How to regenerate European democracies? Citizenship education has a key role to play in revitalising democracies through the development of inclusive and democratic values, skills and attitudes. That is why the Council of Europe has launched a new initiative, namely, the European Space for Citizenship Education that aims to provide a framework for ensuring quality citizenship education across Europe. This initiative, initiated by member states on the occasion of the 26th session of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education, will help address current and future challenges faced by European societies.
On 17-18 October, the Council of Europe in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office and other key partners will launch the preparatory phase of the European Space for Citizenship Education at an international conference in Berlin. Participants include policy makers, practitioners, renowned academics, learners and representatives from civil society and youth organisations.
At the opening, Simona Koß, Member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the Federal Agency for Civic Agency (BpB)`s Board of Trustees and Matjaž Gruden, Director for Democracy, Council of Europe will deliver key remarks marking the 75th Anniversaries of the Council of Europe and the German Constitution.
A high-level round table on the role of education in strengthening a culture of democracy among Europeans will follow with the participation of Luz Martinez Seijo, MP Spain and Chair of the subcommittee on culture, education and democratic values at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Marie-Anne Persoons, Chair of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU), Thorsten Altenburg-Hack, Director General of the Office for Education within the Authority for School and Vocational Training in Hamburg and Bernd Hütteman, Secretary General of the European Movement.
The European Space for Citizenship Education will be presented afterwards, followed by a round table on the role of civil society and youth in the European Space for Citizenship Education and parallel workshops with the participation of representatives from civil society and youth organisations.
The next day, the German version of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) will be launched. Participants from formal and non-formal education will share their experiences, good practices and lessons learned from using this policy document.
