1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,000 In February 2005, the European Commission gave a fresh boost to the Lisbon strategy in a move to create more growth as well as more better quality jobs. 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Education and training have a crucial role to play in implementing the strategy, 3 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:27,000 and consequently a new integrated lifelong learning program is in preparation for the period 2007 to 2013. 4 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,000 A program which should see much more generous funding. 5 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:37,000 The proposal on the table is for 13.62 million euros, almost triple the current budget. 6 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:47,000 To make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy means to invest more and better into education. 7 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:53,000 And we need to invest more in order to achieve more real mobility. 8 00:00:53,000 --> 00:01:01,000 I think that integrated approach to educational programs, which we propose for 2007 on, period, 9 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:09,000 and better and more spending in this area means investment into knowledge-based Europe. 10 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:15,000 The key elements of this initiative are the Comenius program for schools, 11 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Erasmus for higher education, Leonardo da Vinci for professional training and Grundtvig for adult education. 12 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,000 And these programs have already proved their worth to many people all over Europe. 13 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,000 Brussels, 2003. 14 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:39,000 A hundred or so students from 30 countries taking part in the Erasmus program have been invited by the European Commission to receive a medal commemorating the one millionth Erasmus student. 15 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Rossen Dukov, a young Bulgarian student, has been selected to represent his country. 16 00:01:52,000 --> 00:02:00,000 I will stay in Portugal for this period and I think that this is something that everyone should experience for themselves. 17 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:07,000 It's early 2005 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Rossen is back home. 18 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:13,000 He went on the Erasmus program in 2001, six months at the University of Braganza in Portugal, 19 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,000 as part of his master's degree in graphic arts and visual communication. 20 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:22,000 He was so taken by the country that he painted a series of landscapes. 21 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:29,000 But after his return to Sofia, he had to put his talent for fine art to one side and concentrate on earning a living. 22 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:36,000 With a university degree in his pocket, a year ago he set up his own multimedia communications company. 23 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:53,000 This experience, being in contact with people from other countries and being in a different environment, 24 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:59,000 helps you a lot when you start running your own company or starting to work somewhere else. 25 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:07,000 And when you've been through this, through Erasmus, it's a lot easier to keep in touch with your clients, 26 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:12,000 and they feel a lot safer in what you're doing. 27 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:20,000 CD covers for his musician friends, posters, commercial advertising, children's illustrations, 28 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,000 and even concerts and music videos for his own hip-hop group. 29 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:32,000 This young entrepreneur is certainly not short of work, and his creativity has been influenced by his European experience. 30 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,000 For the time being, Rosen has chosen to stay in Bulgaria. 31 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,000 He has everything he needs here to make a go of his career. 32 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,000 His mother thinks so, too. 33 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 She started her own printing firm several years ago and regularly works for him. 34 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 With his many different talents, there's no doubt he could find work abroad, 35 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,000 but he seems more concerned about creating jobs at home. 36 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,000 I decided to stay here to work, 37 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:12,000 and to try to convince people that it's not bad to stay here. 38 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:19,000 Anyone who has enough intelligence and opportunities could do it. 39 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,000 So that we can make our paradise here, 40 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,000 and not somewhere else in the world. 41 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:33,000 In 1996, the European network of second-chance schools was launched, 42 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:38,000 an initiative backed by the Grunwig program, which aims to promote adult education. 43 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,000 The 13 schools in the network are attended by young adults without qualifications, 44 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,000 who were locked out of traditional educational training, 45 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 and were forced to leave their homes. 46 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,000 The program was launched in 1996, 47 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,000 The 13 schools in the network are attended by young adults without qualifications, 48 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000 who were locked out of traditional educational channels, 49 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000 and who therefore find it difficult to get a job. 50 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,000 In 1998, the largest of these second-chance schools opened in Cologne, 51 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,000 with more than 800 students. 52 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Alexander Schäfer, a language teacher, 53 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:19,000 was full of enthusiasm about what was then a new educational experience. 54 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,000 It's all very interesting work. I really enjoy doing it. 55 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,000 And above all, because at the schools of the second chance, 56 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,000 which are almost all new establishments, 57 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000 there are very large design possibilities. 58 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,000 That is, ideas are welcome and ideas are implemented. 59 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,000 And that is really an ideal field of work for me. 60 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:45,000 From the very beginning, these schools were in effect a laboratory for educational innovation. 61 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Rather than teaching in the traditional manner, 62 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,000 it was all about giving a second chance to young adults using special methods. 63 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,000 Group therapy, training in communication skills, 64 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,000 and psychological and social support have always run side by side 65 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,000 with lessons in new language learning techniques. 66 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Seven years later, in 2005, 67 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,000 the students in the English class may be different, 68 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,000 but Alexander still teaches there. 69 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,000 In 2004, the Cologne second chance school coordinated a project, 70 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,000 also supported by the Grundwik program, 71 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,000 on violence prevention and conflict resolution. 72 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,000 The film, made by the students themselves at the time, 73 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,000 is testimony to the success of this project, 74 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,000 and to the success of the German-language education program. 75 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,000 The film is based on the experience of the German-language education program. 76 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,000 The film is based on the experience of the German-language education program. 77 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 The film, made by the students themselves at the time, 78 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,000 is testimony to the work they did together. 79 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000 Partners in the second chance school network 80 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,000 began an exchange of teaching experiences in 1997, 81 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,000 which is still going on. 82 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,000 And through that, they have been able to complete 83 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,000 several European projects, supported by Grundwik. 84 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,000 Today, these schemes have given European adults of all ages 85 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,000 a new taste for learning, 86 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,000 and given them a second chance to find jobs and a place in society. 87 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:43,000 In 2002, Alberto, a young Spanish agriculture student, 88 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,000 was doing a placement in a small Irish aquaculture firm. 89 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,000 Erwan and Tanguy, two French apprentice mechanics, 90 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,000 were gaining work experience in a Dutch shipbuilding business. 91 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,000 Emmeline, an Irish history of aquaculture, 92 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 was doing a placement in a small Irish aquaculture firm. 93 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,000 Erwan and Tanguy, two French apprentice mechanics, 94 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,000 were gaining work experience in a Dutch shipbuilding business. 95 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Erwan, an Irish history of art student, 96 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,000 was working at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice. 97 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,000 All four had something in common. 98 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Their professional training experience 99 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000 was supported by the European Leonardo da Vinci program. 100 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,000 Three years later, in 2005, 101 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Guilherme Fodor, a young Hungarian, 102 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,000 went for training in Bas-le-Duc in France. 103 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,000 He's doing an apprenticeship with a patisserie catering business in the town. 104 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,000 He's a perfect example of the new Leonardo da Vinci generation. 105 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Dominique Cordel, Guilherme's boss, 106 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 has long been in tune with the European idea. 107 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000 He regularly hires apprentices from Eastern Europe. 108 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Guilherme's job is to prepare cooked dishes for customers. 109 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Here he can learn new ways of cooking, 110 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,000 ways of working with his colleagues and customers, 111 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,000 which are not always the same as the way things are done in Hungary. 112 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Seeing the satisfaction on their faces 113 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 is something I've learned, 114 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,000 and there are many things I'm trying to improve in my profession. 115 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,000 For Guilherme, getting a placement here was a real stroke of luck. 116 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,000 Cordel is one of the most reputable firms in the region, 117 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,000 and his boss, a former professional trainer, 118 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000 is well known for training the best apprentices in France. 119 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000 The most important thing is to transmit without knowing. 120 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 The more you transmit, the more you will evolve. 121 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,000 People who are locked up, who hide their recipes, 122 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,000 who don't move forward, they are called to die. 123 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,000 If you want to develop, if you want to open up to foreign countries, 124 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,000 in this case to Europe, you have to transmit, 125 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,000 you have to transmit, you have to know how to give in order to receive. 126 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,000 With his European experience, Guilherme is now one of the young people 127 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,000 who can put that training to good use on a job market 128 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,000 which covers the entire European Union. 129 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Since 1995, more than 300,000 others like him 130 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,000 have benefited from the Leonardo da Vinci program. 131 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 In future, he may settle and find a job in Lorraine. 132 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,000 Unless, armed with all the know-how he's acquired in France, 133 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,000 he decides to set up his own business back home, 134 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,000 or in any other EU member state. 135 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 What exactly, when you're writing to them, 136 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,000 what kind of information do you exchange? 137 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,000 In 1998, the primary school at Newcastle West in Ireland 138 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,000 became involved in a European partnership project. 139 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Teachers and pupils exchanged cultural, linguistic, 140 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:39,000 and educational experiences with schools in France, Holland, and Sweden. 141 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,000 The project was supported by the European Comenius program, 142 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 which promotes European cooperation in education. 143 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,000 In this school, Irish is the common language rather than English, 144 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000 but in the course of the exchange program, 145 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,000 the children have also learned to speak European. 146 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,000 After two years of Comenius, 147 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:07,000 I believe they know they are true Irish children, more than ever. 148 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 But they also understand and believe 149 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,000 that the world which exists out there in Europe 150 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,000 is a vital part of their existence. 151 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,000 Seven years later, in 2005, 152 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,000 these children are looking back at their early childhood. 153 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,000 They were four years old when this film was shot in their school. 154 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Today, they're 12, and some pupils, like Elaine, 155 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,000 can recognize themselves back then. 156 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,000 Their teacher is still working in the same classroom, 157 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,000 but now the Internet is an everyday part of lessons, 158 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,000 and European projects are a constant feature in the syllabus. 159 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:46,000 Seven years of European programs have made one huge difference, 160 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,000 and that is that we've moved from the 20th century to the 21st century. 161 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,000 We've moved from an analog century to a digital century, 162 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,000 and with that, the European Commission and its programs, 163 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,000 I believe, have also moved forward. 164 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Today, the school is still located in the Newcastle West Community Centre, 165 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,000 but away from the major tourist centres, 166 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,000 the digital world of the Internet and new e-learning technologies 167 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,000 have opened up the doors to their European neighbours. 168 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,000 The Comenius projects themselves 169 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,000 have allowed teachers in every European country 170 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,000 to realise that there is something greater than teaching. 171 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,000 It's called learning. 172 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,000 And Comenius, by its very essence of what it meant 173 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,000 when it was way, way, way back then, 174 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,000 has allowed children to become greater than themselves, 175 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000 greater than the country they belong to. 176 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,000 It has allowed them to become part of a European family, 177 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,000 to communicate with other children, speak with them, 178 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,000 speak many languages, not the Tower of Babel, though, 179 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,000 where they don't understand one another, 180 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,000 but the Tower of Europe, where people are understanding one another, 181 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:55,000 because Comenius has allowed children to be really, truly European. 182 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000 Since 2004, the school has been working on a new European project. 183 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,000 By reflecting on the darker periods of their own history, 184 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000 such as the Great Famine or the violence in Northern Ireland, 185 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,000 the students want to share with others 186 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000 their desire to live in a Europe without conflict. 187 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,000 When we were in the famine, we were very poor, 188 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,000 and now we're one of the richest countries in Europe. 189 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 And it shows that if we all work together, 190 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,000 that other countries can move forward from their past as well. 191 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,000 In the past, wars would have affected Europe an awful lot, 192 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,000 but now we can move on, war is over, 193 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,000 and most countries don't have anything to worry about, 194 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,000 and you can all live happily and all that kind of stuff. 195 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,000 In Newcastle West, the Europe of the future is being built. 196 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,000 A new school will soon stand here, 197 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:49,000 inspired by the pupils themselves and their European experiences. 198 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,000 In 2006, it will once again be one of the 10,000 schools 199 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,000 which take part every year in a Comenius project.