EUROPEAN TEAM
OPERA DE MASSY - leader - L'Opéra de Massy is an opera house located in the Parisian suburb. The mission of the Education Department is to facilitate the access to the arts. The opera was founded in 1993 as part of a larger 14000m2 complex, which also included an arthouse cinema and a library. The main 800-seater auditorium of the opera includes a 500 m2 stage, and a pit where 60 to 80 musicians can perform. This modern theatre was built with a lot of care and attention for its design and acoustics. Paris's only suburban theatre (located 13 km to the south of the city), L'Opéra de Massy was honoured with a special grant from the French government. The opera remains a private company, directed by Jack Henri Soumère, although the education department is funded by local and regional public money.
Marjorie Piquette, Graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts of Paris, Marjorie Piquette is the head of the Education Department at the Opéra de Massy which employs two people (Marjorie as the head of the department, and Eugénie Boivin as her assistant). She worked as an art teacher for six years before her position at the Opéra de Massy. For more than ten years, she has been in charge of developing the cultural policy of the opera house. She is responsible for planning cultural activities for schools, from early childhood to students (workshops, conferences, artistic meetings). She has implemented a strategy to address public with special needs (disabled people, prisoners, insertion, seniors) by proposing customized projects indoors and outdoors , short term and long term projects. She is working in close partnership with the artistic and technical human resources of the Opera de Massy (artists, technicians, administrative) but also with the companies in residence: orchestra of the Opera de Massy, dance company in residence (currently Julien Lestel). She is in charge of fund raising among foundations and public bodies in order to spread the word on educational work done at the Opéra de Massy, and a recognition of the an education to opera in the student's learning. Marjorie is also in charge of cultural action and youth programming for the 9 theaters, (including Massy Opera) belonging to Soumère firm and is managing 4 collaborators in this perspective. As a leisure, Marjorie also practices lyric singing, and has a passion for the art of floral weaving.
Eugénie Boivin, is the second member of the Education department at the Opera de Massy, responsible for the planning of cultural and educative activities, producing all teaching material and engaging with the opera's varied audiences: schools, associations, community groups, etc.. Passionate about art in a broad sense, she obtained a Master's Degree in art history. In the meantime, she worked as an educational supervisor in secondary boarding schools for four years. This experience with teenagers turned out to be very fruitful. She joined the Opéra de Massy Education Department in 2005, together with Marjorie Piquette. Since then, Eugénie Boivin has handled the visits of the Opera, designing relevant contents for different audiences. Her pedagogical approach among diverse public has been improved thanks to several trainings such as the art of storytelling or visual arts. She has been in charge of the planning educational activities like workshops, public rehearsal or the organization of logistics for some events.
The Institute of Research and Information on Volunteering Conseil (iriv conseil,www.iriv.net) is a free private institution, nonprofit, independent of public administrations and economic interests, with the aim to improve knowledge and practice Lifelong learning within the nonprofit sector. Focused on volunteering between 1997 and 2003, it has enriched its field of research since 2003 to migration. It has created iriv Conseil in 2000 in order to carry on the studies and trainings both on a national and a European level. The pilot project Leonardo da Vinci, the iriv initiated and directed between 2003 and 2006- VAEB (Assessing a Voluntary experience) was awarded in Helsinki, in 2006, for “excellent practice in addressing the priorities of the Copenhagen process and promoting an enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training”. The results of iriv’s projects are available on : www.iriv-vaeb.net for Volunteering and www.iriv-migrations.net for Migration issues. Furthermore, to improve knowledge on Volunteering & Migration issues among the general public, the iriv has published a Newsletter since September 2004, les rives de l’iriv (www.benevolat.net). It has also designed a portal open to the general public: in order to share all its publications- www.iriv-publications.net . A special portal is dedicated to iriv’s actions on the ground- among migrants and professionals working with them (monthly club at the Cité des Métiers since 2012) and the action implemented among youngsters and educators in Massy (Collège Blaise Pascal then Collège Denis Diderot since 2013) > LEARN MORE (pdf)
Dr. Bénédicte Halba, doctor in Economics, founding President of the Institute for Research and Information on Volunteering (iriv) in 1997 is also the director of iriv conseil since 2000. She worked for the Ministry for Youth and Sports (1991- 1994) as coordinator for a study on the Economic impact of sport in 12 European countries. She was an expert for the Council of Europe for the workshops "Economic impact of sport" and "Volunteering" (1992 to 1994). In 1997, she created the iriv with the aim to improve knowledge and practice within the nonprofit sector. She is responsible for the studies, and training and for the implementation of its websites and participation to national and EU conferences. She edits its electronic review - www.benevolat.net and its publications - www.iriv-publications.net. The pioneer project Migrapass (2010-2012) she initiated together with Autremonde in 5 EU countries has been the touchstone of the monthly Club she co-funded at the Cité des Métiers of Paris still active since 2012. The project Success at school through Volunteering- SAS she initiated together with an the University of Northampton in 6 European countries has been the touchstone of a monthly action implemented each month in Massy together with the College Blaise Pascal since 2013. She has been a lecturer at the University since 2000 in Europe (France, Austria, UK). She was an administrator of the Cicos (2007-2011) and the Assfam (2011-2014). She is a member of the scientific committee of the Swiss Foundation ECAP since 2015 and a member of the Committee of associations of the professional order of Expert accountant (OEC) in Ile de France since 2017.
Faustine-Louise Blanco-Poisson, is a student in Master’s degree in management of territories and local development – international administration of territorial projects (University of Paris Est Creteil-UPC). During her studies, she has learned about fund raising and planification in local, national and international projects. During her master's degree she spent one semester in Erasmus at the Jagiellonski University in Krakow (Poland). She performed a nine-month civic service at the Zup De CO association (Tours), which consisted in facilitating and supervising tutoring sessions in a secondary school in a priority education area. She participated a mission at Sokodé (Togo) in 2016 with the association AVECS TOGO (Association of Volunteers for Exchange, Culture and Solidarity) to keep children in orphanage and teach in a school. She graduated with a degree in Economic and Social Administration (AES), management of Territories, at the University François Rabelais at Tours in 2015. For Iriv, she has been associated to various projects for young people: such as the EducOpera for which she has been actively involved in a couple of pedagogical sessions among youngsters.
Yazin Gunay, is a Master’s student at Paris Diderot University where he studies Migration & Ethnicity and he’s currently writing his master’s thesis on the Turkish community in Paris. A native of Istanbul (Turkey), he graduated from Galatasaray University (2016) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He also did an Erasmus year at the University Paris 1 (2015). He’s just finished an internship at the United Nations Developemnt Program in Istanbul - the Regional Hub where he has been studying security issues in Eastern issues. At iriv, Yazin has participated in projects about migration but also on youth issues. For the EducOpera, he has designed 5 videos presenting the pedagogical sessions implemented among youngsters (with the comedian in January, the musician in February, the electrician in March, the conductor in April, the dancer and choreographer in May and the visit to the Opera Garnier in May. The videos combined the pictures taken during the sessions, some subtitles as explanations and a relevant music to support the pictures and text. They are all available online- https://www.educopera.eu/copie-de-videos
Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) - is the leading Slovenian research centre in humanities and a cutting-edge academic institution in central, eastern, and south-eastern Europe. It has a multidisciplinary character; in addition to the humanities, its spheres of research also cover the natural and social sciences. The research network of ZRC SAZU consists of researchers working at eighteen institutes. Researchers also conduct their studies at three regional research stations which connect the research network across Slovenia.
ZRC SAZU has worked on the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Framework Programmes, the Interreg IIIB Programme, the European Territorial Cooperation Programme (transnational and interregional cooperation), Cross-Border Cooperation, the Life+ Programme, the COST Programme, the Lifelong Learning Programme, the eContentPlus Programme, and the Culture 2007–2013 Programme. ZRC SAZU also carries out a series of applied projects that exceed the narrow orientation of individual specialized areas and make possible valuable links between various institutes and disciplines. Numerous achievements prove that research findings in the humanities are also useful for preserving natural and cultural heritage as well as for finding solutions to concrete problems; the most important achievements include compiling seminal standard and technical Slovenian dictionaries, cultivating, preserving, protecting, and managing authentic elements of Slovenian natural and cultural heritage, and developing strategies for a responsible attitude towards natural, cultural, and living heritage (e.g., environmental impact studies, vulnerability studies, water-resource management, providing professional support in building infrastructure and motorways, developing methodology and prevention or intervention programmes for the mentally handicapped, and enforcing EU heritage-protection policies). These basic and applied research projects are supported by the materials that our associates have been collecting for decades as part of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Slovenian People programme; this programme is one of the founding tasks of ZRC SAZU, which it carries out together with the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Research teams at these institutes consist of researchers and technical and specialist advisers with a high level of responsibility that maintain strong and diverse contacts with the international research community. ZRC SAZU has its own publishing house, bookstore, and audio-visual laboratory; it houses the Geographical Museum, and boasts numerous collections. Among its rich publishing activity, five research journals listed in the Thomson Reuters indices are especially noteworthy. Approximately 20 % of its funding is fixed institutional source and the rest is competitive funding gained through calls. Among these the most important source is national funding. However EU funding is getting more and more important.
Together with the University of Nova Gorica ZRC SAZU offers several undergraduate and graduate academic programmes: The Comparative Study of Ideas and Cultures, Karst Studies, the EU Master’s Programme in Migration and Intercultural Relations (Erasmus Mundus status), and Cultural History. An independent graduate school is also being prepared. > LEARN MORE (pdf)
Dr. Dan Podjed, is a Research Fellow at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). He is habilitated as an Assistant Professor for Cultural and Social Anthropology at the University of Ljubljana. He is a principal investigator of an applied research project “DriveGreen: Development of an Eco-driving Application for a Transition to a Low-carbon Society” (2014–2017). He is a coordinator of the Applied Anthropology Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) and initiator of the international symposium “Why the world needs anthropologists.” In 2011 he was awarded by the Slovenian Research Agency for his publications on nature conservation volunteering in Slovenia and received an award in 2008 for exceptional achievements from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts. His current research interests include volunteering and altruism, mobility, human-technology interaction, nature conservation and organisational cultures.
Dr. Mojca Kovačič, holds her PhD in ethnomusicology. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnomusicology of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Mojca is by her primary profession also a professor of music with four years of experience in teaching music in high school. In addition to regular scientific work carried out by the institute, where her interest mainly covers research in folk music and its various forms and contemporary processes, as well as soundscape studies in regards to urban religious sounds and street music, she also carries out music workshops for youngsters. For the past 8 years she has been a professional consultant for Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia, working as an evaluator of the music performances. She is the national representative for the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM), a member of the board of cultural and ethnomusicological society Folk Slovenia, member of the Slovenian ethnological society and member of the Choral Society Zora Janče. She is skilled in project administration and organisation of scientific meetings.
The University of Perugia - (www.unipg.it) founded in 1308, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Today, research, education and consulting activities are organised in 16 Departments, with about 23,500 students, 1,100 professors and researchers and 1,000 staff members. In recent years, the University has undertaken a broad renewal of its programs and curricula, which prepare students to meet the demands of the labour market and to satisfy the needs for innovation in private and public sectors. With its wide offer of degree programs, covering nearly all fields of study, the University combines a long and solid tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation and an interdisciplinary approach. Post-graduate degrees are offered in top rated specialisation schools and doctoral programs, as well a variety of masters programs in the various academic disciplines. On the international level, the University remains firmly committed to developing collaborative relationships with EU and non EU Universities, to facilitate and improve international advanced study opportunities for its students. Currently we have established working agreements with 361 institutions of higher learning throughout the European Union, and about 90 cooperation agreements with EU and extra-EU universities. Several degree programs available at the University of Perugia already confer double degrees or European degree. > LEARN MORE (pdf)
Dr Federico Batini, associate professor of Experimental Pedagogy at the FISSUF Department of the University of Perugia. Among the last publications on the topic: with S. Giusti (edited by), Imparare dalla lettura (Loescher, 2013); with M. Bartolucci (ed. by), Dispersione scolastica. Ascoltare i protagonisti per comprenderla e prevenirla (FrancoAngeli, 2016); C’era una volta un pezzo di legno (FrancoAngeli, 2016); Dropout (Fuorionda, 2014 Premio Italiano di Pedagogia) and, among others, the contribution on Rivista (with M. Bartolucci and M. E. De Carlo): Fight Dispersion through Education: The Results of the First Cycle of the NoOut Project, “Mind, Brain, and Education”, (nov. 2017), Tra lettura e dispersione in Lettura e dispersione (ed. by I. D. M. Scierri, M. Bartolucci, R. Salvato, FrancoAngeli, 2018). He coordinates the international research network on school dispersion (IReNE) and leads the periodical Lifelong, Lifewide Learning. He founded the volunteering movement on reading aloud (LaAV) and devised the method of narrative guidance.
Dr Marco Bartolucci, post-doctoral researcher, PhD in neurosciences. His research interests include prevention and countering of school dispersion, cognitive empowerment, reading and narrative listening processes, relations between neurosciences and learning. As a clinician and researcher, he is interested in learning disabilities, school inclusion and processes of learning and cognitive empowerment. He also deals with software for cognitive rehabilitation and educational strategies through augmented reality devices. His publications include Dispersione scolastica: Ascoltare i protagonisti per comprenderla e prevenirla (edited by, with F. Batini, FrancoAngeli, 2016), Lettura e dispersione (ed. by, with I. D. M. Scierri, R. Salvato, FrancoAngeli, 2018), Batini, F., Bartolucci, M., & De Carlo, E. (2017). Fight Dispersion Through Education: The Results of the First Cycle of the NoOut Project. Mind, Brain, and Education; F.Batini, M.Bartolucci, A.Timpone (2018) “The effects of reading aloud in the primary school”. In Psychology and Education Journal; F. Batini, M. Bartolucci, E. De Carlo (2018) “I feel good at school! Reducing school discomfort levels through integrated interventions”. In: Athens journal of education; M. Bartolucci, F. Batini (2018) “The effects of a narrative intervention program in people living with dementia” In: Psychology and Neuroscience.
Alberto Santoro, graduated in International Political Science and specialised in European Project Management, SMEs Internationalisation and European Public Communication. After having collaborated on EU topics as a journalist with local daily newspapers, he carried out a traineeship at the Council of the European Union (DG F Press, Communication and Transparency). He has been working as EU Project Manager in several institutions and associations, dealing with the European Structural and Investment Funds. At the Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission, he worked as an expert on the 7th EU FP for Research and Technological Development and the Horizon 2020 Programme. He has gained experiences in specialised translations as well as in tourism industry. He regularly participates as EU Affairs Communication Specialist in the plenary meetings of the Club of Venice, network of the communication directors and senior communication specialists from the EU Member States, EU institutions, candidate countries and international organisations.
Infodef - Infodef is an organization founded with the intention to provide services and develop projects for the promotion of the Local Development through Education and Culture. It works in partnership with schools, VET centers, Adult Education organizations, Public Administrations and community and voluntary sector organizations to deliver adult education and skills to meet local needs. > LEARN MORE (pdf)
Jesús Boyano is co-founder and and General Manager of INFODEF. He is also lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Education and Social Work of the University of Valladolid. He has been for many years Projects Manager and Head of the European Projects and Studies Unit at the University of Valladolid General Foundation.
Federico Campos, is projects Manager at INFODEF, he has more than 10 years of experience in the design of innovative methodologies and the management of training and counseling programmes for disadvantage groups.
Institut for Uddannelse og Pædagogik - The Danish School of Education was established in 2011 as a department at the Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University.
It originates from the Danish School of Education (DPU), which was originally established as the Danish University of Education on 1 July 2000 by the merger of the Royal Danish School of Educational Studies, the Danish National Institute for Educational Research, the Danish School of Advanced Pedagogy and the Danish National Centre for Technology-Supported Learning.
On 1 June 2007 the DPU merged with the University of Aarhus and changed status from independent university to a university school at the University of Aarhus.
The Danish School of Education (known in Denmark as DPU) constitutes Denmark's largest and strongest university environment for basic and applied research within the field of education and educational theory (pedagogics).
The Danish National Centre for School Research (Schools and childcare Centers) (NCS) is a collaborative venture established in 2016. It is a research centre at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, and it is established in close collaboration with VIA University College.
The mission of the National Centre for School Research is to supply research which, in a binding collaboration between research institutions and between researchers and practitioners, helps to strengthen the professional practice and professional judgment of teachers, childcare professionals, managers, administrations and politicians – this being a prerequisite for strengthening the learning, development and well-being of children and pupils in childcare centres and schools. > LEARN MORE (pdf)
Dr. Niels Rosendal Jensen, is experienced in Erasmus Exchange as a guest professor; Program Director of PhD-Act (a European module at PhD-level in social work and social pedagogy) since 2009; national project leader of EU-project WorkAble 2009-2012 and Society 2013-2015 (FP7), of Leonardo da Vinci-project on real competence assessment 2010-2012, and leader of a project on development of competence of action in pedagogical work commissioned and financed by the Ministry of Social Affairs (2005-2009), evaluation of The Holistic Intervention (EGU) 2008-2011, project on a holistic approach to education of youngsters with special needs (STU) 2008-2011, evaluation of the pedagogy and didactics of Steiner schools in Denmark 2010-2011, project on education/teaching of young inmates in closed institutions for the Danish Regional Council 2008-2010
Dr. Christian Christrup Kjeldsen, is the Deputy head of the Danish School of Education (DPU) and director for research there. He also holds the position as Centre director for the National Centre for School Research (NCS) in Denmark. Kjeldsen have been researching empirically with means of statistics the relationship between school achievement and different forms of social background. Kjeldsen is the national research coordinator for the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) study TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and elected for the IEA Standing Committee.
Dr. Dirk Michel-Schertges, is Associate Professor at the Department of Education, Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University in Copenhagen, Denmark. He holds an MA in Social Sciences and a Doctorate in Educational and Social Sciences from the University of Wuppertal, Germany. His primarily interests include the (re-)construction of identity formations in the light of contemporary processes of alienation within the cultural contexts of aesthetic education/Bildung, art, educational policy, educational/pedagogical and social theory, political socialization, political education, social inequality, and biographical and historical approaches to the concept of Bildung. He is, inter alia, board member of the Research Committee 36 “Alienation Theory and Research” and RC 37 “Sociology of Arts” in the International Sociological Association.