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Description
The aim of the project is to promote and strengthen the awareness of citizenship in environmental issues among young people aged 15-25 in Latvia by: training about the culture of democracy, forms of civic participation, critical thinking and successful argumentation; involving them in informal - theoretical and practical - civic activities and encouraging them to represent their interests in decision-making processes.
Only 19% of students in Latvia have a full understanding of citizenship (Čekse, Geste, & Pole, 2017), although the importance of civic education in the existence of democracy has been emphasized in numerous studies. Therefore, every year in February, 20 motivated young people from the regions of Latvia will be admitted to the “Advocacy School” - a 3-month non-formal education course. The project will train young people and involve them in activities that promote their faith in personal ability to influence decision-making in the country, encourage them to act in advocacy and to influence political initiatives. The selection of participants will mainly take place through visits to educational institutions, youth centers (10 each year), thus enhancing the project''s goal not only among school participants but also teachers. Each year, school participants will meet in summer to review what has been learned and motivate them to develop plans for how they will commit to putting the knowledge into practice.
Young people will be encouraged to believe in their ability to influence processes in the country and to develop the various skills needed for an active personality.
Before the start and at the end of each “Advocacy School”, a self-assessment of the school participants'' ability to influence decisions, the level of existing knowledge, and readiness to engage in civic activities will be carried out. After graduation, their knowledge of democracy and interest in advocacy is expected to increase by 50%, based on a pre-established evaluation methodology.