The II Non-Formal Education Festival initiated by Belarusian non-governmental educational organizations took place in the Minsk International Education Center named after Johannes Rau, October 10-12th 2008.

The festival was supported by the German support program for Belarus and DVV International.
More than 200 representatives of educational and outreach public organizations engaged in adult and youth education in Belarus and educators from Germany, Denmark, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine attended the event. Throughout the festival the recurring themes were

• the role of non-formal education in personal development and the development of society;
• the importance of creating opportunities for lifelong learning;
• the necessity to recognize civic benefits of non-formal education and accordingly working out of a strategy for interactions with structures of formal education.

Based on reports on educational policy and development of non-formal education in Belarus, Russia and Germany national circumstances, challenges and perspectives were addressed. This was facilitated by the fact that in addition to the above mentioned stakeholders, also representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, the Belarusian Ministry of Education, state educational establishments, business companies and organizations of religious education were present. Thus it was possible to discuss possibilities for enhancing intersectoral cooperation in non-formal education, its importance for solving urgent civic tasks and a need to consider non-formal education within the general educational policy of the country.

The Second Day of the II Festival - Doors Open Day - opened the doors for about 250 people. Attendees were offered to see presentations of the wide spectrum of programs of organizations-participants and workshops on various educational subjects. This Day the attendees visited various booths of participating organizations and saw an exhibition of books of the Science and Pedagogical Library´s stocks. At the end of the second day the competent jury awarded the best educational publications published for two years; the best booths and the best workshops chosen by participants and attendees of the Festival were also recognized at the awarding ceremony. The booths which underlined the importance of development and respect of Belarusian traditions and culture got special awards granted by the company "Budzma".

The third day of the Festival was dedicated to the development of international cooperation, urgent objectives of civic education and recognition of non-formal education in Belarus. The participants underlined a need to integrate all forms of Belarusian education into an all-European education scope, expressed the intention to have regular meetings with European partners for discussing and identification the long-term strategy of cooperation in the field of non-formal education.

The Festival´s organizers are happy with the results. They think that such events for sure enrich civic life of the country and give a new impulse to the development of diversity and usefulness of educational organizations in Belarus. Both the Festival´s organizers and its attendees made an offer to organize the III Non-formal education festival in 2010.

More info: aha.info@gmail.com or weremejtschik@ibb.by