6th Estonian Civil Society Conference

The 26 November’s Estonian Civil Society Conference will focus on five important agents of civic education: family, school, media, workplaces and NGOs. There will be also five regional conferences from November 2009 to January 2010 to follow the event in Tallinn.

As always, in addition to national scholars and practitioners, there will be also foreign speakers at the conference. They will be followed through video interviews. 

Why video interviews? The reason is threefold: video interviews enable to offer more foreign presenters that outstand with their interesting thoughts and useful experience. Secondly, it eases the conference budget and allows setting a lower participation fee (and this year every participant has the possibility to choose a suitable fee level for oneself). Third, it saves the conference ecological footprint – the flights of presenters have made the most environmental impact this far.

The interviews are followed by discussions with Estonian presenters and participants.  

Foreign presenters taking part to the conference this year are:

Ljudmila Aleksejeva (Russia). As one the of the longest human rights’ fighters in Russia, she has been standing for the fair justice of arrested dissidents and the objectivity of media since 1960. Together with Garri Kasparov and Georgi Satarov, she was leading the civil congress in Russia, but left it due to disagreements with Kasparov. Aleksejeva is a member of Memorial, the leading human rights centre in Russia that received also this year’s freedom of thought award named by Sahharov. In the interview given to Krister Paris, the correspondent of Estonian public television (ERR), Aleksejeva explains by the example of Russia the roles of media, freedom of speech and human rights in civil education.

Siobhan Canty (USA). As a social entrepreneur, Canty is known as the innovator in the partnership of business and non-profit sector. She is convinced that both the parties have to gain from the partnership and it can not be just good feeling, but an outcome that actually and measurably improves both sides’ activities. For some time, Canty ran the Greater DC Cares organisation that earned the national innovation award for implementing new partnership opportunities (the activities actually raised the community investments of the organisation from $ 400 000 to 6 000 000). She is interviewed by ERR correspondent Neeme Raud and the topic is how to become a good citizen at one’s workplace.

Eric Miyeni (South Africa). In the Republic of South Africa he is recognized for his good social nerve as a writer (incl. bestselling “O’Mandigo! Only Black at a Dinner Party”), journalist, radio and TV host, as well as a film and TV actor. By education a lawyer, he has also been involved in the fields of commercials and media relations (owning currently a communication company). He was interviewed by Kristina Mänd, member of the council of EMSL (Network of Estonian Non-profit Organizations) and they discussed the role of the family in growing up as a good citizen, especially in the society that has gone through great political and cultural changes. The interview is brought to you with the kind help of Hillside Digital, our fellow member at CIVICUS.     
 
Geoff Mulgan (UK). Innovative by spirit, Mulgan runs Young Foundation, the influential organisation that deals with social innovation and social entrepreneurship, as well with shaping politics in the fields of education, health care and fighting with poverty. Previously he has been working for the UK government and has published several good books, to mention the latest „The Art of Public Strategy“ (2009) and „Good and Bad Power: the Ideals and Betrayals of Government“ (2006). In the video interview, he meets Artur Taevere, the previous leader of Heateo Sihtasutus (Good Deed Foundation in Estonia) and currently employed at Teach for All in London, to discuss topics as civil education and social innovation.
 
Virachai Techavijit (Thailand). The owner of the international Regent’s Schools in Bangkok and the Honorary Consul of Estonia in Thailand, Techavijit has also considerably supported the studies of Estonian young people. By education a book-keeper, he has been engaged in several remarkable positions in the management of companies in Thailand and USA universities, he has leaded the  Union of Thailand Bankers and been the council of the prime minister. Mai Loog, PhD, Estonian journalist and writer, discusses with him the role of the school and growing to become a citizen by the example of Thailand.

The Conference is funded by the National Foundation of Civil Society, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Culture, Baltic-American Partnership Programme, US Embassy and Integration Foundation.

Source: www.ngo.ee