"International Student Movement"

... if you come from outside Europe!

This goes out to all who want to attend the "European Education Congress" [EEC] at the end of May 2010 and are travelling from outside Europe.

Right now activists in different regions across Europe are preparing for a so-called "European Education Congress", which is to take place for a whole week at the end of May. Click here to see the first newsletter.

Although the activists officially preparing the EEC are not allowed [by EU regulations] to invite activists from non-EU member states, some activists decided to still try to enable people from elsewhere to join.

The aim:
To get together as education activists from across Europe and beyond to discuss the concept of "education", learn about situations elsewhere, network, as well as to co-ordinate future protests on an international level.

The finances:
The congress is being supported by an EU program called "Youth in Action".
The initiative to call for such a congress came from individuals involved in the education movement in Germany. Right now funds for the congress were collected mainly from student representative bodies [totalling about €20,000]. Once we were able to confirm this amount we applied for funds using the EU programme. Our application was approved and now the congress is being supported through this program with about €20,000. BUT the EU strictly regulates how the total amount of about €40,000 can be spend.
For example people coming from EU member states [+ Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey] can have their travel expenses subsidised; others can't!
We don't support such discrimination, but we have no choice, if we want to use the funds.
Some activists decided to work to still enable as many people around the world as possible to attend the congress. Because we believe this congress will be a milestone for the education movement on an international, if not even global level.

How to solve the financial problem?
All activists coming from non-EU member states interested in attending the congress, but not able to finance travel expenses [after checking with regional groups and institutions] please send a mail to: united.for.education@gmail.com [deadline: April 1st].
The idea is the following:
We will make a list of all activists from beyond Europe who want to join the EEC, but need financial assistance. Once we have this list, groups in Europe [or elsewhere] who feel capable to generate funds [e.g. through solidarity parties] pick a single group/activist[s], establish a contact and work on it as their own project. So both sides will see how they can work together and enable the activist[s] on the other side to come to Bochum.
For example: the student representative body at the University of Marburg feels responsible to gather funds to enable two activists from Yogyakarta [Indonesia] to join the congress.
An invitation for visa applications can be send out to all those who need one.

Any questions regarding the above? Leave a message below or feel free to contact me [united.for.education@gmail.com].

For any general enquiries in connection with the congress you can send a mail to: info@educationcongress.eu

In Solidarity,
Mo.
[Marburg, Germany]