Second Chance Schools
17-9-2003
The European Association of Cities for Second Chance Schools is an international organisation in the field of learning young people with lack of skills or qualifications to successfully gaining access to higher education programmes or to the labour market.
The Association is an independent non-profit organisation consisting of member cities with Second Chance Schools. The Association was legally established in Heerlen (The Netherlands) on the 4th of June 1999. The Main aim of the Association is to:
- organise exchange and transfer of experience between the cities and collective territorial bodies who have set up or participated in setting up a Second Chance School within the framework of the programme launched by the European Union
- assist cities and collective bodies who wish to set up a Second Chance School
- promote the European concept of Second Chance Schools in general.
Services provided by the European Association of Cities for Second Chance Schools
The secretariat of the Association will provide the necessary network services to fulfil the first aim of the European Association, exchange of experience. It will provide the members direct support in their activities related to Second Chance Schools. In this framework the secretariat functions as an info-centre, it stimulates network activities in the interest of its members and assists its members in developing and implementing projects in the field of Second Chance Schools.
Info-centre
The Association will look on behalf of its members for relevant information like European programmes related to Second Chance Schools. Therefore, it will operate as the direct contact between the members and the European Commission as well as between the members themselves.
The members will be informed about methodologies and experiences in associated cities and regions and policy development by means of a regularly published newsletter and Internet presentation. The Association will also disseminate results on research and studies. E-mail and/or the Association�s Intranet will provide ongoing developments and ad-hoc information in immediate access.
Networking
In order to keep members informed on developments concerning new methodologies and local practices, the Association organises various international events like conferences, workshops and exchange-programmes. By (co-) writing comparative reports and drawing up manuals on bringing new methodologies into practice, members will be provided with easy accessible new approaches.
Mobility
The Association will promote the mobility of teachers and pupils and co-ordinate events within this framework. An example of a returning event is the yearly sport tournament between the Second Chance Schools. Further, study visits for youngsters on various subjects will broaden their scope of view and give them the necessary life and learning experience.
Joint Projects
Within the framework of the Association, several joint projects will be set up. These projects can be considered as thematically sub-networks of which participation is optional for each member. Examples of joint projects are 'Carte a puce' and 'Train-the-trainers'.
The 'Carte a puce' project is a pedagogic approach, using new information technologies. 'Train-the-trainers' concerns job-training programmes for teachers in which instructions on useful methods to learn students social and life skills are taught.
Relations with European Institutions
The secretariat is as the central co-ordination point of the Association the first contact between the members and the European Institutions. In this position the secretariat will give the members direct access to information on European developments in general as well as specific consultation in the members' direct interest.
This will give the members the advantage of having an organisation working on a European level to support them in the negotiations and lobby-activities with the European Institutions.
Expansion and Project Assistance
The secretariat will operate on a European level between member cities as well as project-related organisations in general. As a central point of co-ordination the secretariat of the Association will play an important role in the development and implementation of Second Chance School projects. One of its tasks is to assist cities and collective bodies who wish to set up a Second Chance School. In this respect, it will among others actively contend for supplementary and project related funding .
Quality Indicators and Evaluation
Schools that are member of the Association have the advantage of a European quality indication, Second Chance School, which can be a decisive factor in the valuation of project proposals.
Read more about the aim and the services provided by the European Association of Cities for Second Chance Schools by clicking on the following link: http://www.e2c-europe.org/frameset.htm