faced in each participant's countries. Some of the key points to come out of the discussion were:
We are keeping in touch by email and I am sure that much more will come of this visit and the linkages that have been made. I know I have plans to include some of examples of best practice in enterprise education learned from the other participants in Donegal County Enterprise Board's ‘Lets Do Business' Enterprise Education programme.
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Participant: Finbarr O'Regan, Director
Organisation: Athenry Area Development Company with responsibility for Athenry's Cullairbaun Community House,
Study Visit: Strengthening Intercultural Education and its Contribution to Social Integration
The Polytechnic Institue, Beja, Portugal from 15-19 September 2008.
One of the strengths of the visit, according to Finbarr, was the diversity of the Study Visit team. With eleven people drawn from eight different countries, participants represented diverse professional occupations and backgrounds, different types of educational institutions, local development organisations and enterprises.
The study visit programme consisted of
Participants were able to discuss their national and regional approaches to intercultural dialogue and common challenges. They gained a good overview of the Portuguese situation focusing on specific information with regards to the Beja area. Regional differences and the experiences of coping with migrants and accessing EU funds to help local issues were also discussed. A short meeting of participants each day facilitated useful reflection and dialogue. Email addresses and websites were exchanged to facilitate the continued dialogue beyond the Study Visit.
According to Finbarr ‘before any effective and innovative solutions can be developed to meet the challenges faced in all our countries, the first step is to recognise the fact that we are struggling to develop shared definitions of interculturalism, multiculturalism and integration in our own countries. We should be working towards a shared European definition of what is meant by interculturalism based on a common understanding of the national context and specificities of countries that comprise the European Union'.
The Visit was hosted by The Polytechnic Institute who were very welcoming and hospitable. The organisers, says Finbarr, left no stone unturned in their efforts to facilitate the involvement and study of the participants in every way.
‘Overall, my feelings about the Study Visit in Beja are extremely positive and I am very excited about continuing communication with the various social programmes I saw in Beja with a view to starting a partnership project with similar community houses in other countries in the near future'.