Non-Formal Education Network
Non-formal education offers a set of necessary social skills useful to every child, young person and adult, complementing the other forms of education by giving free time educational value and by enriching life experiences through voluntary participation, individually or in a group.
Non-formal education gives people a choice of hobbies and extracurricular activities, helping us to become active citizens and responsible individuals.
Non-formal education creates better opportunities to develop key competencies such as time management, communication, social skills, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, self-management, intercultural communication, decision-making, non-discrimination and tolerance, gender equality, etc.
Objectives of the European Non-Formal Education Network
- Recognising the complementarity of formal, non-formal and informal education.
- Persuading local and central public authorities to support non-formal education projects and activities.
- Clearly defining formal, non-formal and informal education.
- Recognising Youthpass as a useful evaluation and recruitment tool.
- Improving cooperation between policy makers and civil society in promoting and developing non-formal education.
Activities of the members
- Share the non-formal education methods they create or use in their activities with their partners.
- Share good practice from their non-formal education activities (what worked and what did not, e.g. things to keep in mind when organising outdoor activities).
- Map the stakeholders of non-formal education in their countries.
- Gather information on policies concerning youth and non-formal education in their countries and inform their partners.
- Advocate and, where possible, lobby for the recognition of non-formal education in their countries.
- Keep their partners updated on their activities in the field of non-formal education.
- Inform their partners of news about other European non-formal education projects they know of.
- Share news about developments concerning youth and non-formal education on the European scene.
- Hold a meeting of the network members every year.
- Give priority in partnerships to members of the non-formal education network.