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Description
With the goal of strengthening democratic literacy and citizen participation in politics, this project is focused on the creation of a board game about the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. The creation of the game and related activities will involve the entire educational community of the Cova da Beira region (Belmonte, Covilhã, and Fundão). There will also be a creative contest on the principles of the constitution aimed at families, and an awareness campaign on the articles of the constitution as interpreted by children. More than 2000 primary school students (cycle 1 – grades one to four) from the schools involved will have the opportunity to participate in a municipal assembly in each of the municipalities and present proposals.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to reinforce democratic literacy and civic awareness by creating a board game based on the fundamental principles of the Portuguese Constitution. It sought to promote the participation and involvement of children, as well as engage the educational community in participatory processes of collective action.
The project, launched in September 2021, focused on the creation of a board game about the Portuguese Constitution. This collaborative effort involved a transdisciplinary team that included 190 students, 10 teachers, the project team, university scholars, a publishing company, and the Portuguese Parliament. The academics'' teaching experience was crucial in engaging teachers and students in the initial exploration of key game concepts. The development of the game spanned the entire duration of the project, from the exploratory and participatory phases (September 2021 to March 2022) to the creation, rule definition, and design phases (March to October 2022). Testing involved students, families, teachers, experts and the Parliament team, leading to numerous revisions and improvements. The game was presented on December 20, 2023, in Lisbon, at the National Parliament, in the presence of partners, children and funding entities.
The "Let''s Vote" activity, conducted in five schools, simulated elections, involving students in all electoral process steps. This activity engaged 10 teachers (six new to the project) and one new school. The educational community, including support teachers, assistants, and parents, played a significant role in campaign material preparation. Most campaign work and debate preparations were done autonomously outside school hours.
The "Kids on the Agenda" activity included 40 children participating in the Municipal Assemblies of Covilhã and Fundão, two cities in central Portugal''s Castelo Branco district. The Covilhã Assembly recognized the importance of annual children''s assemblies, while the Fundão Assembly unanimously approved a motion to establish Youth Municipal Assemblies.
The "Citizen May" activity, aimed at creating Constitution-related campaigns, had limited success, with only one school producing posters. The "Families in Action" contest, promoted to 812 school groups and 2222 parent associations, increased project visibility, receiving 17 proposals from nine schools across seven districts and one autonomous region. This activity, developed with CONFAP (Portugal''s National Confederation of Parent Associations), initiated a national effort dedicated to the Constitution, aiming for annual sustainability.
Two seminars were held, featuring 20 speakers and 66 participants.
In quantitative terms, the following was achieved:
- 84 volunteers recruited by supported NGOs;
- 10 civic initiatives led by supported NGOs;
- 3 awareness raising campaign carried out;
- 89% share of target group showing civic concerns.
With regard to capacity building, the promoter carried out a needs assessment and prepared an action plan. This led to the development of improved management practices.
All proposed targets were met and exceeded.