European Commission - Youth

European Development Fund (EDF) Created in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, and first launched in 1959, the European Development Fund (EDF) is the main instrument for providing Community development aid in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the overseas countries and territories (OCTs). What does it cover? The EDF supports actions in the ACP countries and the OCTs in the following key areas for cooperation: economic development, social and human development, regional cooperation and integration. The EDF consists of several instruments: Mimi Ito - Weblog: When Youth Own the Public Education Agenda Originally posted on the Huffington Post. I've devoted my career to researching how young people take up new technologies like computers, mobile phones, and the Internet and make them their own. If we pay attention to what young people do when they are socializing and having fun with these new media, it's clear that they are both highly engaged and learning a great deal. For most young people, however, this is about learning how to get along with their friends, what it takes to get a date, or how to get to the next level in Halo, and not the kinds of academic learning and civic engagement that schools are concerned with.

Citizenship - Funding oportunities 2013 - Action 2 - Measure 3: Support for projects initiated by civil society organisations Reference documents All proposals must comply with the provisions set out in the full Programme Guide "Europe for Citizens" 2007-2013 (new version as of January 2013). The Programme Guide has the status of a call for proposals. Before application submission, all applicants are invited to carefully read the Programme Guide in order to get familiar with eligibility and award criteria. If any clarifications are needed, please contact "Europe for Citizens Contact Points" in your respective countries. "In times of crisis, the EU must not forget the poorest in the world", says Commissioner Piebalgs. EU confirms its position as the world's largest aid donor in 2011 European Commission - Press release "In times of crisis, the EU must not forget the poorest in the world", says Commissioner Piebalgs. EU confirms its position as the world's largest aid donor in 2011 Brussels, 4 April 2012 – With €53 billion of development aid in 2011, the European Union and its 27 Member States remains the world biggest donor, providing more than half of global official aid, preliminary figures on official development aid published by the OECD reveal today. At a time of heavy budgetary constraints, 16 Member States managed to increase their aid, three of them are ranked among the five largest donors worldwide and four of them have already reached the target of spending 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) on aid.

At Davos, the ‘skills gap’ is on the guest list As the world’s movers and shakers head to Davos, Switzerland, this week for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, the International Labour Organization has issued a gloomy report on employment – just in time to focus minds at Davos even more sharply on the global jobs crisis. “The jobs crisis continues unabated, with one in three workers worldwide – or an estimated 1.1 billion people – either unemployed or living in poverty,” said Juan Samovia, the ILO’s director-general. The annual ILO publication highlights the fact that globally, young people are nearly three times as likely as adults to be unemployed. The global youth unemployment rate, at 12.7 per cent, remains a full percentage point above the pre-crisis level.

Publication of preliminary data on Official Development Assistance, 2011 Brussels, 4 April 2012 Publication of preliminary data on Official Development Assistance, 2011 Are there differences of methodology between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU? How do we compare data? Explosive Growth in Education Apps Digital Tools Teaching Strategies Flickr:Flickingerbrad By Carly Shuler, Joan Ganz Cooney Center In 2007, when the iPhone made its debut, there was little doubt that it would revolutionize the mobile phone industry. But at the time, few imagined that it would spawn a multibillion-­dollar market for mobile applications, and fewer imagined that this market might become a significant one for children. Less than five years later, more than a quarter of all parents have downloaded apps for their children to use, according to a Common Sense Media study.

EU's "Agenda for Change" The European Union as a whole (Member States plus Commission-managed funds) is the most generous donor of official development aid worldwide. In 2010, it provided €53.8 billion - more than 50% of global aid. The European Commission is responsible for the management of €11 billion of aid per year, putting it in second place among donors globally. European Report on Development 2011/2012: Towards better management of water, energy and land Confronting Scarcity: Managing Water, Energy and Land for inclusive and sustainable growth The European Report on Development (ERD) for 2011/2012 examines the constraints on water, energy and land and how they interrelate. It also considers how these resources can be managed together to promote growth in developing countries that is both socially inclusive and sustainable. The report states that a combination of public and private action is required to respond to the challenges and urges the international community to radically transform approaches to managing water, energy and land (WEL) in order to support inclusive and sustainable growth in the poorest developing countries.The ERD is an independent report published annually that bridges the gap between policy and research and contributes to the EU's perspective on major development issues.

The Truth About Facebook and Grades As social media continues to evolve, Facebook is trying to lead on this front and play a critical role in tomorrow’s education. This collaborative infographic illustrates some interesting facts on this topic from a leading social media researcher, Reynold Junco. (blog.reyjunco.com) Truce Be Told By Lory Hough A look at why some educators are starting to accept the online encyclopedia that anyone can write and edit. On July 31, 2006, Stephen Colbert did a segment on his show, The Colbert Report , mocking the online encyclopedia Wikipedia . The site was five years old at the time and starting to become hugely popular. Preparing Your School for an iPad Implementation Planning is imperative for any technology initiative - iPad or otherwise. You need to ensure that you clearly understand and communicate how the technology integrates with your overall pedagogical objectives. Too many institutions purchase technology and then search for ways to utilize it ... or leave it collecting dust on the shelf. Planning needs to consider both infrastructure needs and the educational applications of the new technology. Without the proper preparation, technology initiatives are liable to become expensive failures.

Instead Of Tests, Video Games To Assess Student Learning Video game naysayers, take note: beyond Mario and Bond, games might be helpful learning tools. Florida State University professor Valerie Shute believes that virtual realities are a helpful means of secretly assessing elusive skills like analysis, creativity and problem solving, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. According to Shute, video games can be used not only to impart complex information (like microeconomic principles or ecology) but to teach critical thinking skills, such as scientific inquiry and research. Games can be designed to gauge student understanding of specific concepts, and challenge them to work through demonstrated weaknesses. And they can be used to track students' progress and assess their thought processes. Some universities have already begun to integrate virtual games into their classrooms.

n school that feeds body and mind Fresh and Green Academy was opened in 2000 by Ethiopian teacher Muday MitikuThe school not only provides lessons but clothes and three meals a day for the studentsMothers are also involved in the school and help out with the cleaning and cooking The school is funded through donations (CNN) -- Seeing the deprivations faced by children in her neighborhood, one Ethiopian school teacher decided to make it her mission to provide them with a safe place to learn and play. Muday Mitiku decided to open a school 11 years ago, when she realized that most of the children in her suburb were spending their days on the streets, unwashed, unfed and unschooled. But the little school in Keteme, a poor neighborhood on the eastern edge of Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa, aims to do a lot more than just provide children from impoverished backgrounds with an education.