The eight generation of 18 Fellows within the European Fund for the Balkans “Fellowship Programme for Government Officials from the Western Balkans: Supporting Excellence and Leadership in Governance” 2015/2016 will gather for the Introductory Seminar which will take place in Berlin and in Potsdam (Germany) in the period between August 28 to September 3, 2016.
The seven-day introductory seminar will offer the participants a cutting-edge knowledge of the administrative and political developments and dynamics. The fellows will have the chance to discuss their plans for their fellowships, receive individual advice, present their professional and personal goals and prepare themselves for the upcoming fellowship programme practice in the respective EU ministries.
The introductory seminar will serve as a platform for discussions on current political and social challenges with prominent lecturers and researchers, who are prepared to share their expertise. Each seminar day has an overall theme focusing either on skills or knowledge transfer. The knowledge-based part of the programme will review topics mainly from the perspective of the seminar’s host country, yet include a level of analysis that aims beyond just the “German case”. Participants will be introduced to complex public management challenges like performance management and public administration reform and to approaches from academia and practice in order to address them effectively in their work.
“Debating the Balkans”, “Debating Europe”, “Economic Growth and Social Inclusion – The Role of Europe”, “Good Governance in Public Administrations – Features from the German and Western Balkans perspective”, “Good Governance and Rule of Law”, “Performance Management and Management in the Public Administration” are just some of the titles of the lectures of renown lecturers like the professors Gerhard Hammerschmid (Hertie School of Governance), Julia Fleischer (University of Bergen), Thurid Hustedt (University of Potsdam), Werner Weidenfeld (Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich) etc.
The sessions will be enriched with team building activities, leadership and communications skills development, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the participants in this fields by using a multi-approach tools and a supportive learning environment.
In conducting the seminar, the European Fund for the Balkans will once again combine forces with the “Potsdam Center for Policy and Management” (PCPM) at the University of Potsdam, one of the leading competence centers for governance and the public sector in Germany. PCPM’s contribution to the seminar aims to help the fellows for a “good start” into their fellowship by providing settings, atmospheres and opportunities for the fellows to get to know each other and others in order to build teams and act as a group altogether.
Beyond the actual seminar, the course programme will provide opportunities to get to know Berlin and Potsdam, for socialising and for exchange in order to enrich the intercultural experience and to broaden the learning process.
