Desription of A3S

The organization´s mission

Association of Consumer Organisations in Slovakia is an independent, citizen´s association that was established in 1999. The organization merges 9 consumer organizations and 19 clubs in different regions in the Slovak Republic.

The main aim of the association´s activies is to help the citizens to protect the consumer rights and interests. The association advices consumers how to claim their citizen rights, which are accepted by the United Nations Organization as the international consumer rights.

Main activities:
- information, education and consumer support (consumers rights and responsibilities),
- councelling and consumer activity information by cooperation with state and regional media,
- counseling before purchase or in case of abuse,
- consumer support in actions in front of the court,
- school administration, organizes seminars, trainings and conferences ,
- educates the pupils at schools and cooperates with the Ministry of Education SR in the process of integrating consumer education into the curriculum
- specialist conductions and preparation for teachers in consumer education in schools
- leads the consumer clubs for young consumers in elementary and secondary school and high schools
- organizes of the international competition for young consumers “Consumption for life”
- coordination and distribution of the student diary “Wise Choice?”, which is edited by the support and assistance of the European Committee in the 25 member states in the EU,
- cooperates with the Members of Parliament and ministries in notices, regulations and law making process concerned to the consumer rights, gives an opinion on the proposal of consumer regulation,
- support in interests for consumers in the commission of energy for NR SR, environmental commission about product marking by MŽP SR
- publishes leaflets, brochures, methodical materials for teachers, year-books and magazines,
- support of interest of the Slovakian consumers in the Advisory Committee for European Consumers in Brussels
- cooperates with the citizen´s organizations at home and abroad, realizes many regional, national and international activities.

Since 1999 the Association has been providing legal advices to consumers in regional offices, we also represent consumers in court. We participate in consultation on new consumer acts, where we persuade enterpreneurs to obey the rules of business ethics as well as to create codes for good practices.

Since 1999 Association of consumer subjects in Slovakia has realized many national and regional activities, but also international. The most important activities were: informing and educating the consumers, counseling before purchase or in case of abuse, education of young people in the youth clubs and active participation in law making process concerned to the consumer rights. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education SR, district offices and departments of education we have prepared a range of seminars and trainings. We shared the preparation and published a lot of methodical materials for teachers in schools.

In 1999 the Association of Consumer Organizations in Slovakia organized a Slovak consumer competition for youth, and since 2000 it became an international competition for young consumers called "Consumption for life". The aim of the competition is to support, by means of out of school activities, interest of young people in creation of consumer articles and magazines on selected topics of rights, protection and consumers´ interests in market economy.
In the year 2000 Association raised its activities in other regions, both organizations and clubs. Today 9 organizations of legal entities and 19 clubs at elementary, secondary schools and universities of paedagogic intention are included.

In 2002-2003 we realized the project “Environmental production and consumption" to raise awareness of the consumer towards sustainable consumption. In regional trainings we have trained 352 teachers of elementary and secondary schools, we issued 30000 leaflets to support buying of environmentally safe products which were determined by Ministry of Environment SR.

In 2003 we realized 2 projects together with CITADINANZATIVA in Rome. In the projects ”Principles of subsidiarity” and “Democratic citizenship” we monitored and supported activities of the citizen´s organizations in consumer policy making.

In 2004 together with a German consumer organization VZBV in Berlin we realized a project called “YOMAGNET”. It is aimed to develop the consumer communication among young people by a web-page about their lifestyles and about sustainable consumption. 13 EU member countries and 4 candidate countries participated in this project.
http://www.yomag.net/

In 2004-2005 we organized an international project „Consumer education – component part of the school reform in transforming countries“. The aim of the international projects (Czech, Poland, Latvia, Lituania, Estonia, Ukrainian, Slovakia) was the development of the special teachers´ preparation for realization of consumer education, increase the number of multipliers for consumer education at elementary, secondary schools and universities in different countries. It was created a manual on the seminar as the basis for the methodolocical materials in individual countries. The countries – participants in the project -all have similar conditions for education and school systems, therefore, the exchange of experiences on consumer education in individual countries and their publishing will be a great asset from the seminar. Output from the project was better skilled and methodically prepared trainers who will be able to organize additional trainings for teachers at elementary, secondary schools and universities. Another output from the project was the methodical brochure called „How to Educate the Consumer „ created during the seminar and additionally used in following seminars in the individual countries. Participants of the seminar were teachers of elementary, secondary schools and universities who have cooperated with consumer organizations in different countries for a long time. Those teachers realize the Consumer Education at schools and brought practical experiences and methodical suggestions on how to integrate Consumer Education into the lessons and curriculum of individual subjects. Many of the participants are authors of methodical publications in their own countries.

In 2005-2006 we participated in realization of the international projects:

The Europe Diary – “Wise Choice?” ( Belgium)- European Commision finance project student´s diary managed by Generation Europe. Diares is dedicated for the third class of the high schools in Slovak Republik. It is a source of informations how to inform young people to know their consumer rights and to make qualified decisions.
http://www.generation-europe.org/


CCN- Consumer Citizenship Network (Norway) – is focused in development of consumer citizenship as a base for raising of consumers European citizenship and sustainability.
www.hihm.no/concit

E-CONS- The European Network for Consumer Education (Spain)- provide the schools opportunity to cerate educational partnership and international project.
-to promote cooperation and educational innovation in school education.
http://www.e-cons.net/

Internet safety for children(Bulgarie )- the result of project is website for the non-formal education of teachers and parents how to protect children from Internet generated risks, to develop common educational modules for adult learning providers, to develop an educational materials for parents and teachers. http://www.onlinechildprotection.org/

Energy Regulation ( Italy)
- monitoring the opening of energy market for consumers in European Union
http://www.energyandconsumers.net/


CEAN- Consumer Education for Adults Network (London Metropolitan University, Greate Britain)- to promote consumer education for EU member and accession countries, to provide a common framework for the development of adult consumer education resources and exchange ideas and share best practice.
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/depts/hhs/cean/

Consumer education in Slovakia

Consumer education in Slovakia

1. How consumer education is reflected in curricula

Living in the market economics encompasses the need of education about consumer rights and responsibilities. Consumer education is intended to produce independent , aware and informed consumer and promote to change students consumption behaviour in a more conscious direction. Consumer education helps to develop skills for individual life - how to buy quality goods with respect to life styles, consumer habits and attitudes. Consumer education in Slovakia has not long tradition but most of the work on this field was done by non-governmental association. Before 1989 consumer education have not been implemented in education in Slovakia. Since 1990 consumer association in Slovakia has realized a lot of national, regional, but also international activities. The most important activities was: informing and educating the consumers, counseling before the purchase and in case of abuse, young people education in the clubs of young consumers, active participation in law making process concerned to the consumer rights. After 1992 aspects of consumer education have been incorporated in existing or new subjects in the curriculum or syllabus. It was important to clear and specife the content of consumer education – how to buy product or servise, how to use and dispose of it, how to save or spend money, how to effectively complain... Consumer education have been included in different subjects like Social Science, Civic Education and a lot of other subjects. Students benefited from multidisciplinary approach of the teaching about consumer matters and acquired the necessary skills for mastering their life. But systematic co-ordination was needed to ensure that no part was missed out. Active role for the supporting the curriculum implementation played mostly consumer asociations in Slovakia. They prepared a lot of seminars, conferences, traings and workshops for teachers in national and regional level. They developed and published a lot methodological materials, handbooks and leaflets that were needed for teachers to improve their effective pedagogical practices. Practical and financial assistance was provided by european consumer association and international organisation Consumers international. Consumer assocation cooperated in this field with authorities, other non-governmental associations and universities. They were involved in a number of projects focusing on consumer education, took a part in strong international contact network within and outside of European union. Consumer education is part of school activities and equally part of out of school activities. More than 300 schools take a part in international projectWHO – Schools Promoting Health where consumer education is one of nineth themes. Young students have also possibility to attend a year-long work in Consumer Clubs established by teachers – members of consumer associations at clubs at elementary, secondary schools and universities of paedagogic intention.

2. Resources and materials

To provide effectice consumer education is needed to know actual contents of consumer matters and different methods of learning that differs from traditional teacher-led learning to more pupil-led learning. Suitable materials for teachers have been provided by consumer associations, universities, authorities interested in consumer matters and institutions. In cooperation with Ministry of Education SR and Ministry of Environment SR district offices and departments of education we have prepared range of seminars and trainings. We share the preparation, or we published a lot of methodical materials for teachers suitable for education at schools.monitoring market.
Books, newsletter, brochures, website information :

- Consumer Education at Schools. Banska Bystrica, 1998

- Metodological Handbook for Civic Education, Bratislava, 1998

- Consumer Education for Schools Promoting Health, Bratislava, 1999

- Education of the Consumer for Values, Stara Lubovna, 2001

- Environmental Production and Consumption, Stara Lubovna, 2003

- How to Educate the Consumer, Stara Lubovna, 2005

- magazine for young consumer Consumer Window

- www.spotrebiteliask.sk ; www.spotrebitelinfo.sk

3. Projects

Since 1997 in Slovakia is organized Slovak and since 2000 international competition of young consumers called Consumption for life. The aim of the competition is to support, by means of out of school activities, interest of young people in creation of consumer articles and magazines on selected topics of rights protection and consumers´ interests in market economy. Topic for every year is changed and for 2006 is :„ What should know the young consumer and what should be included in his/her diary “ Teachers as members of our assocations manage consumer clubs at schools, help students to prepare yearly program, to create consumer magazines and organize extracurricular activities. At the beginning the students gathered a lot of information and facts from magazines, newspapers and websites. They visited interested places, investigate information, make interested interview at farms, firms, travel agencies, consumer association, factories... . After it they create interesting articles which are original statements about heir own attitutes to the problems, give some possible solutions and add own instructions.

In 2002-2003 was realized the project “Environmental production and consumption" to raise awareness of consumer towards sustainable consumption. At natioanla and regional trainings was teachers of elementary and secondary schools trained how to support the purchases of environmentally friendly products which are determined by Ministry of Environment in the Slovak Republik and European union. In 2003 we realized 2 projects together with CITADINANZATIVA in Roma. In the projects ”Principles of subsidiarity” and “Democratic citizenship” we monitored and supported activities of the citizen organizations at consumer policy making. In 2004 together with German consumer organization VZBV in Berlin we realized project “YOMAG. NET”. It is aimed on development of consumer communication of young people by means of internet about their lifestyle and sustainable consumption.

The aim of the project is creation of internet magazine and development of communication about sustainable consumption between young people. Internet magazine contains articles that analyze consumer behavior of young people and students wrote articles on different topics from everyday life as fashion, health, traveling, sport, nutrition, body and beauty.

From 2004 we participate as national partner in international project supported by European Commission „ The Europe diary: Wise choices “. Aims of the project is to help young consumers to think and act smart when it comes to their health and their pocket money. Diary is packed with relevant information to help consumers to make informed choices, lifestyles and rights as consumers and citizens. Diary contains proper actual information about health risk, using of internet, shopping anywhere in Europe, protecting against scams and fraudulent traders.