The Project Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights

Transcription

1 The European Year of Citizenship through Education: Learning and Living Democracy Gabriele Mazza Director Directorate of School, Out-of-School and Higher Education Council of Europe Strasburg The Project Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Ever since the European Cultural Convention came into force in 1955, the Council of Europe has placed considerable importance on education, both formal and non-formal. Not only does the Organisation strive to bring a European dimension to education, but also to make Europeans aware of the fact that education is the key to building the free and democratic societies of tomorrow. Education cannot change the world overnight, but it can help people, children, the young and the less young, to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to become aware of the importance of diversity, human rights and participation in their daily lives. It can help them acquire the democratic culture, in which democracy itself is rooted, and practice this knowledge and know-how through experience, in the classroom or in other, nonformal settings. Over the last two decades, the Council of Europe has paid particular attention to Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights (EDC/HRE). Its starting point can be dated back to the 18 th Session of the Standing Conference of the European Ministers of Education, held in Madrid in 1994, when the ministers asked the Council of Europe to intensify its work on democracy learning. The importance of EDC/HRE has since been steadily growing as governments and other actors consider that education can tackle major societal problems, notably political apathy, the disintegration of social fabric, increasing violence, the threat of terrorism, migration within and across countries as well as environmental threats. 1

2 The EDC/HRE project formally started in During its first phase ( ), the necessary skills and competencies for practising effective democratic citizenship were identified, discussion began on how to teach these skills and a wide range of activities to support the development of EDC/HRE across member states was undertaken. Among these efforts, the promotion of sites of citizenship at grassroots level in communities and schools deserves a particular mention. A series of basic publications on EDC/HRE were issued. The second phase of the project ( ) was devoted to policy development, networking and dissemination of the outcomes of the first phase. A network of EDC/HRE coordinators was set up, studies to map the state of EDC policies in member states were prepared, and major political texts on the issue were adopted, the most important one being Recommendation Rec (2002) 12 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to member states on education for democratic citizenship, which contains an extensive action plan on how to put EDC/HRE into practice. Towards the 2005 European Year of Citizenship through Education In spite of a clear political enthusiasm for EDC/HRE, the All-European Study on EDC Policies, 1 carried out by the Council of Europe in 2003 and published in 2004 revealed that in many member states there was still a considerable gap between policy and practice as far as EDC/HRE were concerned. At that time, discussions were taking place at the Council of Europe about the feasibility and the opportunity to organise a campaign which might take the form of a Year, on the subject of EDC/HRE. In April 2004, the Committee of Ministers decided to declare 2005 the European Year of Citizenship through Education. The Year was conceived as a logical follow up to the work already done in the field. It was seen as a prime moment to build on that work and achieve sustainability. The Year was not a campaign in the sense that its target group was not the general public. It had a much narrower focus, mainly intended for practitioners in the field of EDC/HRE and other educational staff. The slogan created for the Year by the Committee responsible for its implementation, Learning and living democracy, was symbolic, in that the general objective of the Year was to bridge policy and practice by empowering policy makers and practitioners at all levels to set up and develop sustainable programmes for EDC/HRE. Within this general aim, the specific objectives were to raise awareness of EDC/HRE; strengthen the commitment 1 C. Bîrzéa, D. Kerr, R. Mikkelsen, I. Froumin, B. Lostio, M. Pol and M. Sardoc, All European Study on Education for Democratic Citizenship Policies ; Strasbourg, Council of Europe,

3 of member states towards these, provide them with a framework and tools to put it into practice and develop their own policies and to encourage the development of joint initiatives and partnerships within and across countries. The key issues were: 1) How to bridge policy and practice in EDC and HRE? 2) How can democracy learning contribute to solving societal problems and promote social cohesion? The Year was launched in Sofia (Bulgaria) at a special launching Conference on December It came to an end at the Evaluation Conference, held in Sinaia (Romania) on April The evaluation of its impact in member states was carried out during the first four months of 2006 and presented at the Sinaia Conference. An evaluation of the Year as a whole has now been carried out. The main outcomes of this evaluation follow hereafter. The Year : an inspiring and fruitful experience in the member states At the outset, it was decided that the activities of the Year would be as decentralised as possible and taken care of by member states themselves. While the Year meant a lot of extra hard work for everyone involved, it was clearly welcomed by education authorities. It provided the impetus for reinforcing existing EDC/HRE programmes and initiating new activities. It enjoyed high level political support and active participation. Of the 48 states parties to the European Cultural Convention, 41 actively participated in the Year. Action plans were developed in the vast majority of member states, and coordinating structures were set up in 41 countries; almost half of the countries designated a special budget for the Year and 90% of the countries reported that there were also non-financial contributions. In most member states, Ministers of Education publicly expressed their support for the Year and in 73% of the member states, new networks and partnerships were created. Naturally, when the Year began, the situation with regard to EDC/HRE differed considerably from country to country, some being much more advanced than others in the policy and practice of EDC/HRE. Concerning the activities undertaken, some countries focused on policy initiatives, such as curriculum reform, others on awareness-raising, which often took the form of conferences and seminars, but also through competitions and award schemes, and activities specifically for young people. Teacher training was a favourite subject throughout the Year : workshops and training seminars were organised and in some countries teacher training curricula were 3

4 revised to take EDC/HRE into account. The enthusiasm displayed tends to show that the member states are convinced that EDC/HRE is a safe investment which will produce benefits in the end. Also, the large majority of respondents to the evaluation questionnaire sent to member states (81%) reported that there were activities planned in their countries as a followup to the Year. The future of the work depends of course on how the success of the Year can be sustained and built upon, and on the role which the Council of Europe will be able to play, as it has created great expectations. The Network of EDC/HRE coordinators - which comprises one person from each member state - made a crucial contribution to the Year. They provided a strong communication link between the Council of Europe and the member states, played a key role in the organisation of the Year and strengthened partnerships within and across countries. Examples of activities carried out in member states In 2005 the Council of Europe registered some 600 national activities to implement the Year. However, this number does not include most of the school-based activities which took place and is therefore only an indication of the interest of member states in the Year. In Poland alone, 700 activities were organised. Most events happened within the framework of secondary formal education, even if some attention was also given to both formal and non-formal life-long learning. The examples below illustrate the diversity of these initiatives. A national forum was organised in Ukraine to bring together secondary school students, policymakers and media representatives. Young people from all over the country had a unique opportunity to communicate with one another and discuss important political and social issues with government and local authority officials and journalists. The students produced a paper with their views of the problems, containing also possible solutions. The paper was sent to the national parliament and government and published in the national and regional press. Norway organised a national wed-based hearing on developing national curriculum on democracy and pupil participation. Not only teachers and trainers but also pupils were involved in the hearing. The curriculum is to be implemented during the next school year. A project on Human Trafficking Modern Age Slavery was carried out by Croatian students to raise awareness among young people at risk about human trafficking and potentially dangerous situations. The students collected statistical data, organised an opinion poll and prepared an overview of existing policies and NGO activities. As a result, an action plan was developed to draw attention to the problem and develop the skills required to deal with it. 4

5 A network of regional coordinators was created in Poland to disseminate information about the Year, share experiences and initiate common projects. The participants held several meetingstraining events during the year, each devoted to particular aspects of EDC, discussed regional reports and future activities. The network greatly helped with the implementation of the Year in Poland. The members of the network made a study visit to the Council of Europe in June 2006 in order to get first hand information about the Organisation and inspiration for follow-up activities. An international conference comprising interactive workshops, keynote presentations and social events was organised in Manchester for British and European audiences to showcase the best of emerging EDC practice in the United Kingdom. The conference contributed to raising awareness and deepening understanding of EDC policy and practice, and consolidating national and international partnerships. The 2005 Year: what role for NGOs? NGOs have been privileged partners of the project EDC/HRE since its inception, and they did also play an important role in the 2005 Year. In April 2005, over 100 national and international NGOs took part in a conference on The role of NGOs in the field of Education for Democratic Citizenship. A wide range of national and international NGOs attended the conference, which was organised in the framework of the Polish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The conference allowed for an exchange of innovative practice and formulated a Declaration with recommendations to the Council of Europe, NGOs and governments. One of the recommendations proposed was that of a Forum for NGOs which would be organised by the Council of Europe on a regular basis to allow NGOs to exchange experiences in EDC/HRE. The first of these forum s is planned for Innovative events were organised by NGOs all over Europe in They ranged from youth parliaments to campaigns and publications. The Union for Culture and Professional Future in Europe organised a meeting for European pupils to discuss how they imagine Europe in the years to come? D@dalos Sarajevo published a Newsletter on EDC for teachers, teacher trainers, NGO staff and volunteers in several languages of South East Europe. In the summer, some 400 participants from 22 different countries were brought together in Werbellinsee (Germany) by the exchange organisation Youth for Understanding, to learn how to solve conflicts in a peaceful manner. The Council of Europe s contribution to the 2005 Year The Council of Europe made special efforts in several fields to make the Year a success. Synergies were developed through a strong inter-sectorial co-operation, involving many sectors of the Organisation. Special events related to the Year were organised. A conference on Teacher Training in EDC/HRE was held in June 2005 and made recommendations for future teacher training programmes; another conference, organised in September 2005, focused on Higher Education Governance between democratic culture, academic aspirations and market forces and offered a platform for debate on these issues. 5

6 The Parliamentary Assembly held a workshop on parliamentarians role in promoting education for citizenship, including the adoption of relevant legislation, monitoring its implementation and maintaining dialogue with education practitioners. The Council of Europe also organised a film festival: Citizenship Education through European Eyes together with the Odyssée cinema in Strasbourg, drawing attention to the influence that films can have when it comes to promoting human rights, cultural diversity, mutual respect and combating discrimination. The Information Centres in member states were particularly supportive of the Year and organised several activities, often in co-operation with national partners. At the same time, the Council of Europe produced the so-called EDC Pack which is a comprehensive collection of tools and documents for decision-makers and education practitioners. It includes manuals and practical documents on EDC/HRE policies, teacher training, democratic governance at school and quality assurance in EDC/HRE, all of which are complimentary and mutually support each other. While these materials were found very useful in many member states, this work is far from finished and needs to be further developed and improved. It is of paramount importance to bridge the gap between policy and practice in EDC/HRE and such material can certainly be of assistance. Last but not least, the Council of Europe made a special effort to develop and improve cooperation with other international organisations and institutions. As a result, UNESCO, OHCHR and the Council of Europe resolved to jointly implement the Action Plan of the HRE Programme of the United Nations, adopted in July 2005 and mainly aimed at schools. Joint projects started with the European Commission and with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) and the Anna Lindh Euro- Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures. These efforts will be consolidated in the future. Conclusions and follow-up It is not possible to give an exhaustive account of everything which happened during the Year in this short article. However, I would venture to say that the Year was a real success. It was quite useful in terms of providing a broad framework for action for governments, education practitioners and civil society, and managed to bring under a single umbrella a large variety of activities. It enjoyed considerable political support, as many 6

7 Ministers of Education committed themselves to the promotion of the Year. It helped to make the Council of Europe known among decision-makers and education practitioners in the education field. The success of the Year, can at least partly, be attributed to the fact that it came at just the right time. The EDC/HRE project was launched almost ten years ago, and there had therefore been enough time to build up relevant expertise and create specialised networks. The EDC/HRE coordinators already had a long experience of working together which facilitated contact-building and information flow from and to the Council of Europe. The decentralised and flexible approach which marked the Year was also one of the reasons for its success. The interest for the Year shows that EDC/HRE is an area of increasing importance, considered as a possible solution for societal problems. The Year was successful in placing and strengthening EDC/HRE on the agenda of member states. It allowed for the testing of new projects and approaches. It brought together several partners and created new networks. More importantly, it helped to identify future priorities and lines of action in EDC/HRE. It now depends on us all to put those new priorities into practice and make EDC/HRE a permanent area of work for the Council of Europe. 7