Our project has three main lines. The first is the development of selected competences for the democratic culture of young people (the list was developed under the auspices of the Council of Europe). We realize this through the creation and delivery of an innovative two-day educational module DEMO for young people from the 8th and 9th grades of primary schools and the first years of secondary schools. This module will consist of larp guaranteed by Crex, non-formal education covered by YouthWatch and experiential learning what is the dominant development method of the Prazdninova skola Lipnice (Lipnice Holiday School). Larp, part of the educational module, is a kind of role-playing game. People in this game act as their characters, these are received at the beginning of the game. Their main goal is to meet their character's predetermined goals in a fictional world by interaction with the rest of the characters. Participants will realize their role in maintaining and promoting democracy and will increase their interest in active participation in society. The second level of the project is the creation of a sustainable system of youth education in democratic competences in the pilot cities of Nitra and Kroměříž. Therefore, during the project, we will select the key youth workers from both cities to be involved in the development of the DEMO training module. We will educate them in all three key methods (experiential learning, non-formal education and larp) and passing on the know-how of the completed educational module DEMO. An integral part of the project is close cooperation with schools. We educate teachers who, after completing the training module DEMO with their class, will carry out follow-up educational activities during their school subjects: civics, history, classroom or project teaching. The third level of the project is the transfer of experience between project partners within the strategic partnership. We do this through internal trainings and close collaboration between partners in creating project outputs. The project will have two intellectual outputs. The first is a methodology for youth workers and teachers. This will help to multiply the DEMO youth training module (which includes a larp) as well as the follow-up activities carried out by teachers in the classroom. The second is the impact analysis. Analysis will measure the impact of the education module DEMO and describe in the IO what results we have achieved and what was the methodology. The results of the impact analysis are essential for evaluating the success of our education module and for further work of all involved organizations. In the final phase of the project we will organise a conference where the results of this project will be shared. By organizing a conference we would like to support the multiplication of the DEMO education and larp method implementation in youth education. This conference will support the discussion and dialogue between experts and organizations from various regions to motivate them to apply intellectual outputes from our project to their youth work. The outcome of the project is an increase in competence for democratic culture among 268 young people (SR: 146, CR: 122). 14 youth workers (SR: 7, CR: 7) will be able to implement an experiential learning module consisting of larp, 15 teachers (SR: 8, CR: 7) can carry out follow-up activities for young people. Representatives of pilot cities will be ready to organise education module DEMO after the project.
The main goal of the project is to support the development of formal and non-formal education in the field of democratic competencies among young people by connecting education, awareness, and active engagement of youth in the democratic process. It aims to raise participants' awareness of their role in maintaining and supporting democracy and to enhance their interest in active societal involvement. Also to educate selected teachers and youth workers in using specific methods to foster democratic competencies among young individuals, as well as instruct them on working with the developed educational module. Pilot locations provided an environment where new educational methods were tested and adjusted to best meet the needs of young people and the local context. This collaboration allowed the project to respond to feedback and on-ground experiences, thereby increasing the effectiveness and relevance of project activities. Collaborating with local municipalities is a pivotal factor for ensuring long-term impact and sustainability. This approach will enable the project to continuously contribute to promoting democratic values and the engagement of young people in local, regional, European, and international contexts.
Democracy is fragile and not for free. Formal education often lacks the capacity and tools to comprehensively and engagingly address this topic with young people. As a result, there is a lack of trust in the benefits of democratic system and an increase in youth radicalization, both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our aim was to support young people in engaging with the world around them and provide educators and youth workers with tools to guide them through these complex issues. That's why we created Demohráč, a three-year Czech-Slovak project that connects five Czech and Slovak partner organizations. Within the project, we developed and tested an educational methodology for youth, utilizing non-formal education, experiential pedagogy, and LARP (live-action roleplay). Pedagogues and youth workers were trained, and the program was tested multiple times at schools in and around Nitra and Těšín. The effectiveness was further verified through an impact study.