INFOR CA Nr 56

NANTES 

France 

Mars/March 2009

 

Prise de notes/Secretary: François Perdrial ; p. 3.2 Odile Perdrial

Corrections: Michel Mulat, Elke Hofmann, Luba Kolebinova

Traduction/Translation, distribution: Luba Kolebinova

 

MINUTES from the meeting of the FIMEM Board of Directors on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 27, 28 and March 29th, 2009 in Nantes (France)

 

PRESENT: Teresita Garduño Rubio, Mamadou Demba, Michel Mulat and Luba Kolebinova.

Elke Hofmann was absent but she participated in our work by telephone, by messages and by the site.

 

Many thanks to François and Odile Perdrial for the organization of this meeting in Nantes, as well as for the minutes.

Many thanks to the group of Nantes for the subsidy of the FIMEM BD meeting.

Thanks to Andi Honegger for helping with useful information.

 

1. FINANCES

• Elke – the NEW FIMEM TREASURER had a meeting in January with Andi concerning questions of treasury.

• SUBSCRIPTIONS OF THE MOVEMENTS

The movements that have not paid their subscriptions are

2003-2008 – Santa Catarina (Brazil), Estonia, Algeria, Tunisia;

2004-2008: Nova Escola Calega (Spain);

2005-2008: FBV (Belgium) and Hungary;

2007-2008: Panama.

5 movements out of 32 have already paid their subscriptions for 2009-2010: Japan, Poland, Rumania, Russia and ABDEPP (Brazil).

Elke is going to send a message to the movements to ask them about the number of their members and the average annual salary as well as an appeal to pay their subscriptions.

If, at any time, the name and the address of a movement treasurer have been changed, please, send the actual data to Elke.

• Proposal of TRANSFER of the FIMEM account in Crédit Mutuel TO NANTES (that account is in Châtelleraut now).

The transfer will be made by Elke and the treasurer of the GD44, with the help of François.

• The ICEM did not succeed to deposit 500 EUR for THE MOVEMENT OF SANTA CATARINA, Brazil.

Elke and Michel are going to try to resolve the problem with the 500 EUR from ICEM for Santa Catarina.

• SUBVENTION OF IDEM 44 (Institut Départemental de l’Ecole Moderne, Nantes) for the FIMEM BD meeting, their presence and participation in the 19th Salon of Nantes – on March 25th and 26th.

The GD 44 (Groupe Départemental, Nantes) has foreseen 500 EUR in its budget for the BD meeting, the presence and the participation of three BD members in the Salon of Nantes taking in charge the transport in France and the accommodation expenses of the BD in Nantes. 500 EUR are also foreseen in the GD44 budget 2010 for another BD meeting with the participation of the RIDEF organizers (GD 44 and the Association Amis de Freinet). This sum was drawn from the budget while IDEM 44 was under no obligation to fund the FIMEM.

• EXPENSES FOR THIS MEETING

Complete expenses are 2528,38 EUR. 60% of 2528,38 will be paid by the FIMEM according to the Statutes: 1517,03 EUR. The whole part to be paid by the movements (40% of 2528,03 EUR) is 1011,35 EUR. After the reimbursement of 537,37 EUR by the GD 44 the remaining amount is (1011,35-537,38):5=473,97:5-94,79 EUR which has to be paid for every participant to this meeting (the expenses for Elke’s ticket are also included as a reimbursement was not possible).

As the movements have paid 410 EUR for the participation of the 5 BD members, the remaining part (473,97-410=) 63,97 EUR will be paid from the FIMEM solidarity amount.

(The movements have paid for the BD members the following sums: Mexico – 80 EUR for Teresita, Bulgaria – 95 EUR for Luba, Senegal – 60 EUR for Mamadou, Germany (Freinet Kooperative): 175 EUR for Elke.)

 

2. SOLIDARITY

• LETTER OF FREINET-KOOPERATIVE:

The German movement has written that the adhesions have decreased and they will not be able to contribute to the solidarity fund as much as they had done for the RIDEF in Mexico. The proposal of FK is to space out the RIDEFs.

• In view of above we could look back at the SOLIDARITY amount for the last two RIDEFs:

- RIDEF 2008 in Mexico:

Denmark; 1340 EUR

Germany; 4200 EUR

Spain; 5000 EUR (direct support for the Mexivan participants; it was managed by both movements)

Switzerland; 2450 EUR

GD44; 200 EUR

Werner Hangartner, Switzerland; 180 EUR

German language group (donation during the RIDEF): 300 EUR

- RIDEF 2006 in Senegal:

50 000 EUR found by ICEM

MCEP Spain: 1500 EUR

KAP Sweden: 1590 EUR

MCE Italy: 2500 EUR

FK Germany: 6200 EUR

IDEM 44, Nantes, France : 1000 EUR

GLEM Lyon, France : 700 EUR

MOPANEF Panama : 110 EUR

GGUJ Japan : 580 EUR

FGS Switzerland: 1757 EUR

AFP Denmark: 2400 EUR

• The CAMEM is managing the solidarity demands for THE MOVEMENTS OF AFRICA. A letter for the President and for OUA has been written by CAMEM about the RIDEF 2010.

• CALENDAR OF THE DEMANDS:

Since September, 2009 - prepare the mails to all the movements so that they undertake steps to the consulates. Obtain the list of the participants needing solidarity with the list of the workshops which they are going to animate till the end of December. This information will be put on a flyer and it could support steps to the consulates during visa demands. It could also serve to benefit about subventions.

The sums will be given to the movements and movements should not pay whole tickets, but should try to compensate according to the real needs of each participant.

• CALENDAR OF THE SOLIDARITY SUMS TO BE PAID:

The movements intending to send solidarity sums have to tell us at the latest on December 31st, 2008.

Paying of the sums should be made before March 31st.

• All European MOVEMENTS should apply for European and regional subventions. We should also think of the association COLISEE which could help for the countries in Eastern Europe.

• The organizers of the RIDEF 2010 will set up a SOLIDARITY COMMISSION.

 

3. RIDEF

3.1 RIDEF METEPEC

• BALANCE OF THE RIDEF BY THE TEAM: 38 points were presented by Teresita.

A more important evaluation will be sent on the site. The group is going to work to put the materials on paper also.

About the long workshops - numerous old movements did not animate long workshops. The idea of co-animating: two different persons back up each other and coordinate their work. It is better not to make beginners interested by PF to animate long workshops. We have to keep the idea of the workshops categories to be chosen at the time of the inscription of the participants, as for Metepec.

• EVALUATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS: A list giving various opinions of all the participants was also presented.

The presence of the parents and the children was much appreciated and is worth being carried on.

What to change: the spreading of information during the RIDEF; the newspaper so that it could publish all the articles or information the participants would like.

• FINANCIAL BALANCE of the RIDEF:

Expenses: 1 723 004,58 pesos; income 2 034 243,60 pesos.

The balance is 311 239,02 pesos: 60 % for the FIMEM or 186 743.41 pesos =9680 EUR (on March 24th 2009) and 40 % for the MEPA or 124 495,60 pesos= 6477 EUR. The MEPA has decided to put this amount in the solidarity fund so that Mexicans could participate in the next RIDEF.

• HUMAN BALANCE

The RIDEF contributed the development of MEPA and they are planning to create regional groups. The representatives at the meetings of alternative schools were very enthusiastic. Many persons decided to join MEPA.

Other countries of Latin America were relatively missing and it is definitely a pity, especially for the closest ones as Panama.

 

3.2 RIDEF NANTES

Teresita, Michel and Mamadou visited the place of the RIDEF. The accommodation in Lycée Agricole Jules Rieffel of Saint-Herblain is for 280 persons. The camping will also be possible (probably equipped by the secondary school with dry toilets and solar showers) as well as the accommodation, if necessary, of a certain number of participants in Nantes.

The organizers are of the GD 44 and the Association Amis de Freinet: at the moment about 12 persons. The group is going to be enlarged in April and helped by the Groups of the neighboring departments.

 

MEETING WITH IDEM 44 (Odile and François Perdrial), AMIS DE FREINET (Guy and Come back to life Fox) and the BD.

• PARTNERSHIPS:

1) THE MUSEUM OF THE FINE ARTS of Nantes. It is going to organize an exhibition in June on the artists and children’s art. There are drawings of 1957 existing in the archives of Grévin museum. Works of Jean Le Gal on vapo ink with his classes. There will be a conference on "the education of art today" in April, 2010 in the museum (managed by the museum of Fine arts" to show that art is not unchangeable. Actual children’s art will be exposed at the town hall of Saint-Herblain and in the places of the RIDEF.

2) CEMEA (Centre d’Entraînement aux Méthodes d’Education Active) - the animators will be CEMEA animators. The children’s animation will be officially registered as "Holiday centre" to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

3) THE AGRARIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL: the teachers are very interested. The secondary school depends on the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing. The lycée will take care of the dry toilets as well as of everything concerning the "development of the planet". This partnership influenced the choice of the RIDEF theme: " Pedagogy Freinet: An answer to the new challenges of the planet?”

It was proposed to add a sub-topic which could help the requests of subventions.

The teachers are going to work in partnership with the organizers, the kitchen staff also and they will be included into the preparation meetings (during their working time).

• April 22nd: OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF THE RIDEF with the administration of the Agrarian Secondary School, the Museum of Fine Arts and the CEMEA. (See the FIMEM site)

Then the inscription in the different commissions will be made. The RIDEF preparation information is published every month on the FIMEM site (RIDEF page 2010) and that of Amis de Freinet as “Ridinfos`. Progressively other IDEMs and local partners are getting involved in the RIDEF preparation.

• FINANCES : 3 budgets have been considered – an optimistic, an ideal and a pessimistic one. Comment on the optimistic budget (including subsidies):

The provisional budget is 205 000 EUR.

INCOME – subscriptions for the RIDEF 2010 –10 nights from Tuesday, 20th July to Thursday 29th July (proposition of the organizers from May, 2009)

Privileged countries “A” (USA, Canada, EU, except the ex-socialist countries, plus Norway, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan)

- in single rooms of the Lycée Agricole : 450 EUR (non FIMEM member)/ 420 EUR ( FIMEM member)

- in the camping : 430 EUR (non FIMEM member)/ 400 EUR ( FIMEM member)

- Children up to 12 years of age: 30 EUR less for every child, free for children up to 2 years of age.

- Specific case: in a hotel (out of the RIDEF): 500 EUR

Underprivileged countries "B" et "C" (Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the other Asian countries)

- in rooms of the Lycée Agricole: 330 EUR (non FIMEM member)/ 300 EUR (FIMEM member)

- in the camping : 300 EUR (non FIMEM member)/ 270 EUR (FIMEM member)

- Children up to 12 years of age: 30 EUR less for every child, free for children up to 2 years of age.

Particular cases (out of France): Reduction of 20 EUR for every subscription if there are at least three persons in a group subscription.

- Every organizer is going to pay 150 EUR (15 persons).

EXPENSES: tenancy of the secondary school, restoration, personnel – kitchen, maintenance. The agrarian secondary school did not ask for remittance of a deposit. The FIMEM could make an advance if needed. For the RIDEF of Metepec an advance of 70 000 EUR was made.

Translators: 3 000 EUR Why? The translation has always been managed by the participants. The organizers propose to choose translators who are related to Freinet groups.

Excursions: 10 000 EUR. 5 buses 50 seats each (2 000 EUR by bus) Insurance: for the persons, the equipment, not medical – it should be taken by the participants. To see with the MAIF (insurance company).

Animation expenses, friends musical groups and equipment: 1800 EUR; 1 800 EUR for the newspaper. Meetings of the FIMEM BD – 2x500.

SUBVENTIONS ALLREADY ASKED:

Region of Pays de la Loire: 20 000 EUR; General Council of Loire Atlantique: 5 000 EUR; very good contacts with the Town hall of Saint-Herblain: 3 000 EUR; meeting with an assistant of the Town hall of Nantes: 5 000 EUR budget insisting on the partnership with the museum (to mark the birth of the FIMEM in Nantes and its fiftieth anniversary), official buffet organized by the General Council of Mayennne; to meet again representatives of the Town hall of Mayennne: 2 000 EUR because there will be an excursion in Mayennne; the General Council of Maine-et-Loire: another excursion there.

1 500 EUR - IDEM; 2 000 EUR - ICEM; Amis de Freinet: 1 000 EUR; GLEM: they will be involved in the preparation (they will hold the bar and animate a long workshop).

SUBVENTIONS TO BE ASKED

Subventions are also going to be asked to the Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Tourism, and Foreign affairs... There is no positive answer at the moment from Europe: to make a demand: the Council of Europe, look for a European deputy. Michel promised to transmit to the GD44 the demands made for Metepec.

General Council of Alpes Maritimes: as a department of the school of Vence they sent a file to be filled. Ask the commune of Bar for 10 000 EUR: assessed benefit

4 000EUR; linked partners: friendly associations, twinning... Requests are now going to be sent to other GD CDVA (Conseil du Développement de la Vie Associative): 10 000 EUR (Ministry of Youth and Sports) – François made a research of the communes of the departement of Nantes to know with which foreign cities they are twinned to ask for subventions. Ask the teachers to search with which city of France their city is twinned.

COLISEE for Eastern Europe.

SOLIDARITY expected by the organizers: 30 000 EUR. It does not count FIMEM and helps of movements.

The objective is to have at least 30 Africain participants and 15 of Eastern Europe at the RIDEF.

RIDEF COMMISSIONS on 2010:

0-general Commission (1 member of every commission. It is going to manage the Forum Day, the site, it will be in contact with the FIMEM)

1-Commission meals and cooperative dinner

2-Pedagogic Commission: organization of workshops, (recycling, esperanto, newspaper, printing…) it will also manage the hall; in touch with commission 14 for the equipment

3-Commission excursions and goings out

Excursions: visit of a school of the Mayenne region: school of Hervé Moulet, castle of Mayennne...

4-Commission accommodation

5-Commission transport (3 minibuses)

6-Commission bar (GLEM - Groupe de Lyon)

7-Commission solidarity (a lot of job from March, 2010)

8-Commission animation and evenings

9-Commission newspaper

10-Commission treasury: opening of an account for the RIDEF; to make contact with the FIMEM treasurer

11-Commission basic groups and daily life

12-Commission inscriptions in 4 languages: French, English, Spanish, German. To foresee an indication of the chosen language group in the form.

13-Commission hall of the planning, keys and reception (not pedagogic, only practical organization )

14-Commission pedagogic and computer equipment, video, photographs, posters, logos, calicos, cards, children's drawings

15-Commission Holiday Centre for the children

16-Commission exhibitions, logo, poster, T-shirts...

17-Commission pre-RIDEF and post-RIDEF: tour-operator, proposal of an address book, GCU (Guy will contact the national group)....

Participation: how to open the RIDEF to people outside: a "Forum" day is foreseen – the doors will be opened to associations, teachers, partners, with a conference that day.

Information on the sites of Amis de Freinet and GD 44 (site for information only - direct links on the FIMEM site); working space: the FIMEM site.

PLANNING: reception from the morning; 6 p.m. official reception; cooperative diner

READY-TO-WEAR CLOTHES OBJECTS: Renée Goupil is going to contact the professional secondary school "Imprimerie " of Mayennne. The classes of Loire Atlantique are already working on the poster and the logo.

Ask the participating countries to work with their classes on the development of the planet and to send drawings before April, 2010 in order to of make postcards, calendars...

T-shirts, bags or folders to put the documents of reception will be also foreseen, as well as special T-shirts for the organizing team.

COORDINATION OF SOLIDARITY: Elke for the finances, Mamadou for the Africain countries and Michel for the rest of the world. A representative will be designated for IDEM 44 during the launching of the RIDEF on April 22nd, 2009.

During the inscription to the RIDEF the participant could be asked to donate a small sum by adding a line under the inscription eg 10/20/50/100 EUR.

For obvious reasons of solidarity it would be better to send together the subscriptions to avoid the heavy banking expenses (437 EUR in 2008 for Metepec for all the registered participants). Banking costs which are high in Europe will be covered by the persons who are individually subscribed (example: transfer out of EU: 22.70 EUR plus 14 EUR currency exchange expenses).

 

4. COMMISSIONS VOTED BY THE GA OF METEPEC

FIMEM CHARTER: the movements have been asked several times about the dates of their General Assemblies and only 10 movements have answered. The last GA is that of MCE – at the end of October, 2009. The comments - or the lack of comments ensuing from the GAs of the movements are going to be put online since November till the end of February 2010. Then the Charter commission will indicate a coordinator and will work out a text (or texts) for the FIMEM GA 2010.

 

OPENING TO THE BIG ORGANISMS CONCERNED BY EDUCATION

Michel has prepared a text with some proposals on the criteria of movements in order to define what is the Movement of Modern School nowadays and its reference to Freinet.

To differentiate those practicing Freinet Pedagogy in Senegal the ASEM is using the following method: to practice at least one Freinet technique, to open his/her class to friends, to write an article at least once a year on his/her practices in the newspaper, to participate in meetings, to pay his/her subscription.

 

STATUTES AND INTERNAL REGULATIONS

Modifications adopted in Metepec: the modification of section 2 has been rejected, but there was a proposal of the GA to reformulate the proposal of change. Section 7 and section 13 have been changed, there is a remark on section 16 - the verb "can" could be replaced by "must" (in the French version). The commission will decide.

The commission is going to work on a new schedule of movement subscriptions including social parameters and teachers salaries in regard to the Purchasing Power Parity and taking into account the proposals of the movements (article 3), as well as on another proposal concerning the subscriptions: to make up a list of the subscriptions per member.

 

FIMEM ARCHIVES

Movements of several countries sent a contribution in the archives: Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Senegal, Portugal, Bulgaria...

Ask Elke to search the folders classified by countries which François left in Varenholz (to Harmut, Andi, Margaretha and Lena) and to get into contact with Gérald Schlemminger to recover all the magazines of movements which François sent to Karslruhe.

These documents belong to the FIMEM as those that are still at the ex-presidents homes and they will have to join the FIMEM archives to be accessible to all.

Video: We repeat our appeal - we are looking for all films, slides and photos of previous meetings to digitize them without compression before they are erased and lost for ever. We are also trying to find newspapers, posters of every RIDEF, programs and various documents.

 

5. MOVEMENTS AND FIMEM FLYER

Add Togo in the list of movements members; about Mexico: add the MMEM; about Spain: see with MCEP for NEG, contact Estonia, Hungary.

Tunisia and Algeria are considered as movements in a way of creation.

Elke is going to write to every movement to prepare the GA: number of members and subscription.

The Georgian association of Pedagogy Freinet (Georgia) asked for its affiliation the FIMEM. It will be undoubtedly supported by the ICEM. It is a movement existing since 1999 and it is a dynamic one: they have translated some works of Freinet, they have made some tools like files ... Five members of the AGPF have already postulated for the next RIDEF.

New contacts: Guinea, Chile.

There were contacts with South American colleagues researched by Teresita and she is going to re-contact them to create a "CAMMEM" (provisional appelation for an AMERICAN Coordination of the Movements of Modern School – the name should be proposed by the commission).

The CAMEM is in a way to be rebuilt. Every president of every movement co-opts a second member to help him/her in his/her contacts with the CAMEM. It is necessary to present workshops for national and international local meetings. Every helped person must also participate financially. There is a magazine of the CAMEM now.

Russia – groups in about fifty schools pretend to be or to approach Freinet pedagogy.

 

6. GOOGLE LISTS

Actualisation of the LISTS – Michel and Luba are going to put in red the addresses of those who do not answer on a list in reference on the site for internal access.

MULTINETTE: the second one is under way (published in April). The multiNette 3 will be about the situation of the site.

LABORATORIES: a space for a pedagogic debate is opened on the site.

Appeal for a debate on new programs in our countries. The work could be made in correlation on the website.

 

7. INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS

SANTA CATARINA: the South countries reacted, but the North countries wrote nothing except the MCEP and ICEM which decided to pour 500 EUR but didn’t succeed in sending this sum to the bank HSBC.

It is important to send words of encouragement in similar cases.

GAZA: the text of the FIMEM was a compromise between different opinions.

It is necessary to react quickly when children are in danger.

 

8. DIVERS

Michel has sent a DECLARATION FOR THE MODIFICATION of the FIMEM Association in Châtellerault.

SCHEDULE OF TASKS of the BD members - to be completed.

The NEXT BD MEETING is going to be end of October or beginning of November.