Announcement

The consortium of the European Masters Programme for Rural Animators announces the International Conference:

 Animation of rural development – a new profession?

 To be held on 7-9 June 2012

At the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

Crete,Greece

Aims

This conference aims to promote discussion in the field of rural development, focusing especially on ways and means that rural development can be encouraged in disadvantaged or remote territories, in territories facing restructuring or in any other rural areas that lag behind in sustainable development. A key profession, that of the “rural animator” is introduced, as a focal player in the process of community encouragement and mediation towards the objective of sustainable development. The necessary qualifications for conducting such a profession in an efficient way are also considered for discussion and evaluation.

Background

A qualification developed by the EMRA consortium, namely a Masters for Rural Animators is offering the opportunity to graduates with a background in economics, the social sciences, engineering, agronomy or related disciplines to develop their skills and competences so that they can operate as rural animators. This qualification is interdisciplinary in nature and international in structure, as it is taught by 7 universities from an equal number of European countries. The structure and method of delivery of this Masters degree reflects the interdisciplinary nature of rural development and the need for a rural animator to adopt an international outlook and operate as a citizen of Europe (and the world) as well as a member of a rural community.

Conference themes

The following two general themes will be addressed:
1. Rural development – why animation is necessary

• The diversity of rural areas as a challenge for rural animation
• Encouragement of what rural development? Issues of sustainability and involvement of the local populations
• The interdisciplinary approach to rural development – how can rural animation contribute to this
• The local and the global view of rural development– how can they be reconciled
• Skills and competences necessary to promote sustainable development
• Best practice in animating sustainable rural development
• Challenges in the 21st century for sustainable rural development (environment, climate change,…)

2. The qualifications of a rural animator

• Interdisciplinary education: challenges and achievements
• Joint international degrees: a great opportunity to integrate the global approach in education
• Skills and competences of a rural animator
• It as an education medium and as a tool in the hands of a rural animator

3. The learning path to highly qualified rural animators

• e-learning for rural animators  in the context of LLL
• innovative tools in the education of rural animators

Participants

University teachers and researchers; students in rural development-related disciplines; policy makers in the fields of education and rural development; local/regional authorities; professionals working in the rural development field; EU-funded projects wishing to disseminate their results.

Organisers

The conference is organised by  the European Academy for Sustainable Rural Development – Euracademy Association  on behalf of the EMRA Consortium
The conference is organised with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus Multilateral Projects, Curriculum Development Projects, of the European Union
Project Nr: 503008-LLP-1-2009-1-PL-ERASMUS- ECDSP