Civic education

Hello, Vibrant Community!

I’m Marie, and since February 2022, I’ve been steering the ship here as the Community Manager of Capacity4dev.

A wanderer at heart and by profession, my academic and work journeys have whisked me across five European nations and allowed me to dip my toes into professional adventures in seven countries globally. During my BA studies at the Metropolitan University of Prague, I carved out a little piece of history as the first student to navigate through the Erasmus+ program at the International BURCH University in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Quite a ride, I must say!

Your stories, projects, and experiences are the heartbeats of Capacity4dev, and I’m here to ensure they echo throughout our online spaces, sparking connections, inspiring projects, and fostering our growing web of international cooperation.

Feel free to drop me a line at marie.zamecnikova@meldea.eu. I’m here to chat, assist, or explore collaboration opportunities that will elevate our collective efforts on this platform.

Eagerly awaiting our shared journey ahead,

Marie

Tamar Shuali Trachtenberg is an assistant professor and a Faculty of Education member at the Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Martir. D. Shuali is the founder and the head Researcher of the European Institute of Education for Democratic Culture of the UCV. She also leads the research group on Citizenship Cultural Diversity and Education of the same university. She holds a Ph.D in Pedagogy (University of Valencia 2008), International MA degree in Peace conflict and Development Studies.( University Jaime I Castellon, 2007) MA in Theory of Education ( Valencia University, 2002) and B.A in Humanities and Spanish Philology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem she has been the leading researcher of the JRC-UCV research project on “ Addressing Educational needs of Teachers in the EU for inclusive education in the context of Diversity ( INNO4DIV 2019-2023)which produced 5 books and a comprehensive manual for Policy makers. Dr Shuali is a member of the Jean Monnet Centre of excellence of the Valencia University where she focuses on, Inclusive education, Cultural Diversity and fight against discrimination through teacher education and youth civic engagement. In alignment with the EU Commission educational priorities 2020-20230 and following CoE RFCDC conceptual model, Dr. Shuali trains nationally and internationally teachers and youth non -formal education stakeholders. On 20219 she joined the CoE working group on RFCDC implementation in teacher education (Educational Policy Division), she is the author of several publications in English and Spanish on RFCDC in formal and non-formal education contexts, and is also the Co-Author of the CoE Manual on RFCDC introduction course ( 2023). As an educators she is a strong supporter and promoter of international cooperation and quality standards in education, as such she is a member of the Global Exchange Network on Religion of the EU Commission- Unit for foreign Policy Instrument and a member of several European research societies such as the European Society of Research in Educating, the Spanish Comparative Education Society, the Sociedad Española de Pedagogia, International Association for Intercultural Education, Democracy and Human Right Education in Europe ( DARE) and is the Spanish representative of the CoE North South Centre on Global Education . Her fields of knowledge and research interest are: Intercultural Education, Theory of education, Social Justice, Inclusive Education , Human right / Shoah Education, Non-formal Education Democracy & Education, teacher education , EU values. As a trainer for trainers. Dr Shuali has a vast experience in teacher education and youth non formal education and is also very much c concerned with civil society and youth engagement for democratic culture. She has founded on 2021 the Simone Veil Chair for the prevention of Racism, Antisemitism and enhancement of Interculturality under the umbrella of the Complutense University in Madrid and just before on 2020 established the Jovenes Investiagdores por la Interculturalidad youth association under ECUDEM-UCV which she leads.

I am the Capacity4dev IT Project Manager. Capacity4dev is part of the Methodological and Knowledge Sharing support programme (MKS) managed by DG INTPA.

I am here to support mainteance and development of the Capacity4dev platform, in connection with the whole MKS team. We hope to serve your needs and we are graful for your feedback. 

Guillermo Delgado is an architect with a focus on urban development and housing; and lecturer at the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM).

He lived in Namibia for thirteen years, where he was part of the team that led the review of the national housing programs and the national housing policy. There, he was part of work teams, panels and committees of national projects on urbanization and housing. He has taught courses on research methods, urbanization in the African continent, and on housing. He has supervised master's and doctoral students.

Previously he was a senior lecturer at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), where he headed the Institute for Land, Livelihoods and Housing (ILLH); and before that a researcher at the Labor Resources and Research Institute (LaRRI), where he worked with the labor movement on issues of living conditions and informal economies.

Guillermo obtained his degree in architecture from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA), Mexico City Campus; as well as a master's degree from the Berlage Institute (today The Berlage, at the Delft University of Technology), in the Netherlands; and his PhD in architecture and urban planning from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa.

He has worked on various research, consulting, advisory, and educational projects; focused on urbanization, land tenure, governance, housing, social protection, informal settlements, co-production/self-management, and alternative socio-spatial practices.

He has also been a consultant for international cooperation agencies, non-governmental organizations, for the private sector, as well as for development banks.

He is currently the president of the Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter of RedMX, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote synergies between Mexicans living abroad, as well as with the country.

I am a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in programme management, trade and investments, with a strong track record in EU- and donor-financed projects. I have worked extensively in Ukraine, the EU and partner countries, implementing programmes that supported democratic transition, institutional strengthening, private sector development and European integration.

As founder and director of EuroExpert, I have led advisory projects under EU4Business, GIZ and other donor initiatives, supporting SMEs, business associations and civil society to access EU markets, improve competitiveness and build cross-border partnerships. I also co-founded the European-Ukrainian Bridge e.V., an NGO with 11 offices across Europe, mobilising civil society and fostering EU-Ukraine integration.

My career includes senior management roles in international companies such as KAEFER and Hilti, where I directed multimillion-euro operations, negotiated investment projects across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and built international teams. I also managed operations of an IT company in the US, leading digital transformation and organisational development.

I am fluent in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian, with working knowledge of Polish and Czech. I am an active member of the Professional Government Association of Ukraine (PGA Ukraine), engaging in governance and policy dialogue. My expertise lies in designing and implementing EU programmes, managing multi-stakeholder processes, and building sustainable partnerships between the EU, Ukraine and neighbouring regions.

I am particularly interested in contributing to projects under DG NEAR and DG INTPA, focusing on trade, investment, digitalisation, civil society support and resilience building in Eastern Partnership and Central Asia countries. My motivation is to bridge business, government and civil society for long-term impact.

I am a Sustainable Development Practitioner with a diverse expanse of interests and subsequent expertise, which are founded on a keen understanding and appreciation for the significance attributed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).