Time for a NEW EU PROGRAMME: „Multicultural citizen“ Supported by youth and students organizations, but also by the business sector, the European Students’ Forum (AEGEE) officially proposed to set up an EU programme on “multicultural citizenship”. The European Students’ Forum (AEGEE) is one of the leading NGOs organizing activities that foster multilingualism during the summer period. While presenting the 20th Anniversary of the Summer University Project to European Commissioner Leonard Orban, the Commissioner requested AEGEE to submit a “language education” proposal. Within the European Union there is an obvious need to have more people being able to speak a foreign language. This interacts with other European Union policies, such as culture, education, communication, social policy, employment, justice, freedom and security. Theijs van Welij, President of AEGEE-Europe, underlined: “In order to complement the current programmes, we propose to set up a new European Union programme on “multicultural citizenship” to foster multilingualism and intercultural dialogue during the summer period.” On 11 October 2007, AEGEE-Europe hosted an expert meeting with representatives from youth and students organizations, but also from the business sector: European Youth Forum, BEST Europe, BusinessEurope, Eurochambres, UEAPME and ECAS. During this meeting, the objectives of the proposal received a nice "welcome" and the participants were glad to see such a project. “This proposal has been created through the voluntary work of a student association, a work that we believe in. We are not doing this for us – we already have a structure in which we can achieve these “mobilities”. We try to help other students and especially young Europeans to find an easy way to discover what they have: a place with peace, a place full of culture, a place where languages are an added value, not a problem”, mentioned Laure Onidi, Project Director of AEGEE-Europe. AEGEE is currently waiting for the feedback of the European Commission in order to continue their work on this initiative and to be able to have a budget line for these activities by 2009. AEGEE-Europe / President Thijs van Welij [log in to unmask] Tel: +32-2-245 23 00 Laure Onidi / Project Director [log in to unmask] Tel: +32-2-245 23 00 www.aegee.org *********************************************** AEGEE's mailing lists are powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R), www.lsoft.com