The 'DARE - Depolarization Activism for Resilient Europe' project was a strategic partnership aimed at creating innovative educational materials for both formal and non-formal civic education, applicable in online and face-to-face contexts. These materials aimed to inspire civic engagement and activism among young people, addressing issues such as radicalization, exclusion, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and discrimination that undermined European values. The project's objectives were: a) To develop original blended-learning educational materials promoting depolarization, fostering youth civic engagement, supporting European values, enhancing critical thinking, and strengthening youth resilience in times of crisis. b) To empower teachers, educators, and youth workers by providing materials enabling them to address complex contemporary topics using pedagogically innovative methods. Our goal was to provide educators with the means and confidence to address these difficult challenges as well as remind youth that their thought and participation are not only welcome but of paramount importance for the health of European democracy.
In recent years we noticed growing polarization in Europe and have become increasingly concerned about the fact that it tears communities apart and prevents people from coming together in order to solve common challenges. In addition to this, the disillusionment of youth in regards to democracy combined with the lack of belief that their voices can be heard has led to a loss of faith in the system. Furthermore, the presence of anti-European/anti-systemic/populist political parties is a legitimacy and stability threat. All of these issues are spilling over into the classroom with many teachers unsure how they should address this challenges. Numerous educators we work with expressed a need for classroom-compatible materials that would allow for discussion about these topics without alienating and further polarising their students. The materials created during the DARE project allow teachers to cover various topics (polarization, Euroskepticism, xenophobia, populism, discrimination, exclusion and disenfranchisement) while at the same time providing new learning and teaching methods as well as approaches that strengthen European identity, citizenship, values and prevent radicalisation through promoting and amplifying youth voices.