The project "School INCLUDING democratic changes - promoting self-determination, attitude and responsibility in a societal context" focuses on the urgent challenges of democratic education. Against the background of the worldwide rise of populism, it now seems more topical than ever that schools can also offer children and young people a protected space in which all questions can be asked, all opinions expressed, and discussions held openly. We want to show whether and how democratic school development contributes to giving teachers and learners room to learn and shape democracy to establish an attitude of mutual acceptance and tolerance. We meet the mandate of democracy education by embedding it in a process of democratic school development. We look for tried and tested, proven or new approaches to democratic education. The project partners in Berlin, Graz and Ljubljana have formed an interdisciplinary, European team of school supervisors, school administrators, trainers*, teachers*, school social workers*, educators*innen, to understand and analyse success conditions and challenges as well as development potentials of democratic school development. Our aim is to support schools in this process. This project team will be supplemented and enriched by the associated partners in Berne, if their participation will be financially supported by Switzerland. At four project meetings with thematic focal points (situation analysis, aspects of school culture, aspects of self-management and self-efficacy, compilation of the toolbox), three observations with specific work, learning and observation assignments for the participants*and in regional working groups, the work results are saved and summarised. As a result, a collection of good, action-oriented practice and successful conditions, development potentials for democratic school development will be presented. The project "School INCLUDING Democratic Changes" will compile a toolbox for democratic school development. This toolbox will contain tools of (philosophical) thinking, perception, implementation and presentation / evaluation. With these tools it will be possible to address the different levels of democratic school development. This supports the special challenge of developing a quality programme for democratic school development. In addition, the project results can have a lasting effect, as they can be adapted to the ongoing adjustments of curricula, the updating of school curricula and the conception of new offers of teacher*internal further training.
The project "School INCLUDING democratic changes - promoting self-determination, attitude and responsibility in a societal context" took a closer look at democratic processes in schools in four countries and provided space for an intensive and in-depth exchange of experiences. We jointly explored what challenges schools have to face to live and promote democratic behaviour actively. Democracy education is a transversal issue in many schools today. Active democracy means participating in social and political opinion-forming processes. The ability to represent and negotiate one's interests, accept other opinions, and find fair solutions to possible conflicts is a prerequisite. This topic also has an essential transnational dimension: at the European level, intercultural aspects also play a role or images of self and others in the respective countries. Educating young people in preparation for life in a democratic society that guarantees fundamental and human rights is an essential task of the school. Democracy is realised in the actions of the individual as well as in living together. The school is in close contact with the evolving society. Shaping, learning and practising in working and living together in everyday school life is an overriding mission at the school as a place of learning. Given the worldwide rise of populism, racism and exclusion, it is even more critical today that schools offer children and young people a protected environment in which all questions can be asked, opinions expressed, and discussions held openly. Only by participating in cultural, social and political life, a person can develop in a self-confident and healthy way. Therefore, the mandate for Democracy education is embedded in the process of democratic school development. The project aimed to develop, test, evaluate jointly, and record tools for communication, cooperation, and didactic implementation in a structured exchange of experience and practice. In the context of school development, the following challenges arise: - Facing change and developing school practice, - understanding democratic school development as a process of innovation, - Enabling experiences of self-efficacy, - initiating and organising age-appropriate situations and educational processes, - taking into account the heterogeneity of learners. We collected tools and processes to promote democratic interaction and searched for a common answer to the challenges of democratic school development. Since there are already numerous methods and tools for democracy education with defined focal points and target groups, we want to meet the mandate for democracy education by embedding it in democratic school development.