How does one become a strong member of a pluralistic and diverse democratic society?
Education for democracy does not only take place in school during citizenship lessons when pupils learn about, for and through democracy. Democratic education also occurs in our daily lives, through family dynamics, situations on playgrounds, in parks, or at work…
In all these interactions, issues may arise, owing to different and diverse opinions, values, interests, convictions or attitudes. How do we deal with these situations? How do we try to solve conflicts? Which skills and resources can we activate when interacting with other people?
Our common democratic values like freedom and liberty, equality of human beings and the dignity of every person do not allow for the use of violence or resorting to the « law of the strongest ». We need alternative options for respectful and peaceful interaction to deal with those situations in everyday living together.
Communication, the way we talk and listen to one another is a fundamental requirement for democratic action. Communicative competence is practiced in daily life and can be learned by children and adolescents of every age. Knowing one’s feelings, needs, interests and opinions, and being able to express them in a clear and fair way, as well as listening to others attentively without prejudice while considering different perspectives, may prevent us from engaging in violent and aggressive interactions. These competences must be acquired as basic preconditions for living in a democratic society. When parents communicate with their children, they may learn whether their youngsters’ interests, needs, feelings and opinions are respected and whether they feel understood, accepted and valued as persons. Only self-confident and strong children can develop into responsible and politically mature citizens. Your manner of communicating with your children in everyday family situations will strongly influence and strengthen their personality and enable them to become self-confident members of a democratic society. Do you want to know how to go about it?
This site offers helpful suggestions to parents on how to effectively communicate with their children about issues and concerns, based on examples and situations gleaned from everyday life with toddlers, youngsters and teenagers, in order to further their democratic competences. Click on the pictures or depictions and work through the materials provided. In so doing, you will evaluate your communicative preferences in various real-life situations.The selection of the real-life situations was made after consultation with various parents. It is our hope that you will be able to apply the gained insights in other everyday situations with your children as well.
Keep in mind that we all have our own world views, value systems and upbringing, based on the social and cultural norms and habits we have been experiencing ourselves. Thus, some of the described alternatives for action may seem unusual to you. When parents intend to further their children’s democratic competences, they sometimes need to be open to try out unusual things themselves. So, go through the material using your own lenses and try out the suggestions you feel more comfortable with. As you go along you may wish to experiment with new, unfamiliar ideas, keeping in mind that it is not only our children who grow up and develop. The attitude and skill to be open and adaptable in a fast-changing world is an important competence for adult citizens, too. We change together with the world around us.
