CONFERENCE REPORT Content’ Greetings from the Using, Choosing Or Creating the Future?
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NICE-Mail News and Information about Consumer Education July 2004 No. 21 CONFERENCE REPORT Content’ Greetings from the Using, choosing or creating the future? ........................... 3 Concerns of consumer citizens ........ 5 NICE-Mail Controversial issues and approaches ................................ 6 CCN activities, publications and plans ...................... 9 Coordinator! TOPACE 2004 .................................... 10 News and information about consumer education for 10 years. NORWAY Reflection, responsibility and service 11 It was September 1993 in Stockholm, when Consumer Educators ITALY met at the “European Conference for Consumer Education in Tools for sustainable consumption ... 13 Schools” and took the initiative to form “the European Consumer HUNGARY Educators Network” (ENCE). Consumer Educators Network’s Consumer citizen’s rights .................. 13 newsletter was called NICE-Mail. Ever since the first edition pub- SPAIN lished in June 1994, NICE-Mail has been distributed twice a year To talk about consumerism is to talk about responsibility ..................... 15 to the participants of the European Network of Consumer Educa- FINLAND tors in English and Spanish. It can also be found from the Safeguarding childhood in the Internet www.norden.org/nicemail consumer society .............................. 17 GERMANY Debt prevention What is European Network of The future of the NICE-Mail- – A Future workshop ........................ 19 Consumer Educators? magazine? NEWS ITEMS ...................................... 21 The objectives of the European Network Times change, and so must NICE -Mail. of Consumer Educators are; Due to financial pressures, the NICE Mail ● to exchange experiences between con- newsletter will be published in the future sumer educators only on the internet as an online edition. ● to further develop consumer education Internet communication provides the ● to represent and lobby for consumer possibilities of developing network education at the European level and, if cooperation. I am sure all of you parti- necessary, on the international level. cipants have many ideas as to how ● ● ● NICE-Mail should develop and what the Who are the participants? contents of the newsletter should be in NICE-MAIL is published two times a Consumer educators within consumer the future. Please share your ideas with year since 1994 for the participants of the European Network of Consumer organizations, curriculum development me. There are no idle comments! Educators (ENCE) agencies, national ministries, teacher In this NICE-Mail newsletter we RESPONSIBLE COMMITTEE: organizations, teacher training institutes focus on the contributions from the see last page and universities are all welcome to join. Consumer Citizenship Conference in COORDINATORS/EDITORS OF THIS Paris on March 1-2-2004. The next issue ISSUE: Leena Heinilä & Victoria Thoresen The benefits of being an in the fall will concentrate among other LAY-OUT/TECHNICAL EDITING: ENCE participant things, on sponsoring in the schools. Lena Blåsjö, Swedish Consumer Membership in the Network is free of To share your consumer education Agency experiences and new ideas for the net- COPIES OF NICE-MAIL charge. For the present, the Nordic coun- are available from the support group tries finance the production and distribu- work please contact the editor and coor- NICE-MAIL ON INTERNET: tion of the newsletter. The Spanish version dinator of the NICE-Mail Leena Heinilä. www.norden.org/nicemail has been made possible with the assistance of the European School of Consumers in E-mail: [email protected] Santander, Spain. All the participants are Address: Ahvenkuja 4 D 36 expected to contribute their experiences 02170 Espoo regularly through the NICE-Mail. The FINLAND means of communication is English. tel: 358-50-4651 642 2 NICE-MAIL NO. 21, 2004 Using, choosing or creating the future? The first international conference of the Consumer Citizenship Network. Responsible lifestyle choices, increased ecological awareness and just distribution of resources were central themes of the first international conference of the Consumer Citizenship Network which was held 1-2 March 2004 at UNESCO in Paris, France. 165 participants from 33 countries came together to look more closely at how the individual in his/her role as a con- sumer as well as a citizen, can contribute to global solidarity and sustainable consumption. THE CONFERENCE WAS the first What do individuals want – and why? food safety, the challenges of the infor- annual conference of the Consumer What does improved life quality mean mation society, social and environmental Citizenship Network, an Erasmus 3. and how can this be achieved with impacts of production and consumption thematic network whose goal is to reduced use of resources? The presen- patterns, educational approaches to stimulate dialogue between researchers, tations and discussions concurred as to consumer citizenship, etc. These work- educators and civil society as well as the pressing need for changes in pre- shop presentations were related to the strengthen cooperation in relation to sent consumption patterns in light of conference themes which were: value education, civic training, and global disparities and environmental ● How can the consumer citizen deal environmental and consumer educa- impacts. Such changes require accurate with the ethical challenges of pros- tion. The Consumer Citizenship Net- and accessible information, alternative perity? work (CCN) is an interdisciplinary products, and the ability and willingness ● How can the media and ICT be network of educators and researchers to withstand commercial pressure. constructive tools for the consumer from 29 countries and includes UNES- Systematic, cohesive value-based educa- citizen? CO and UNEP and international citi- tion was recommended as one of several ● What are the consumer citizen’s zenship and consumer organizations. necessary tools for helping individuals rights and responsibilities as regards At the conference speakers from better understand their responsibilities food, transport, housing, energy India, England, Norway and Scotland as consumer citizens. During the con- use and personal finances? contributed to the main focus points of ference a variety of methods such as ● What contributions can the Euro- the conference which were: service learning, scenarios, cases, and pean consumer citizen make to– future workshops were discussed. wards the eradication of poverty in ● Rethinking extravagance The 45 papers which were presented the world? – consumption patterns in light of at the conference described research and ● How can awareness and social global disparities. development work on topics such as: involvement be stimulated in the ● Revising responsibilities consumer rights and responsibilities, consumer citizen? – value-based education as a tool. ● Reviewing accountability – participatory democracy in a commercialized world. ● Reshaping cooperation – co-producing and sharing of tea- ching materials and learning me- thods in a global network. Conference content summary Presentations and discussions at the conference emphasized the need for a comprehensive review of the funda- mental values directing lifestyle choices. Participants at the Consumer Citizenship Conference, March 2004. NICE-MAIL NO. 21, 2004 3 Conference coordination ture conditions. It involves taking Will more money make us The conference was organised by The responsibility on a global as well as happier? Consumer Citizenship Network, coor- regional, national and local scale This is the question addressed by the dinated by the Hedmark University when securing one’s own personal Norwegian Deputy Minister, Hans Olav College, Norway and hosted by UNES- needs and well-being.” Syversen as he opened the Consumer CO. The conference was made possible Citizenship Network Conference in Pa- with the support of the European The Network seeks to accomplish ris in March 2004. Syversen said, refer- Community in the framework of the what United Nations Secretary General, ring to State of the World Report 2004, Socrates programme and the support Kofi Annan has so clearly explained: “The published by World Watch Institute, “If of the Norwegian Ministry of Children academic and NGO (non-governmental a person is very poor, there is no doubt and Family Affairs and Norwegian organisation) communities also have that greater income can improve his or Ministry of Education. The conference vital roles to play in achieving sustainable her life. But once the basics are secured, chair was Victoria W. Thoresen of Hed- consumption. On the one hand, research well-being does not necessarily correlate mark University College, Norway; the is needed to better grasp the technical with wealth… Growth in the gross do- conference manager was Dag Tangen and sociological aspects of the issues at mestic product (GDP) often is a leading of Hemark University College, Norway; hand. On the other, NGO advocates priority, under the assumption that and the conference coordinator Julia provide clarity and forcefulness required wealth secured is well-being delivered. Yet Heiss, of UNESCO, Paris, France. The to sustain a thorough debate. Together undue emphasis on generating wealth, content of the conference and the con- they can inform and inspire the whole particularly by encouraging heavy ference reports do not necessarily reflect debate on sustainable consumption.” consumption, may be yielding disap- the position of the European Com- pointing