Our host: Fondazione per la Scuola, Torino
The mission of the Foundation for Schools is to improve the quality of education in Italian schools. With its projects the foundation supports schools to meet the challenges resulting from the introduction of school self-government. www.fondazionescuola.it
Annual General Assembly 2008
13 - 16 March 2008, in Torino / Italy
»Structural Changes to the Network: EUSTORY AISBL«
Christiane Derrer, Irina Scherbakowa, Andrea Sensenschmidt and Alastair McAuley are studying the books during the tour through the “Vigna di Madama Reale” and the Historical Archives (Photo: Alberto Tosi, Copyright: Fondazione per la Scuola – Della Compagnia di San Paolo)
EUSTORY´s 8th Annual General Assembly took place in Turin, Italy, this year. The AGA 2008 was generously hosted by the Italian member organization “Fondazione per la Scuola – Della Compagnia di San Paolo”. In the capital of the Piedmont region the network members discussed various network concerns. In the first step the network expanded to South-Western-Europe: 19 EUSTORY organizations were happy to welcome Spain as their twentieth network member.
The founding of EUSTORY as an international association was at the core of this years AGA: Twenty member organization voted concordantly on becoming an international association (AISBL). Through this structural change, the option for EUSTORY to proceed as a visible actor on a European level improves substantially. The twenty member organizations elected a new Executive Committee, which will consist of Wolf Schmidt (Germany), Alicja Wancerz-Gluza (Poland), Alessandro Cavalli (Italy), Frie Dierickx Visschers (Belgium) and Pedro Kendzor (Ukraine). On 6 May the old and the new elected members of the Executive Committee will travel to Brussels for the official founding procedure. On their site will be the new Treasurer of the EUSTORY AISBL Alastair McAuley. The retired British economist taught at the University of Essex and specialized on the economy of the former Soviet Union. Alastair McAuley is very familiar with the work of the Russian EUSTORY member MEMORIAL and has therefore a tight link to the EUSTORY Network.
The Network members furthermore discussed Youth Academies as well as future Alumni Projects. This years Youth Academies will take place in Berlin (Germany), Belgrade (Serbia) and in Scuola (Switzerland).
Although it was a very intense and work-filled Assembly, the participants enjoyed attractive fringe events as well. The conference was held in the impressive premises of the Italian host, located outside of the city centre: The “Vigna di Madama Reale” with its distinguished historical archives. In a guided tour they had the chance to get to know the capital of the Piedmont region better, where the second biggest Egyptian museum in the world is located. The participants went on the paths of the Savoia Family, when they visited the famous Turinian royal palace “Reggia di Venaria” with its exhibition “Reggia di Venaria and the Savoys. History and magnificence of a European court”.
