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The Centre of European Culture is a non-governmental organisation created in 1989.
Its home is Saint Jean d’Angely in the old province of Poitou Charente, not far from La Rochelle and the Atlantic coast.
The centre’s aim is to bring together 6th form students, artists, craftsmen and scholars from all over Europe, so that they can get to know each other and work together.
The setting for these meetings is the recently restored Royal Abbey of Saint Jean d’angely.
This Abbey was built in the middle ages as a staging post along the pilgrim route of Saint-James-of-Compostella
Its present form dates from the 17th century.
Each of the 5 to 6 sessions brings together 3 classes from 3 different countries for 2 weeks.
The theme of the sessions is based on an aspect of medieval civilisation that has present day relevance.
The students take part in educational excursions to discover the local architectural and natural heritage.
These serve as a back up of the content of the lectures and the workshops along the lines of the theme of the sessions.
The session opens with an intercultural workshop that makes the students ask the question,
“How do I perceive the other 2 nationalities who are sharing the session?”
It encourages them to analyse their prejudices, to accept different attitudes and to ask each other questions.
On the first two evenings, the students of each class give a personal impression of their country, which they will have prepared in advance of the session.
Contributors to the session are drawn from among some 200 European specialists.
They are all medieval experts, but they are also artists, philosophers, stage and screen actors.
The 7 tri-national workshops echo the theme of the session.
The students become acquainted with arts and crafts that have their origin in medieval history, that are relevant today.
The workshops show that it is possible to surmount language barriers when a group is working together with a common aim.
Thus they are symbolic creation of a European identity.
A video and multimedia workshop provides an opportunity for creative activities through the latest technology.
Cultural distinctions are not just to be found in books, they are living elements within ourselves;
they are the music we listen to, the food we eat…
And so the students themselves prepare a tri-national meal at the end of the week.
Each session provides an opportunity to invite an artist to exhibit his works and to talk with the students about his art.
This can be a very special and new encounter for the students.
The workshops finish halfway through the 2nd week.
The students’ creations are put on show and then they can take them home,
unless it is a project to be completed in subsequent sessions and put on permanent display in the Royal Abbey.
The Theatre, Singing and Video workshops put on a public show on the evening of the medieval costume banquet.
Open and distance learning is not enough to create a peaceful Europe, nor can it be created via the internet.
Europe must now stint on measures to encourage meetings between its young citizens;
for this is the best way of overcoming mutual fear and creating lasting links.
How else can we imagine mobility as part of the natural behaviour of future generations?
We warmly invite you to share our commitment and the enthusiasm of thousands of young Europeans who have formed bonds of friendship in Saint Jean d’Angely.