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Description
The project "DemocracyYES!" supports a clear YES! from schools for a pro-democratic culture in schools throughout Latvia. It is not enough to talk about democracy or teach it, it’s about living it every day, every place and moment.
The project is designed to support students, parents, teachers and school administration to join in with their YES! and strengthen democracy, active citizenship and participation. A "Democratic and Civic Education Centre "DemokrātiJĀ!" will be created to provide support for a multi-faceable, strategic, systematic and sustainable setting, including issues reaching from institutional to very individual and emotional topics.
The project includes methodological and organizational support covering the didactic triangle: content, student, teacher, not forgetting the special role of parents and school leadership. The activities are grouped into 4 modules: module No. 1. Plan (focusing on school documents and strategy with their implementation and the aim to strengthen a democratic school culture), No.2. Wisdom (focusing on training for trainers/teachers), No.3. Breath (focusing on strengthening the democratic competences among young people), No.4. Freedom (individual solutions and approaches at all levels of education). As a result of the project the daily lives of not less than 10 000 young people and educators will be influenced.
The project is carried out in collaboration with the partner "DOTS Foundation for an Open Society". The added value of the partner is: development of a detailed project strategy; development and approbation of the content of the modules of the project, analysis of the achieved results; communication with the primary target audience and the general public; strengthening the capacity of the project by involving regional multipliers and active young people for the successful development and sustainability of the project.
Summary of project results
Although democracy as a value is defined in various Latvian education documents, the results of several studies conducted in Latvia show that civic competence of Latvian pupils is one of the lowest in Europe. To address this issue and support students, teachers and school management, the project created a democracy and civic education resource website, a self-assessment tool for school democratic culture, as well as innovative didactic and visual materials that make democracy physically present in the classroom and at school. More than 60% of schools in Latvia have received the project materials and the online materials are freely available to any educator who contributes to embedding a culture of democracy in the school environment.
During the project the schools participated in a wide range of activities, all aimed at strengthening the culture of democracy in schools. The project developed a teacher training program aimed at improving teachers'' understanding and knowledge of democracy and the democratic educational process, as well as providing ideas and materials for use in the teaching process. A digital democracy evaluation tool was also created - it sheds light on the mechanisms needed in schools for students and teachers to meaningfully engage in decision-making processes. At hackathons in different cities students made posters with pro-democracy slogans which were displayed in schools and other venues. An unexpected outcome of the project was an adapted strategic game on democracy, as well as dice game, both of them allowing students to "experience democracy" in an engaging way.
The overall activity in the project showed an increase in the proportion of citizens engaging in civic activities, for example, hackathons and "Idea Banks" that created and collected ideas for democracy. The feedback from the target audience showed that process of learning and promoting change was very much appreciated. The short-term results of the project are increased knowledge and awareness, as well as the acquisition of concrete participation mechanisms and materials for classroom work (educational materials, board and dice games, posters). The long-term impact: the project has laid a strong foundation for an educational environment where democracy is actions, not words. The project has also inspired ideas for new games and other material resources for teaching democracy in schools and primary schools.