News
New additions to the Living Democracy Team
The Living Democracy Team welcomes three new members: Nadine Ritzer, a historian focused on civic education; Séverine Chuffart Balmer, an expert in economics and development; and Christof Hofer, a media production professional. They will enhance educational content, expand the program’s reach, and promote engagement with teachers and learners globally….
Peer projects in three North Macedonian cities inspire everyone involved
Several peer learning projects in North Macedonia focus on integrating democratic and sustainable practices into daily life. As part of the SUDECU project, they empower youth and parents through collaborative actions, fostering social, environmental, and economic sustainability. A recent workshop showcased diverse initiatives on environmental issues and intergenerational cooperation, underscoring the program’s innovative educational strategies and alignment with global development goals….
Publication of the EDISON textbook on local democratic school development
The publication “EDISON Experience Democracy in Schools Now” highlights the outcomes of a four-year project focused on enhancing democratic practices in ten Kosovo schools. It offers practical tools and reflections for educators on participatory governance, sharing strategies and challenges faced, including the impact of COVID-19, aiming to inspire future educational reforms….
What does democracy look like worldwide in 2023?
We always like to draw attention in our newsletters to reports analysing the state of democracy, as the current global situation in 2023 was complex, volatile and unequal. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes democracy worldwide and publishes an annual status report. The 2023 report finds that democracy has continued to decline in all regions of the world, with at least one indicator of democratic performance declining in half of the countries covered in the report (www.idea.int/gsod/2023/chapters/executive-summary/). …
Empowering girls and young women for a more democratic world
Dr Gelly Aroni, co-leader of the four-year Living Democracy campaign, gives here a personal impression she had meeting two engaged young women working for young people and their life in a democracy.
“I met these young women when the implementation of CORE started in Greece in the summer of 2022. The CORE project aims to disseminate the digital teaching tool CORE to promote life skills in Greece. …
Gender equality is no coincidence
Our Serbian colleague, Professor Svetlana Lazić from Novi Sad, has sent us an exciting report on the National Gender Equality Day, which she organised together with the Association for Women in Science. The aim was to promote interest in the natural sciences and humanities among young people. At the beginning, the President of the Association, Professor Sanja Podunavac-Kuzmanović, introduced all participants to this important day for all women in Serbia and explained the educational workshop…
Kosovo: Teaching in a democratic way!
When the implementation of the new curriculum started in Kosovo, and then with its recent revision, training teachers for its implementation was an important task for all involved. The idea was to offer training to all teachers already in service, but also to those new to the service. The training program provides clarity and preparation for the implementation of the curriculum in general, but democratic teaching approaches are one of the very important teaching approaches promoted by Kosovo’s pre-university curriculum. …
Improving competences for a democratic culture in schools in Serbia
Promoting democratic culture in the formal education system contributes to improving the quality of education. The application of the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC), which includes twenty competences for democratic culture, creates a safe and interesting school environment while strengthening the competences of education staff to eliminate violent, discriminatory and anti-democratic structures in schools and school environments, to improve the ethos in schools and to provide support to pupils. …
Sustainable Development Goals and Education Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, it is important that Bosnia and Herzegovina and the surrounding region also recognize the importance of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as these goals are also achieved through the content approach of the living-democracy.com materials in a so-called implicit way….
Why European democracies are more resilient than expected?
“Why European democracies are more resilient than expected” is the title of a recommended article published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)….
