Contact to experts/visiting speakers

The Society for solidarity development cooperation was founded in 1990. She realizes projects in southern countries as well as in the development education in Germany. The third field of activity is the Fair Trade. All the activities are connected.

Ecolo ist an environmental communication agency with core business in camapigning, PR, webdesign, online-communication tools and projectmanagment.

We are an association of 54 Munich-based initiatives, groups, organizations and about a dozen private individuals who are active in the area of development policy. The objective of our association is to bring the important concerns of the countries of the South, which are the developing countries, to the North in order to initiate changes on both sides in favor of a common future. Therefore, as a North-South Forum, we do lobbying at a regional level and beyond.

We are particularly active in educational and public relations work. We organize seminars, information events, symposia, plays, exhibitions, campaigns etc. and we compile didactic accompanying and background material. We also collaborate with other initiatives, social groups, and institutions in order to emphasize our common interests. Moreover, it is important to us to provide a platform to people of the South to ensure and expand the intercultural dialogue.

Apart from their work in their respective (independent) groups, many of our members are also active in the open work groups of the North South Forum; e.g. in the One World Education work group (global learning and issues of the North-South work in schools, children and youth institutions; development of materials). This work group played a leading role in the foundation of the regional work group entitled 'School and One World' as well as the Global Learning Forum in which our work group and the North-South Forum actively participate.

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), located in Hamburg, Germany, is one of UNESCO’s key education-related institutes and is the only organizational unit in the UN family that holds a global mandate for lifelong learning. Taking a holistic and integrated, inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral approach to lifelong learning as the guiding paradigm for 21st century education, UIL promotes and supports lifelong learning with a focus on adult learning, continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education. Its activities place particular emphasis on furthering educational equity for disadvantaged groups and in the countries most afflicted by poverty and conflict.

*What is CHAT between WORLDS?*
CHAT between WORLDS combines global learning with digital media. The programme is designed to address the perspectives of various target groups living in Asia, Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Europe: School classes and individuals can exchange experiences with students in Germany through online communication. That way, CHAT between the WORLDS overcomes geographical distances and offers the opportunity for authentic and personal encounters. School classes of all school types with students from the age of 10 can take part.

*What does a virtual exchange look like?*
At CHAT between WORLDS, there are two forms of CHATs: peer-to-peer CHATs and expert CHATs. During peer-to-peer CHATs, children and young people get in touch with school classes in Germany. While during expert CHATs, professionals share their expertise with students in Germany online. Depending on time differences and local internet connections, the virtual exchange can take place via live stream or via video messages. Before each CHAT, participants are prepared for the CHAT topic using methods of Global Learning. Both the content of the exchange and the rules of conduct during the CHAT are drawn up in advance. Through question and answer sessions, the participants learn with and from each other. However, other forms of digital experiences are also possible: For example, a digital scavenger hunt, a jointly designed online pin board, or a cooking campaign across the globe. The common languages of the virtual exchange are French, English, Spanish or German.
After the CHAT, the participants reflect on the knowledge and impressions they gained during the CHAT. The students are encouraged to think about their own courses of action, plan their own projects and subsequently implement them independently.

*Who is organizing CHAT between WORLDS?*
CHAT between WORLDS is implemented by five civil organisations in seven federal states of Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia). CHAT between WORLDs is coordinated by Engagement Global gGmbH with funds from the Ministry of economic Cooperation and Development.

FAIR for all generations FAIR education - Our campaigns are aimed at schools, kindergartens and day-care centres (Kitas), extracurricular actors in the greater Saarbrücken area and Saarland University. Several "Fair Kitas", "Fairtrade Schools" and "Fairtrade Universities" from the greater Saarbrücken area have already been awarded. School classes and courses from the Saarbrücken region have already received the award "Fair School Class - Fair Trade Class" more than 100 times. Through our young "Fair Trade Ambassadors" as multipliers and through our wide-ranging commitment, we reach a broad public. The guiding principle of our network is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).