.svg)
About us
The agreement concerning the establishment of UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education and Continuing Education: Interplay of Tradition and Innovation in Education for Sustainable Development at Daugavpils University was signed between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and Daugavpils University on July 15, 2013. The statute concerning foundation of UNESCO Chair at Daugavpils University was approved by Senate of Daugavpils University on August 30, 2013. This Chair is the second UNESCO chair in Latvia (the first chair was founded in 1999 at University of Latvia concerning sustainable coastal development).
According to the agreement, the purpose of the Chair is to promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation of education for sustainable development (ESD) and research for ESD. It will facilitate collaboration between high-level internationally- recognized researchers and teaching staff of the University and other institutions in Latvia and Europe, as well as in other regions of the world.
The specific objectives of this chair are to:
1) initiate and sustain dialogue for reorientation of teacher education towards sustainable development in terms of analysis, exchange of results of scientific research and practical experience as well as complement existing teacher education curricula with relevant content on education for sustainable development;
2) promote the emergence of an enabling institutional environment for the analysis of fundamental and applied research and practice, and involve higher educational institutions, school teachers, students and civil society organizations in the country in action research initiatives in ESD;
3) develop an open frame of reference to enable and sustain participation of students, faculty and researchers from Baltic and Black Sea Circle Consortium in action research education;
4) foster networking and the sharing of knowledge and good practices notably through publications in international journals and the organization of international conferences as well as student and faculty exchanges and,
5) collaborate closely with UNESCO on relevant programmes and activities.
Baltic & Black sea Circle Consortium (BBCC)
Baltic and Black sea Circe Consortium (BBCC) is an international network that unites researchers and practitioners in the fields of teacher education and education for sustainable development (ESD). Since its creation in 2005, the consortium has become a platform for experience exchange among researchers and experts in ESD from more than 20 countries around the world.
BBCC members meet every year at the annual international scientific conference “Sustainable Development. Culture. Education”, which is hosted by a different consortium member state each year. Everyone who participates in this conference becomes a member of BBCC (receives a membership card). The member’s status gives an opportunity to join a ‘family’ of like-minded enthusiasts, get involved in collaborative research and international networking in the sphere of ESD.
The Baltic and Black sea Circle Consortium was established in 2005 as an initiative in international cooperation between educational research and development institutions in the Baltic and Black Sea region, initially drawn from the countries around and near the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. BBCC historically was created on the basis of the cooperation network of the Journal of Teacher Education and Training (JTET) which was established in 2002 (since 2007 – Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability or JTEFS). BBCC has evolved into a platform for experience exchange for international researchers and experts from the fields of education and sustainable development including the following countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Russia, Belarus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Malta, USA, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Sweden, Brazil, Costa-Rica, Jamaica, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zeeland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Iran.
Membership is open to individuals, educational institutions, and universities from all the countries from this region. BBCC is a collective organization with the committee of two members from each institution that rotates annually. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Turkey were represented at the first meeting. BBCC is ready to welcome new members and particularly support the participation of graduate students and young researchers from the field of education.
The focus is on the issue of re-orienting education towards sustainable development in the Baltic and Black Sea region. The task of the BBCC is to serve the decade of the priority of sustainable education starting from the year 2005 announced in UNESCO’s declaration of “Education for Sustainable Development”. Two levels of the activities are highlighted: (1) the general level where the philosophical background of sustainable education is acknowledged, and (2) the specific level where sustainable development as a cross-curricular issue is implemented in teacher education.
To meet the highlighted needs, the international conference “Sustainable Development. Culture. Education” and the meeting of the BBCC members are held annually, when the project development and achievements are presented, discussed, evaluated, and published in the Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability). For more information, visit http://www.ise-lv.eu/
Contacts:
Prof. Ilga Salīte
UNESCO Chairholder
T. + 371 29257455
Email: ilga.salite@du.lv
Laima Āboliņa
Secretary of UNESCO Chair at Daugavpils University
Email: laima.abolina@du.lv
Address:
UNESCO Chair at Daugavpils University
1 – 220 Parādes Street
Daugavpils
LV-5401
Latvia
The 15th BBCC/JTES Conference on Sustainable Development, Culture, and Education: Interplay of Tradition and Innovation for ESD
Riga, Latvia; November 16-18, 2017
Conference website
Registration form
13th International JTEFS/BBCC Conference Sustainable Development. Culture. Education: Interplay of Traditions and Innovations in Education for Sustainable Development May 5-6, 2015, Riga, Latvia.
