ESC: Culture Solidaire et Désir d’Europe ! #4

La Maison de l'Europe à Nantes (MdE44) is an association under the law of 1901, created in 2000 by several structures involved in the promotion of European citizenship. It provides resources and tools and offers advice to raise awareness on key European issues among the citizens of Nantes, its metropolitan area and the Loire-Atlantique department. MdE44 has five key missions: -Promotion and support of European mobility: We are a sending and hosting organisation for the European Solidarity Corps. We provide practical information and personalised advice to help young people achieve their mobility goals (all types of mobility: volunteering, internships...). We also help organisations wishing to send or host volunteers. The aim is to enable citizens to experience Europe, to develop their intercultural skills and their belonging to the EU through European citizenship. -Information, advice and training on European issues (resources, skills, tools, training...). The aim is to enable citizens and organisations to enrich their ideas about Europe, to become better informed and to better understand the EU, its functioning and its policies and thus fighting against fake news. -Cultural activities for a better knowledge and understanding of European cultural diversity by organising educational and cultural activities throughout the year, for children to adults (language lessons, conferences, activities, citizens' debates, cultural events...). The aim is to include all audiences around European issues through cultural mediation. -Debate (participative reflections, exchanges, café-debates, round tables, seminars...). The aim is to bring European citizens together, to have them debate European issues that affect them directly and to enable them to contribute to the construction of Europe and to create new local European dynamics. -Support for European collaborations and projects (assistance in setting up European projects and seeking funding, creativity and innovation, cross-fertilisation of skills...). The aim is to bring local and European actors (private or public) together, to support them and to create synergies between them. These missions are aimed at all types of public, with particular attention paid to young people and schoolchildren, including those with less opportunities (from urban and rural areas). This mission of including people that are indifferent, sceptical or unconvinced by European issues is one of our strategic and priority areas of work for the coming years. To achieve our objectives, we moved in September 2019 in a 1000m² new cultural space, open to the public: Europa Nantes. Anchored in the heart of the Quartier de la Création, it interacts with the associative, cultural, academic, economic, media, artistic and creative worlds. The venue is composed of: -A reception area -A convivial space (food and refreshment point) -Co-working spaces (conference rooms, classrooms, work rooms) -A "EuradioNantes" radio and video studio -A Europe Direct information point (we are labelled by the European Commission since 2009) -A Franco-German Youth Office and German Academic Exchange Service information point -A documentary resource centre: European library and media library Our association is administered by an Executive Board (EB), composed of: -Institutional members: Nantes Métropole, Conseil Départemental, Région Pays de Loire, Université de Nantes, Ville de Nantes -Non-institutional members: European Education Association, Mouvement Européen 44, Franco-German, Franco-Italian, Franco-Spanish and Franco-British Cultural Centres (from the European Cultural Centre), Junior Chamber of Commerce of Rezé Sud Loire and associative members. An executive committee is elected by the EB. It implements and oversees the application of the decisions taken by the EB. It ensures the day-to-day management of the association and sets the working guidelines and priority missions for the structure. This committee was elected and is headed right now by president Karine DANIEL. Each members are responsible for major issues as mobility, twinning committees, events, education, human resources. They rely on a team of 8 people: -2 receptionists (daytime, evenings) -An administrative officer -A public awareness and school interventions officer -A communication and events officer -A European mobility officer -A youth officer (sandwich course) -An accountant The team is headed by MdE44's director and Europe Direct manager, Mrs Céline HARCOUËT, and allows to ensure all the missions and decisions of the EB under the supervision of the committee. They are also supported by trainees. MdE44 is part of the European network Europe Direct and the national network of the Fédération Française des Maisons de l'Europe. We collaborates actively with Pays de la Loire's Maisons de l'Europe and Europe Direct in order to reach an ever-increasing audience and allow Europe to live throughout our territory and people to experience Europe.