Review

8.
Review of The Budapest Declaration at the Seminar on Sofia in

May 2009 with a focus on Training and Learning
Building European civil society through community development:

opportunities for training and learning
Suggested new policy statement for TLCD
8.1 Proposal:
Participants in the Sofia Seminar should give feedback on the review of the
Budapest Declaration. A draft review statement should be sent from the
Consortium Meeting on Training and Learning for Community Development in
Sofia to the IACD, CEECN and HACD. After a short process of amendment,
endorsement and identification of appropriate individuals, it should be sent to
named people in relevant bodies in the Council of Europe and named people in
relevant bodies in the European Union by a group representing:
CEBSD
CEECN
IACD
TLCD Consortium
TLCD partners should also send it to the relevant national agency or agencies.
In September 2009, there should be follow-up contact with national agencies
and European institutions requesting specific proposals related to budget lines
for 2010.
Background 2004-2009 with relevant extracts from the Budapest Declaration
“One hundred and thirty community workers, researchers, donors and policy-makers, and
representatives from government, civil society organisations and community groups, from 33
countries across the European Union and beyond, met in March 25-28 in 2004 at an
international conference, to prepare for the accession of ten new countries to the EU. The
conference was sponsored by the International Association for Community Development, the
Combined European Bureau for Social Development, and the Hungarian Association for
Community Development under the patronage of the President of Hungary. ”
A key conference objective was to agree a common statement on community

development in Europe, to be directed to the EU, national governments and
other key stakeholders – see statement below. This statement was
disseminated widely and still ripples around Europe.
One of the specific outcomes of the declaration was the decision by CEBSD to
work on Community Development in relation to European Union objectives on
Lifelong Learning. CEBSD obtained funding from the European Union and led a
project under the Grundtvig Programme in 2005-2006 followed by a Consortium
under Key Activity 4 on dissemination from 2007-2009 to pursue the articles on
training and learning in the Budapest Declaration.
The following articles on Training and Learning produced in

Budapest in 2004 are now the subject of a review at the seminar in
Sofia in May 2009.
Articles 4, 5 and 6 on Community development training
For community development to make the most effective contribution to building civil
society, the EU needs to facilitate a common framework for training and learning for
community development based on core community development values, knowledge
and skills, with training materials based on best practices. The development of training
is at present quite uneven but good experience should be used to suit local conditions.
This common framework for learning and training needs to be resourced and adapted
for use in each member state, based on dialogue with all stakeholders, and developed
from the ‘bottom up’. The common overarching framework should not be used to
export any one particular political or economic perspective.
Learning and training for community development and for active citizenship must be
part of a continuum for lifelong learning and critical reflection – from citizenship
education for children and young people through to community activists and
volunteers, professionals working with communities and decision-makers at different
levels. There should be pathways for progression through and across different levels
of learning and training.
Articles on Community development, lifelong learning and cultural development

Articles 21, 22 and 23
Adult education should extend beyond vocational training and should be seen as a
right and provided on a non-commercial, not-for-profit basis.
Lifelong learning should be defined in policies as including community-based and
citizenship education. By a community-based model, we mean building on local skills,
resources, strengths and needs, and recognising issues of gender, cultural diversity,
sustainable development and inclusion; in short, offering ‘access to diversity and
diversity of access’.
There is a continued need for experimentation, within a secure and sustainable funding
framework at local, national and EU levels. This implies a commitment to medium and
long-term funding and provision. Programmes such as Grundtvig should be further
developed with increased budgets and should prioritise trans-national mobility for
community activists and local groups alongside community development
professionals.
Articles 28, 29 30 on equality as foundation for training and learning:
In support of these goals, the EU and member states should create and support
structures and agencies, which pursue the aims of racial equality and cross-cultural
understanding and awareness. The EU and member states should at the same time
emphasise the positive aspects of a wider and more diverse Europe.
The EU and member states should acknowledge, through policy and funding development,
that community development has a critical role to play in engaging people in increasingly
diverse communities through inclusive methods. This may be done by building bridges
between majority and minority communities, including in situations of conflict.

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8.

Review of The Budapest Declaration at the Seminar on Sofia in

Building European civil society through community development:

Suggested new policy statement for TLCD

Background 2004-2009 with relevant extracts from the Budapest Declaration

A key conference objective was to agree a common statement on community

The following articles on Training and Learning produced in

Articles on Community development, lifelong learning and cultural development

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