What we do
We are convinced that it takes a lifetime to work on active citizenship. That is why we have a specific offer for every age: kids, teens, adolescents and adults. As we are an organisation based in Flanders, most of our activities target a Flemish audience. However, we run several activities and projects for European audiences as well. You can find these activities in the menu on the left.
Please find a short description of the whole of our activities below. We promote conscious European citizenship through two main pillars: ‘Understanding Europe’ and ‘Experiencing Europe’.
Understandig Europe
Ryckevelde wants people to understand what Europe is about. Our activities strengthen the knowledge on Europe and improve democratic skills such as opinion making and compromising.
Training sessions
“Each year, it is a true pleasure to book Ryckevelde for a training session for my pupils. The trainers are experts in many subjects on the European Union. They are enthusiastic and bring the complicated matter of the European Union in a clear and attractive way. They also encourage pupils to discuss and think for themselves”. Anne, teacher at a secundary school in Ghent, Belgium.
How many member states does the EU currently count? Who is this new ‘president’ ? And what exactly does Europe do for me?
Since the early sixties, Ryckevelde has been giving training sessions to both youngsters in education and adults. The sessions vary in topic and method. Clear basic information on the EU, a debate on the future challenges or an educational game on the trade relations between north and south: Ryckevelde has an offer for every audience, always adapting the content and style to the target group.
We have experience with training sessions in Dutch, English and in French and are used to working with groups from all over Europe. Each year we reach over 4.000 people with our training sessions.
Intensive tracks
“The cooperation of my school with Ryckevelde was an awesome experience. Europe was a complete mystery to me until this cooperation. I used to skip all news on the European Union because it seemed too complicated and I was not interested. Ever since this simulation session I have felt more involved with Europe and now I take a much bigger interest in European news items.» Tom, journalism student
During a simulation session of the European Council, participants play the role of a European head of state. This way they experience how the European Council functions and how to compromise. We call this an ‘intensive track’ because participants need to prepare this simulation well beforehand.
Educational material
Our booklets and educational packages allow everyone to work individually. We have an offer for primary and secondary schools, higher education institutions and adults. With different starting points, themes or target audiences, we always present the information in a creative way.
We offer for example an online multiplayer game 'SpEUrnEUs' (=sleuth) for primary school children, a news paper with interactive exercises for secondary school pupils or an adventure quest through Brussels for participants from 16 years old onwards.
You can download most of our educational material for free from our website. We make new material on request.
Events
Ryckevelde organises or co-organises several events each year. Two of them are a tradition : the « State of the European Union » in the week of 9th of May, the European day, and the « Prize / debate Karel Verleye ».
Next to these, you can find us at other, more occasional, events. We always bring something new to our audience. When we take part in celebrating the European day at the European Parliament in Brussels for example, we offer visitors an interactive stand that makes them think about a particular European topic.
European conferences
Ryckevelde organises European conferences for youngsters or adults from different European countries. Next to meeting each other, participants discuss (future) challenges of the European Union.
We always organise conferences as a third party. We are hired for our experience in providing a well-balanced, tailor-made programme for those involved in the conference. We are used to working with both youngsters and adults.
Campaign
How important is Europe in our daily lives? Every year we communicate the answer loudly and clearly: Very ! Did you know that Europe determines 80% of our legislation?
We bring this message differently each year in order to reach a big audience. Read about our actions on the campaign website www.youcanbe.eu. The adventure quest of 2010 exists in English as well and is a fun way to discover the European quarter in Brussels. The current action (2012) is a petition for an official day off on the European day (9 May).
Experiencing Europe
How can you experience Europe personally? Ryckevelde supports schools and adult education organisations in their international (exchange) projects. This way, we encourage as many people as possible to experience the ‘European vibe’.
International projects are more than just a fysical crossing of borders. They mean a tremendous inner enrichment. This is proven by the enthusiasm of hundreds of teachers that took the dive into international cooperation projects.
Info sessions on international projects
Teachers who do not know how to set up international projects can turn to Ryckevelde for help. During our information sessions we give an overview of all possibilities of internationalisation and practical tips and tricks. Twice a year we also organise a monitoring day for those involved in a Comenius project. We also have info days on the European Grundtvig programme.
Manuals and brochures
Our manuals offer the perfect background knowledge on international projects. The brochure ‘Horizon’ for example, sums up all necessary information on how to set up and run an international project. Teachers can download most of the manuals and brochures for free from our website.
We also gather several practical tools on our website. Teachers find tools to communicate, evaluate or disseminate the results of their project.
Partner finding
I
t is a logical thing: To get involved in an international project, you need partners from abroad. But how do you find them? Ryckevelde gathers existing databases on its website and spreads partner finding ads.
Each fall we organise a Comenius contact seminar for school teachers from all over Europe. During a four day meeting in Bruges participants get to know each other and the practicalities of setting up a Comenius project. Many nice partnerships already resulted from this yearly international meeting.
Support centre
We are a support centre for all Flemish teachers who want to set up or run an international project with their school or institution. If despite all the information sessions, manuals and tools they still have doubts or questions about their project, they can turn to our helpdesk for individual support. We offer this for free.
