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EU Organisations

Association for the European Rural Universities (APURE)

Introduction

APURE is a non-formal organisation that practices the exchange of practical knowledge issued from experience as the main handspike of the reinforcement of specific abilities to the development of the rural world.

Structure, key stakeholders and partners

APURE was established in 1988 as non-profit making associations in order to contribute, within the framework of the principles defined by the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Men and of Citizens (1948), to develop the network of actors in the rural world, particularly through the sessions of the European Rural Universities (ERU). Its members are individuals and organisations from 15 European countries and a American University.

APURE is signatory of the Letter of MER - Mouvement Européen de la Ruralité – and still develops its partnerships with EU organisations such as ECOVAST, ELARD, RED, EUROMONTANA.

Priorities and activities

The APURE main goals are:

  • to be the support of a European network of popular education, acting with and for the rural world actors who express this necessity, by producing and spreading out new knowledge related to the rural world;
  • to contribute, in cooperation with other organizations, to the collective education of the development actors through exchange and “intersection” of theoretical knowledge issued from “University departments”, new projects and practical knowledge issued from experience;
  • to improve the knowledge and cultural values of rural zones, in order to turn them into the main handspike of integrated and global development processes of territories and of the economic and social challenges they are to face;
  • to develop new supportive relationships within the rural world and between cities and rural villages;
  • to contribute to facilitate and to deepen the relationship between university centres, research structures and actors in the rural world, to unpin them in the domains of the research-innovation and new technologies.
  • to co-ordinate, and to foster initiatives facilitating the reunion of the actors of local development, exchanges of good practices, ‘forums’ and platforms of reflection and action, in between the Biennial sessions of the URE;
  • to assist in the creation, in all places where APURE is present, of cells devoted to the teaching of methods of popular education and technical support at the service of the Associations, the local elected, the public actors, social and economic, in order to strengthen the ability of all.

Further information