Action Area I

Faced with disrupted education, growing inequalities and the spread of misinformation and fake news, the pandemic and war in Ukraine remind us of the need to support young people in developing key competences. Critical thinking, tolerance of ambiguity, problem-solving skills and civic mindedness are all needed in order for them to navigate, adapt and cope even during times of crisis while actively shaping their societies. Yet, many education systems still focus on knowledge-based rather than competence-based education.

Developing young people’s democratic competences

The EWC strategy plan highlights the importance for sustainable democracies to build institutions underpinned by a culture of democracy where citizens are enabled through key competences – values, attitudes, skills and knowledge –to participate in their societies. In this thematic newsletter we focus on these democratic competences and how they can be developed in young people.

Projects strengthening democratic competences

Trainings for students and teachers

Learning Democracy at Utøya offers trainings and workshops for students and their teachers .

Building Capacity of Education Professionals

The programme supports teacher trainers, leaders of educational NGOs and education professionals working with policy documents in their professional development in the field of education for democratic citizenship and human rights.

Promoting democratic competences – not only in schools

Museums and other cultural institutions increasingly look upon their visitors as participants rather than passive spectators. This increases their potential as arenas to foster democratic competences. One such institution is EWC´s partner the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Impact stories

Gathering students from different schools promotes learning

Learning and democratic efficacy are strengthened when students cooperate across schools. Meeting students from other schools is revealed to be of great value for many students participating in three-day trainings at Utøya.

“Don’t be afraid! Just act!

Lesia Yurchyshyn lives and teaches by the moto: “Don’t be afraid! Just act! But assume responsibility for your actions…”.

Youth politicians and activists against hate speech

«We have had the opportunity to exchange experiences and learn from each other how to consolidate democratic values, to cultivate social debate and to defend fundamental human rights. It was strong and very inspirational»

Selected resources

Teaching Controversial Issues

Teaching Controversial Issues (2015): This CoE training pack is a professional development programme for teachers which is designed to support and promote the teaching of controversial issues in schools in Europe.

Reference Framework of Competence for Democratic Culture

The Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competence for Democratic Culture offers educators a reference and a toolbox for designing, implementing and evaluating educational interventions.

Culture of Democracy Through the Visual Art Preschool Education

The module is aimed for students-future teachers to provide them with didactic strategies that implement contemporary cultural values and decision-making skills for implementation of democratic thinking and behaviour to real life by its integration in visual art education for pre-schoolers.

Democracy through Didactics of Teaching Mathematics

The module integrates teaching democracy in mathematical education that support the learning process and provide environment where students can not only gain knowledge of mathematical contents, but also methodical and decision-making competencies and skills for implementation of democratic thinking and behaviour.

Culture of Democracy through the Culture of speech and its Didactics for preschool educators

This module is intended to transfer the contents of the course Methodology of educational work in speech culture with which students will gain knowledge and skills that will be able to successfully hold activities in the field of language in preschool institutions and in parallel to introduce appropriate key competencies of democratic education.

Culture of Democracy Through the Didactics of Chemistry

This publication contains the semester plan of a training module for pre-service teachers as well as the detailed planning of all 12 semester units (session plans). This module is intended for primary and secondary school teachers through a combination of pedagogical-content knowledge and democracy. The module included specific chemistry content and attempted to integrate democratic principles and values into the education of future teachers.

Tasks for Democracy

A handbook for practitioners in formal and non-formal education with 60 activities to learn and assess transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge.

Democracy Through Visual Art Education

The main aim of this semester module is to engage students into a learning process which can enable them to understand and implement both contents – visual art education and democracy content.

Learning Resources on 22 July 2011

This digital resource provides guidance and tools for teachers on how to teach about 22 July, democracy and citizenship as an interdisciplinary topic, in different subjects and on different levels from 1 – 10th grade.

Toolbox for teachers

Developed through the Schools for Democracy program, this online toolbox contains more than 600 teaching and learning activities for development of school students’ democratic competences. It can be used for lessons at 25 different subjects.