Paris Youth Declaration “New Paradigm of Education”
Youth Time International Movement
November 26 – 27, 2013
Paris, France
The Youth Time Movement Members,
Recalling previous Youth Time projects, during which we decided to organize in 2013 Paris International Youth Forum “NEW PARADIGM OF EDUCATION: EUROPEAN DIALOGUE” at the highest possible level, would like to
1. express profound gratitude to the JSC “TransContainer”, Association “Dialogue Franco-Russe”, Transsoyuz charity, Federal Passenger Company, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), Youth Association for a Greater Europe for providing all the necessary support;
2. endorse the outcome document of the Youth Time International Movement Forum on the future of education, entitled “Paris Youth Declaration New Paradigm of Education”, annexed below.
International Youth Forum “New Paradigm of Education: European Dialogue”
Paris, France
27 November 2013
DECLARATION
1. PREAMBLE
1.1 We, the participants of the International Youth Forum “New Paradigm of Education: European Dialogue” (NPE), gathered in Paris, on November 26 – 27, 2013 for a 2-day youth event organized by the Youth Time International Movement which brings together young people and youth leaders from around the world to discuss relevant youth issues, summarize our work in the form of a declaration for the benefit of the future of education.
1.2 By recognizing the significance of education, necessity of bringing considerable changes into the current educational paradigm and balancing the ratio of formal and non-formal education, the needs of young people dictated by the current nowadays trends in modern society, and considering the statistics and research done, Youth Time made a commitment in 2012 to encompass all areas connected to the issue of education; provide more detailed research and listen to the voices of the youth throughout the row of special events all over the world, incorporating the theme of education into various discussions and debates. This theme has been recognized to fulfill the needs of young people. Hence, an interactive discussion on this topic has been very important to form, educate and increase awareness on the challenges and opportunities standing in front of contemporary education, current demands of the globalized world and changing conditions and environments at different levels of society that we represent.
1.3 Therefore, with the above mentioned theme, participants and all relevant parties present (the young people, youth leaders, public and private sector, academia, international, regional and national organization representatives) gathered to call for action on the issues of education, its role in the lives of all the people and its influence on the future of our societies. Having in mind the very origins of the need of being educated that come from the evolution of the human society, basing on the knowledge and approaches developed throughout the history of the mankind, this outcome document is expected to enhance youth contribution towards promoting a more constructive look at education and its future.
1.4 After thorough deliberations through projects, events and discussions, plenary sessions, workshops, we, the participants, have put together this document with the following recommendations that we strongly feel ought to be implemented by all the involved parties to ensure that the rights and interests of all stakeholders of the educational processes that are taking place in formal and non-formal areas and formats, such as, but not limited to, state institutions (states), business (corporate sector and commercial educational establishments, private endeavors), NGOs, people of all ages, are acknowledged and protected.
1.5 Basing on the results of the long-term work, research and discussion process of Youth Time members, a network of young activists social workers and entrepreneurs, media professionals and researchers from more than 30 countries who have taken it as their mission to craft a new future and contribute to the implementation of positive scenarios, we consider education as one of the fundaments on which our common future should be based.
The guiding principles for this declaration were based on the following objectives:
to initiate an open public discussion in which the vision of young people on education of the future will be presented;
to define basic requirements from different stakeholders of education;
to formulate the desirable image and structure of education and modern educational process;
to introduce youth as an active part in co-designing the education of the future;
to think not only about formal education in institutions, such as schools and universities, but also focus our attention on education as an integral part of life (as a continuous lifestyle), a constant process, which result is not only implementing knowledge and skills in professional careers, but also value-forming process, personality-forming, and, therefore, a society-building process;
to raise an informative awareness on the current situation of education amongst all the interested parties and consequently admission to decision making amongst youth; to empower the youth with means of communication to help in reaching other parties connected to the discussed issues;
to foster youth energy towards implementation of ideas brought forward by the young people for the benefit of the societies;
to address the challenges and determinants of educational system and educational environment faced by youth today;
to assure respect, protection and fulfillment of the right to free education, formal and non-formal for/among the young people;
to classify the role and the contribution of the stakeholders towards improving and sustaining resourceful and meaningful education as a basic tool for sustainability; to form and advance national, regional and international policies empowering young people with the decision making tools and possibilities for the present and future; to integrate networking, collaboration and cooperation both vertical and horizontal between public and private sectors, civil societies, youth organizations and other parties to address the issue of education;
to ensure recognition of the education as a necessity for a sustainable development of the world.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 Education and State
2.1.1 To formulate, review, implement and evaluate the role of a state in changing the face of education in times of globalization, mobility and multiculturalism of the post-colonial world.
2.1.2 To ensure the delivery of youth’s message to the state and involvement of the youth in the decision making processes.
2.1.3 To develop awareness among politicians of the importance of the education.
2.1.4 To provide resources to all relevant stakeholders that will help in reshaping the face of education.
2.1.5 To establish accessible platform for communication both vertical and horizontal.
2.1.6 To form policies that will provide an equal opportunities for all people.
2.1.7 To encourage creation of partnerships between all countries, focusing on the role of relations between developed and developing states.
2.2 Education and Educational Environment
2.2.1 To collaborate with relevant stakeholders in order to deliver equal educational opportunities for all.
2.2.1.1 With the emphasis on profiling the curricular to individual needs (needs of communities, also local, regional, national ones).
2.2.2 To establish a free and open educational environment, accessible to all at all times.
2.2.3 To provide resources for tightening connections between providers of education and various organizations and companies that give opportunities for developing practical skills through volunteering, practices and/or internship programmes.
2.2.4 To support and adhere to the human-oriented education, providing balanced development of a whole person (mind, body, and heart).
2.2.4.1 To implement an approach towards realization of person’s potential, not just the acquisition of knowledge.
2.2.5 To support and adhere to the sustainability-oriented education, providing development of environmentally responsible society.
2.2.6 To encourage educators to once more become mentors, and role-models for their pupils (with remembering about the importance of cross-generational approach).
2.2.7 To strengthen soft, social skills among educated youth with emphasis on cooperation in multi-mixed environment to ensure understanding in spite of differences (of age, sex, nationality, cultural background etc.).
2.2.8 To establish educational centers which will be also serving as the source of development for the whole communities (with regard to a culture, and a balance between human– and indicator-oriented development, ways of thinking etc.).
2.2.9 To create critically-thinking and independent educational environment in order to ensure the global society is able to navigate wisely in an overwhelming amount of information available for current and future generations.
2.2.10 To reach a balance between the issues of the access to education and the quality of education, ensuring that both are tended appropriately.
2.3 Education and Business
2.3.1 To establish stronger connection and viable ways of communication between education and business.
2.3.1.1 Businesses should be in a close cooperation with the educational institutions, investing in the potential employees in order to better adapt the outcomes of education to labor market demand.
2.3.2 To diversify opportunities given by the business for students.
2.3.3 To ensure creation of curricular involving practical skills, according to the needs of potential future employers.
2.3.4 To encourage dialogue between business and other stakeholders.
2.3.4.1 To establish two ways communication between business and youth to recognize and understand needs of all the parties.
2.3.4.2 To establish two ways communication between business and states to ensure proper development of the education.
2.3.5 To foster synergy and collaboration, and strengthen the efforts of both labor market and education for future cooperation and active participation in needed reforms.
2.3.6 To recognize and communicate the need of creating social and educational awareness programmes inside of media structures.
2.3.7 To encourage all the relevant stakeholders to open ways and platforms for cooperation profiled accordingly to the needs of all the parties.
2.4 Education and Media
2.4.1 To formulate, review and evaluate the contemporary role of media in educating the public.
2.4.2 To recognize and communicate the need of creating social and educational awareness programmes inside of media structures.
2.4.3 To involve youth in the decision making processes in order to push forward the analysis of the current trends, to drive the agenda, draw attention not only to the daily stories, but also to the not obvious tectonic shifts in the area of education.
2.4.3.1 To reinvent the role of reporters as individuals who promote actions of social awareness and human-centered education.
2.4.3.2 To change the image of education delivered by the media to the public, enhancing its attractiveness and importance.
2.4.4 To re-focus the interaction between media and education stressing the role of media as a channel of transmitting the information.
2.4.5 To provide resources and tools to all relevant stakeholders for proper usage of media for the benefit of education.
2.4.6 To establish accessible platforms of education in contemporary and future media, to ensure the symmetric communication between those who teach and those who are learning.
3. EMPOWERING THE YOUTH
With its work Youth Time Movement is seeking possibilities for empowering youth, and making the voice of current and next generations to be heard. To achieve this goal we plan to create a think tank which would collect independent opinions of young people on the situation of education. This way providing professional help and advise for every unit, working (or planning to work) in the field of education. We clearly see that expanding the youth’s possibilities in playing a constructive role in the process of changing the educational paradigm is crucial for its very sustainability, and can only enrich the outcome.
4. VIEWS ON IMPLEMENTATION
In order to survive and stay in the educational environment of the future the universities should switch to solution-based learning, become highly interactive, thus transform themselves in the digitalized centers for learning rather than databases of knowledge that is easily accessed through Internet without them.
The development of the education can be ensured thanks to the balanced combination of the formal, non-formal and informal education, aiming at the quality of education focusing in particular on the ‘learning-by-doing’ principle and one of the most efficient ones.
5. CONCLUSION
We, the participants of the International Youth Forum “New Paradigm of Education: European Dialogue” (NPE), realize and recognize the importance of fundamental human rights of young people, with special emphasis put on education. We seek to generate dialogues both vertical and horizontal between all the parties involved, and advocate for those whose voice has been continuously ignored. Luckily we can see some movement towards better reality, like the fact that the competition between holders of formal-education diplomas without experience and experienced, skilled people without the formal education background is shifting towards the preference in personal qualities (such as ethics, management skills, team spirit, modesty, ability to move forward and develop). Nonetheless the things should speed up with the actions and projects prepared by the youth. The changes we propose for the current paradigm should be happening at all levels of global society in order to ensure an equal and sustainable development.
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Nepal, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan.