EU Grundtvig programme workshop “Communication in the contemporary environment”

The European common market, cross-border co-operation projects, the ever more active movement of residents within the EU, the increased availability of the internet, the wider and more frequent use of modern technologies in communications – all of these reveal a series of problems that are based on the need to communicate with representatives of various cultures in an unaccustomed E-environment.

These are skills that adults did not learn at school, because many E-environment communications tools are a rather new phenomenon, one that is developing and changing very quickly.  Intergenerational education today often means the transfer of skills from older generations to younger ones, but vice versa.  This is particularly true when it comes to information technologies and their use in everyday lives.

In order to help adults to learn these skills, we have organised a workshop as part of the Grundtvig Lifelong Learning Programme, “Communications in the Contemporary Environment.”  One of the topics at the workshop was communication in different environments.  We designed and led a week-long workshop for 20 people from 10 different European countries, looking at topics such as communication and presentation skills, the social media, the use of the internet at work and at home, management of teamwork, and fundamentals of media relations.

Participants at the workshop prepared informational materials that offer easily comprehensible and entertaining recommendations on communications with residents in the countries from which the participants came.  These are of use to anyone who wants to learn more about those countries and communicate with residents in those countries face-to-face or via the internet and other communications challenges.

Workshop participant Stefania Albanese from Italy:  “I believe that the workshop was prefect.  It was beautifully organised, and every tiny detail had been thought through.  Inese and Gunta are excellent instructors, and I learned many new things about communications tools.”