Blogs

A few conference alerts and other items people have passed to us. Hope you are well. We are particularly keen that you and your colleagues put in a proposal in to share your innovative practices and take part in the Barcelona event.  This will be the only event in the coming years with a global mandate and a focus on Knowledge, Transformation and Higher Education.  PLEASE pass this on to others in your networks.

Thank you

Rajesh Tandon and Budd L Hall

Co-Chairs

Powerful social movements have emerged and continue to deepen and expand over the past several months.  In India the movement against violence against women and for a new relationship between men and women has grown out of the outrage towards the brutal rape and mindless assault of the young woman in New Delhi and has found resonance around the world.

Dear Friends,

As the new Chair of PASCAL, I want to wish each of you a happy holiday season - be it in the darker and wetter north or the warmer and sunnier south. The new year  brings with it  great prospects for our collaboration.  There is a vacuum for PASCAL to fill.  The 2012 conference in Brest was demonstration, if proof were needed, that our mission is timely, evidence-based, and forward-loooking. Tragically, Jarl Bengtsson died just at the time when we could celebrate the ten years of leadership he has given PASCAL. (An obituary will appear on the website soon). His wise counsel and good humor will be missed, but his values - our values - endure.  In some ways 2013 could be more difficult, globally, than 2012: the geo-political situation along the 30th parallel North is even more fraught with risk, and the long-term social consequences of the crisis will become more apparent.  Let's  bring the expertise and enthusiasm of PASCAL as a global network to bear on policy and practice, to develop the  Observatory and generate new projects.   

May you and your families enjoy continued good health.  With best wishes,

Josef Konvitz

Dear Friends,

Just back from the India launch of the UNESCO Chair in CBR at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 10, 2012.  You can see photos from the launch at our newly launched web-site.  Our first blog posting on Knowledge for Peace can be found there as well.

Regards,

Rajesh Tandon and Budd Hall

Co-Chairs

UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education

PRIA and University of Victoria

The Preparatory meeting for the first UNESCO Global Learning Cities conference was held in Beijing on 1st December by UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning, together with the National Commission of China for UNESCO of the Ministry of Education China, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission the Chinese and many other national and international organisations.

PASCAL was represented by its Co-director, Professor Michael Osborne. The conference will be held in November 2013 in Beijing.

Click the image to enlarge...