The European Observatory for Plurilingualism
The European Observatory for Plurilingualism a structure of mutualisation and cooperation between partners working for plurilingualism, was founded during the first European Conference on Plurilingualism, which took place in Paris on 24th, and 25th November 2005.
The principle of the Conference was to gather decision-makers, researchers and members of the civil society in a same process in order to clearly ask the linguistic questions within their political, cultural, economical and social stakes at the level of the European Institutions and at the level of each of the member states.
A European Charter of Plurilingualism has also been set up after the 1st Conference. This Charter is now available to be signed by the citizens of the European countries. This document will be lodged with the various European and national instances in the form of a petition during the 2nd European Conference. It can be accompanied by projects of legal or ruling documents.
In between Conferences, the EOP will take part to many events and will undertake several actions.
The EOP, as an observatory, answers to the features of an observatory. It has an active role. It gathers information from a network of partners, which it analyses. It published or makes references to articles and existing studies. It produces original articles and can conduct studies. It elaborates strategies, which it suggests to the various actors in the field of languages and plurilingualism.
Such is the spirit of the project explained hereunder.
Aims
As expressed in the Statutes of the Observatory, the aims are as follow:
- Support the linguistic diversity of the European Union in all its political, administrative, economical, social and cultural components
- Further the emergence of an active European citizenship based on the understanding of European languages and cultures
- Promote, through plurilingualism, the cultural diversity, the foundation of every creativity, the exchange and respect of the other, a basis for a peaceful progress
- Contribute to the prejudice against xenophobia and aggressive linguistic communitarianism through the promotion of plurilingualism and interculturality
- Create collaborations for the conduct of events and research on the same matters
- Contribute to a collaborative Internet website whose missions are the following:
- Build up a European and multilingual data base on languages and plurilingualism
- Be a direct publication site for feature articles on languages and plurilingualism
- Be a source of information and exchange for the civil society on the various components concerned by the linguistic questions, namely: families, teachers, companies, workers…
- Further the coupling of scientific research and civil society
- Publish an electronic newsletter.
Structure of the site
The structure of the data base is as follows:
Content columns (vertical)
4 main fieds:
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Education (from kindergarten to higher level and adults training)
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Economy and social
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Cultural
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International
Each fieds must cover 3 levels of information
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Inventory of fixtures
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Politics
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Events
Generally speaking, there will be only one site with one content and not different contents for the various countries. Information will have to cover a maximum of countries, however the information per country will be the fields themselves. The contents will be published in their original language and the languages in which they would have been translated. However, the headings will be in each language.
Tools lines (horizontal)
- The project (aims, missions, areas, means, organisation, statutes, action plans)
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Who are we?
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Supporting
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Directions to use
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Contact
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Site map
Beyond the site itself, the public aimed at in particular is:
- The Parents
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The Teachers
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The Politicians
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The Companies
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Les responsables politiques
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Les entreprises
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Les médias
The means
In order to act, the Observatory sets up communicational and organisational means, which are:
Communication mediums
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European Charter on Plurilingualism
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Internal website with a plurilingual calling
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Plurilingual electronic newsletter
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Articles in the press
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Targeted files (parents of pupils, teachers, elected people, the press, etc)
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Press conference
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Seminars and conferences
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Publications of the Acts of the Conferences "Plurilingualism, interculturality and work: a challenge for Europe"
Organisational means
- Juridical means: legally speaking the Observatory is an association registered under the French law of the 1st of July 1901
- Operational means:
Editorial committee
Scientific committee
An organisation in planning with an initiative committee, a strategic control committee
Editorial team organised around 4 main themes: culture, education, economy and social, international, with versions per country and geographical areas
Network of correspondents per country of the European Union, which are covering one of more of the four fields.
Technical abilities for conducting studies on European credits and others
Some aspects of this organisation would deserve to be more developed (editorial team, international network of correspondants)
- Oters: press relation, translating
Economic model
The Observatory is utilizing an economic model inspiring itself from the principles of the economy of free software combining both voluntarism and professionalism.
The Observatory is first and foremost a platform for the pooling of the actors of plurilingualism.
As an Internet website, for the general public, it is a classic Internet site, some kind of window or documentary base on plurilingualism and interculturality. However for people who register on the site (different from being a member of the association, which implies a registration and the payment of a fee), it is a collaborative site on which there are many operational means to take part to build it.
The Observatory is independent from any political, economic, union or professional organisation. The Observatory depends only on its founding members and partners.
- The humane and financial resources do the Observatory lie on:
- Its subscribers
- The voluntarism. In addition to the necessary volunteer work of the EOP, it also employs one part-time person, speaking four languages, who is doing watch on the Internet, coordinates the networks of correspondents and translators, and does most the updates on the site
- The support of public organisations
- The possible support of companies through patronage
- The call to tender, on its own or in a consortium. In this case, the works are paid
- The service delivery in direct relation with its competency field
- The carrying out of partnerships with associations, unions, secondary and higher level education, research centre, medias. These partnerships are legalised with conventions.
Approach
Since the first Conference in November 2005, the Observatory committed itself in an approach in three big steps:
1st step: launch (June-December 2006)
- Registration of the statutes of the EOP
- Organisation of partnership with at least three associations in 3 different European countries
- Construction of a new Internet website
- Setting up of the base editorial team
- Publication of the Newsletter
- Starting to prepare the 2nd Conference: place, date, theme
- Press conference (November) on the three themes: publication of the book, start of the site, launch of the petition on the charter, introduction of the 2nd Conference.
2nd step: expansion
- Call for interest to develop the network of correspondents at European level
- Organisation of the petition about the Charter
- Drafting of the project of the 2nd Conference
- Launch of the 2nd Conference (September 2007)
3rd step:
- 2nd Conference : Berlin 18-19 june 2009
- 3rd Conference : Rome 10-12 october 2012
Initiative committee on the project
Apart from its statutory instances, the Observatory set up a flexible organisation, open and oriented towards the goaled aim. The initiative committee is its main tool: it is in charge of the strategic running. In addition to the members of the administration council and scientific committee, it widens in particular to various partners.
To know more about the EOP
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