Seeking to strengthen democratic citizenship education in Albania, the Council of Europe, in collaboration with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), organized on October 25-26, 2024, in Durrës the Leadership school. This transformative event is part of the ongoing efforts of the project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania”*.
Aiming to further foster democratic principles and practices in schools, the event brought together around 30 students, leaders of school’s government, as well as school principals and coordinating teachers from 13 secondary schools across the country engaged in the project. The event was attended from officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports and the People’s Advocate bringing valuable and enriching insights to the discussions.
The Leadership School aimed to enhance the leadership skills of Student Government representatives and educators from project pilot schools and strengthen their capacities to influence positive change in schools.
Over the course of two days, participants engaged in a series of interactive sessions on topics including youth leadership, participation as a fundamental right, levels of participation but also a reflection on the current level of student engagement, and suggestions for the future. Exchanging ideas and thoughts, drawing upon the successful experiences of previous project events and collaborating among each-other, the event also served as a platform for peer learning.
A particularly engaging topic, including a collaborative process among young leaders and educators, was the drafting of the school's Citizenship Charter, an initiative aimed at promoting democratic values within the school community.
A dedicated session, led by Council of Europe Expert Vjollca Merdani, explored the concepts of citizenship and Wikipedia, and our roles and responsibilities as digital citizens. While Geart Ferhati, Vice President of the Student Parliament of Albania, introduced the I-Vote platform, including options, impact, and piloting.
The leadership school marks another important event fostering democratic principles in schools and strengthening cooperation among schools and Student Governments.
*The project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania” is implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
