5,000 dream-filled balloons to celebrate Comenius Week

European Commissioner for Education and Culture Viviane Reding together with hundreds of schoolchildren recently released 5,000 Comenius balloons into the Brussels skyline, synchronised with similar balloon launches in Greece, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Each balloon carries a small message written by children between the ages of 10 and 12 expressing their hope for Europe, an initiative which is part of the European-wide Comenius Week 2003 aiming to raise awareness of the efforts made by schools to encourage crossborder partnerships and ultimately to strengthen the European dimension of school education.

During the balloon launch Mrs Reding stated that "a massive balloon launch such as this, in partnership with other countries in Europe, highlights the fun element of the very successful Comenius initiative as well as an insight into the minds of the future generations with their hopes for Europe".

In addition to the many activities organised at national level including seminars, exhibitions and competitions, more than 100 children and their teachers from the 30 participating countries were invited to come to Brussels to take part in specially organised activities and to meet Commissioner Viviane Reding.

Selected Comenius projects based on transnational school partnerships involving at least three European countries have been put on display in an exhibition in the Borschette Centre in Brussels.

Comenius is an initiative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture focusing on the first phase of education from pre-school and primary to secondary education. The overall objectives of Comenius are to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of school education.

This is done by encouraging transnational co-operation between schools, contributing to the improved professional development of staff directly involved in the school education sector, and promoting the learning of languages and intercultural awareness.

If you happen to find a balloon floating in your garden, you might get a chance to read a hope for Europe from a student somewhere in the enlarged Europe.