Bringing Europe To You!
EUROPE IN THE UK http://www.europe.org.uk/ is a portal for European culture in the UK, discovering the joys of language learning and for access to resources to help teachers, researchers, students and businesses. You can sign up for the culture magazine and submit your own events.
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– June 14, 2013
Running throughout June, ‘Brno in Comics’ shows the rich visuals of Czech comic art.
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– June 7, 2013
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE is organising an open day, Tuesday 11th June, from 1pm to 3pm at the Leeds Central Library (3rd floor). We will present our volunteering and training opportunities abroad.
Everything is Possible is offering International Volunteering projects to individuals aged 16 and above. We’ve got different type of projects FULLY FUNDED all around the world (environmental, social, working with children, sport, music, media, etc.). These projects are open to everyone and you don’t need any skills, experience or language to participate.
If you are a young person or a support worker willing to attend this open day, please contact Aurelie: aurelie@everythingispossible.eu / 0113 242 0888.
For more info about our projects, visit our website: http://www.everythingispossible.eu/i-am-in-the-uk-and-wish-to-travel-abroad/countries/
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– June 4, 2013
The new website from the Age Action Alliance is now available http://ageactionalliance.org/ The partnership of different organisations and older people have come together to work to support opportunities for older people and address challenges. As they state ‘The Age Action Alliance is a network which brings together organisations and older people, in partnership. Drawn from civil society and the public and private sectors, it takes a positive approach to ageing and seeks practical ways to improve services and support to older people.’
The website pulls together information under various themes such as money matters, digital inclusion and healthy workplaces for older people and provides links to members of the alliance who can provide further information.
The site is a national legacy of last years European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (EY2012). Various members of the Age Action Alliance are also members of AGE Platform Europe, the Brussels-based network of organizations of and for older people, which aims to improve later life for the 182 million Europeans aged 50+.
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– May 23, 2013
Keep Your passenger rights at hand, everywhere
It’s holiday time and we’re all quite excited by the prospects of going on adventures, city trips, seaside holidays, etc. But are you aware of your rights if thing don’t go as planned? If your plane is delayed, you are denied boarding or your suitcase is lost?
Just to be on the safe side, have a look at the European Commission’s webpages on passenger rights before you leave home. You can also download their app in case you need to looks things up on the go.
And finally, here’s a link for some reading materials for your holidays. Have a great time!
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– May 21, 2013
The 2012 report on unsafe products has just been released. The report details that a total of 2,278 measures against dangerous non-food products, were taken by Member States and reported in the EU Rapid Information system (RAPEX).
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– May 16, 2013
Today is the day that men in Catalunya give their lover a rose and women give men a book. The festival Sant Jordi also known as El dia de la Rosa (The Day of the Rose) or El dia del Llibre (The Day of the Book) is a one day festival celebrated in Catalunya on the 23rd April each year.
Inspired by the legend of Saint Jordi the patron saint of Catalunya. The legend tells the story of Sant Jordi who slew a dragon to protect a princess. The princess was to be sacrificed to the dragon that terrorised the local population. A rose bush immediately sprouted where the dragon’s blood seeped into the earth, sant Jordi plucked a red rose and presented it to the princess.
Rose stalls are a key feature of Sant Jordi, when around 6 million roses are sold.
In 1923 the tradition of rose giving was expanded to include the ladies giving the men a book. The 23rd April is the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes who both died in 1616. This is how the international ‘World Book Day’ started. In Catalunya of all the books bought throughout the year, 1 in 10 are bought on St Jordi’s day.
A big thank you to Mr Stephen Berrells for supplying the following images of today’s celebrations outside the library in Canet de Mar, El Maresme, Barcelona.
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– April 23, 2013
Ombudsman organises interactive event on citizens’ participation in 30 European capitals and cities
On 23 April 2013, from 9.30 to 12.30 CET, the European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, is organising an interactive event in the European Parliament in Brussels, in cooperation with the European Parliament Information Offices in 30 EU capitals and cities. The event is entitled “It’s our Europe: Let’s get active!”. Citizens are invited to join the debate via Twitter using the #eyc2013eo hashtag.
Mr Diamandouros said: “The active involvement of citizens from right across Europe in this event is unprecedented. Thanks to our partnership with the European Parliament, citizens will be able to attend the event in their own national capitals and selected cities and to contribute their ideas to the discussion in Brussels.”
The event takes place in the framework of the “European Year of Citizens 2013″. It will focus on how European citizens can concretely contribute to shaping the European Union, either by using the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), by turning to ombudsmen, or by mobilising large groups of citizens to pursue grassroots initiatives.
The following top-level EU political figures will be in Brussels to listen to, and engage with, European citizens throughout the Member States: Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Viviane Reding and Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-Presidents of the European Commission, and the European Ombudsman himself.
The programme will focus on two major themes: “Help solve the economic crisis” and “Build a clean and healthy Europe”. The event will be moderated by Chris Burns, Euronews.
The event will be web-streamed live on the Ombudsman’s website in 20 EU languages at: http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu
More information is available at: http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/activities/calendarevent.faces/en/722/html.bookmark
The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the EU institutions and bodies. Any EU citizen, resident, or an enterprise or association in a Member State, can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman offers a fast, flexible, and free means of solving problems with the EU administration. For more information: http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu
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– April 19, 2013
Or do they?
Many of you know that I have moved on to a new job but the lovely team at Europe Direct Leeds have invited me to write a guest post.
In my mind it is very rewarding and important to learn a second (or third) language. Among other things it helps your self-esteem, your communication skills, your adaptability and flexibility. It broadens your mind and helps you understand other cultures. It also helps the economy by making you more employable (in the UK and abroad) and by encouraging global business connections and relationships.
Sometimes it’s even just nice to be able to greet your hosts or business partners with a few sentences in their own language to make them smile and break the ice.
There are so many opportunities to promote language learning and help learners get involved. Apart from the obvious courses or teaching languages in schools and universities, learners can get involved independently. You don’t even have to be in school or at university to learn a language. The internet has free resources for all languages (and don’t forget online newspapers!), and even your local library will have language learning resources and foreign language books for you to read or listen to.
There are some good initiatives out there at the moment, encouraging people to learn languages:
Language Rich Europe promotes the importance of multilingualism and is working towards better policies and practices for multilingualism.
Routes into languages works with schools and universities to encourage more people to learn languages.
Speak to the future also works towards getting more people into languages.
Languages work introduces careers with languages – there are many you wouldn’t think of immediately
I hope this has given you a taste of what’s happening with languages at the moment. Why not pop into your local library and give it a try? Or even join Europe Direct’s language exchange for free?
Bis bald, Carolin
Follow on Twitter: @LeedsLangCentre
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– April 16, 2013
International writers at Leeds- Spring Festival 2013
All events start at 5.30 pm and are free and open to the public
Exhibition Space, Leeds Central Library
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/internationalwritersatleeds
Massimo Carlotto Weds 17 April
Italian detective novelist, reading from his recent novel Respiro corto, partly set in
Leeds, and launching the latest English translation of one of his novels, At the End of a Dull Day. In collaboration with LivItaly. Bringing Italian Culture to Yorkshire (www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/livitaly)
Antonio Altarriba Weds 24 April
Spanish graphic novelist, author of El arte de volar (The Art of Flight), a history of twentieth-century Spain through the eyes of the author’s father, including his participation in the Spanish Civil War.
Olga McPhail Tues 30 April
Russian author resident in Leeds, writing in English; launch of her autobiographical novel Born in Chechnya, with dramatized readings and book signing.
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– April 10, 2013
