Mednarodni center za medetnične odnose in manjšine v Jugovzhodni Evropi

PRESENTATION

The International Center for Interethnic Relations and Minorities in Southeast Europe (International Center – MC) at the Institute for Ethnic Studies (INV) was established on July 6, 2001 at the meeting of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe in Brdo pri Kranju on the basis of a decision by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia as a contribution by Slovenian science and Slovenia to the stability and development of this region and Europe as a whole. The activities that led to its establishment began in the 1990s and intensified after 2000.

The MC operates as a unit of the Institute for Ethnic Issues. It plans its work taking into account the current situation, developments and needs in Southeast Europe and the funds available.

BASIC OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE MC

In accordance with the founding act, the INV statutes, and the work program, the key objectives of the MC are:

• Promoting and developing democracy, human rights and freedoms, including special rights and protection of minorities and their members;
• the promotion, implementation, and development of existing international and national (legal and political) standards of human rights and the protection of national and other minorities and their members;
• promotion and development of good interethnic<span class="s13" relations, tolerance, coexistence, inclusion, and cooperation in ethnically diverse societies in this region and beyond;
• promoting a multi-ethnic society or reviving it in societies and environments where it has been damaged or destroyed;
• successfully managing and administering ethnic diversity and interethnic relations;
• preventing the escalation of conflicts, especially those that arise or manifest themselves as ethnic conflicts in multi-ethnic societies, and their management and resolution, etc.

MC spromotes international professional, research, and scientific cooperation and networking in Southeast Europe and globally. It cooperates with national and international organizations and institutions working in the fields of human rights, (inter)ethnic relations and minorities, as well as with civil society organizations and initiatives. MC and INV were among the initiators and founders of the Academic Network for Cooperation in Southeast Europe, coordinated by the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, and are actively involved in its activities.

The main activities of the MC include:

• development and digitization of a database (sources, documents, newspapers, publications) on ethnic relations and minorities in Southeast Europe; cataloguing and accessibility of books and serial publications in the COBISS system. These activities are carried out by INDOK;
• research on majorities, minorities and their members, human and minority rights, relationships, the regulation and management of socially relevant diversity, the prevention, management, and resolution of crises and conflicts, inclusion, integration, social and political participation, etc., and the preparation, application, and implementation of studies and projects;
• in cooperation with the Zagreb office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – FES) in Ljubljana on inclusion and integration in internally pluralistic and diverse societies (Inclusion and Integration in Diverse Societies), with the five conferences held to date addressing current issues relating to ethnic relations, identities and their management, the rights and protection of minorities and their members, migration and migrants, and their inclusion in immigrant societies;
• Cooperation and joint activities within the Academic Network for Cooperation in Southeast Europe: publishing joint publications, participating in activities organized by network members, in cooperation with partners who form consortia, preparation of joint proposals for research, professional, and educational projects in response to calls for national, European, and international projects;
• professional consulting and cooperation with national (e.g., Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia) and international institutions and organizations (e.g., the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and its High Commissioner on National Minorities, FUENS, etc.) in the areas of human rights, the rights and protection of national and other minorities and their members, ethnic relations, migration, inclusion and integration, multiculturalismand interculturalism, diversity management and administration, and crisis and conflict prevention, management, and resolution;
• organizing and implementing educational programs and training activities, such as workshops for interested clients (e.g., schools, companies, local communities in Slovenia, etc.), in the areas of managing and administering socially relevant diversity and relations, equal inclusion, integration and participation, preventing, managing and resolving crises and conflicts, etc.; participation in educational programs (e.g., summer schools, national and international postgraduate programs, the Divided Societies program (Divided <span class="s8 Societies) at the IUC – Inter-University Center in Dubrovnik, etc.) and training programs (e.g., training of judges, state officials, minority activists and representatives, etc.) in the countries of Southeast Europe; etc.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, we are planning and implementing most of the above activities, including international cooperation, in such a way that, in addition to traditional methods of operation and implementation of various activities, we are introducing “>operation and implementation of various activities we are also introducing online and/or hybrid methods and digitizing them (where possible). This is also how we designed our education and training offer.

AREAS OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND INSTITUTIONS WITH WHICH MC HAS COOPERATED AND CONTINUES TO COOPERATE

Key topics and areas of education and training in which MC operates and which it offers to interested clients as part of the lifelong learning and training process include: regulating and managing social relations, particularly (inter)ethnic relations, regulating and managing socially relevant differences, preventing, managing, and/or resolving crises and conflicts, and crisis management in various environments, negotiations, mediation and alternative dispute resolution, including open public dialogue, social and, in particular, ethnic minorities, human rights and fundamental freedoms, protection and rights of minorities and their members, migration, inclusion and integration, intercultural communication, multiculturalism and interculturalism, intercultural and lifelong education and training, civic and citizenship education, training and education for active democratic citizenship, public relations, etc.

LIFELONG LEARNING AND TRAINING: OFFER OF LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, SIMULATIONS AND OTHER FORMS OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR SCHOOLS, COMPANIES, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, STATE ADMINISTRATION, ORGANIZATIONS, SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

MC offers interested organizations, institutions, and associations lectures, workshops, simulations, seminars, lecture series, and more extensive education and training programs for their employees, associates, and members. For schools, we can also organize these forms of education and training for their pupils, high school students, and university students. The topics and areas of education and training can be adapted to the needs and interests of the clients.

As part of the digitization of our work, in addition to education and training, which we conduct live at agreed locations and on agreed dates, we can offer customized implementation in a hybrid form (live and online) and remotely (via the internet), which has become particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the topics on which we have conducted education and training in Slovenia and abroad over the past two decades, we mention:

• social and (inter)ethnic relations in various environments (companies, institutions, schools, local communities, regions, countries, etc.),
• majority-minority and minority-minority relations,
• national/ethnic minorities and their members,
• (special) rights and protection of minorities,
• regulation and management of socially relevant diversity,
• interlingual and intercultural communication,
• inclusion, cooperation, and integration,
• political and social participation,
• prevention (of escalation),
• conflict management and resolution,
• mediation, including peer mediation
• alternative dispute resolution,
• democratic processes and decision-making,
• work organization,
• open and inclusive public dialogue,
• communication and public relations,
• lifelong learning,
• civic and citizenship education and training,
• education and training for active democratic citizenship
• and participation in decision-making processes.

WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OFFERED BY MC?

As noted by participants who have taken part in education and training programs, these programs:

• enabled them to acquire new knowledge and skills, which contributes to better productivity and efficiency as well as better relationships and work organization in their environment,
• developed and improved their abilities and skills, enabling them to work better and make optimal decisions with greater confidence, even in the most difficult moments,
• improve the abilities of their organization and individual organizational units to communicate and work more effectively with customers and the public, and prevent the escalation of potential conflicts within the organization and/or with customers, and, if necessary, manage and resolve them;
• through better communication and public relations (PR), increased the trust of customers and the public in the work of their organization, which therefore enjoys a better reputation and is perceived by people as environmentally friendly.

Among the most important advantages of the education and training programs offered by MC, participants emphasize the following:

Practical orientation of education: Unlike in education programs where (very) talkative lecturers talk a lot and participants get bored, MC’s education and training programs are dynamic, interactive, and practically oriented. Shorter and varied introductory lectures are followed by group work and simulations, which allow participants, divided into smaller groups, to participate in real-life simulations with the help of an expert moderator and solve specific problems and cases they encounter in their daily work.

Adaptation to specific needs: The forms of education and training are adapted to the needs and interests of the clients, offering examples for simulations and group work that participants encounter in their daily work. This allows participants to start solving some of their pressing everyday problems right in the workshops.

Give a hungry man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime, says an old Chinese proverb … Through education and training, participants learn about tools and knowledge and acquire skills that help them manage relationships, prevent conflicts from escalating, and resolve disputes in various situations and cases they encounter in their work.

Guided education: A team of scientists, researchers, and expert moderators participates in the implementation of workshops and other forms of education and training. This means that participants, when divided into groups of five to six or a maximum of ten participants, are not left to their own devices. Each working group and workshop has its own expert moderator who monitors its work, advises participants, evaluates their work and decisions, points out mistakes, and helps them when they need assistance. In this way, workshop participants gain more knowledge, shared experiences, skills, and abilities, while also recognizing their own abilities and the limitations and shortcomings of their knowledge and skills.

SOME SPECIFIC OFFERS OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING FORMATS AND MODULES

EDUCATION AND TRAINING FORMATS, FORMS, AND MODULES:

MC offers clients various education and training formats, forms, and modules, which we tailor to their specific needs, wishes, and requirements in consultation with them. All formats, forms, and modules can be delivered live at agreed locations, in a hybrid format, or remotely via the internet, whereby we take into account all preventive and safety measures and instructions recommended during the epidemic, in accordance with the situation, needs, instructions, and applicable regulations and measures.

We can also prepare lectures for a larger number of participants, but for optimal delivery and interactive communication, it is recommended that the number of participants does not exceed 20 to 30. The optimal group size for group work and simulations in workshops, in which participants are guided by expert moderators as needed, is 5 to 10 participants.

Forms and formats of education and training that we offer to clients:

1. LECTURES (2-4 hours):

Lecture: 2 hours (2 x 45 minutes or as agreed) + discussion (1-2 school hours)

2. LECTURES WITH WORKSHOPS (3-6 hours; increased depending on the number of workshops):

Lecture: 2 hours (2 x 45 minutes or as agreed) + discussion (1-2 school hours) +

Workshop: group work and simulations (approx. 1-3 school hours for the exercise)

3. DAILY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (6-8 hours; can also be a thematic conference or part of one)

Lectures (1-2): 2 hours each (2 x 45 minutes or as agreed) + discussion (1-2 school hours) +

Workshops (1-3): group work and simulations (approx. 1-3 school hours for practice)

4. TWO-DAY TRAINING (12-16 hours; can also be a thematic conference or part of one)

Lectures (1-4): 2 hours each (2 x 45 minutes or as agreed) + discussion (1-2 school hours) +

Workshops (1-5): group work and simulations (approx. 1-3 school hours for practice)

5. 24-HOUR TRAINING PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES (as a thematic conference for elementary schools and teachers)

Lectures (2-5): each 2-4 hours (2 x 45 minutes or as agreed) + discussion (1-2 school hours) +

Workshops (1-5): group work and simulations (approx. 1-3 school hours per exercise)

For additional or ongoing education programs, we can also agree to only conduct workshops and simulations if the participants have already attended introductory lectures on a specific topic or field that prepare them for successful participation and work in workshops in group work and simulations (group exercises).

As mentioned, the agreed education and training program can be carried out as a thematic conference, which ensures that participating teachers obtain the necessary certificates for professional training.

In addition to the above, MC can also organize and conduct thematic summer or seasonal schools and special specialized international training courses on agreed topics lasting 1-2 weeks (with a daily workload of 5-8 hours) by agreement for employees or students of organizations and institutions that order training.

Based on their requests, we provide interested clients with an informative price list of individual forms, formats, and modules of education and training.

PROGRAM OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND IMPROVEMENT FOR TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

As part of the continuing professional education, training, and development of teachers and employees at primary schools in Slovenia, which schools are required to organize for their employees, we offer regular education and training on the following topics and areas:

• Communication in a pluralistic environment: Intercultural communication
• School in a global society: Diversity and diversity management
• Preventing discrimination in schools and the wider environment
• Integration of individuals and communities into the environment and society
• Prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts: General framework, techniques, and methods (e.g., collegial/peer mediation)
• Negotiations and negotiation techniques

In agreement with clients, we can also prepare education and training on additional topics and areas.

The topics offered in education and training represent a direct transfer of the latest professional, research, and scientific results and findings into social practice, as well as their adaptation for use in school environments, taking into account their specific situations and needs. They have been designed and prepared by highly qualified scientists, renowned in Slovenia and internationally, and are developed and implemented with the help of external collaborators, young researchers, and graduate students involved in research projects and programs at the Institute for Ethnic Studies and its International Center for Interethnic Relations and Minorities in Southeast Europe.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE CONTENT, TOPICS, AND AREAS OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING OFFERED

WHO ARE WE? OUR COLLEAGUES AND REFERENCES

MC employees working at INV:

Prof. Mitja Žagar, PhD, Head of MC

Romana Bešter, PhD,senior research associate

Danijel Grafenauer,PhD, research associate

Boris Jesih, PhD,senior research associate

Janez Pirc, PhD,research associate

Sofija Zver, PhD, Head of the Infrastructure Program and the Specialized INDOK Center INV

Doc. Sara Brezigar, PhD,  from the University of Primorska, an expert in the fields of discrimination, education, communication, negotiation, and mediation, who until recently was employed at INV, participates in the work of MC, particularly in its education and training activities.

The MC also collaborates with colleagues from the Specialized INDOK Center and the Project Office, who assist in maintaining the MC website and various activities.

In addition to colleagues from INV, external colleagues from Slovenia and abroad are also involved in the work of MC on a permanent or occasional basis, including colleagues from the Academic Network for Cooperation in South-East Europe, employees from institutions with which the MC cooperates on a permanent basis, and members and former members of the Aristotel student research project. These include internationally renowned scientists and experts from various fields from around the world, who are involved in the education and training activities offered and organized by the MC as needed and as opportunities arise.

Contacts for MC

Mitja Žagar – general information about the work of MC

Danijel Grafenauer – FES conference, education for schools

Sofija Zver – for documentation and the FES conference

Our references in the field of education and training

INV researchers, who, as one of the oldest research institutions in the world in the field of ethnic and minority studies, have been operating for almost a century and enjoy a high reputation among experts, and other MC staff involved in the implementation of education and training directly transfer their professional knowledge and insights, current results and findings of their scientific and research work to the participants in education and training. Among the various fields and topics in which it conducts scientific, research, and professional activities, MC pays special attention to (social) relations, the regulation and management of relations and socially relevant differences in various environments, the prevention (escalation) and early detection of crises, disputes and conflicts and their management and resolution, mediation and conciliation, (inter)ethnic relations and conflicts with an ethnic dimension, intercultural communication, multiculturalism and interculturalism, inclusion and integration, social and political participation, inclusive open public dialogue, civic and civil education, active democratic citizenship, lifelong learning, etc.

INV and MC cooperate with international institutions and organizations in scientific, research, professional, and educational activities (e.g., the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the European Commission, etc.) and foundations (e.g., Friedrich Ebert). They organize or co-organize international scientific and educational conferences, consultations, and seminars on ethnic relations, diversity management, conflict prevention, management, and/or resolution, multiculturalism and interculturalism, migration, inclusion, and integration, etc.