Summer Academy 2021
The answer to the question “Is the interest of the state necessarily in the interest of its citizens?” is anything but simple and is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, especially in light of events in one of Lithuania’s neighbouring countries – a country whose state resources are being used against its own people. In this year’s Summer Academy, we have decided to discuss the “fundamentals” – the basis of what enables different groups of people to live together peacefully: A democratic system and a mindful (provocation-proof) society. The three-day educational event, which took place on 13-15th August, aimed to sharpen young people’s MINDFULNESS and critical thinking, as well as to promote society’s resilience to disinformation (and conflict provocation).
In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Litauen and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) for the Baltic States, our association was able to invite such speakers as the former Deputy Energy Minister Rytis Kėvelaitis, journalist Skirmantas Malinauskas and “mindfulness“ trainer Janina Sabaitė-Melnikovienė to the family home of President Antanas Smetona near Ukmergė, for them to address the topic of civil consciousness in their presentations, focussing on aspects of ecology, civic engagement and psychology respectively. In discussions with the Academy guests, it was repeatedly emphasised that mindfulness is a crucial quality, both personally and in terms of civil society, and that its development must be understood as a long-term social project. On the one hand, it was emphasised, its development requires constant effort and, on the other, it is inextricably linked to the existence of democratic societies. The Academy programme as a whole tried to relate the context of the mindfulness-theme to the current situation in Belarus, where civil society is on the rise and resistance to the illegitimate authoritarian regime has emerged.
As has become customary, we have tried to reflect on the information presented in the Academy guests’ talks during a debate competition. We believe that the debates that took place during the event provided participants with additional opportunities to gain a structured and appropriate insight into the subject matter of the event and to reflect on their own personal position. We are also pleased about the presentations made by members of the association itself: We thank Antanas Benediktas Alekna, who spoke about “Three myths about the Eastern Roman Empire”, and Valerija Košeleva, who elaborated on the topic “Exoplanets: Unknown future worlds”.
In addition to the member and guest lectures, workshops were also an important part of the Summer Academy programme: In contrast to the presentations, participants were able to interact directly with experts and ask questions. Also, it was particularly important to our association to give local communities the opportunity to participate in our entire event programme. We therefore made a conscious decision not to hold the Summer Academy in a major Lithuanian city, but in an area where there is virtually no debate about mindfulness and resilience.
The Summer Academy is just one of many events organised by the association to promote democratic values, critical thinking and civic engagement. Read more about our other events in the projects section.
A few snapshots from the event:
