Euroclio

EUROCLIO has been established in 1993, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The democratic Network organisation targets on building bridges among the European countries by exploring the connections and complexities between their different histories. EUROCLIO wants to defend and promote history teaching as an essential subject in the education of young people as a response to an initiative of the Council of Europe and the changing political climate in Europe.

What is EUROCLIO’s mission?
The overall aim of EUROCLIO is to promote and support the development of history education so that it strengthens peace, stability, democracy and critical thinking. Since its foundation EUROCLIO has placed balanced history at the centre of education of responsible national and global citizens, of fostering international understanding, respect and cooperation. EUROCLIO strives to shift the history and civics education in Europe towards inclusion of multiple perspectives, innovation, critical thinking, and connecting across boundaries of countries, ethnicities and religions. Recognizing that history is a powerful mobilizing force in societies, EUROCLIO promotes the sound use of history education towards building and deepening of democratic societies.

EUROCLIO does not only focus on diminishing tensions between countries but it also tries to bring together different communities within countries by exploring the sometimes painful past through a safe environment and through a closely guided and monitored process. In the view of EUROCLIO there is a special responsibility for the teaching and learning of history, as history is the most politicized branch in education. School History therefore demands responsible all-rounded professionals and therefore EUROCLIO has been bringing together historians and history educators from Europe together to discuss and practice an all-inclusive study of the past.

What do we do to achieve this mission?
In order to achieve its mission, the work has been centred around three main pillars of activities:

Professionalism and Knowledge Exchange, which includes training, the development of educational material and research on issues related to history and history education.
Networking and Dissemination of Information, which includes sustaining an international network of more than 40.000 historians and history educators, maintaining a website, and editing and circulating Newsletters and a Magazine on the Learning and Teaching of History.
Support for Sustainable and Participatory Governance and Operation, which means stimulating, initiating and strengthening of History Teachers’ Associations, and empowering them by developing their capacities and facilities.

Professionalism and Knowledge Exchange
EUROCLIO organizes every year an international professional training and development courses for history educators in various countries. These events are organised in close cooperation with Member Associations, which have signalled their specific interest to organise a conference on a topic that is relevant for history education throughout Europe. Recent themes have been: changes in the learning and teaching of history in the decade of educational reforms; building from the local to the global perspective in school history; using history skills and concepts, ‘human rights in history’, ‘heritage and national identity’ and ‘ethnic diversity’. Next years annual conference will have the theme Exploring Common European History, Which Themes do we Teach in Different Dimensions and Levels? and will be held in the Netherlands, March 2010.

EUROCLIO has trained over 7.000 individual history educators in local, national and international training activities. EUROCLIO has organised more than 70 national and regional training and professional development courses including project workshops and study visits across Europe. It ran 30 international conferences and 20 long term projects, which have either involved many European countries or have a focus on one particular country or region.

Networking and Dissemination of Information
EUROCLIO works together with a range of partners: the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, UNESCO, national and regional Governments, Universities and other Organisations. EUROCLIO is a non-profit making body and has no state affiliation. EUROCLIO has long been recognised by the Council of Europe as an advisory body on history education in Europe and also takes part in the EU Stakeholders meetings on Lifelong Learning and is an active member of the EUCIS-LLL network.