eTwinning Workshop —Engage, inspire, empower: Citizenship education through eTwinning

Daria ARLAVI is a seconded national expert in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission where she coordinates the Working Group Equality and Values in Education and Training.  Her work is centred on the European Education Area, with a particular focus on citizenship education. Before joining DG EAC, Daria worked as a diplomat in the fields of education, youth and sports, and chaired the Education Committee during Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Prior to that, she held various positions in the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth in Zagreb, ultimately serving as the Head of the Qualifications Framework Unit.

Nina Penttinen is Counsellor of Education at the Finnish National Agency for Education. Her areas of expertise are history and social studies, democracy and entrepreneurial education. She has also worked as a history and social studies teacher and as a teacher educator.

Tuija Kae has worked as a senior teacher of English, a deputy head teacher and an international coordinator for over 25 years at Sotunki Upper Secondary School and Distance Learning Centre in Vantaa, Finland. International cooperation and global education are close to her heart. Apart from teaching, she also works as an assessor for the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board, textbook author, education consultant and in-service training course trainer. She is a recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Teacher Award 2019–2020.

Jenni Decandia is an education coordinator from Finland, with a diverse background in language teaching, special education and environmental education. She is an eTwinning ambassador, international coordinator of the UNESCO BSP Youth Ambassadors Programme, national coordinator of the UNESCO ASPnet Youth Ambassadors’ Network and coordinator of two other Finnish UNESCO ASPnet school networks. Her passion lies in making international experiences accessible to all and empowering students to become active global citizens.

Tuuli Ahonen is a lecturer of sustainable development at North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium Finland, Riveria. She teaches online courses on sustainable development and circular economy. In addition to teaching, she is involved in different national and international Erasmus projects. In her free time, she works as a translator and is preparing her dissertation in translation studies.

Sirje Hassinen is an expert in international affairs, and has worked in Omnia's Project Services department for 18 years as the coordinator and project manager of many international projects. Her responsibilities include maintaining a wide variety of international relationships, hosting study visits, events and conferences and working on transnational projects and global networks, including Japan. Her PhD in Linguistics is about Estonian-Finnish bilingualism. As a language teacher, she has a lot of experience as a teacher of first, second and foreign languages at different education levels. Her ambition to connect with new people from different cultures and develop meta skills in an international environment is made possible by her daily work on international affairs.

Nicole Wieringa is a lawyer (European Law, Human Rights Law). About 20 years ago she switched from international business to education, first in primary, and later in secondary education. She develops cross-curricular and cross-border projects and extracurricular activities concerning the EU and human rights. She is also an eTwinning ambassador, trainer within an EU education programme, moderator of a large network of EU schools, member of the EC Teacher Testing Panel, Erasmus+ project leader and co-developer/author of teaching programmes with Euroclio, the European Association of History Educators. She is not only an eTwinning ambassador but, together with her students, is also an enthusiastic and successful user of eTwinning. She is happy to share her enthusiasm! She has built up extensive knowledge and experience in setting up and implementing EU projects in which European citizenship is central.

Julia Gracia is a member of the Spanish NSO. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences and an MSc in Education. Her research focuses on environmental and sustainability education and prevention of radicalisation. She has been a secondary school teacher in Northern Ireland and Spain for 18 years, and has also been an eTwinning Ambassador and Erasmus+ Coordinator.

Lejla Hujdur is a dedicated high school math teacher with 23 years of experience, recognised for innovative teaching methods that enhance student engagement and understanding. As an eTwinning ambassador for the past eight years, she has fostered international collaboration among educators, promoting best practices in teaching. Passionate about lifelong learning, she strives to connect mathematics to real-world applications, believing that math is not just a subject but a vital tool for understanding and participating in society.

Mikko Hiljanen PhD works as university teacher in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Jyväskylä, concentrating on studying democracy education and developing it in the context of teacher education.