Democracy can be learned
Building bridges between education and citizenship
Colloquium in Lucerne, 2. - 3. October 2003

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Conferences

Keynote speech I Youth without politics - results from the international IEA study * *(IEA: The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement)
	This presentation will discuss the Swiss results of an international comparative study into civic education. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) initiated the study in which 28 countries participated with more than 90,000 people between 14 and 15 years of age, including 3,100 from Switzerland. The study not only looked into knowledge issues but also degrees of interpretive skills, concepts of democracy, citizenship and government, attitudes towards state institutions, opinions about equal opportunity for immigrants and civil rights for women and remarks on civic participation. The results showed the following: Compared internationally, the Swiss participants had below-average political knowledge and average political interpretive skills. On the other hand, the factors that strengthened democracy were rated higher than the average of the countries in the study, but the weakening factors were rated lower. Confidence in state institutions was high, but even so the Swiss participants rarely identified with their country. (Lowest rating in the category "Cohesion".). Expressions of confidence in the impact of student participation were comparatively bad. Scarcely any of the Swiss students supported immigrant rights. (Second last on the international comparison table.). Only on the issue of rights for women did the Swiss students come out well. Generally, the model democracy of Switzerland came out badly. Little is being done now for the civic education of the next generation and the presentation is to propose recommendations for better civic education. Fritz Oser, University of Fribourg Publication: F. Oser &. H. Biedermann (Published.2003). Jugend ohne Politik. Ergebnisse der IEA-Studie zu politischem Wissen, Demokratieverständnis und gesellschaftlichem Engagement von Jugendlichen in der Schweiz im Vergleich zu 27 andern Ländern. (Youth without Politics. Results of the IEA study into the political knowledge, understanding of democracy and societal engagement of young people in Switzerland compared with 27 other countries) Zurich Rüegger.   PDF
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Keynote speech II EDC, human rights, civic education
	During the last 10 years of the past century, civic education was the focus of increasing attention in most European countries. While for some this interest was new, for others it was a matter of refreshing what already existed. Whatever the case, the interest has developed in both different and convergent contexts; different primarily because of the links to the more or less venerable democratic experience of each; convergent because of the consequences of the economic, social, technical, cultural and political changes taking place throughout the continent. On the international level, this interest is demonstrated for example by the establishment of projects within the Council of Europe. It is interesting to note that these projects are a follow up to other projects more directly centred on education in human rights. - The first stage involves an examination of the relations between education in human rights and education in democratic citizenship in various dimensions:   - the diversity and mobility of affiliations as well as the tensions and even the conflicts they experience;   - the values and the conflicts of values such as those found in any social situation, notably when it involves assessing this situation, the actions of the opposing parties and of making a decision;   - the social skills expected from education in human rights and education for democratic citizenship, their unlimited expansion which invite us to depart from the rigidity in the use of the words;   - the often neglected legal aspect; whether one speaks of the rights of man or of human rights, the legal aspect remains. - The second stage will deal with more practical aspects of education in human rights and education for democratic citizenship by presenting ideas on:   - certain widely-shared experiences and major orientations on the implementation of these forms of education, which reflect the shift in parlance from civics where it used to exist towards civic education and now education for democratic citizenship;   - some of the hindrances faced by the implementation of these orientations. Indeed, it has frequently been noted that the spread of such orientations or the presentation of examples of "good practices" rarely go beyond a circle of believers. One of the major hindrances is the idea of "academic form";   - the essential relations between practice, experience, notably those within academic institutions and the construction of knowledge, relations which are necessary to build skills in citizenship. This leads me to an extremely provisional conclusion by putting forward certain strong points of EDC and raising the question of the considerable difference between the orientations promoted in EDC and the social life that students and adults live, observe and know. Many official texts ignore the tensions and contradictory aspects that EDC should take into account if it is not to fall into a state of somnolent discourse and practices. François Audigier, University of Geneva   PDF
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Short exposé I The contribution of history to education for democratic citizenship
	Education for democratic citizenship (EDC), previously known as civics, has a traditional link with history instruction arising from history's investigations into how past societies in other parts of the world lived together, how these societies solved their differences of opinion and their conflict of interests and how they dealt with existential questions relating to nature, the meaning of life and death, and the passing on of knowledge and cultural heritage. History, the events and circumstances of the past and present, makes time meaningful, gives it stability and cohesiveness. It permits one to gain a compact view of the scope, in terms of space and time, of past societies through small- and wide-scale accounts and descriptions. The blueprint for history instruction, e.g. comparisons, division into ages or periods, and consideration of collective memory, contributes to a better understanding of our own societies and in turn to a well-informed and active participation in democracy.
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Short exposé II About sustainable development and education for democratic citizenship Gerard Lommerse
	The World today: global dimensions in our lives and in education It is becoming a cliché, but it is a truth: the world is a global village Europe is a continent whose peoples are drawn from and are present in all areas of the world We live in an increasingly globalised world where trans-border issues and problems must be met jointly, multilateral (political) measures. At the same time we are aware that vast global inequalities still exist and basic human needs, including the right to education, are not met for all people. And this is an understatement. Our class-rooms in all big European cities show a variety of children and young people with roots in all parts of the world and living in Europe. This has great impact on the young people in the class-room who will have similar, but also very different experience than previous generation of young kids. The World in the school: a necessity Accepting the above and realizing that it is the task of education to enable young people to act as confident and active citizens in our own society, in Europe and therefore as citizens of a wider global society, this requires a global dimension and focus in education. Young people should leave schools with the knowledge, skills and attitude to live up do that demands Many educations try to address schools, teachers and students via different stakeholders and with a variety of messages. Teachers and schools carry a huge responsibility. Schools and teachers know that they are considered as the key to the solution to many issues and problems in our society today. That is the case in the Netherlands, and probably also in Switzerland. Positioning the North South Centre of the Council of Europe and Global Education The North-South Centre in Lisbon is a partial agreement of the Council of Europe, involving member states (now 20 of the 44 member states of the Council), and also bringing together civil society, local and regional authorities and parliamentarians, in a quadrilogue structure. The Centre has two main areas of activity. It engages in policy dialogue between Europe and Africa, Asia and Latin America to enhance human rights and strengthen policies of solidarity. And also, the North-South Centre, through its global education programme, seeks to increase public awareness in Europe of global interdependence, to strengthen education for global citizenship, and to work, together with quadrilogue partners, towards the day when all European citizens will have what is theirs by right - access to global education. Access to education that engages them in active citizenship towards a more just, inclusive secure and sustainable world. Global Education is education that opens people's eyes to the realities of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equity and human rights for all. Global Education is understood to encompass Development Education, Human Rights Education, Education for Sustainability, Education for Peace and Conflict Prevention and Intercultural Education; being the global dimensions of Education for Global Citizenship. This use of the term global education is an attempt to bring together in a broad umbrella term actors all over Europe, who work on different types of education for change, local and global. Actors with many different, but often complementary strategies for integrating a global dimension in their educational practices. Whether it is called education for democratic citizenship or learning for sustainability, peace education or human rights education. Co-operation, exchange of ideas, networking on local, national and European level benefits all of us. What is a global citizen? What about the following attempt for a definition? Eight characteristics of the global citizen: looks at problems in a global context; works co-operatively and responsibly; accepts cultural differences; thinks in a critical and systemic way; solves conflicts non-violently; changes lifestyles to protect the environment; defends human rights; participates in politics. What does it mean for education? Pillars of lifelong learning: learning to live together; learning to know; learning to do; learning to be. Key-concepts of sustainable development: interdependence-of society, economy and the natural environment, from local to global; citizenship and stewardship - rights and responsibilities, participation and co-operation; needs and rights of future generations; diversity - cultural, social, economical and biological; quality of life, equity and justice; sustainable change - development and carrying capacity; uncertainty and precaution in action. Source: Stephen Sterling, Sustainable Education, op. cit. The case in the Netherlands: a pragmatic approach to change education and to implement global and democratic citizenship concepts. The poldermodel is or was famous all over the world. We have also have the poldermodel in education. We have at least 20 different types of education (i.e environmental education, consumers education, traffic education, health education etc.) Many different actors, private and governmental, together and separate try to have an impact on education and to bring closer the day that we really can say that we educate and prepare our young kids to become active and responsible citizens. We don't do bad job, but we still have a very long way to go! To come to a conclusion I want to introduce to you the young members of the Club of 2000. Amsterdam, 260803 Gerard Lommerse Alice O education in a global perspective   PDF
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