Non profit
May 2010
A Vita Europe selection of civil society events around Europe.
Listed events (for further descriptions of events and links scroll down):
4 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium, Stockholm, European Green Capital 2010 – Role Model for Europe
7 May 2010, Messina, Italy, Fighting Corruption at local and regional level
10 May 2010, Madrid, Spain, Leading Sustainably and Innovatively out of the Recession
11-12 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium, 3rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture – The Art of Farming
12-14 May 2010, Ashridge, United Kingdom, Ashridge Integrating Corporate Responsibility programme
12 – 15 May 2010, Vilnius, Lithuania, The 12th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence
13 May 2010, Bratislava, Slovakia, 7th Annual Conference on Corporate Responsibility and 3rd Marketplace of Solutions
13-15 May 2010, Lisbon, Portugal, Renexpo Portugal – Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency
16-18 May 2010, Cordoba, Spain, Brains on the Move: Gains and Losses from Student Mobility and Academic Migration
18 May 2010, Naples, Italy, Transnational conference: “Social dialogue, decent work and migration in Europe – challenges, good practice and policies needed”
19-21 May 2010, Dunkerque, France, 6th European Sustainable Cities & Towns Conference
20 May 2010, London, United Kingdom, Improving performance in the voluntary sector – Making every penny count
20 May 2010, London, United Kingdom, Healthy Minds: The Key To Realising Potential
20-21 May 2010, Helsinki, Finland, The Second Global Helsinki Chemicals Forum
26 May 2010, Glasgow, Scotland, Social enterprise and creativity- Introduction to social enterprise in the creative sector
27-28 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium, State building at the Heart of Conflict Prevention and Peace building
28 May 2010, Paris, France, European Neighbours’ Day
28-30 May 2010, Bonn, Germany, 1st World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change-Resilient Cities 2010
4 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium
Stockholm, European Green Capital 2010 – Role Model for Europe
This seminar is organised by the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the City of Stockholm.
At the seminar, the Mayor of Stockholm and other high-level representatives of the City will explain how and why Stockholm was awarded this prestigious title. The seminar will reflect on the past, the present but most importantly, what the city is planning for the future.
Representatives from Europe’s first ever Green Capital, Stockholm, share their views on sustainable urban development – using concrete examples to illustrate how it is possible to improve the living conditions for Europe’s city-dwellers.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/events_submenu/100504_egc-seminar.html
7 May 2010, Messina, Italy
Fighting Corruption at local and regional level
This conference is organized by the Committee of the Regions of the European Union and by the by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The conference is focussing on the fight against corruption at local and regional level. After a thematic introduction by Transparency International there will be three panel debates:
I. Involvement of citizens and civil society; II. Initiatives and structures to prevent corruption: Best practices at local and regional level; III. Existing instruments within the Council of Europe and the European Union and possible further steps at European level.
http://cor.europa.eu/pages/EventTemplate.aspx?view=detail&id=0eeb3c70-c734-423a-9ef8-c551a639773b
10 May 2010, Madrid, Spain
Leading Sustainably and Innovatively out of the Recession
During times of recession and high unemployment, the third sector is no longer a social cost but a source of growth, employment and innovation both locally and globally. But a change of mindset is needed as the sector moves from being not only consumers of wealth, but to producers of wealth.
Focusing on innovation in funding, good governance and partnership building, this conference will equip delegates with the right skills and international contacts required to be a 21st Century Leader, leading both the sector and Europe out of the recession.
EN’s publication, 21st Century Third Sector Leadership, funded by the European Commission, will be launched at the event and every delegate will receive a copy.
The conference is organised in partnership with Daryl Upsall Consulting International SL and DenokInn and is sponsored by Diputada Acción Social de Alava and the European Commission as part of the Citizens for 21st Century Europe project.
11-12 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium
3rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture – The Art of Farming
This conference is organised by SAI Platform and CIAA.
Sustainable agriculture to feed the future world is needed. That calls for reduction of carbon footprint, the start of farming cool and the protection of soil, from pesticides and erosion. We need innovative and cost efficient solutions. And we need them fast.
The 3rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture accelerates solution finding through sharing of state-of-the-art insights in innovative sustainable products, cutting edge techniques and cost efficient measurements. Forerunners in the business will share their knowledge, insights and experiences with you in this two day conference loaded with high level working sessions, keynote speeches, workshops, networking opportunities, updates on the most important round tables and many more.
http://www.sustainable-ag.org/
12-14 May 2010, Ashridge, United Kingdom
Ashridge Integrating Corporate Responsibility programme
The Ashridge Integrating Corporate Responsibility programme builds organisational capability to stimulate change around sustainability and CR, and has been designed to meet the real world professional development needs of sustainability and CR professionals. Working with peers, Ashridge facilitators and practitioners from leading organisations, participants will develop their ability to stimulate change, influence key stakeholders and integrate CR in their organisation.
http://www.ashridge.org.uk/icr
12 – 15 May 2010, Vilnius, Lithuania
The 12th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence
This conference is organised by Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius.
This conference highlights innovative research on adolescence and aims at facilitating the exchange of today’s knowledge and current ideas in this vast and still expanding area of research.
The subject of the conference – research on adolescence – includes perspectives from different branches of psychology such as clinical psychology, biological psychology, developmental psychology, and social psychology as well as from other disciplines studying adolescence. The conference will highlight the latest research findings and will address topics that are of interest to researchers and those active in different fields of application.
Core topics to be addressed include well known as well as developing areas of research such as cognitive development, the role of social and economic change in adolescent development, contexts and processes of identity construction, families, parents, friends and romantic partners, life trajectories and change processes, transitions and adolescence, emerging adulthood, vocational development and work meanings, adolescent health and well-being, political development, citizenship and political participation, cultural perspectives on adolescent development, prevention, promotion and intervention projects for adolescent development, biological and neuropsychological aspects, pubertal maturation, and many others. It thus highlights new developments in terms of theory and methodology of interest to psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, biologists, and educationalists.
This conference brings together researcher and practitioners from different disciplines across Europe and all over the world that focus on adolescence. The understanding of adolescence in different countries is extremely important given the role that culture plays in the transition to adulthood. For this endeavour to succeed, participants of this conference will explore the state of this fascinating field of research and discuss their research findings.
13 May 2010, Bratislava, Slovakia
7th Annual Conference on Corporate Responsibility and 3rd Marketplace of Solutions
This conference is organised by the Pontis Foundation and the Business Leaders Forum.
The focus of this year’s conference will be dedicated to sustainable business performance in the aftermath of economic change and concrete examples of best practices to address the pressing societal challenges of our time.
The topics covered are:
– Changes – Risk or Opportunity for New Products & Services
– Responsible Environmental Performance
– Responsible Communication & Products
– Responsible Community Engagement
– Employees
The morning conference will be followed by the 3rd Marketplace of Solutions to showcase innovative business models and responsible products and services in the focus areas above.
http://www.blf.sk/conference2010
13-15 May 2010, Lisbon, Portugal
Renexpo Portugal – Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency
REECO Group, the well-renowned German organiser of trade fairs and conferences on Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, is taking another major step in its development: it expands its activities to one of the most advanced markets in the world.
This is the first event exclusively dedicated to the sector of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency ever held in a country that presents privileged conditions for the use of such technologies. Encompassing a trade fair and a series of international conferences, RENEXPO® Portugal will be an integrated platform for the presentation and discussion of the latest news and tendencies, specially oriented to the Iberian market and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The trade fair will have the presence of about 4000 visitors – Portuguese and international –in a privileged moment where the Portuguese sector of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency presents an high growth, result of the great interest of the society and the governmental support. The main themes of the trade fair will be the following:
* Biomass
* Cogeneration
* Energy Efficient Building
* Energy Efficient Transports and Sustainable Mobility
* Wind Energy
* Hydropower
* Wave and Tidal Energy
* Solar Energy
The conferences, organised in partnership with the most important Portuguese organisations within the sector, will have the presence of renowned experts, therefore representing an informative platform of reference that will attract several specialised visitors.
http://www.renexpo-portugal.com/index.php?id=7&L=1
16-18 May 2010, Cordoba, Spain
Brains on the Move: Gains and Losses from Student Mobility and Academic Migration
The international mobility of students and migration of researchers will be the theme of the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) 2010 Annual Conference in the South of Spain.
Brains on the move. Gains and losses from student mobility and academic migration. Co-organised by Universidad.es and ACA, and kindly supported by the University and the City of Cordoba, the conference is laid out for 300-plus delegates.
Brains on the move are to revisit the themes of the international mobility of students and of researcher migration. It will give an up-to-date account and analysis of the major mobility and migration patterns in European and global higher education. But, more importantly, it will attempt to throw light on what stands behind the figures. What are the reasons or ‘drivers’ of the international movements? What are the benefits and what are the losses of mobility and migration for the individual student and academic, for the higher education institutions and for their countries? Who wins and who looses? Are gains and losses final, or can they be reverted, and how? Are we confronted with brain gain and brain drain, or is the situation better characterized by ‘brain circulation’, benefiting everybody?
http://www.europeanagenda.eu/events/27734.php
18 May 2010, Naples, Italy
Transnational conference: “Social dialogue, decent work and migration in Europe – challenges, good practice and policies needed”
This conference is organised by SOLIDAR, a European network of 53 Ngos active in over 90 countries working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide. SOLIDAR lobbies the EU and international institutions in three primary areas: social affairs (more social Europe), international cooperation (development cooperation) and education (lifelong learning for all).
The conference is organised within the framework of the project: “Decent Work for All: A Key for Effective Industrial Relations”.
The project, financially supported by the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Social Inclusion, aims to create a better understanding of the link between decent work for all in Europe and effective social dialogue, with a view to reinforcing the European Social Model and highlighting the need to place decent work at the centre of EU and Member States’ policies, and to counteract the current financial and economic crisis.
Looking in particular at sectors with higher incidences of precarious labour (e.g. construction, health and long-term care) and more vulnerable groups (e.g. young people, undocumented migrants) in six European countries (Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, Sweden), SOLIDAR and its project partners compared the challenges that risk weakening decent work and social dialogue e.g. precarious working conditions, temporary agency work, at the European, national, sectoral and enterprise level. The project also looked into the role of social partners in fighting precarious labour and promoting decent work and quality jobs and employment.
19-21 May 2010, Dunkerque, France
6th European Sustainable Cities & Towns Conference
This conference is organised by the Metropolitan Council of Dunkerque and its president, Michel Delebarre, and by the European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign (ESCT).
It will explore how sustainable development can help local governments to face the current economic, social and climate challenges and how it can be further implemented in the current context of crisis. It will convene key actors to identify what changes are needed to our political frameworks and will explore how different sectors can cooperate to advance sustainable development in Europe. This event is the next large conference in Europe to address climate change after Copenhagen 2009 (COP-15) and it will offer a unique opportunity to position local governments as willing partners and leaders on emissions reductions and innovative solutions. The culmination of Dunkerque 2010 will be the conveyance of a political message to Europe and the world on climate and the wider local sustainability agenda.
20 May 2010, London, United Kingdom
Improving performance in the voluntary sector – Making every penny count
Are you prepared for the upturn? Is your organisation focused on what really matters? Are you making every penny count?
In this interactive session Acevo shares with the participants some best practice case examples to explore ways to achieve efficiency improvements while enhancing, not cutting, capability. ??Acevo aims to help participants to ask the right questions and gain new insights to help them move their organisation forward and ‘make every penny count’.
The following topics will be covered:
– Governance – it’s about performance and not just compliance
– Focusing on what really matters – how to identify and eliminate ‘waste’
– Managing performance – measuring the right things
– Continuous improvement – adopting a systematic approach to achieve sustainable improvement
http://www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=1710
To find out about Acevo’s conferences, workshops and training sessions visit:
http://www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=227
http://www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=1043
20 May 2010, London, United Kingdom
Healthy Minds: The Key To Realising Potential
This conference is organised by Homeless Link, the only national charity supporting people and organisations working directly with homeless people in England. It represents homelessness organisations among local, regional and national government. As the national collaborative hub for information and debate on homelessness, it seeks to improve services for homeless people and to advocate policy change. Through this work, it aims to end homelessness in England.
A large percentage of clients who access homelessness services have poor mental health. Without the right support and access to the right services, their mental health is likely to worsen.
Most workers in the housing and homelessness fields will be aware of this, as they often work with extremely vulnerable people, with a wide range of mental health needs. Very few staff feel sufficiently prepared and trained in this area, which can leave them feeling uncertain about how to interact safely and effectively with such clients.
This conference aims to demystify the mental health care system and inform workers based in the homelessness sector, how they can more easily support clients with poor mental health. It will focus on the clients who have lower level mental health issues, as provision for these individuals is less readily available, despite a recognised, significant demand for this type of support. According to a recent piece of research:
* 85% of clients in one hostel had a personality disorder
* 40% had anxiety disorders
* 25% had a depressive or post traumatic stress disorder
* none of these clients have had a formal diagnosis of their condition.
This conference aims to improve the mental health of clients accessing homelessness services, and prevent other clients’ mental health worsening.
http://www.homeless.org.uk/healthy-minds
20-21 May 2010, Helsinki, Finland
The Second Global Helsinki Chemicals Forum
New approaches to overcome the challenges facing the environment worldwide are necessary. Chemistry plays a significant role in finding and contributing to sustainable solutions for environmental problems and consumer concerns.
This is why the Helsinki Chemicals Forum is inviting national and international authorities, companies and industry associations, international organisations, non-governmental bodies, human interest groups, and academia for an open dialogue with true impact.
The 2010 Forum will focus on four challenging themes related to chemical policies and chemistry as a science:
– Chemicals Regulation –Global Challenges
– Chemical Policies – Emerging Economies
– Competitiveness – Financial Constraints
– Green Chemistry – Solution Provider
http://finnexpo.multiedition.fi/wwwcem/cem/index.php
26 May 2010, Glasgow, Scotland
Social enterprise and creativity- Introduction to social enterprise in the creative sector
The first national social enterprise conference for this sector aims to raise awareness of the social enterprise model within a cultural setting. While not for every organisation, social enterprise is a dynamic way of doing business that can transform communities and drive profound and lasting social change. Social enterprises use unrestricted income generated through trade to move away from grant dependency, freeing them up to be more independent and creative.
Key speakers will be Sergio López Figueroa of Big Bang Lab in London, cultural social entrepreneur of the year 2009 who created the concept of Cultural Social Responsibility and Derek Marshall, of Dundee Factory Skatepark, one of Scotland’s leading community sports social enterprises. There will also be a chance to participate in a range of workshops on choices facing culture and creative organisations in the current economic climate, owning assets and demonstrating social impact and added value. This conference will be of interest to organisations working in the sector and key public sector support agencies.
http://www.senscot.net/docs/creativeconf260510.pdf
http://www.factoryskatepark.com/
27-28 May 2010, Brussels, Belgium
State building at the Heart of Conflict Prevention and Peace building
This event is part of the programme “Conflict Prevention in Practice”, organised jointly by Madariaga – College of Europe Foundation and Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) to reinforce the cooperation and to evolve a close interaction between representatives of the international community towards more concrete dialogue on conflict prevention. Organised with the support of the Spanish Presidency, and in close cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), the workshop will aim to provide an excellent opportunity for participants to reflect on the questions and challenges related to state building from the perspectives of conflict prevention, fragility and peace building. It will gather representatives of international organisations, European institutions, NGOs and experts in the field to provide a fruitful debate on this topic.
28 May 2010, Paris, France, European Neighbours’ Day
This event is organised by the European Federation of Local Solidarity (EFLS).
All over Europe, individualism, withdrawal into oneself and loneliness is on the rise. Everywhere social bonds are growing loose. Each resident is invited to make a simple gesture at the same time throughout Europe. To invite your neighbours to share a nice time around a buffet or a luncheon, enhances social cohesion and creates new solidarities.
It is a simple principle: Neighbours’ Day is an event which occurs every year on the last Tuesday of May.
Any city or town or social housing organization is welcome to participate in Neighbours’ Day by promoting the event with the inhabitants using all the communication means at their disposal.
It is then up to each resident or group of residents to organise their own party.
Through this exchange among residents, sharing experiences and good practices, this event gives to citizens the opportunity to interact and to join in the making of Europe, an ever closer and more human European community.
http://www.european-neighbours-day.com/en/concept-0
28-30 May 2010, Bonn, Germany
1st World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change
Resilient Cities 2010
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability *, the City of Bonn and the World Mayors Council on Climate Change will jointly host Resilient Cities 2010, the first edition of the annual global forum on urban resiliency and adaptation to climate change.
Resilient Cities 2010 will be a prime opportunity to share the latest scientific findings, state-of-the-art approaches and effective programs on climate change adaptation and resilience-building in cities and urbanised areas.
ICLEI is the first Local Government network to support the UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation. The Resilient Cities Congress series represents ICLEI Action Pledge towards the objectives and expected outcomes of the Nairobi Work Programme.
ICLEI has formed a partnership with leading organizations to provide a global platform for sharing knowledge and experiences on a variety of themes.
Case examples of local adaptation practice will illustrate approaches and experiences.
Resilient Cities 2010 will enhance exchange, learning, networking, debate and policy development on approaches and solutions to climate change adaptation for cities and local governments.
It also aims at setting the direction for future planning of and investment in urban infrastructure. The event will bring about policy propositions and impulses for innovation.
* ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development.
