Proposal for European home education organization, bringing together both
existing associations and groups, and non-associated home educators in different
European countries.
If there is strength in unity, then the more we are together, the stronger we
can be. There are differences between people who educate at home, but we need to
focus on what we share now. All over Europe there is a movement on behalf on
governments to restrict home education, as recent and not-so-recent activity in England, Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden et al shows. There are countries
in Europe where you cant home educate, others where you can only do so if you
have a teachers title, countries where it is used a pretext to take your
children away from you, countries where if you fail the state exam you are
ordered to go back to school, countries where parents are so afraid of the
police arriving at their doors that they choose to have their children suffer in
a situation where their happiness is seriously compromised..there are countries
in Europe that dont have an association, countries where the idea that you
might home educate is equivalent to saying you are a freak, countries where
people dont even know of the existence of the possibility.
That there is a ripple effect within the European Union cannot be denied, the
victory of one family is a victory for all of us, and a defeat for a family
always represents a defeat that can have negative repercussions down the line
for a home educating family. To site just one example, but a relevant one, I
received this week in the post a letter from the public defenders office here in
Spain, citing the Konrad case before the European Human Rights Court in 2006,
and how even though it could be proved that the education given at home was at
the same level as that in school, integration into society as provided by
compulsory schooling was an advantage that children shouldnt be deprived of. In
the Spanish Constitutional Courts ruling of December 2010, when ordering that
the children of the defendant be placed in school, the point that home educators
can educate according to their convictions after school and at weekends was
also made, as it also was in the Konrad case. Someone that I dont know lost a
case, but it affects my situation. Knowledge is power, and the more we share
knowledge, the more we support families, the more we interact with each other,
the better for us all. The countries with less experience will benefit from
those with more, and those with more will benefit from the strength of the
larger group.
Learning Unlimited has provided a connection between individual home educators
since 2001, and been invaluable in providing assistance, advice and support to
people all over Europe. On the tenth anniversary of its founding, and in an
effort to take the spirit of unity between our collective and become stronger by
joining our efforts, perhaps the time has come to take another step and advance
the relationships between associations, groups and individuals in Europe and
create a European home education federation.
Netzwerk Bildungsfreiheit of Germany, NVvTO from the Netherlandsand the
organisation I belong to in Spain, Ale, are already on board. There are plans to have a meeting in Hesfes in England this week on this subject, and there will be further talks at the European conference we are hosting in September-
http://aleenred.blogspot.com/2011/07/international-home-education-conference.html
If it is possible for someone from your organisation to attend this conference, their contribution would be most welcome and valued. If that is not possible, if someone could offer themselves to form part of a work group that shall take the necessary steps to form and provide the structure for this new organisation that strengthen relationships between home educators all over Europe, please get in touch as soon as possible.
I hope that this can lead to real, tangible results for us all, and that the formation of this new union will count with the support and participation of your organisation.
Regard, Daragh
Daragh McInerney, President, Ale, Spain (educacionlibre.org)