What is Humanitas' vision?

Humanitas is a medium size non-governmental and non-profit organisation, founded in the year 2000. Its mission is to raise awareness of global interdependencies, to promote social inclusion and global responsibility, and to encourage change of attitudes towards global issues such as development, north-south perspectives, poverty, migration, over-consumption, environmental sustainability etc. Humanitas carries out various activities that are thematically and methodologically related to the concept of Global Education (GE). It is a leading organization in Slovenia working in the field of GE.

We run a Global Education Resource centre/programme called Hiša svetov (House of Worlds), with specialized library offering diverse materials related to Global education to a broader public. We run workshops and seminars for children and youth (primary and secondary schools) and adults (multipliers, teachers, NGO stuff etc.), and organize conferences, round table discussions, outdoor actions, interactive exhibitions and public screenings of socially engaged films. We implement more than 100 workshops and seminars per year on GE topics. Important part of our work is development of educational and promotional materials covering GE approach, methods, and topics.

What was your first encounter with EPTO?

In 2011 our colleague Tina Trdin who is coordinating educational activities at Humanitas encountered EPTO for the first time, when she was participating on a Train the Trainer Seminar for anti-biased education in Hutten. It had a very profound influence on her and her work later on. She stayed connected to EPTO through Voluntariat (as a national coordinator for EPTO) and later on introduced it to Humanitas as she started working here. Also Katja Mrak- one of Humanitas trainers participated in EPTO training before that, so two things collided together- Tina´s enthusiasm to become part of this as Humanitas and Katja´s enthusiasm after attending recent trainings and then this enthusiasm spread to coworkers, especially Alma who recently participated in a lot of EPTO events.

What is the added value of peer education?

As Global education is a transformative learning process and an approach that encourages and empower individuals to recognise their role and their responsibilities as active members of global community, we see peer education is an integral part of developing new competences that we all need in order to cope with global challenges. Peer education offers numerous possibilities for engaging individuals or groups coming together and starting this process.

Which EPTO methods do you use and in which context?

We use EPTO methods as part of our workshop modules (especially module Intercultural dialogue) we offer to schools and partially on train the trainer seminars in global education. Methods most frequently used are: Lemon exercise, Greetings activity, Identity molecule, Concentric circles and 4 quadrants.

What do you expect from your EPTO membership?

As a member organization, we would like to have a chance to contribute our expertise in the field of Global education to EPTO’s programmes and trainings. We would like to see EPTO as a supportive network for member organizations and individuals who are committed to contribute to positive social change, enabling them to develop stronger cooperation for common projects and actions, and offering them space for sharing experiences and learning from each other.