DEMOCRACY MATTERS! Erasmus Project

Project Title

DEMOCRACY MATTERS!

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

What does it mean to be a European citizen? Which responsibilities and benefits come with being European? In light of the current changes in politics in some European countries, with perceived anti-EU sentiment on the rise, it is our goal to increase students’ awareness of the social and legal achievements we enjoy in our society in the course of the project ‘Democracy Matters’. We hope to empower our students to understand the importance of human and European Rights and be able to make use of democratic means to make their voice heard and shape politics in such a way that democracy can thrive.
Our students are at the age of 15-18 in the last years of their school qualifications. Many attend some form of vocational education while studying for a general school degree. Since they are about to vote for the first time in their lives, we deem it of particular benefit to review the benefits and responsibilities of being a European citizen at this stage in their lives. About 44-50 students will be able to participate directly in the short-term exchanges but in total about 700 students will be engaged in debating the topic and creating films in the course of the project, in lessons at school and hopefully more in the years after. About 30 teachers will be directly involved in the project. All staff will be informed and included in the dissemination activities. Since we will mostly host students with families, also their parents will be involved in the project. They will be informed about the activities and presented with the films created by the students. Several institutions, members of municipality and county officials will be involved in some activities and the media will report on the project.
In the course of ‘Democracy Matters’ we will examine a selection of human and European Rights. At each short-term exchange we will focus on one topic such as the philosophic foundation of democracy or one specific human right which is of particular importance to the country in which the meeting takes place. By examining the past experience and the struggles which had to be conquered to achieve these rights, we build on that experience to look to the future, debating issues which might threaten or protect these rights today and in the future. Students will learn to understand the human and European Rights as both a means of empowerment but also as a duty to act and protect these rights.
At each short-term student exchange, students will get input on the topics via several channels; will visit places of interest to the topic of the activity and interview people on the topic. While doing so, students compile information and record visual material since later on they will use this material to create a script for a news programme which they will shoot and edit later on in cross-cultural groups. Students will practice their communication skills both in terms of improving their foreign language skills and the ability to communicate with a group by effectively organizing the set task.
The news reports created by the students will then be shown to and debated with a wider audience in their respective schools and made available to the public in general, e.g. for use in lessons.
At the end of the project there will be six news reports, each focusing on a different aspect of human and European Rights. Having dealt with human and European Rights in such depth and witnessed or learned about how the absence of these rights might have severe effects on their future lives, students will be educated European citizens who are aware of both the benefits and responsibilities that come with enjoying these rights. Knowing about the importance of these rights and knowing about the democratic means they can take, will empower students to participate actively in democratic processes on all levels. We expect that our project ‘Democracy Matters’ will encourage our students to voice their opinion, to participate in elections and to increase their willingness to take on democratic posts. This might contribute to a rejuvenation of politics which would be a crucial first step in getting young people to relate to their democratic representatives.
The experience of travelling, working and living with students from different European backgrounds will broaden their horizons, diminish inhibitions to communicate with people from other cultures and possibly empower them to engage in further international cooperation. The joint experience will lead to cross-cultural friendships which will hopefully last for a long time and increase the mutual understanding between the participating nations. The international experience will also increase students’ confidence to work with people from other countries or even possibly work abroad in the future which increases their prospects in the job market. Thus our students will be productive members of our society and as enlightened EU citizens they will value their rights and exercise them responsibly.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 200368 Eur

Project Coordinator

Albert-Schaeffle-Schule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Sogndal vidaregåande skule
• PIRAMATIKO GENIKO LIKIO PANEPISTIMIOU KRITIS (RETHYMNO)
• Istituto Tecnico Industriale L. Trafelli
• Belfast Boys’ Model School
• MeVG Klobouky u Brna