EFIL congratulates its Member Organisation AFS Latvia for its 25th anniversary, which was celebrated in Riga on 23-25 September. The event committee, with Arturs Sveide (Chairman of the Board of AFS Latvia), Ineta Leikuma (National Director), Silvija Avota and Silva Vikmane, had put together an exciting programme. The events were attended by international guests including Vincenzo Morlini, President of AFS International, plus EFIL’s Secretary-General and EFIL Board members, as well as guests from Russia, Denmark and Finland.
Highlight of the celebrations was a Symposium “Opportunities of Formal and Non-Formal Education”, well attended by teachers and volunteers from all over Latvia. The conference elaborated on topics including active citizenship, global education, student and youth mobility, and the role of non-formal education in the Latvian educational system. The Symposium was followed by two parallel workshops: “Intercultural Experience as a Component of Non-Formal Learning” (facilitated by Eva Vitkova) and “Practices and Methods to Integrate Non-Formal Education into Everyday Life of Schools” (by Silvija Avota).
Guests were treated to a visit to the office of AFS Latvia, a walking tour to the old town, and a sightseeing tour to Sigulda. The three days of celebrations closed with the AFS Alumni Evening on Friday.
The Members of the EFIL Board continued to have their third and last Board meeting of the year on the weekend following the anniversary events (see elsewhere in this edition of EFILife). EFIL thanks AFS Latvia for hosting the Board meeting.
EFIL wishes AFS Latvia a very productive next 25 years!
