FORUM on International Volunteering

“In the school of the world – learning from one another – shaping the global future”

FORUM Preseident Cliff Allum will be attending the 2008 Katholikentag conference in Germany on the 24th May. He will be taking part in the panel discussion “In the school of the world” organised by the Association for Development Cooperation (AGEH) and the Malteser Hilfsdienst, the Emergency Corps of the German Association of the Order of Malta (MHD) for the occasion of the Katholikentag 2008.

Content:
The globalisation of our world is a reality. Markets and communications have long since encompassed the globe, yet this is not the case for knowledge and understanding of different cultures. Foreignness continues to be more likely to provoke fear and exclusion than it does curiosity or openness to mutual approach.

There is no question that globalisation must be viewed as more than simply an economic reality. Of at least equal importance are intercultural exchange, joint learning and understanding, and consciously dealing with other value systems with a view towards mutual enrichment.

Successful personal encounters are a prerequisite for this development, and these encounters have long since become reality. Travels to foreign countries have become a regular occurrence, while companies offer their employees opportunities to work abroad, and specialists working for developmental organisations spend years living and working in their target nations. Young people seek such encounters by serving in volunteer organisations.

This panel discussion offers an opportunity to explore ways in which global learning can be successfully realised from a number of different perspectives. The following key questions will serve as the framework:

• What are the conditions for global learning and for intercultural dialogue and exchange? What are the experiences of people who engage in such learning processes? How do these experiences affect their subsequent lives – after returning to their home countries from abroad, for example? What is the relevance of personal experiences and learning processes for civil society, and what (political) framework conditions are necessary in order that these experiences can play a role in society? What are the limits to which global learning is subject?
• What ways are there to render a wealth of individual learning experiences useful for shaping a shared and sustainable global future?