About the authors
The original concept of a website exploring identity and difference in this way was developed by Professor Chris Gaine at the University of Chichester in the UK. The first such site was Britkid. Chris then led an EU project developing Spanishkid and Swedkid, and then acted as consultant on Dutchkids before work began on Czechkid. His further developments of the concept in the UK include a website using the same principles but aimed at student teachers - Talking Race - and a website aimed at young people on the topic of bullying - Coastkid. Czechkid was set up as a result of a broad cooperation between the students and employees of the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague, Department of Civil Society Studies, and specialists from the world of academia and from the non-profit sector. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the project.
Chris Gaine is Professor of Applied Social Policy at the University of Chichester, and was formerly a secondary school teacher. He has degrees from the universities of Surrey, Bristol, Bath and London.
Dana Moree graduated in Pastoral and Social Work from the Evangelic Faculty of Theology, Charles University, Prague, and in General Anthropology from the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague.
Peter Robert Smith is an award-winning freelance designer/illustrator/animator. Since 2001 he has been a key member of the team which has developed Britkid, Coastkid, Talking Race, Spanishkid, Dutchkids and now Czechkid. His website and animations for Burts Chips won gold in both the Cream Awards for Advertising and the Roses Advertising Awards, and he has worked for a number of major brands including L’Oreal Paris, Toshiba and Morphy Richards.
Damien Wiles has been the 'mechanic' for Britkid and subsequent sites since 2001, when he programmed a collaborative editing system to permit the authors to edit various aspects of the site simultaneously. An eclectic background in electronics and computing led him to a career as a digital media specialist and computer/network analyst for the University of Chichester in 1995.
Vladimír Kříž graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Prague. First he worked at several secondary schools in Příbram, then from 1991 to 1994 he was the director of the Educational Authority in Příbram. Later he worked as the chief director for regional school system administration at the Ministry of Education. Until last year he worked as the director of the Příbram Gymnasium, and he is presently the director of the Příbram office of the College of European and Regional Studies, České Budějovice.
Craig Duncan is editor-in-chief of LINK, the British Council’s bimonthly magazine in the Czech Republic. A law graduate of the University of Aberdeen, he has spent the last five years living and working in Prague. His articles for local media in recent years have covered topics ranging from multicultural initiatives to films and pop music. Before moving to Prague he lived in China, Australia and Poland.
Bělohlávková Jana is currently finishing her Bachelor’s Degree at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague. Burgetová Eva graduated from the Law Faculty at Charles University, and from the Faculty of Social Studies at Charles University, where she majored in Western European Studies. She has cooperated with the Multicultural Centre in Prague since spring 2005. She participated in the preparation of a summer international workshop on migration in August 2005, and cooperates with www.migraceonline.cz. Buriánek Jan graduated in Teaching from the Faculty of Education, Charles University, and is currently attending a doctoral study programme in Education at the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University. He specialises in the origin and development of group stereotypes in the educational system. He works for the People in Need organisation as a lecturer in intercultural education, cross-sectoral co-operation and the preparation of educational programs in schools. He edited and contributed to two brochures: Intercultural Education Not Only For Secondary-School Teachers (2002) and Intercultural Education II (2005). He also works on other projects on multicultural and social issues. Cakl Ondřej has been monitoring the activities of right-wing extremists for a long time; his photographs and videos are a great contribution to the mapping of extremism in the Czech Republic. He organises and leads seminars on neo-Nazism and right-wing extremism, and publishes articles on these issues in the press. He has been cooperating with People in Need for a long time. He has been also monitoring neo-Nazi activities in Germany since 2004 and cooperates with several German anti-racist organisations. He is the chairman of the civic association Tolerance and Civil Society. Čejka Marek is a lawyer and political scientist. He works at the Institute of International Relations and lectures on the Near East. He has published the books Izrael a Palestina [Israel and Palestine] (2005), Encyklopedie blízkovýchodního terorismu [Encyclopaedia of Terrorism in the Near East] (2007), and Judaismus a politika v Izraeli [Judaism and Politics in Israel] (2009). Dušek Pavel P., studied theology specialising in religious studies in Prague and at the Joh. Wolfgang Goethe Universität in Frankfurt, Germany, where he also studied cultural anthropology and pastoral psychology. He went on to study psychology at the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno. He specialises in psychology and religious hermeneutics. He is mainly interested in self-influencing techniques in religious environments (meditation, yoga, altered states of consciousness, shamanic trances), pastoral psychology, and psychopathological phenomena in the religious sphere. Fedyuk Olena is a graduate of the Precarpathian University in Ukraine (B.A. in English Language and World Literatures), the University of Kansas (M.A. in Indigenous Nations Studies), and the Central European University (M.A. in Nationalism Studies). In her research she focused on the role of pop culture in the identity formation of ethnic and social majorities and minorities, the problems of public erasure of minorities through films, literature, and mass media, and means of self-representation and cultural appropriation in media and pop culture. She is presently working on the public image of Ukrainian migrant workers in Ukraine and abroad, and their means of empowerment and self-representation. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the Sociology and Social Anthropology Department of the Central European University. Gabaľová Dana graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Slovak Technical College (now the Technical University) in Bratislava. She has lived in Prague since 1995. She has run painting courses for children of pre-school and early school age at Studio HaF and the British International School in Prague). She has worked as an external lecturer for the Educational and Cultural Centre of the Jewish Museum in Prague since 2000, and helped organise the exhibitions Lost Neighbours and Do Not Lose Faith In Man... – The Protectorate Through The Eyes Of Jewish Children. Between 2003 and 2005 she was the director of an educational project focused on nationalities in the Czech Republic, called “Assimilated?”. Since February 2006 she has worked as lecturer and coordinator of educational programs in the Educational and Cultural Centre of the Jewish Museum in Prague. Günter Vladislav graduated in General Anthropology from the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, and has now begun a doctoral study of Ethnology at the Faculty of Philosophy, West Bohemian University, Plzeň. Co-author of the texts: Günterová Tereza graduated in Social Work from the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, Prague. Hlavničková Petra studied primary school education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. She currently works for META o.s. – the Association for Opportunities for Young Migrants, where she focuses on support for children of foreigners who are of primary-school age by assisting their integration into the Czech education system. She also works at schools as an assistant teacher and as a teacher of Czech for foreigners. She also helps develop methodology materials on this issue. Holcmanová Kateřina received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Faculty of Humanities and is currently finishing her Master’s Degree in Civil Sector Studies. Holý Jiří graduated in Biology and Chemistry from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University, Prague. For many years he worked as a secondary-school teacher, and for several years as the director of the District Educational Authority. Since 2001 he has worked as the director of the Administrative and Organisational Department of the Section of Education, Youth and Sports at the Central Bohemian Regional Authority. He has specialised in multicultural education and the protection of human rights since the mid-1990s. Hošek Pavel studied Theology and Religious Studies at the Evangelical Faculty of Theology, Charles University, where he currently works as an assistant lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies. He specialises in the relationships between theology and religious studies, in the issues of religious pluralism and inter-religious dialogue. He is the author of the monographs C.S.Lewis: mýtus, imaginace a pravda (2004) and Na cestě k dialogu. Křesťanská víra v pluralitě náboženství (2005). Hradečná Pavla graduated from the Faculty of Law, Charles University in Prague, where she wrote her thesis on “The Asylum Policy of the Czech Republic in the Context of International Law”. Since 1999 she has worked for the Association for Integration and Migration, and she currently holds the position of Programme Director. Over the years she has published scholarly articles and studies on immigration, integration, and asylum (the issue of access of foreigners to education, applicants for international protection in the Czech Republic in the labour market, issues relating to administrative expulsion) and has contributed chapters on foreign nationals to reports on the state of human rights. She is co-author of The History of Albania (Dějiny Albánie, published by nakladatelství Lidové noviny). In the past she was a member of the Committee against Torture and for six years she sat on the board of the Czech Helsinki Committee. Since 2007 she has been a member of the Government Council for Human Rights and the Committee for the Rights of Foreigners attached to this Council. Janebova Eva teaches at the Department of Educational Sciences and Central and Eastern European Studies at Faculty of Arts, Charles University. She is a Liaison of Faculty of Arts for CIEE (Council for International Education Exchange). She specializes in intercultural and international education. She has visited Columbia University and University of Minnesota as a research scholar and worked for several Czech NGOs. Jirků Gabriela graduated from the Institute of the Tropics and the Subtropics, University of Agriculture, Prague, and from the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague. Kalibová Klára is currently finishing her studies at the Law Faculty of Charles University, and specialises in racial crime. She has worked on the “One World” human rights film festival project for People in Need. She works in the association La Strada Czech Republic, which provides assistance to people subjected to human trafficking. She has cooperated with the civic association Tolerance and Civil Society for a long time, monitoring neo-Nazi and racist activities in the Czech Republic. Kintlová Petra studies General Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, and currently works as a researcher for People in Need. Kocourek Jiří graduated in Sociology and Vietnamese Studies from the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, Prague, and studied at the National University in Hanoi. He specialises in intercultural communication and the integration of foreigners in the Czech Republic. In this field he also acts as a lecturer at different school levels, including universities, and for other target groups. He is interested in applied sociology, specialising in social issues and interpersonal relations. He is a member of many project and research teams in private, non-governmental and governmental organisations. He has written many publications and analyses on these topics. Jiří Kocourek is an accredited mediator of the Association of Mediators of the Czech Republic. He is a member of the civic association Klub Hanoi, founding member of the civic association SOCIOPOLIS (www.sociopolis.cz) and member of the Council of the Association of Mediators of the Czech Republic (www.amcr.cz). Kopecká Laura graduated in Polish and Ukrainian from the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University. Since 2003 she has specialised in Ukrainian immigration in the United States, which is also the topic of her dissertation thesis. She translates and interprets Polish and Ukrainian. She writes for the journals Plotki – rumours around the bloc and Kulturní týdeník A2, and cooperates on the Multicultural Centre’s project “How Many Roads Lead to Florenc?”. At present she is in charge of development projects focused on Moldavia and Serbia. Košák Pavel graduated in the field of theology from the Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology at Palacký University in Olomouc. He works for the People in Need organisation as coordinator of an educational programme called Alternatives.
As a teacher and co-author of a collection of methodological materials for teachers, he focuses mainly on intercultural education, the problem of inclusion, and social and religious issues connected with education. He has also worked as a social therapist and as a social worker. Since December 2004 he has been a member of the board of Fokus Praha – an association that cares for people with experience of mental illness. Kubalíková Marie graduated in Humanity Learning from the Faculty of Humanities and in 2002 wrote her bachelor thesis Acceptance of Minorities by the Majority Society With Emphasis on the Deaf. In 2002 she continued her studies in Department of Civil Sector Studies, again at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, which she completed with her diploma thesis “Fundraising in the Oliva Foundation”. During her studies she worked as a lecturer in the English language at Cultural Centre 12 in Modřany, Prague. Látalová Eva studied Travel Management at Hradec Králové University. During her study she stayed at the Koblenz university in Germany for three months, and participated in the organisation of film and music festivals. in the last four years she has been active in non-governmental and non-profit organisations, including two and a half years in the Civil Society Development Foundation, Department of European Programmes. In 2006 she finished her study of Civil Sector Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, during which she participated researching the Civil Society Index in the Czech Republic, and preparing the Czechkid project. Laurenčíková Klára studied special education on Charles University in Prague, now she is approaching the graduant. The professional career has started as the educator and the team coordinator in Jedlickuv institute and school for disabled children in Prague. She worked for NGOs Charita and People In Need. In the 2007-8 she led the department of the social-legal protection of children in the ministry of labour and social matters. In the 2008-9 she was a vice minister of school, youths and sport, she led the group of the social programmes in education. Mašková Zdeňka graduated in the teaching of Russian and Psychology from the Faculty of Education at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Brno, and in English and English Literature from the Faculty of Education at Charles University, Prague. She participated in the J. W. Fulbright High School Teacher Exchange Program in Maryland, U.S.A.. Medová Šárka has several years’ experience in teaching in a kindergarten. At present she is the head teacher in a kindergarten run by native English speakers. She is also finishing her diploma work on Adaptation of Children to the Environment of an English Kindergarten at the Faculty of Education, Charles University. Moree Dana studied pastoral and social work at the Protestant Theological Faculty, Charles University in Prague, and General Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague. She worked first for Jabok – Academy for Social Pedagogy and Theology. In 2004 she began working/studying at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, in the Department of Civil Society Studies. In 2008 she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Humanities in Utrecht. She is the editor of the website for multicultural education www.czechkid.cz. In her research she focuses on the links between social change and the education, for example, in her book How Teachers Cope with Social and Educational Transformation. Alongside her academic activities she also focuses on the theme of cultural encounters through courses and seminars directly mainly at the Czech-German region, at PONTES Institute. Moree Peter graduated in Theology from the Utrecht University and in Prague. Since 1993 he has worked as a researcher and lecturer at the Evangelical Faculty of Theology of Charles University. His focus is on Czech religious history, and on the history of religion in the 19th and 20th centuries. He specialises in the relationships between religion and nationalism and between religion and the totalitarian regime. He is the author of the monograph Preaching in 14th century Bohemia: The life and ideas of Milicius de Chremsir (+1374) and his significance in the historiography of Bohemia (1999). Radostný Lukáš studied General Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, and he is currently completing his doctoral studies in ethnology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. In 2003-2006 he conducted field research in socially excluded localities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Since 2006 he has worked for META o.s. – the Association for Opportunities for Young Migrants, where he first worked as an advisor for foreign nations on education and the coordination of volunteer groups. Since 2008 he has focused on developing activities aimed at providing teachers with support for the integration of foreigners who are students. Richterová Daniela graduated in Information Management from the Higher Specialised School of Information Studies, and currently is finishing her studies at the Centre of Information Studies and Library Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, Prague. Between 2001 and 2005 she worked as a project coordinator specialising in information services and the development of multicultural activities in public libraries for the Multicultural Centre in Prague. She was primarily focused on the “Variety in Libraries” project, where she prepared intercultural seminars and conferences for librarians and lectured and edited the first publication on multicultural librarianship in the Czech Republic, called “A Library for Everyone”. At present she works in the UN Information Centre in Prague. Šindelářová Jaromíra graduated in General Education for Years 5 to 12, specialising in Czech Language and Literature, German Language, Russian Language and Music, from the Faculty of Education in Ústí nad Labem in 1984. In 1986 she received the title of Doctor of Education (PaedDr.) in Czech Language. She underwent individual scientific training at the Institute for the Czech Language of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic between 1998 and 2001, and received the academic title of Candidate of Sciences (CSc.) for Czech Language. Šístek Martin is studying to be a secondary-school teacher of History and Social Sciences at the Faculty of Education, Charles University, Prague. Vojtíšek Zdeněk lectures in religious studies at Charles University (the Hussite Faculty of Theology and the Protestant Theological Faculty). He specialises in modern spiritual life, in particular the issue of religious minorities. His publications include the book Encyklopedie náboženských směrů a hnutí v České republice [Encyclopaedia of Religions and Religious Movements in the Czech Republic] (2004). Wagner Peter graduated in Physics from Tübingen and Konstanz, Germany. Since 1993 he has worked in market research in Prague. When he arrived, he started focusing on the Roma language and culture. From 1994 he worked in Foreign Relations at the editorial office of the magazine on Roma studies Romano džaniben; he has worked as its editor-in-chief since 2006. He has participated in several field surveys focused on the dialectology of the Roma language. In his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University he specialises in the Olash Romani dialect. Zhřívalová Petra graduated from the Law Faculty at Charles University in 1997. During her studies she was involved in human rights, and started to work for non-governmental organisations. As a lawyer she has worked for 7 years in different projects focused on Roma issues, and also worked as a teacher at the Romani Social High School. She has been a teacher at the Faculty of Humanities since September 2003 (Department of Civil Sector Studies) in social policy and human rights. She obtained her Ph.D. in political science from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, Prague; her focus is the policy towards Roma. She has contributed regularly to the annual report on human rights published by the International Helsinki Federation, and she is also the author of various articles on the problems of national minorities, especially Roma. | |||||||