First and foremost, the project Free to Speak-Safe to Learn Democratic Schools for All involves schools.
The project wishes to give voice to teachers, students, parents and school leaders and make known the work they do to develop democratic and inclusive schools.
Information about good practices will be made available on the project website, providing opportunities for direct contacts between schools.
The Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU) oversees the Council of Europe’s programmes in the field of education and advises the Organisation’s Committee of Ministers on education issues.
The Education Department of the Council of Europe will be coordinates the Project “Free to Speak, Safe to Learn" Democratic Schools for All at the European level.
The main aim of the project was to highlight the commitment to democratic values and principles in the life and culture of schools in Council of Europe’s member states.
The Council of Europe has developed the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, which sets out, for the first time, the core values, skills, attitudes and critical knowledge and understanding that every citizen needs in order to be active in a democratic society.
Individuals are not born with these competences; they need to be learned. The project drew on the work done in many schools for a Culture of Democracy and, through the lens of the Framework, aims to provide a “common working language” for schools all over Europe.
Click on the map to go to the dedicated country webpage. It displays the list of the schools which were members of the Democratic Schools Network in each country. You will also have the opportunity to learn more about their project(s).
Schools are the very heart of the project ‘Free to Speak - Safe to Learn-Democratic Schools for All’. The project wishes to give voice to teachers, students, school leaders, and parents across Europe and make known the work they do to develop democratic and inclusive schools.
In spring 2018, during the pre-launch phase of the project 2, 324 schools took part in the Democratic Schools for All online survey. You can read more information about it here.
The Digital Citizenship Education Project aims at empowering children through the acquisition of competences for learning and active participation in digital society. The project builds on the achievements of the Council of Europe’s longstanding programme on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (EDC/HRE), and the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture. A handbook was developed to help educators and learners understand the concept of digital citizenship. The Digital citizenship education handbook offers information, tools and good practices to support the development of competences for democratic culture in keeping with the Council of Europe’s vocation to empower and protect children, enabling them to live together as equals in today’s culturally diverse democratic societies, both on- and offline.
To support the promotion of digital citizenship an informal network of education professionals was created. The DCE Promoters Network implements activities and school projects in their respective countries to support schools and educators in developing and promoting digital citizenship education. In 2019-2020 school year 100 schools from 10 European countries proposed activities/projects including dissemination and use of the Handbook, teacher training, building a democratic school culture. Forty-seven schools in five countries have successfully completed their projects despite the COVID-19 crisis and achieved significant results.
Living Democracy is a unique educational resource website promoting democracy and human rights in schools. It combines ready-made lesson plans with ideas for action in the classroom.
Webpage "I have rights"
A webpage with materials that will enable children to discover their rights in an understandable and enjoyable way.
Online game "Through the Wild Web Woods"
The online game "Through the Wild Web Woods" helps children to learn basic Internet safety rules.
Internet Literacy Handbook
An online tool for children, parents, teachers and policy makers to be able to make the most of Internet and prepare future generations to use the Internet safely and confidently by being aware of opportunities and risks.
Pestalozzi Programme
Teaching and training resources developed over the years within the Council of Europe training programme for education professionals, known as the Pestalozzi Programme.
Compass - manual for human rights education with young people online resource
COMPASS provides youth leaders, teachers, and facilitators of human rights education activities, whether professionals or volunteers, with concrete ideas and practical activities to engage, involve and motivate young people in living, learning and acting for human rights.
Themes of the Council of Europe campaign “FREE to SPEAK, SAFE to LEARN - Democratic Schools for All” covered:
Dealing with propaganda, misinformation and fake news
Competences from the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) addressed and where / how they were integrated:
Values:
All students participate in our action, regardless of their particularities (background, cultural environment, disability) and develop valuing human dignity and human rights, cultural diversity, democracy, justice, equality and the rule of law.
Attitudes and Skills:
As they participate in collaborative actions they develop attitudes like openness to cultural otherness and to other beliefs, respect, responsibility, autonomous learning skills, analytical and critical thinking skills, co-operation skills and conflict-resolution skills.
Knowledge and critical understanding:
As student-journalists develop skills, like knowledge and critical understanding of language and communication, Knowledge and critical understanding of the world: politics, law, human rights, culture, cultures, religions, history, media, economies, environment, sustainability.
Target group age range:
11-15
Level of education:
Lower secondary education
Short description of the project:
Aims/objectives
Makrygialos High School is a small provincial school in Macedonia of Greece with a large percentage of foreign students, in which we develop educational actions with pan-Hellenic distinctions, such as editing of the school newspaper, theatrical performances and other cultural and environmental activities.
The challenge for the students is to publish the school newspaper, to educate them in dealing with the the media and to embrace the principles of democracy and free expression. Thus, in the framework of the educational programme "Publication of the School Newspaper", they participate in the writing and publication of their school newspaper with the supervision of the School Director Mrs. Evangelia Kanali, aiming at informing and raising awareness public opinion on social, cultural, environmental, school life, health and nutrition education.
The highlight of this programme is the organisation of a “Journalistic Student Conference” aimed at students and teachers of the High Schools and the Lyceums in Pieria who issue or plan to publish school newspapers. It is an innovative educational programme that was implemented in Greece for the first time by a school and aims at educating students and teachers with media issues such as writing articles, selecting themes, gathering records, practical application, but mainly embraces the principles of intimate, honest, unselfish and democratic journalism. The Conference was held on 27 March 2018 and was attended by 307 students and 72 teachers from 17 High Schools and Lyceums in Pieria. This innovative action was selected from among 748 schools across Europe to be presented in the Oslo conference in which the new Council of Europe education campaign “Free to Speak, Safe to Learn - Democratic Schools for All” was launched in November 2018.
The Makrygialos High School journalistic group will continue this programme in the school year 2018-2019 and will organise the “2nd Journalistic Student Conference” aimed at training students and teachers in electronic journalism and in entrepreneurship, giving students experience of business processes (marketing, advertising, revenue management for public purposes, business plan). During the 2nd Conference, they will organize a Pieria School Newspaper Exhibition, so that the local society of school newspapers can see the students’ reflections and interesting creations. The Conference will be extended to the region of Central Macedonia and later to the whole of Greece, with the ultimate goal of becoming an institution for the country’s educational community. In addition, in April 2019 they will present their innovative action to students and teachers from the Istituto D’Istruzione Superiore – “Sandro Pertini” in Lucca in Italy, with whom they are twinned, hoping that it will result in a collaboration between the two schools and the developing of joint actions.
Expected results/outcomes
Our innovative educational action
It is vital for a democratic school to provide students with a solid education on media and information literacy as part of the curriculum. The writing and production of school newspapers serves the basic purposes of Education, as it is an interdisciplinary activity consistent with the curriculum that combines multimodality, cooperation, critical ability, cognitive and linguistic development of students. However, journalist groups feel strongly about the need for expert information on issues related to writing and publishing school newspapers, such as:
What are the stages of creating a newspaper?
How to write an article, an essay, an interview, a documentary?
What constraints are imposed by journalistic ethics, such as objectivity, impartiality, but also misinformation, misleading public opinion?
How to avoid getting lost in the stream of information or being victim of propaganda and fake news?
How is the management of economic issues related to the production of the newspaper?
The Director of Makrygialos High School Mrs. Evangelia Kanali, along with her student journalists, took the initiative of planning and organising the “Journalistic Student Conference” for students and teachers of High Schools and Lyceums in Pieria which issue or plan to issue school newspapers, as the schools do not have their own professional journalists. For this purpose they invited high-level media industry specialists to teach students and teachers about issues related to editing school newspapers and to basic concepts of journalistic ethics.
The Conference’s second objective was the school newspaper award. Every year, schools produce a significant number of student newspapers, the appeal of which is limited to the narrow boundaries of the local community or the school community. For this reason, the Makrygialos High School journalistic team wanted to promote and award school newspapers of High Schools and Lyceums in Pieria to motivate them into creating something new. The team presented all the school newspapers in Pieria and the Conference Review Committee awarded the "Best High School Newspaper" and the "Best Lyceum Newspaper”. The evaluation criteria used were: the variety of subjects, social, cultural and environmental issues, the correct use of language, the quality of journalistic speech.
The Conference’s third objective was a contribution to Local Educational History. The Makrygialos High School journalistic team gathered together all newspapers from Pieria’s High Schools and Lyceums so as to make an Archive of School Newspapers, to ensure they are not lost in time and with the hope that this initiative will be a small achievement in the History of the Pieria Student Press. Thereafter, the aim is to compile an archive of all the school newspapers published during the year for each subsequent Journalistic Student Conference with a view to submitting the archive at a future date to the General State Archives. Their next goal is to organise an Exhibition of the Pieria School Papers, in the belief that the promotion of school newspapers is an important factor for presenting children's views, highlighting their talents and communicating the school with their social environment.
The fourth objective of the Conference was to provide feedback to student journalists and their respective teachers. The Makrygialos High School journalist team invited archaeologists to show the students and teachers rare archaeological finds kept at the Makrygialos Museum, thus giving students the opportunity to report on, interview or write an article in their newspapers and take an active role as a journalist. At the same time, the Makrygialos High School journalistic team aimed to give visibility to the newly established Archaeological Museum of Makrygialos and to encourage Pieria schools to visit it, a goal that was immediately achieved.
Changes
Innovative features of this educational action
The Journalistic Student Conference is an innovative event created by a democratic school. It- sets up a network of communication for the school journalist groups in Pieria and for exchanging views on important social, political and cultural issues, such as peace, democracy, equality, diversity, environment, education. It gave them the opportunity to inspire each other, to interact and take part in new creations in a spirit of co-operation and teamwork.
The Makrygialos High School journalistic group developed constructive co-operation with the Directorate of Education of Pieria, the local authorities, the local community and the Parents' Association, and asked them for funding for the awards and the Conference organization. They all responded to this request, recognizing the multiple benefits for the educational community and the city of Pieria from a democratic school open to society.
In evaluating the innovative character of this educational programme, it is clear that the above initiatives were developed by students with a different national, cultural background who:
through their newspaper seek to gain a "step" and "voice" to express themselves, to communicate with the world around them
through their articles, documentaries and interviews, claim the truth and raise public awareness of important issues
listen to the needs of the educational community and strive to contribute to their innovative initiatives
see another side of education; one where they are not empty pots filled with sterile, irrelevant knowledge, but responsible, participatory citizens who can become actors of school and social life.
The Journalistic Student Conference is an action of a democratic school that gives the opportunity to all pupils, regardless of their particularities (origin, cultural environment, disability):
learn how to learn, how to conquer exploration and cooperative knowledge;
develop critical ability and scientific thought to explore the causes or the consequences of problems;
seek and disseminate information and ideas from around the world through their school papers;
transform original ideas into innovative applications and activate their talent and skills for expression and creation;
practice the recording of different textual items, such as articles, essays, interviews, documentaries and the production of oral and written speech;
develop social and communication skills such as responsibility, planning, strategy and planning skills, needs analysis, organizational, teamwork and communication, decision-making and problem-solving strategies to become active in the future and socially sensitive citizens.
The Conference gives teachers the opportunity to understand that they should:
teach their students how to collaborate by taking roles and to feel creative by composing one or more sheets of their newspaper
be proud of the collective work, overcoming individualism and personal insecurities
ensure a pleasant and attractive school environment for all pupils without discrimination or exclusion
organise school life according to the democratic principles of freedom, dialogue, equality, justice, respect for diversity
In addition, students and teachers following the suggestions of the high-level media industry specialist journalists get to:
realize the power of the press and the importance of the news
become familiar with press-related concepts such as misinformation, false news, brainwashing, propaganda, anaesthetising of receivers;
learn to apply and exploit a variety of different sources of data acquisition, but also critically manage the knowledge they derive from the internet
understand the concept of a cross-thematic approach to information
sharpen their critical thinking and perceptions to identify useful information from unnecessary information, insignificant events from worthwhile news
learn to use methods and practices of science, technology and the arts to investigate, judge, comment, argue, and express themselves artistically
practice a variety of writing styles, such as article, essay, interview, documentaries, op-ed.
The media journalists also help students and teachers to understand that propaganda, misinformation and fake news can polarise public opinion and undermine democracies and that there is a duty to apply the following fundamental principles of journalistic ethics:
utilise a variety of different sources for data mining and learn to distinguish useful information from unnecessary information
collect, cross-check and document information
keep professional secrecy about information sources
transmit news regardless of their personal political, social and religious beliefs.
avoid legal difficulties by working responsibly and according to professional ethics.
publicize the truth objectively and impartially and not by misleading public opinion with false news and propaganda.
Challenges you faced
Organising the Journalistic Student Conference was a bold and difficult task. The challenges were important, but the benefits were great. Press articles, TV quotes and letters of congratulation - now in the school archive - all demonstrated that a small provincial school managed for the first time in our country to organise a Conference with high-reaching goals and a strong impact on the local and wider society.
To sum up, the Journalistic Student Conference is an innovative pedagogical action of a school operating according to democratic principles such as freedom and responsibility, participation, equality and justice. A school where teachers offer not only knowledge but vision and passion for their job and open new horizons according to the interests and sensitivities of students who in turn learn to go beyond the narrow boundaries of the school and become creative, responsible and active citizens in keeping with democratic culture.
Time-frame of the project:
The Makrygialos High School journalistic group will continue this programme in the school year 2018-2019 and will organise the “2nd Journalistic Student Conference” aimed at training students and teachers in electronic journalism and in entrepreneurship, giving students experience of business processes (marketing, advertising, revenue management for public purposes, business plan). The Conference will be extended to the region of Central Macedonia and later to the whole of Greece, with the ultimate goal of becoming an institution for the country’s educational community.
Council of Europe materials on citizenship and human rights education used while preparing or implementing your practice:
Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture
Living Democracy - manuals for teachers
Democratic governance of schools
All Different – All Equal
Managing controversy
Teaching controversial issues-training pack
Signposts
We CAN!
Mirrors
Human Rights and Democracy Start with Us – Charter for All
Freedom(s) - Learning activities for secondary schools on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights
How all Teachers Can Support EDC/HRE: A Framework for the Development of Competences
Multimedia Material (ex. video “Beat Bullying”, series of cartoons “Democracy and Human Rights at School”, video “Corporal punishment at school: how two parents decided to change things”)
Themes of the Council of Europe campaign “FREE to SPEAK, SAFE to LEARN - Democratic Schools for All” covered:
Making children’s and students’ voices heard
Improving well-being at school
Developing democratic school environment
Competences from the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) addressed and where / how they were integrated:
Value democracy, justice, fairness, equality and the rule of law
Respect
Civic-mindedness
Knowledge and critical understanding of the world: politics, law, human rights, culture, cultures, religions, history, media, economies, environment, sustainability
Conflict resolution skills
Preparing for the Student Council President Elections students learn about and gain understanding on the topics of laws and rules, the democratic process, the voting system, the media, human rights. Students are given the opportunity to experience the values and principles of the democratic process in action: they participate in shared governance where they may put civic education and democracy into action, develop an awareness of good leadership qualities. These include critical thinking, analysing information, expressing opinions, taking part in discussions and presidential debates, negotiating, conflict resolution and participating in the electoral campaigns. Students increase their knowledge of political efficacy, campaign strategies and gain an understanding of the democratic process. In this way they become confident, tolerant, open and courageous to defend their point of view. Students reflect on and assert the power and decision-making processes in their school and government.
Linguistic, communicative, and plurilingual skills,
Knowledge and critical understanding of language and communication
Skills of listening and observing
Developing campaign strategies, preparing campaign materials, students create posters, flyers, posters, notices, banners, emails, e-board announcements, forums and web pages to conduct their electoral campaigns. Participating in these activities they develop their linguistic and communicative skills, learn to use sound judgment to make good decisions based on information gathered and analysed. Students learn to listen actively to others, work with and stand up for others, organise and deliver information appropriately, consider all pertinent facts and alternatives before deciding on the most appropriate action, regulate and control their emotions. They learn to express their ideas effectively in such activities as presentations, meetings, negotiations, debates. Students learn to use appropriate language schemes when they take part in presidential debates.
Organizing a central election commission, discussing details of how to run the elections, election rules, posting policy and campaign plans, students take personal responsibility for task performance, developing a spirit of solidarity with others. They learn to complete a task in a timely and consistent manner. They learn to cooperate in building a team, working together, sharing tasks, being responsible for certain issues and supporting others. Working well in a team, students show their respect and empathy to others and have the maturity to realise that no activity is a stand-alone activity. Being engaged in discussions students develop their communication skills, learn to solve problems. They learn to take responsible decisions in choosing a candidate to vote for.
Target group age range:
11 -15 and
15 - 19
Level of education:
Lower secondary education
Upper secondary education
Short description of the project:
The project focuses on active citizenship, human rights, awareness of good leadership qualities, of human relations, of power structures and of how to operate effectively within them. Student government would not exist without students who are interested in providing input on institutional issues and serving as representatives of the student body.
The election process is still one of the primary means for students to begin their political participation and gain an understanding of the democratic process. Involvement in shared governance at the school level begins with participation in student government elections. Every student at Kovel City Gymnasium is eligible to vote for the Student Council President. It is important that students understand the voting system to be used and it is advisable to raise any specific questions with management before the elections are held.
The project includes three stages. At the first stage (October, two weeks), students organise a Central election commission, the members of which discuss details of how to run the elections, election rules, posting policy, campaign plan. All candidates register for the 2019 Student Council Election President and conform to the campaign rules as they are expected to, be familiar with the school policies and regulations. To be placed on the official ballot, all candidates must submit their completed petitions to the office of the Central election commission for Student involvement no later than 4pm on Thursday,22 October. During the pre-election marathon, campaigns play an enormous role.
At the second practical stage (November, 3-4 weeks), the members of the central office compile and publish a list of voters (in order to vote in an election everyone must be registered to vote), registered candidates ask other students to help with a candidate's campaign, meet with a group of students or use school website to develop campaign strategies, prepare campaign materials, print posters, create social media pages and create a Facebook page for campaigning, conducting presidential debates. Candidates are allowed to use flyers, posters, notices, banners, emails, e-board announcements, forums and web pages to conduct their electoral campaigns.
Their campaigns are organised for the purpose of promoting their respective candidates and the values for which they stand. All school members can vote for the candidates and each member has one vote per position. Voting takes place on 7 December 2019 (a Day of local government).
At the third stage the results of the elections are verified and announced by the members of the Central election commission. The Inaugural Ceremony of the Students’ Council president is held on 19 December 2019 (a Day of Gymnasium) in the assembly hall. The student Council President takes the oath during the ceremony and presents her/his speech during the Election Day assembly. S/he talks about the importance of the council body and assures that many more programmes will be conducted under her/his leadership to the utmost satisfaction of the school. The School’s Principal in her presidential remarks congratulates the outgoing student council president, expresses her wishes for the upcoming Student council president and his team to shoulder the responsibilities with human values, to make the best use of the council body, organise variety of programmes and develop leadership qualities.
The newly elected candidate begins working with the current Student Council leaders and attending their meetings to become familiar with the general Student Council procedures and the current projects.
Aims/objectives
Create citizens who value civic duty and understand the importance of engaging in political activity;
Provide students with opportunities to participate in shared governance where they may put civic education and democracy into action;
Promote fairness, equality of opportunity, and justice for all students;
Develop student potential and encourage them to make a well-informed, honest, interested and active citizenship;
Develop not only leadership abilities within the youth of today, but also leadership for the community, state and nation of tomorrow. In this process, it is also the objective to develop an awareness of good leadership qualities, hopefully, for a more informed, concerned and active citizenry of tomorrow;
Increase student involvement and school pride;
Provide a living workshop of democratic processes, through such activities as elections and participation in a constitutional representative assembly;
Contribute to the educational experiences of students by providing them with a positive involvement in the school, with widened areas of responsibilities and with more direct participation in organising and implementing activities.
Expected results/outcomes
This increases students’ sense of political efficacy, the belief that their political participation is worthwhile. Through engaging in student government elections as candidates, students are more likely to participate actively in civic and political life as adults.
Changes
Students who devote time and energy into their school experience through active engagement in their academic pursuits and participation in extra-curricular activities tend to take initiative, persist at school and enjoy higher levels of achievement.
Students who run for political office in school elections feel empowered to make decisions in the school setting and begin to understand their power to affect change within their own political environments in the future.
Students have become aware of their own potentials in making differences to their society.
Students develop a sincere regard for law and order appropriate to this democratic society.
Challenges you faced
There is little known about the experiences of candidates in student government elections or the students’ perceptions of the election process.
Young adults have limited knowledge of the impact of civic engagement and less confidence in collective actions, such as voting.
Time-frame of the project:
October 2019 – December 2019
Council of Europe materials on citizenship and human rights education used while preparing or implementing your practice:
Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture
Living Democracy-manuals for teachers
Democratic governance of schools
Addressing violence in schools through EDC/HRE
All Different – All Equal
Compass
Compasito
We CAN!
Human Rights and Democracy Start with Us – Charter for All
Freedom(s) - Learning activities for secondary schools on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights
How all Teachers Can Support EDC/HRE: A Framework for the Development of Competences
Multimedia Material (ex. video “Beat Bullying”, series of cartoons “Democracy and Human Rights at School”, video “Corporal punishment at school: how two parents decided to change things”)
Address: Karaoli and Dimitriou Street 70, Korydallos, 18122
Country: Greece
Project: Digital Resistance
Working language during the project:
English, Greek
Themes of the Council of Europe campaign “FREE to SPEAK, SAFE to LEARN - Democratic Schools for All” covered:
Making children's and students' voices heard
Addressing controversial issues
Dealing with propaganda, misinformation and fake news
Competences from the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) addressed and where / how they were integrated:
Knowledge and critical understanding of the world: politics, law, human rights, culture, cultures, religions, history, media, economies, environment, sustainability
Co-operation skills
Valuing democracy, justice, fairness, equality and the rule of law
Target group age range:
15 - 19
Level of education:
Upper secondary education
Short description of the project:
Aims/objectives
The project is called “Digital Resistance” and focuses on the necessity of teaching students how to protect themselves against digital “dangers”, especially fake news and misinformation and also how to create a responsible digital identity.
This program’s goal was to create a handbook for the teachers so as to apply new teaching strategies based on enquiry-based learning techniques and problem orientated tasks to enhance their students’ critical thinking skills and make them responsible digital citizens. Epal Korydallou contributed to the digital handbook for teachers by writing Chapter 4 entitled ‘Creation of a Digital Output’, aiming at providing both teachers and students with some basic guidelines on creating a variety of digital outputs after their work on deconstructing fake news using online fact checking tools in the classroom. Also, Epal Korydallou, on the basis of the teaching models provided in the handbook, created a teacher’s dossier with digital examples for deconstructing specific fake news on current affairs and lessons plans in Greek as a framework for the teacher’s training sessions that were conducted before the implementation of the project in the associated schools.
Students working in teams created several outputs varying from more classical forms such as powerpoint presentations, posters, leaflets, comics and videos, to more original ones such as small workshop campaigns on spreading out news to the school community, a graffiti in the schoolyard and a theatrical Karagiozis shadow puppet show, all inspired by their work on fake news and misinformation issues.
Last but not least, Epal Korydallou created a website (www.digi-res.eu) that hosted the activities and the collective work of all partners in the project, and an Instagram account #nofake.gr so as to initiate students to share their work with their peers in other EU countries where the project was implemented.
Aim: Supporting media and information literacy against "fake news" connected to indoctrination and discrimination
Objectives:
Promoting digital citizenship
Bringing the topic of «fake news» in classrooms
Sharing perspectives on «fake news»
Expected results/outcomes
Constructing a project website
Dissemination events / visibility objects to teachers, students and stakeholders
Teachers’ training using the learning methodology developed in the Digital Handbook providing with a Teacher Dossier/additional material / lesson plans
Dissemination of the handbook translated into the mother tongue to schools
Changes
Responsible use of social media
Develop critical thinking and digital skills
Strengthen democratic culture
Become a responsible digital citizen
Challenges you faced
Students’ resistance to adopt new attitudes towards digital identity
The topic of fake news was not incorporated into the curriculum, so the implementation time was limited and often the students involved had to spend extra-curricular time in school.
Time-frame of the project: 2018-2019
Council of Europe materials on citizenship and human rights education used while preparing or implementing your practice:
Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture
Schools in Council of Europe member states
Share our work with other schools.
Digital Citizenship Education Project
Working language during the project: