Dear friends from Swansea, Gistrup, Izmir and Prague:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Falla de Tuéjar

Happy New Year

Hi All The European Fire Celebrations Project People,
Now, time to celebrate the new year.By the way I would like to say Marry Christmas and Happy New Year all of you.I hope 2009 will be better than 2008 for you and all your family. And the other my prospect is that, the year 2009 will give us a good chance, to succesfull about our project.
I'm very exciting to will have meet all of you in Spain and I'm sure my coordinator and the other Spanish are too.I know that they are working hard to host better us.
So, we have only one day to celebrate Christmas in Turkiye but you all have big holiday.I hope you would have meet all your loveliness.

Best Regards,
Love

Omer

Seasons Greetings

Hi everyone,
Dragon Arts and Learning has closed now for Christmas so we will write to you all again in January (and then not long until Spain in March!!!). Happy holidays everyone - thank you all for making 2008 such a special year!
Love Carey

Hi everybody.
Now is the time to show that we are able to write on the blog.
1½ months after the return from Wales all the experiences from being together with you now have been settled.
We are sure, that the people we have been telling about you and Wales, thinks we are exaggerating when we praise this fire-celebration week.
Most of all our gratitude goes to Conrad and his staff. You did a fantastic job by arranging it all and taking us into your live.
We have already been talking a lot of how we shall manage to give you a good experience when you come to Denmark.
We send you all Seasons Greetings and are looking forward to seeing you all in 2009.
Happy New Year from OF-2 Denmark
Grethe & Frode

HI!! partners.

Here is the finished video of the fire celebration! I hope you all enjoy it. We had such a wonderful week together. Thank you all!

Polly.

Writing with lights!

Hello partners!!

We found a fun way to write messages to you. We use neon and laser lights and photograph them slowly. It is lots of fun!! We hope to send you all Christmas cards which are written in the same way.

Take care!

Love Polly

and here is one from me! There are thousdands of photos so we will post more soon but maybe you have not all seen this one yet!

Hi Everyone!
I have sent emails to those for whom I have an individual email address but for anyone else - Prys, out IT Manager has asked that if you have any more photos etc that you would like to have included in the final slideshowplease send them to Dragon Arts as soon as possible. Then we can send copies out to each partner.
Hope you are all well!
Carey x

The History of Bonfire Night in Britain.

Bonfire Night - 5th November
Links
Bonfire Night
Overview

Bonfire Night has a very long tradition involving plots and treason.
Today it is celebrated with elaborate fireworks and bonfires across the country.

In depth
Remember, remember the fifth of November.Gunpowder, treason, and plot.I see no reason why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.
On 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parilaiment in Westmisnter, London. Guy Fawkes disagreed with the then king of England, King Charles I and plotted with a group of men to fill a cellar under the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder to blow it up. This was later to become known as the Gunpowder Plot. The plan was foiled and Guy Fawkes was captured and sent to the Tower of London. He was later executed.

Traditions
Since that day the 5th November had been remembered as Guy Fawkes Night. Effigies (dummies representing people) of Guy Fawkes were made with shirts and trousers stuffed with hay or paper. A mask was sometimes used for its face. Children would take their guy out on the streets and ask for a 'penny for the guy' to pay for fireworks. At night the guys were placed on the top of bonfires.


Nowadays the 5th November is known as Bonfire Night. On this night throughout the country there are many firework displays. Fireworks of many colours and shapes light up the night sky.
Fireworks
Pyrotechnics is the science used in creating fireworks. The science dates back thousands of years to ancient China. Fireworks are made using gunpowder, the same powder Guy Fawkes tried to use four hundred years ago to blow up Parliament.


There are many types of fireworks. Rockets are fireworks that shoot up into the sky and explode into colourful shapes. Catherine Wheels are fireworks that spin around like a wheel, and are very bright and noisy. The name comes from a form of punishment that was used against St Catherine in the Middle Ages. Sparklers are metal sticks which can be held at one end. When lit it sparkles and hisses.
Fireworks are beautiful and can be a lot of fun. But they must be handled with care, as they can be dangerous. Children must always be accompanied by an adult around fireworks, and the Fireworks Code must be followed at all times.

How long has Bonfire Night been celebrated?

Bonfire Night is over 400 years old. It dates back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes and a group of other men tried to blow up Parliament.


Was Guy Fawkes the leader of the Gunpowder Plot?

No. The leader of the Gunpowder Plot was a man called Robert Catesby. He was a Catholic who was fiercly opposed to the king and the Protestant aristocracy of the time.


When were fireworks invented and what were they used for?

The earliest written records of fireworks date back to China in the 12th Century (AD 1100s). They were used to scare off evil spirits with the loud sounds that they made.


Thanks! for making our Bonfire night so special!!!

Love Polly x

YOU ARE IN MY MIND AND IN MY HEART

Dear friends:

I have no words to explain my thoughts and feelings about last week....
I´m sure that all of you are agree with me that it was really nice, funny, wonderful, interesting fantastic, amazing...
Congratulations to Conrad, Carey, Lisa, Sally, Polly, Esther... and all the staff and learners of Dragon Arts & Learning Center and Cyrenians Cymru.
All of you did really a great work. Thanks too to Greta, Frode, Suayip, Omer, Mustafa, María, Loli, Bea and Carlos for your energy and understanding ...
It´s a great honour for me to be coordinator of this project.
I´ll continue working in order to do it my best, but is really easy with people like you.

Here you have the recording of the radio interview (congratulations cocococoordinators for your good spanish).

Lots of love
Pepe

Missing you already

Dear Pepe and everyone,
Now you have gone home the rain is back! It is pouring down again in Wales. It was wonderful to meet you all last week and life now seems very boring without you. Thank you all for your enthusiasm for the Fire Celebrations. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.
All my best regards, from Sally xx

Dear Partners,
here is the menu for our Welsh Food Evening on Tuesday 4th November. I have sent you all an email already but in case you prefer to use the blog here it is again:

a selection of Welsh inspired canapés including cockles and laverbread
**
Starters
Leek and Potato Soup (V)
Or
Spring Rolls with Penclawdd Cockles
**
Main
Welsh Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce served with Seasonal Vegetables and Leek Mash
Or
Glamorgan Sausages served with Seasonal Vegetables, Welsh Butter Mash and Onion Gravy (V)
**
Dessert
Bara Brith Bread and Butter Pudding and Cream
Welsh Cakes
Selection of Welsh Cheese and Biscuits
Joe’s Ice cream
**
All produce is Free Range

we need to know which option for Starter and Main course you would all like to eat.
I need you to tell me this on behalf of all your party by TUESDAY 28TH OCTOBER so we can order the right quantities.
Let me explain a few things that are on the menu:
Laverbread is seaweed.
Cockles are seafood.
Glamorgan Sausages are not meat. They are cheese and leek sausages in breadcrumbs.
Bara Brith is a type Welsh cake
Joe's ice cream is a vanilla ice cream made by a local company

Please let me know as soon as possible
See you all soon, Carey

Information about Swansea.

http://www.dragonarts.co.uk/resources/Swansea_Bay_You_Personalised_Information_Pack.pdf

Hello All Partners!!

Please click on the link to download your personal information pack which will tell you lots about Swansea.

Regards.

Polly Stone.

Food during your stay in Swansea.

Hello All Partners.

We are all very excited and plans for the Fire Celebrations are going very well here in Swansea. We would like to ask if any of you have special food needs. For example, Karin is allergic to fish. Some of you may be vegetarian, not eat certain meats, or drink alcohol and we would like to make sure that when we have to provide food, there is enough for everyone and something everyone will enjoy. Can you let me know as soon as possible?

Many thanks!

Polly Stone.

Confirmation of hotel in Wales

Dear Partners,
Apologies for not confirming this sooner as I have been on holiday. I want to confirm to you all that the hotel in Swansea is booked. The hotel is the Premier Inn

http://www.premierinn.com/pti/hotelInformation.do?hotelId=24139

There is a small map on this link but I can send another one showing the train station if you like.

The rooms cost £60 per room per night (not per person)
Breakfast has also been booked for every person for each day at an additional cost of £5.25 per day.

So, for Denmark the booking is Sunday 2nd November - Friday 3rd Nov (5 nights) (late check in has been arranged).
For Spain and Turkey it is Monday 3rd November - Friday 3rd Nov (4 nights).

Can Turkey and Spain confirm what time they will be arriving in Swansea on Monday 3rd November and can each country confirm what time they will need to leave on Friday so we can plan our farewell event!

Thanks
Carey

Confirmation of visitors needed

Hi all,

As part of the visit we wish to prepare certificates of attendence for all those who participate in our visit and therefore need all the names of those visiting us here in Wales. I've recieved names from Denmark so many thanks for that please could I have confirmation of everyone attending from Turkey and Spain.

many thanks

Lisa Llewellyn
Deputy Manager
Dragon Arts and Learning

Dear Partners,

Denmark is now trying the blog for the first time.

Karin

Dear Partners,
I spoke to Karin at length on the phone yesterday and it is lovely to feel like I am getting to know you all!
Karin has reminded me of a suggestion which has also been made by the UK National Agency which is that Wales produce "Certificates of Attendance" for all of you when you visit us. This will serve as proof of the mobilities taking place. Can you, then, let us know the names of each visitor who is coming to Wales so that we can prepare these certificates in advance.
Thank you everyone,
have a nice weekend
Carey

Your projects!!

I know that it was agreed that we will communicate in English on this blog and being as it is only UK who speak it as a first language, please can you post some information about your projects, what they do, your members/clients/aims/achievements etc. I have visited all your websites but all the info is in your national languages.


Please visit these web pages for more information about Dragon Arts and Learning Centre, and our organisation Cyrenians Cymru.

Looking forward to meeting you all!!!!!

www.dragonarts.co.uk
www.cyrenians.co.uk

Hello!!!

I am so happy this blog is now up and running!! We will be posting lots of information for you soon!

Regards,

Polly Stone.

Hotel bookings in Wales

Dear Partners,
We have now booked your hotels in Wales. I can confirm that the arrangements are as follows:

Denmark - arrive 2nd November, depart 7th November.
3 x twin/double rooms (late check in arranged)

Spain - arrive 3rd November, depart 7th November.
2 x twin/double rooms
1 x single

Turkey - arrive 3rd November, depart 7th November
1 x twin/double room
1 x single

http://www.premierinn.com/pti/hotelInformation.do?hotelId=24139

Cyrenians have paid for the hotel for you all - you will see this is £60 per room, per night. This includes breakfast each day. It is up to us all as partners to agree whether you all reimburse us for the hotel OR we pay on this occasion and each host country does the same. I do not know whether this is something you have all discussed previously?
Please use the blog to let us know if you have any queries about your visit to Wales.
Would you like us to post details of the programme of events here in Wales?

Grundtvig: It’s always a good time to learn

Until recently, people generally associated learning with the education they received at school and university. Today, Europe is undergoing a major transformation to become a world-leading knowledge based society. This means that knowledge, and the innovation it sparks, are the EU’s most valuable assets. The Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) supports individuals at all stages of their lives to pursue stimulating opportunities for learning across Europe.

A range of trans-national mobility activities within the Lifelong Learning Programme off ers pupils, students, trainees, adults, professionals, professors and teachers a unique chance to obtain education, training and work experience in a foreign country. Thus, they acquire new expertise and professional skills and in addition
develop their capacities to adapt to new environments. Mobility activities are supported in all of the four sectoral programmes of the Lifelong Learning Programme, i. e. Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig.

Grundtvig is a prime example of how Europe creates opportunities for its citizens. Teachers, trainers, tutors and other staff of working with adult education move to other countries and come back with a bag full of experience. Apart from knowledge in new subjects or in teaching matters, in better organisational skills and in intercultural understanding, they acquire an improved command of other languages
and deeper insight into the host countries.

One of the key eff ects of the mobility actions is the mutual understanding and trust they create among the education and training systems of the countries participating in the LLP, which helps to improve education structures and supports cooperation for a European Area of Education and Training.

In order to ensure quality, the European Commission has established a European Quality Charter for Mobility, which provides recommendations to organisations responsible for mobility. The exchange lifespan includes preparatory measures, implementation and follow-up – three stages that must be considered as a whole for a project of quality.

I am pleased to present the outstanding projects and courses included in this brochure to demonstrate the potential and positive eff ects of mobility of staff working on the adult learning sector. These examples of good practices at European level can provide inspiration to potential project coordinators and course developers in mobility actions. They should encourage European citizens to seize the opportunities that mobility in Europe has to off er to improve knowledge and skills, enlarge horizons and meet new friends and colleagues throughout Europe.

Why the name "Grundtvig"?

Why the name "Grundtvig"?
Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872), a Danish clergyman and writer, is regarded as the founder of the Nordic tradition of "learning for life". His "folk high school" concept was based on the idea that education must be available to all citizens throughout life and should encompass not only knowledge but also civic responsibility and personal and cultural development.

It is always a good time to learn! – The Grundtvig Programme
An eff ective Europe-wide system for lifelong learning is central to achieving the European Union’s ambitious policy objective of raising economic growth and competitiveness while nonetheless strengthening social inclusion. Adult education has a vital role to play in this regard – in raising the level of knowledge, skills and competences among the adult population, in providing a crucial second chance for the large number of adults who leave school early, and in helping to address the societal challenge of Europe’s ageing population.
Recognising these needs, the European Commission has launched a new policy initiative – the Action Plan for Adult Learning – designed to boost the attractiveness and accessibility of adult learning opportunities, improve the quality of adult education provision, implement systems for recognising the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning, and improve the monitoring of the adult education sector.
The Grundtvig Programme for adult learning has both contributed strongly to the development of these initiatives and is a key instrument for their further development and implementation. It provides the vital bridge between policy and practice, enabling adult educators in over 30 countries to work together on developing innovative approaches, giving local providers the chance to link up with partners abroad to develop joint cooperative initiatives, and opening up a wide range of opportunities for adult education staff and learners to cross national borders in search of new opportunities for training and knowledge.
Launched in 2000 in the framework of the Socrates II Programme, Grundtvig covers all levels and sectors of adult education and all forms of learning: formal, non-formal and informal. It is open to all sectors of the adult population, but gives special attention to those with particular needs: people lacking basic education and qualifi cations, people living in rural or disadvantaged areas, people who are disadvantaged for socio-economic reasons, people with disabilities or severe learning problems, and social groups which are "hard to reach" and which do not generally tend to take part in educational initiatives. With the adoption of the Lifelong Learning Programme in 2007, Grundtvig has also been given the strategic objective of responding to the educational challenge of an ageing population in Europe.

In the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Grundtvig con tinues to support several actions:
• Individual mobility to further the professional development of trainers/teachers and other staff in adult education
• Multilateral Projects and Networks in the fi eld of adult education
• Learning Partnerships between adult education institutions from diff erent European countries.

Countries participating in the Grundtvig Programme

Our partnership

UNITED KINGDOM "Cynerians Cymru" Swansea - Wales - UK
Contact Person: Conrad Watkins - cyrenians@btconnect.com

Cyrenians Cymru works with some of the most disadvantaged adult learners in Wales, UK. Many have experienced social exclusion as a result of homelessness or breakdown of family networks.

__________________________________________________________

SPAIN (Coordinator Country) "Cultural Association Falla of Tuéjar" Tuéjar - Valencia - Spain
Contact Person: Pepe Sanía - moralpompeya@yahoo.es

Falla of Tuéjar: We are in a rural area. Our village has 1400 inhabitant. Our association has 300 people, all age. We encourages participation of disadvantaged groups; older learners, specific need learners, migrants and learners at risk of social exclusion.

__________________________________________________________

DENMARK "OF-2 (Educational Association 2002)" Gistrup - North Jutland - Denmark
Contact Person: Karin Slot - KS-2@stofanet.dk

OF-2 works with all groups in our surrounding area south east of Aalborg- an area with 13.000 inhabitants. Our participant is compound of: disadvantaged, few migrants, few young, many elderly and no special group learners.

__________________________________________________________

TURKEY "Bornova Izmir Vocational Education Center" Izmir - Ege - Turkey
Contact Person: Omer Edip Ocakoglu - omeredip@gmail.com

Bornova Izmir Vocational Education Center: We are Vocational Education Center in Izmir , which is established in 1986 by National Education Ministry for providing education and training to apprentices, master-builders and masters.İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, Education and training programs are being followed in 113 profession fields. Our center has got 7000 students, 4700 of them are our registered students and the rest of them are the other people following. Number of teachers in our center are 85. At the same time our Center is an examination center for professions to have certificate of apprenticeship and master. We are pilot institution covered by SVET (Strengthen Vocational Education Training) which is supported European Union.

Our project

Our project raises an exchange of experiences in order to introduce adult learners to the different ways in wich fire is used to celebrate events in our countries. We regard these fire rituals like a common cultural point, spreaded all over european folklore.

In these events people plays tradicional music and dances, cooks typical food, and these celebrations are usually rooted in the popular traditions and customs of our countries.

We regard the carrying out of this project like a transvere subject to work all kind of cultural and educatives activities, always from a point of view artistic and creative.

Creative work will include crafts, making figures, photography and film, and the cultural activities will involve adult learners in local food and ways of life of the participating countries.

We raise the exchange visits with our learners like a great oportunity to discover other countries, other lenguages, other customs and other cultures… but the most important: the best oportunity to meet other people and discover that diversity is our great treasure and union our great power.

To respect this diversity and discover our common past, present and future is for us the real beginning of the intercultural dialogue.

All the partners of this partnership believe in our project and design this grundtvig action like the first step… we hope to add more countries in future, and develop an association of organizations across europe, leading to expansion of the exchange programmee: "EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CELEBRATIONS".



"Cyrenians Cymru will work towards the project by establishing a working group, including teachers and learners, to plan for the activities and events in the partnership. In the period and immediately before the host event, our arts and learning centre will be solely dedicated to this event and the activities involved, so that learners can gain the maximum benefit from the partnership." CYRENIANS CYMRU (WALES/UK)

This Grundtvig partnership gives our association a new dimension. It's a very good oportunity for us to develope our work with an european vision. At this moment, we are coordinating all our activities in order to develope this project. CULTURAL ASSOCIATION "FALLA OF TUÉJAR" (SPAIN)

"OF-2, Denmark has establishing a working group of learners and staff. The group are open for new participant who wants to join and work with the preparation and follow up of the visits to the partners. They will take turn to join the travelling group. The whole group will jointly be involved and take active part in preparation and during the 5 days visit of our partners, when Denmark is hostcountry.

The working group will during the projects 2 years, will seek information and try to understand the partners country, their culture, their language both local and national. Besides the group will have to prepare, how they will present Denmark and Danish culture, and show our way to be creative at our traditionally bonfire. All of this will be done, in a way so even if the participants don’t speak the same language they will understand about, country, culture and traditions." OF-2 (DENMARK)

"This project will not only provide us to gain insight of understanding of intercultural dialogue but also give us an opportunity to know the systems and implementations of adult education in different countries. We will be able to take good examples to implement in our adult education system. Besides this, as a candidate of EU membership, it is very important to know certificate system of our partners for professions implemented in adult education to apply to our system." BORNOVA IZMIR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION CENTER (IZMIR/TURKEY)