Head Mission Office of the Franciscans – Department for Education and Human Rights

One World work, World Church theology, intercultural communication and conflict management are the areas in which many committed people have taken seminars and continuing education courses at our head mission office for more than ten years now.

Process-Oriented Themes
The process-oriented themes are related in an interactive process involving participants and partners as well as experts in the head mission office: from Dialog Lernen (learning the dialog - 1992), Nachhaltige Solidarität (sustainable solidarity- 1995), and Neue Nachbarschaften (new neighbors - 1999),  to today's main focus on Differenzen und Allianzen (differences and alliances) as well as Solidarkompetenz (solidarity competence).

Within the framework of the 'A Soul for Europe' program, the 'Ecumenical Village' (Graz, 1997) and 'Neue Modelle von Solidarität im heutigen Europa lehren und lernen' (teaching and learning new models of solidarity in today's Europe) 2000/2001, have represented important contributions.

Recognition
These programs have been and continue to be supported by the European Union as well as church and state authorities.

Solidarity workshops represent high-quality continuing education measures for students of social and educational professions, members of social groups and programs focus on:

    Agenda 2000
    the monitoring of the financial markets (ATTAC)
    One World
    minority problems
    topics on environmental/ecological sustainability
    the gender issue

in Central Europe (at present Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany).

Members of social movements and the movements for the landless, women, Blacks and the indigenous people participate from Brazil and India. Training for solidarity competence deals with solidarity in the political domain, professionalism and personality, differences and conflicts, and of boundaries and culture.

Target groups are:

    returnees from Third World countries
    committed individuals in the area of solidarity work
    training groups such as university seminars and
    training  for pastors and deacons.