Presentation - Profile The Kaleidoscope is an independent, not-profit organization, created in August 2006, by a team of persons, active as professionals in the sectors of culture, youth and non – formal education and as members of Civil Society, working in the field of European awareness and intercultural animation, within the framework of European orientation NGO, the Europe House of Piraeus, for twenty years, at national and European level.
The Kaleidoscope activity aims at contributing to the accomplishment of the values set out in :
- the Charter of the United Nations
- the Fundamental principles of European Union and mainly those established by the political agreement of Barcelona Declaration in 1995, regarding the Cultural and Human dimension of the Euro- Mediterranean process,
- the revised Lisbon Strategy, related to the development and the employment
- the European Youth Pack, as an important tool in reinforcing active citizenship
- the Framework of European Cooperation in youth field
- the Plan D for Democracy, dialogue and debate
- the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in November 2001. 1. Kaleidoscope takes an active part in non – formal education in European citizenship
Robert Schuman laid the Foundation of European Unification in his Declaration of 9th May 1950. He strongly supported the cooperation among European states and people as the central tool to promote European Integration.
Today the EU provides to European citizens with the historic opportunity to establish firm and lasting democratic and peaceful links between them.
Non- formal education in European citizenship aims at contributing to the achievement of the goal “European citizens for a United Europe”.
Kaleidoscope invites citizens to rediscover and explore Europe from the genesis of that process to the United Europe of 27 state-members.
Kaleidoscope is very active in stimulating the public interest in the European idea and promoting a common European identity.
It provides information and organizes activities about Europe with the objective of:
- Increasing the awareness of EU fundamental values i.e. political pluralism, democracy, peace, social solidarity, the richness of a common cultural heritage etc.
- Informing and educating citizens in matters related to the construction of EU, the process of European Integration and European citizenship.
- Setting out the complexity of the United Europe and researching the links between national identities and the European identity 2. Intercultural Dialogue and Animation
The Kaleidoscope takes an active part in the accomplishment of the the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in November 2001 and the political agreement of Barcelona Declaration in 1995, between the European Union and its ten Southern Mediterranean partners Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palaistine, Israel, Syria and Turkey.
More specifically, the third pillar of Barcelona Declaration, this regarding the Cultural and Human dimension of the Euro- Mediterranean process, which constitute a condition for an authentic and balance partnership, including the need for a better understanding and mutual respect between cultures. The plurality of cultures is one of the most precious axes of the Euro-Mediterranean region to be safeguarded, preserved and promoted, as well as those axes that constitute the common heritage of humanity.
The dialogue between cultures and societies is an appropriate tool useful at :
- achieving a constructive interaction, peaceful co-existence and an effective cooperation
among people, as well as to fight fanaticism, intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination based
on race, religion, ethnicity, language, gender, age and sexual orientation.
- promoting the knowledge, the mutual understanding and respect between the cultures,
traditions and values
- supporting a free circulation of ideas, the freedom of cultural and artistic expression
- encouraging the circulation of cultural actors active in the field of civil society
- promoting the communication and co operation between members of civil society
- providing the necessary means aimed at strengthening young people’s participation in the inter-
cultural dialogue and in the construction of Europe future.
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