23 June 2020 – In the new report to the Club of Rome Bildung – Keep Growing the author Lene Rachel Andersen argues that we need a 21st c Bildung to reinforce individual and community resilience in the face of our global challenges from environmental crises to digitalisation.
Bildung – Keep Growing encourages us to rethink our approach to knowledge exchange, education and life-long learning as anchors for holistic economic and political development at the community, national and global levels.
Bildung is a German concept that combines moral and emotional development with education. It was also the foundation for the Danish folk-high-schools central to the cultural and economic development of modern day Denmark. The new report to the Club of Rome describes the complex interplay between individual development, learning and collective culture and makes the case for folk-bildung as a uniting force that can play an instrumental role in restoring our societies and rebuilding their economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking guide to enable humanity to re-focus on what is essential and to understand life-long learning, education and thinking as a unifying force.”
Sandrine Dixson-Declève & Mamphela Ramphele, Co-Presidents, The Club of Rome
Technological development and globalization are undermining the sovereignty of nation-states and their democracy unless we as citizens grasp this new world and take responsibility for it. Meanwhile, most people are meaning-making in their mother tongue, which is local and tied up to one particular people or country. This is not sustainable. It is therefore crucial that we rethink education and life-long learning—and we better do it fast.
Lene Rachel Andersen, economist, futurist and author of Bildung – Keep Growing
The book is rich in historical references and examples from the field of developmental psychology. The concepts of Bildung, Circles of Belonging and the Bildung Rose that the author puts forward in her book, promote the possibility for a new brand of national identity, which is centered on a holistic approach to the ‘self’, ‘peoplehood’ and ‘community.’ An identity built around a compassionate pride of belonging that is accepting of all cultures and thinking, rather than today’s brand of extremist nationalism or populism.
You can purchase the book on Gucca and Amazon.
Click here for an excerpt of the book.
Contact information for media inquiries, copy for review and interview requests
press@clubofrome.org
+41(0)52 244 0806
