Partnership and contacts

Coordinator: Fondazione Hallgarten Franchetti – Centro Studi Villa Montesca (Italy)

The “Hallgarten-Franchetti Centro Studi Villa Montesca” foundation, also known as  “Fondazione Villa Montesca” and “Fondazione Centro Studi Villa Montesca”, carries on the tradition of the Centro Studi e Formazione Villa Montesca, founded in 2001 at Villa Montesca, where in 1909 Maria Montessori organised a seminar that gave birth to the first publication of the scientific pedagogic method universally known as the ‘Montessori Method’.

Continuing the tradition of Alice Hallgarten and Leopoldo Franchetti in the fields of innovative teaching methods and social work the Foundation aims at developing and enhancing the activities of Villa Montesca, also by promoting the cultural heritage and scientific legacy of Baron and Baroness Franchetti particularly in science education and other cultural experiences carried out in Europe, given the importance of the legacy of the rural schools of Montesca and Rovigliano.

Nowadays the Foundation is internationally renowned for top quality research and training in teacher training, information technology and communication, education for European integration and regional cooperation in the field of education and culture at local, regional, and European level.

The Foundation has vast experience in managing interdisciplinary project teams of researchers from universities and other educational organisations. It has an important role at regional, national, and European level in the development and promotion of lifelong learning as a tool for improving and strengthening social and work opportunities. This follows the main recommendations of the EU Commission: “It is never too late to learn” and “It is always a good time to learn”. The aim of its activities is to help establish an efficient education system which can help to overcome the barriers to education/training, speed up the recognition of learning outcomes achieved in formal, informal, and non-formal approaches in order to encourage active participation in the learning process also by those people who, owing to marginalisation, may be excluded from it. 

Universidade do Algarve (Portugal)

The University of Algarve (UAlg), created in 1979, is a Portuguese public higher education institution located in the southern region of Portugal, the Algarve. It has four campuses: Gambelas, Penha and Health in Faro, and one in Portimão, with more than 8500 students registered in 2015/16. UAlg has, as its core activities, teaching and research in different scientific areas: science and technology, management and economy, earth and marine sciences, social sciences and more recently health.

The university runs 51 graduate and 107 postgraduate programmes (including 82 MSc and 25 PhD courses) and has 768 permanent teaching and research staff who have developed a significant number of research projects. The university’s scientific foundation is developed around four main areas (the ocean, health, food and well-being, and arts and heritage and tourism) which, along with international cooperation projects and research work, aim at developing innovative ideas that contribute to the excellence of the University. As part of international mobility programmes, UAlg has participated in the Erasmus programme since 1993 and holds an Erasmus Charter.

The internationalization of UAlg is well proven by its successful coordination and partnerships in numerous projects under cooperation programmes such as Lifelong Learning Programmes (Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig, Comenius), Erasmus Mundus (EMA1 and EMA2), Tempus, Alfa, Atlantis, Edulink and Erasmus+ (KA1, KA2 and KA3). Ualg has also signed more than 150 bilateral agreements with HEI all over the world.

ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – Università di Bologna (Italy)

The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and is considered to be the oldest university in Western Europe. The University of Bologna, based on the experience and results obtained in the period 2007-2013 in the internationalization of education, has recently developed its new Internationalization strategy named “ALMA GLOBAL 2020”, which is also summarized in the ECHE 2014-2020.

Specifically, the Department of Psychology at the university was involved in this project. This is among the university’s leading departments for scientific evaluation and research impact as indicated by international rankings.  Importantly, the department is also consistently rated as the best Italian department of psychology in terms of teaching quality.

In this project, members of the PsyPo Lab (Laboratory of Positive Psychology) of the Department of Psychology have been involved. The main aim of the PsyPo Lab is implementing research and interventions on the promotion of well-being and positive emotions in clinical and preventive settings.

CESIE (Italy)

CESIE is a European centre of studies and initiatives established in 2001, inspired by the work and theories of sociologist Danilo Dolci (1924-1997). Its mission is to promote educational innovation, participation, and growth.

CESIE’s head office is located in the centre of the city of Palermo, and is divided into six units that work together in synergy.  Specifically, the School Unit aims at improving quality and efficiency in school education.

Its specific objectives are to:

• Strengthen the profiles of the teaching professions through the acquisition of skills and competences related to innovative teaching and assessment;
• Support schools in tackling early school leaving (ESL) and offering quality education, enabling success for all students;
• Support efforts to increase access to affordable and high quality early childhood and care.

The main activities developed inside the School Unit are:

• Enhancing teachers’ professional development; adopting collaborative and innovative practices & strengthening leadership in education;
• Adopting a holistic approach to language teaching and learning, building on the diversity found in today’s increasingly multilingual classrooms;
• Strengthening collaboration and networking among all actors within schools, as well as with families and other external stakeholders.

Escola Secundária de Loulé (Portugal)

The training centre, Litoral À Serra, also known as the School Association of Municipalities of Loulé and S. Brás de Alportel, was created in 2008 and resulted from the association’s decision taken by the schools of those municipalities according to the Order No. 18,039 / 2008.

The Litoral À Serra CF is a public body under the Ministry of Education based in the Secondary School de Loulé, in Loulé.

Being a centre for the management, coordination, and promotion of training of teachers, it meets the situations and training needs of different educational agents and the investments are addressed for the development of the education system and teaching staff’s quality.

Its action follows these guidelines:

• Promoting the improvement of educational quality and the outcomes of education;
• Suitability to the needs and priorities of training schools and teachers;
• Evaluation of scientific and pedagogical dimension;
• Promoting a culture of monitoring and evaluation aimed at improving the quality of training systems. 

Città di Sacile – Pordenone (Italy)

The Municipality of Sacile is in the province of Pordenone and is an autonomous body of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. It has a historic centre characterised by important architecture and a singular urban structure next to the Livenza river. It has 19,837 inhabitants and is ranked 6^th by population density in the region.

The municipality conserves the river Livenza with its landscape and environmental heritage, and safeguards the fauna and flora by implementing plans for the defence of the soil and subsoil, and of the city’s historical, artistic, archaeological and architectural heritage.

The Municipality represents and cares for the interests of its community, including also a certain percentage of migrants in the various school of Sacile that come from Northern Africa often fleeing the war in Libya. The municipality also considers the elderly to be a precious resource of knowledge and experience and an important component for the overall improvement of life and development of the territory; extending the system of social guarantees and services to them and promoting their direct participation and involvement in the municipality’s activities is considered important to improving life in the region

Maharishi School Trust Limited (United Kingdom)

The curriculum at Maharishi School is based on Consciousness-based Education founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and includes the daily practice of Transcendental Meditation. Maharishi School’s pupils delight visitors from all over the world with their eagerness for knowledge, their happiness and profound grasp of the deepest principles of life. These pupils show to have a beautiful balance and wholeness that is rarely seen in other school settings.

Maharishi Foundation (United Kingdom)

Maharishi Foundation is an educational charity or trust, established in August 1975 and registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales since October 1975.

Its aim is to advance the education of the public by offering courses and services of the highest quality to develop the full mental and creative potential of the individual.

Named after its founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the foundation offers courses in Transcendental Meditation, and is the only official TM organisation in the UK.

Some figures:

• More than 200,000 people from all walks of life have learnt TM in the UK over the last 40 years;
• 60 Centres across the country offer TM courses;
• There are 450 TM teachers of whom about half are currently teaching regular courses.

The teachers have between them a wide range of teaching experience in different settings such as schools, colleges, businesses, health care institutions, hostels for the homeless and prisons

Main activities: 

• Offering courses in TM;
• Encouraging and supporting independent academic institutions to carry out scientific research on the benefits of TM and its advanced techniques;
• Marketing and sale of natural herbal products from the ancient knowledge of prevention-oriented healthcare known as Maharishi Ayur Veda.

APEJAA – Associacao de Pais e Encarregados de Educação da Escola João Afonso de Aveiro (Portugal)

The main prupose of APEJAA (Parents Association of EB2/3 João Afonso de Aveiro) is to support and represent the parents of this school, who seek to contribute to the construction of a lively, qualified and happy education community.

APEJAA is made up of parents, active members of the governing bodies, who volunteer to contribute to the success of their schools and their students. 

The parent association of the João Afonso de Aveiro Preparatory School, has existed since 1976, being one of the oldest in the country. In 2016, APEJAA regularised its situation in view of the legislation in force to change the name of the School to the current nomenclature. The EB2 / 3 João Afonso de Aveiro currently has 810 students divided into 33 classes in the respective educational community.

Cooperativa Cultural Ciencia e Tecnologia Vedica Maharishi – CCCTVM (Portugal)

The mission of Cooperativa Cultural Maharishi is to expand and impart all Vedic Technologies of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the benefit of society: Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Ayur Ved (Health), Maharishi Sthapatya Ved (Architecture), The TM-Sidhi Programme (Yog) and Yagya

In this way it promotes societal coherence, well-being, and a better quality of life in Portugal, effortlessly and irrespective of any belief system.

Associazione Meditazione Trascendentale Maharishi Italia (Italy)

The Associazione Meditazione Trascendentale Maharishi (AMTM) is a non-profit association with operational headquarters in Baschi (Terni) and a registered office in Verona.

It has been operating in Italy since the early 1970s, recognized with a notarial deed since 1999.

It has its own board of directors, holding periodic meetings to approve the financial statements and has an internal auditor.

AMTM is present throughout Italy in almost 60 cities with about 40 qualified teachers who regularly carry out the teaching activities and programmes related to Transcendental Meditation. It offers courses and services of the highest quality to develop the full mental and creative potential of the individual through the practice of Transcendental Meditation and its advanced techniques.

Associazione Meditazione Trascendentale Maharishi is the only official organisation which provides certified courses of Transcendental Meditation in Italy.

About 60,000 people have learned the Transcendental Meditation technique in the country, including 4,000 over the past 5 years.

Civic Association for Communication and Education “Sophia”- ACCESOPHIA (Spain)

Civic Association for Communication and Education “Sophia” (ACCESO) is a non-profit organisation established in Madrid (Spain) in 2013 which aims at promoting intercultural dialogue and European values by providing a wide range of educational, cultural and communication activities. The mission of ACCESO is to foster and support the sustainable development of local communities, the integration of socially disadvantaged groups like immigrant population and individuals’ empowerment through education and training, defence of human rights and international cooperation.

Maharishi Institute of Vedic Science (Belgium)

The main purpose of the organisation is to teach in Belgium a simple, effortless, natural technique, Transcendental Meditation (TM), and to implement the Quiet Time with TM programme in every school that asks for it. More than 10,000 people have learnt the technique so far, and 1,000 have learnt the Advanced Techniques of the TM Programme.

There are 35 TM Centres and lecture places in Belgium, with 18 active teachers. In  recent years, public interest and attention have increased substantially.

Internet marketing campaigns that started in 2011 in Belgium brought 1.2 million people to visit the institute’s website. Other TM related websites and Facebook pages about the programme in schools have been set up under the name of “Stress free Schools”.