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The aim of the Minority Course was more than simply from an academic point of view focus on how to promote minority-majority co-existence. The Courses were in fact a necessary dialogue spaces: Before minorities and majorities can have common agreement, politically, representatives of minorities and majorities need to first meet face to face and establish a common understanding of each others personal stories of how it is to live as part of a minority under pressure from a majority population-group or to live as a majority with their concerns. Without such an understanding on a personal level you can never have the trust in the other side which is necessary for political agreement and co-operation.
The concept of the Minority Course was to provide a non-formal and non-academic forum for the meeting of individuals, a forum where people have time and opportunity to tell their personal stories, where personal understanding and trust can develop, a forum where you after the 4 weeks are able to transcend your national or ethnic mindset and see the others as individuals and not only as a representative of some minority/majority population group.
In terms of transcending their national or ethnic mindset it helped very much that the participants represented many different minority and majority population-groups throughout Europe, so that participants would meet not only the population-group, either minority or majority, to which they were in more or less conflict with. This forced them to explain themselves without simply stating their usual ethnic arguments, which simply do not carry the same truth in the ears of an outsider.
The emphasis on storytelling as a precondition for agreement were the reason why the courses were not academic courses, as this would hinder the emphasis on personal storytelling, and also why the courses were relatively long, 4 weeks with one week excursions to either Latvia, the Netherlands or Romania. 4 weeks gives the necessary time for storytelling.
List of Participants
Poland
Miroslaw Ostap,Ukrainian
Ukrainian Independent Youth Association
Tomasz Auchutowski, Polish
Yugoslavia
Violeta Djordjevic, Montenegrin World Vision
Leonora Molnar, Hungarian, Vajdasagi Magyar Diakszvetseg
Vladimir Medjak, Serb, Belgrade Open School/CeSID
Romania
Mark Antoniu Alexandru, Rroma, Association for Rroma Women
Orsolya Blanka Arros, Hungarian, Hungarian Student Union of Kolozsvar
Rusu Horatiu Alexandru, Romanian, Justicia
Attila Incze, Hungarian, KMDSZ/RNDSZ
Ukraine
Ostap Yednak, Ukrainian, Charitable Foundation Ecopravo Lviv
Vasyl Harasymiv, Ukrainian, Osvita
Russia
Konstantin Zamiatine, Udmurt, Udmurt Youth Org "Eryk"/UNPO
Hungary
Veronika Lrincz, Hungarian, Law and Politics Ass.
Valeria Bodoczky, Roma, Bronz Club Association
Slovenia
Suzana Maric, Slovene, Student Club of Sezana
Slovakia
Karol Horak, Ruthen, Rusinska Obroda
Czech Rep.
Jana Krblichova, Czech, INEX
Tomas Kukuczka, Polish, SAJ
Petr Brandel, German/Slovak/Czech AFS
Lithuania
Egle Morkunaite, Lithuanian, Lithuanian Liberal Youth
Bulgaria
Tzvetan Spassov, Bulgarian, National Ass. of UN Youth Clubs
Estonia
Marianna Drozdova, Russian, People to People Tartu
Andre Krull, Estonian, JEF
Azerbaijan
Nadir Kamaladdinov, Azeri, Resource Centre on National Minorities
Croatia
Vladimir Ham, German, Union of Danube-Germans in Croatia
Srd Kisevic, Serb/Bosnian, Liberal Student Ass.
Iva Batusic, Croatian, Euro Youth Club
Macedonia
Igor Temelkovski, Macedonian, Youth Council of Bitola
Vlora Mehmeti, Albanian, American Bar Association
Latvia
Sandra Salmina, Latvian, Association for Community Colleges
Aleksandrs Rzavins, Russian, Russian Community of Latvia
Ieva Astahovska, Latvian, Club "the House" - Youth for United Europe"
Austria
Hugo Kristof, Slovene, Slovenian Minority Organisation in Wienna
Marko Peter Susnik, Slovene, Slovenian Minority Organisation in Wienna
Julia Landgraf, Austrian, Austrian Red Cross
Germany
Judith Maria Bindemann, German
Greece
Dimitris Liokaftos, Greek, Erasmus Student Network
Finland
Jennika Krullman, Fin (land Island), land Islands Peace Institute
Mari Sagulin, Fin, Finnish Youth Co-operation Allianssi
Heli Rantala, Fin, Ywca
Belgium
Michael Ex, Flemish, Volksunie Jongeren
Portugal
Helena Soares Silva, Portuguese, Quercus
UK
Robert Simmons, Cornish, "Cornish Heritage"
Rosemary McIntyre, Irish (Northern Ireland), Cumann Gaelach Chnoc na Ros
Madlyn Maya Ray-Jones, English, People and Planet
Clara Katharine Graham, English, Student Action for Refugees
Spain
Neus Oliver Manera, Catalan, Voluntariat Linguistic de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Leire Ventas Aldabaldetrecu, Basque, Deustuko Euskara Elkartea
Ainhoa Aranzadi Moreno, Basque, Deustuko Euskara Elkartea
Ane Beloki Berasategi, Basque, Deustuko Euskara Taldea
Arkaitz Zubiri Esnaola, Basque, Bagera Euskaltzaleen Elkartea
Miriam Pavon De Paz, Spanish, Asociacion Juvenil Gualabi
Alvaro Casas, Spanish/Castillian
Netherlands
Karen Oostvogel, Dutch, Amnesty International
France
Barbara Le Batteux, French, L' Auberge Espagnole
Bornet Amandine, Breton, Kejadenn
Llorca Rey Nadege, Alsatian/French/English
Italy
Jana Jarc, Slovene, Unesco Club Piran
Lara Piccardo, Italian, European Federalist Movement
Dasa Bolcina, Slovene, Slovenska Taborniki v Italiji
Vincenzo Marco Rinallo, Italian/German, Young European Federalist
Levente Tani, Italian/Hungarian
Denmark
Ann Sophie Andersen, Danish
Rikke Juel Madsen, Danish, Amnesty International
Jan-Christoph Napierski, German, Junge Spitzen
Staff: Hjskolen stersen
Jesper Nielsen, Danish
Elly Andersen, Danish
Allan Kruse, Danish
Ulrike Patzke, German
Mjellma Mehmeti, Albanian, ACC/Former Minority Course participant
Twm Whitfield, Welsh
Plaid Cymru/ Former Minority Course participant
Observer
Ella Dragusin, Romanian
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