Urban X-Change Network

About the project

Global challenges do not stop at national borders and can only be solved through joint, transnational cooperation – both at the political and societal level. The Urban X-Change Network offers nine German Adult Education Centres (Volkshochschule) and their counterparts in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA the opportunity to carry out cross-border cultural and educational activities in close cooperation with their respective city administration and local civil society. The thematic framework is set by the 2030 Agenda.

The Urban X-Change Network began in September 2021 and will last until December 2023. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and is realised by DVV International.

Goals

By promoting transnational dialogue and cross-border project activities, the Urban X-Change Network project aims to make the following contributions:

• Expand town twinning and cooperation of cities through the active participation of their adult education institutions and civil society networks;
• Connect people from various cities in Germany with people from cities in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA;
• Connect people from various cities in Germany with people from cities in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA;
• Involve people who otherwise rarely have their voices heard in foreign policy processes;
• Foster multilateral exchange on existing challenges within the framework of the 2030 Agenda;
• Strengthen the network of British, Ukrainian, and US American adult education institutions with German Adult Education Centres.

Stakeholder
DVV International, the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association, is steering the overall project. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

City Partnerships: The adult education institutions, representatives of the city administrations and civil society of both cities in the partnership form a binational coordination group to implement commonly agreed activities in both cities.

The City Partnerships are accompanied by external process managers throughout the implementation of the project.

City partnerships overview

The cornerstones of the Urban X-Change Network are the City Partnerships. Cities, their adult education institutions and civil society from Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA with their German counterparts will carry out cross-border activities through 2022 and 2023.

German-Ukrainian partnerships

Celle-Sumy

Joint Peace Centre of the twinned towns of Celle-Sumy “ART of learning and living together: Education for democracy, human rights and sustainable development”

Project partners

Adult education institutions: Volkshochschule Celle (Germany) and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Lifelong Learning Centre, Sumy (Ukraine)

City administrations: City of Celle, Sumy City Council

Civil society organisations: Sumy State University; Sumy Youth Leisure Centre; NGO Council of Young Scientists, Sumy; NGO “Centre for Civic Education and Business Initiatives in Sumy”; NGO Centre for Euroinitiatives, Sumy.

Project duration: May 2022 – February 2023

Leipzig-Kyiv

Lifelong learning project "Come together, learn together"

Project partners

Adult education institutions: Volkshochschule Leipzig (Germany) and NGO "Association of innovative and digital education", Kyiv (Ukraine)

City administrations: City of Leipzig and City of Kyiv

Civil society organisations/other partners: State Scientific Institution "Institute of education content modernization" of the Ministry of education and science of Ukraine, NGO "Ukrainian Students' Association", NGO "Association of Adult Education" (Ukraine), NGO "Ukraine-Kontakt" e.V. (Germany), Theater der jungen Welt (Germany)

Project duration: August 2022 – March 2022

Current results and activities

Within the Lviv-Freiburg partnership, several workshops have already been conducted. In March 2023, the opening events occurred in both cities. After the opening of the project, the online lecture on the educational system in Germany took place on April 21. On April 24, a workshop on the job search in Germany was conducted. On April 26, Lviv partners carried out an online event on the educational system in Ukraine. 

The cooperation of Kyiv-Leipzig lasted from August 2022 to December 2022 and was focused on creating learning opportunities and mental health support for the Ukrainian refugees. In early September 2022, the Ukrainian Education Hub in Germany was established in Leipzig, Germany, which was included in the Network of Ukrainian Education Hubs supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. In general, 40 events were held in the Hub with the support of DVV International. The realisation of the project resulted in setting up: 

• a counseling centre, where the organisers provide legal support in the form of video lectures for Ukrainians posted on the website, as well as psychological support and individual consultations;
• an educational centre to conduct educational events, such as lectures, trainings, seminars, and speaking clubs;
• children's development centre, where psychological support to children is held;
• consulting support for students on the basis of the Educational Hub, where school-age children and applicants can take a career guidance test;
• online hub, where the majority of lectures, seminars and other educational events are held online. Announcements are made on the German Education Hub's telegram channel. 

The cooperation between Sumy-Celle embraced the period from June 2022 to February 2023. In June 2022, a Joint Peace Center the "ART of learning and living together: Education for democracy, human rights and sustainable development" was established in each of the cities. In July 2023, an Education Festival the “ART of learning and living together” was held in Celle. In November 2023, an Educational Festival took place in Sumy. In February 2023, the Closing event: Urban X-Change TED-TalkEducationDesigns: Perform your future by lifelong learning was conducted mutually by both of the partner organisations.

Future plans

In terms of the Lviv-Freiburg partnership, a few more events are planned. During April – July 2023 several presentations, workshops, and lectures are planned. In particular, the mentioned events will focus on the exchange of educational experience and best practices in both cities, training events on the job search for Ukrainian refugees, the production of a movie about lifelong learning in Lviv and Freiburg, and conducting a cross-cultural exchange.