Monday, February 3, 2020
Project duration: January – December 2019 Project coordinator: Alexandru Neagoe, PhD Background: Areopagus is a Romanian NGO established in 1998 with a long-track record of continuous successful activities in the area of promoting Christian values at all levels of political, social, economic, cultural and educational life in Romania and beyond. With its long-standing know-how experience, Areopagus participated in the establishment of the initial European Christian Political Movement (Areopagus’ President at the time was one of the members of the initial Board of directors of ECPM) being among the first NGO members of the European Christian Political Foundation/SALLUX network. The program for 2019 is a combination of the ongoing Areopagus research, tutorial and conference projects. As such, it seeks to deepen the quality and the potential of the targeted group. The main core group is basically the same, with other interested people invited for the larger, public events. The group basically consists of ten former students in social sciences (politics, international relations, diplomacy, security studies, sociology, etc.) as well as some mature Christians interested in active politics. They were selected from local universities, as well as various local Christian communities. The group includes believers of different religious and denominational backgrounds, intellectuals active on the cultural and political stage in Timisoara. The main goal of the project was to provide an environment conducive of in-depth understanding of the importance of living with integrity, drafting and promoting policies focused on the common good. It also sought to consolidate a reflection group through regular meetings, guided readings and personal tutorials. The purpose is to continue the work by studying and producing consistent materials dealing with topics related to the articulation and appropriation of a Christian perspectives on the various challenges facing our contemporary world. The intention is to stimulate academically informed knowledge, to consolidate a relevant Christian perspective and to produce high quality papers on the role of the Christian faith in socio-political, economic and cultural life. Project activities 1. The participants The tutors identified and invited the participants in the project. Main inclusion criteria for the participants’ profile included: - a genuine concern for a profound understanding of contemporary politics and the Christian heritage of European political thought - potential for future leadership positions in society and politics - a good grasp of social science concepts as well as a grounding in Christian thought. - a variety of denominations was represented. 2. Individual work assigned/coordinated by tutors, who are specialists (academics) in the field of democracy, human rights, constitutionalism, theology, political / moral philosophy; This activity involved tutors and students in the following activities: · The tutors assigned reading materials for each member of the selected group · The tutors met regularly in groups at the Areopagus Centre or through online meetings · Participants produced proposals for their essays · Proposals were evaluated and the participants received periodic feedback on their progress · Participants finalized their essays submitting their work to the tutors · The tutors assessed the work of the students, offering feedback. · The tutors organized dissemination meetings, discussing each paper with all interested participants. · Some papers were read in front of the whole group, being followed by discussions. 3. Five working table meetings The program involved the hosting of five working-table meetings. 4. Open public events In 2019 we organized two public events under the auspices of SALLUX and Areopagus, at the Areopagus Center in Timisoara. The main speakers were Professor Iulian Chifu and Ioan T. Morar. Professor Chifu, Director of the Center for Conflict Prevention and Early Warning as well as an established academic lecturing for SNSPA, is one of the leading specialists in security matters, with a special interest in religion. Ioan T. Morar is an acclaimed author and diplomat, with an excellent understanding of the role of the Christian faith in cultural, politic al and diplomatic life. The events attracted over 50 participants, students and professionals from various backgrounds, all interested in the role and the place of Christian thought in contemporary life. The events are available on the webpage of the Areopagus Centre. 4. Publishing/disseminating the proceedings. Besides uploading some of the main events on the web, the winning projects delivered by the trainees thorough their periodical assignments are going to be published on line and the first two in print. This year the prizes consisted on the acquisition of a number of major important academic works dealing with topics such as religion, politics and human rights. We, as Sallux, thank Areopagus for the valuable cooperation and their fruitful work in the past years in "Training Young Politicians".
