In view of the 20th anniversary of the city of Astana and the 30th anniversary of the Palace for Schoolchildren Makhambet Utemisov, the six-monthly EAICY (European Association for Leisure Time Institutions of Children and Youth) Presidium took place in Kazakhstan. From 17.05. to 20.05.2018 representatives of NGOs of international child and youth work from ten different countries such as Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Russia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany and South Africa met there. It was exciting to see how non-formal child and youth work is organised and practised in Astana and what differences and parallels there are to Germany. At an evening gala concert in the Pyramid of Peace and Harmony, where different children and youth groups performed traditional dances and songs, we could admire the results of the ENF (Europe of Nations and Freedom) of the last half year. In addition to visiting the children’s institutions, a side trip to the National Museum of Kazakhstan took place, where we had a comprehensive insight into the historical development of the country and the capital.
The content of the EAICY Presidium was based on the topics of the conference in Leipzig. A new member from Latvia was admitted and the concept for the transnational survey was concluded. Lithuania also presented the programme for the international conference on „How do we educate our future leaders today: emotional intelligence vs. artificial intelligence“ to be held in Vilnius on 1 October 2018. Interested parties of the ENF are also cordially invited to participate in the conference. More detailed information on the speeches, topics and contents can be found here.
The next EAICY Presidium will meet on 30.9. and 2.10. – one day before and one day after the international conference in Vilnius.