NOCME Coordination Meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, March 13-14, 2009

 

NOCME meeting in Oxford during last ME congress in October 2008 recommended to the Board of ME to organize separate NOCME meeting for at least two days to have enough time to discuss all the neccessary issues connected with activity of national organizations in Montessori Europe.

Board of ME followed this recommendation and gave green light (and neccessary finances) for the meeting.

The meeting was held in Bratislava, Slovakia March 13th and 14th. More than 25 invitations were send out, few returned and so consistent and motivated team started its genesis.

The meeting was attended by Ivan Juráš (SVK), Rainer Völkel (GER), Marcela Žáková (CZE),  Gerlinde Kugler (AUT), Mirjam Stefels (HOL), Michael Rubinstein (HOL), Eva Bakkel (NOR), Nadezhda Smirnova (RUS), Wim Ruijsendaal (HOL), Christiane Salvenmoser (AUT).

 

National Organizations Council of  Montessori Europe (NOCME) is meant to be a bidirectional body in the structure of  ME channeling information from members to the ME Board and conversely, to be the active interface for networking in the ME structure.

Participants tried to identify reasons, why NOCME is not fully filling these tasks. One of the most important issues in this regard is the way NOCME worked in past: meeting once a year for circa 2 hours as permanently changing group with minimum persons present repeatedly, no concrete issues to work on between two congresses, only few national organizations taking part in NOCME.

 

So we decided to “go-concrete”, working between congresses, working during congress providing several activities and possible benefits for ME members, to place effort to set up usefull networking for all ME members and join all national organizations-ME members in NOCME bringing ideas and taking benefits. For this purpose we, participants of this meeting, decided to create The NOCME Action Group.

We came from 7 countries and some other persons from another countries claimed their interest to work with us (even though they were not able to come, mainly for short notice).

So what we are about to do between congresses?

To extend ME networking potential  in different countries by personal addressing of national organizations and/or institutions and involving them to our work. To create “MEMBERS ONLY AREA” of the ME website with a lot of reasonable features and functions only for ME members.  To organize every year “Spring NOCME meeting” to work on NOCME issues. To prepare all the activities for the next congress.

And what participants of X. Montessori Europe Congress in Cracow will experience?

 

There will be a “NOCME MEETING POINT” - a room, where

	will national organizations present themselves
	presentation of national or international projects will be held
	national/regional events, congresses, conferences, workshops will be listed and communication with organizers will be possible
	will be available, at any moment of the congress time, at least one person of the NOCME Action Group for assistance to congress participants (e.g for networking, cooperation, etc.)
	will be available a “ME PINBOARD”, where any congress participant can place its “NEED” or “OFFER” stickers for anything regarding Montessori education
	expert list with defined areas of expertise will be displayed
	will be whole NOCME Action Group available for discussion during announced specific time slot
	will take part NOCME meeting, as a part of the congress programm
	where every congress participants will receive a surprise

 

There are a lot of things to be done.

We invite anyone interested to join us. Here is my email address: juras@montessori.sk

Just write me.