Description
The project aims to promote the development of personal, social and civic skills in children and youth. The core values of the approach will be the basis for a better understanding, very much needed in Europe today, of concepts such as diversity, citizenship and democracy. The project will employ an innovative pedagogical and interactive exhibition, implemented with the help of the Norwegian partner. The interactive laboratory is designed to stimulate the reflection in children, youths and their families. Visitors will be invited to make choices and carry out exercises, to test their opinions through discussion with other people, and to come up with creative solutions. As the current educational system focuses more on the technical aspects of skills development, the project shall include the training and awareness of educational agents. These may play an important role in the education of young people, bringing the practice of those values into their lives.
Summary of project results
The construction of social cohesion and peace in Europe is currently being affected by various social phenomena - racism, xenophobia, intolerance, unemployment and precarious employment, disrespect for human rights, among others. The current education system focuses mainly on the technical dimensions of skills development, paying marginal attention to the values which are at the basis of those skills and determine their social impact – this is why it is urgent to include ethics and values in the formal and informal education processes. The creation of the Democratic Values Laboratory by this project tries to raise awareness on these issues and be a complement to the education system on these dimensions (sense of citizenship, role of each individual in the present and future of the society, values of democracy and human rights). The Lab is fully working and permanently open to the public. 5 events were held across the country to inform the education communities about its existence, potential and merits. The Lab includes 15 modules of pedagogical resources and a virtual exhibition, and promoted over the project duration 11 training actions for teachers and 5 awareness raising actions for parents (120 attended). In total 330 teachers have been trained, surpassing the initial target.
Summary of bilateral results
According to the promoter, the main achievements of the partnership were the transfer of knowledge, technology and good practices from the donor partner. The guidance provided by the Norwegian partner on the "state-of-the-art" regarding pedagogical exhibitions was deemed to be a very worthy collaboration. Also to be mentioned is the active role from the partner in the project’s planning, implementation and monitoring. The project was also associated to a Bilateral Cooperation Initiative, also deemed very useful by the Portuguese promoter, which also indicated its intention to continue to work with the project partner in the future.