IRCA Conference: September 20-26th 2010

Local Hosts: Churches European Rural Network

The cost is for attending the conference is 450 euro which covers all accommodation, food, conference materials and the field trips, for a currency converter please click here.

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Where is Altenkirchen??

This year's conference is being held at the
Evangelische Landjugendakademie (Evangelical Rural Youth Acadamy)
in Altenkirchen, Germany

The Evangelical Rural Youth Academy is located on the outskirts of the county Altenkirchen in the Westerwald, a holiday region between the Rhine, Sieg and Lahn, 50 km from Bonn, Koblenz and Siegen and about 70 km from Cologne, with the middle of a gentle hillside castles, palaces, churches and monasteries.

Your host, Dieter Sonnentag is not only a welcoming fellow, but also an amateur magician. So prepare for a good laugh.

The Conference Centre has 71 rooms, some with TV and Internet access. There are several rooms and a lift for disabled, elderly or handicapped people which also ensures a smooth movement between the levels.

And if any thing goes wrong for you, leave it in the VERY capable hands of the secretary Anja Ersfeild.        

Meals provided will cater for people from different backgrounds, needs and dietry restrictions and the Head of the Household, Renate Schade, will help you anyway she can.

What Countries and Churches are represented in IRCA?

IRCA is a community of Christian people who live or work in or with Rural communities around the world. So far expressions of interest for the 4th Conference have come from Indonesia, India, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Korea, Niger, Romania, Switzerland, England, Wales, Malawi, Uganda, Pakistan and many others. It will truly be an international and ecumenical conference with some 14 different denominations and groups registered so far.

So How Do I Get There??

Once you have registered, you will receive a login and password with which you can add details of flights or other travel arrangements.
 The easiest way to get to Altenkirchen is to fly into Frankfurt and catch catch a train (German trains are great!!) or let us know if you need transport. Trains from the Franfurt Airport (Flugh) Station to Altenkirchen take around 2 1/2 hours and cost anywhere from 19 to 60 euros.
Conference begins with Dinner at 6pm on Monday 20th September.

Deutshe Bahn is found at
http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml

And after the Conference, you can take a trip around Europe using the great rail network or by hiring a car or campervan.

What will be happening at the Conference??

IRCA is about networking the networks. This conference will give you opportunities to share with people doing the work of Jesus in rural communities all over the world.

The Conference, as the theme suggests, deals with issues of global hunger. It is our belief that the Church is uniquely placed to assist communities in coming to terms with both the primary issues of hungar and the secondary consequences. The focus material for the conference comes from the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report agreed by an intergovermental Plenary Session in Johannesburg, South Africa in April 2008.

The IAASTD report that is up for discussion at this conference can be found here.

There will also be some Keynote Speakers and small group time where we, as a community, raise our concerns and our hopes for the rural parts of the world. There will be input from groups around the world and a chance to go on a field trip to see innovative ways in which the issues of rural living are being addressed. (more below)

HERE is the programme for the conference. The official language of the Conference is English. (although New Zealander is acceptable...just!!)

If you have any information or reports that could be useful for the conference regarding global hunger or food justice please email the Secretary, Rev Garry Hardingham at mckaypatrol@bigpond.com.

What is the Conference Scattered?

Beginning on the Thursday 16th September. just before the conference, you can get an opportunity to spend a frew days with a local farmer or rural person to experience the joys and issues of rural life in Germany.

People who have spent time at previous conferences this way have valued the orientation to the local issues and have said that the conference scattered component was a highlight of their conference experience as it gave them a better context for the conference itself.

Who are the Keynote Speakers?? 
(Click on the Picture for their profile)

Rudi Buntzel




Winston Carroo



Carla Khijoyan



Sidia N'duma

What will we experience on the Field Trips??

You will have a choice of two Field Trips on Thursday 23rd September.

CHOICE ONE

Visit Fuhrländer, one of the largest producers of wind powered generators in the world.
You will be amazed at the engineering and quality contrrol that goes into producing clean energy.
Fuhrlander believe that working in with rural communities can add financial and social capital while providing a cheap renewable form of electricity.

Then visit a dairy farm where the farming is recycling waste products to produce agricultural methane to both power his operations as well as on-selling surplus power back onto the grid.


CHOICE TWO

Visit the house of Friedrich Raiffheisen. Raiffeisen conceived of the idea of cooperative self-help during his tenure as the young mayor of Flammersfeld. He was inspired by observing the suffering of the farmers who were often in the grip of loan sharks. He founded the first cooperative lending bank, in effect the first rural credit union in 1864.
Raiffheisen's house is full of all sorts of stuff from the 19th Century as well as some of his collected hobbies.

Then tour the 12th century Abbey Marienstatt and visit a local german village to wander around the churches and markets. There's even a chance to spend some euros!!

Either of these field trips will give you a better understanding of European Rural life and innovation.

 

So what's in it for me??

Everyone should ask if a conference is worth attending. Those who have attended a number of IRCA conferences will tell you that the international links they have made have become a valuable part of how they engage in God's work on a local level. To hear the stories and to share common solutions to global and local problems, give a better perspective to our own thoughts and prayers.

Plus, you will have an opportunity in helping shape the Church's response to global hunger and to explore ways in which the Church can respond to and support those who most often the most marginalised in our work...the rural people.

What can I do after the Conference??

Visit Oberammergau

Every ten years in the town of Oberammergau since 1635, the local folk have performed a passion play. 2010 marks this year. Information can be found in many places on the internet and public transport connections are plentiful.

Sightseeing in Westerwald, in Germany, or all over Europe.

There are endless things to do in Europe. So if we need to suggest something, you are not trying very hard!!!

What if I have to pull out of the Conference??

Refunds will be minus a small fee charged to IRCA by paypal and must be claimed before 31st August 2010. After this point we cannot offer full refunds as surplus monies are being used to financially support people from poorer countries.

So, what are you waiting for??
Register NOW, while the euro is LOW!!