The European Resource Centre on Education for Human Rights, Democratic Citizenship and Intercultural Understanding EI Symposium on Human Rights and Values in Education 7-8 June 2016, Riga

European Resource Centre: Promoting Education for democratic citizenship, human rights education and intercultural understanding Established by the Council of Europe and Norway in 2008 to implement educational policy into practice in 47 member states Mission: Provide capacity building and training on education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship; Disseminate information; serve as a platform and meeting place; Link research and practice European Wergeland Center (EWC) Who we are

Where we work: Who do we work with: People who are or can become multipliers involved in education at all levels: -Education professionals in formal education (teachers, principals, teacher trainers, researchers, etc.) -Decision makers (e.g. local authorities) -NGOs, educators - Parents/ caretakers and young people

UN Sustainable Development Goals ( Goal 4.7) « By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for …. human rights….» What is Human Rights Education ? “Human Rights Education” means education, training, awareness-raising, information, practices and activities which aim, by equipping learners with knowledge, skills and understanding and developing their attitudes and behavior, to empower learners to contribute to the building and defence of a universal culture of human rights in society, with a view to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Council of Europe ( EDC/HRE Charter)

Three dimensions: Transmission of knowledge about democracy and human rights principles (learning about) Learning through experiencing participatory processes, attitudes, development of democratic values (learning through) Development of skills (such as civic-mindedness and critical thinking) and the capacity to act as a citizen (learning for)

Why? Europe and current challenges: 1.Decline in citizen engagement ( voter turnout) and trust in governments 2007: 43% of citizens trust national parliaments/ governments – in 2013: 27 % 2. High level of discrimination, intolerance, hate speech against minority groups FRA : 46% held anti-Muslim views, 17,8 % physical assault (F,G,I,P,S,UK) 26% Jews experienced harrassment, 4% violence 20% of Roma experienced racist violence, 90% below poverty line UK-2014: 66% Muslims had experienced verbal abuse (from 39% in 2012) 3. Widespread fear about immigration, immigrants and integration: «the Others» Education: key to deal with these challenges! Challenges require young people to learn «how to think» not what to think Young people need to understand diversity, rather than fear it.

Council of Europe: Education must do four things, all at the same time: Prepare for sustainable employment; Prepare for life as active citizens in democratic societies; Provide for personal development; Provide our societies with a broad and advanced knowledge base. These four purposes are neither contradictory nor mutually exclusive.

Council of Europe approach CoE Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (EDC/ HRE) 2010, common framework, non-binding Every person within the territory of a country should be provided with EDC/ HRE Learning in EDC/ HRE is a life long process and different stakeholders in education have a role to play Democratic culture is built in schools and communities!

 Learner goals  Goals for teachers (their own ability to model EDC-HRE values and carry out EDC-HRE practices)  Goals for teaching and learning processes  Goals for the school environmen t

The Council of Europe project: Competences for Democratic Culture In many educational systems in Europe developing the capacity to act as a citizen has lower priority than fostering skills and knowledge needed for the labour marked. By developing a framework which describes the main competences citizens require in order to participate effectively in democratic society the Council of Europe wishes to increase the focus on these competences in educational systems and in educational practice.

Competence: “ The ability to mobilise and deploy relevant values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and or understanding in order to respond appropriately and effectively to the demands, challenges and opportunities that are presented by a given type of context ( democratic situations)”.

“Competences” describe what a person knows, understands and is able to do, as well as the person’s values and attitudes, i.e. not only what a person is able but also willing to do. Including values and attitudes is important because they may orient a citizen’s action: there are things we may be able to do but that we should, for moral and ethical reasons, refrain from doing.

Competences for Democratic Culture

How can the development of these competences be recognized? Competences are described by using a set of descriptors each describing an observable behaviour. Which shows that a person has developed a certain competence

Examples of descriptors Attitudes, Civic mindedness: “ is an attitude towards a community or social group to which one belongs that is larger than one’s immediate circle of family and friends. It involves a sense of belonging to that community, an awareness of others and the effect of one’s actions on them, solidarity and a sense of civic duty”. Examples of descriptors: Expresses a willingness to coorperate and work with others Takes actions to stay informed about civic issues Expresses acceptance of the obligations of belonging to a community Expresses willingness to volunteer to help people in the community Expresses willingness to participate in collective decision-making Discusses what can be done to help make the community a better place

Examples of a descriptors Valuing Human Dignity and Human Rights This set of values is based on the general belief that every individual human being is of equal worth, has equal dignity, is entitled to equal respect, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and ought to be treated accordingly. Examples of descriptors: Expresses the view that all human beings should be seen as having equal inherent dignity Argues that everyone should recognise the fundamental freedoms of each human being Argues that human rights should always be protected and respected Defends the view that when poeple are imprisioned, although they are subject to restrictions,this does not mean that they are less deserving of respect and dignity than anyone else

Examples of descriptors Attitides: Tolerance of ambiguity is an attitude towards situations which are uncertain and subject to multiple conflicting interpretations. It involves evaluating these kinds of situations positively and dealing with them constructively. Examples of descriptors: Copes with ambiguous situations Expresses willingness to considere contradictory or incomplete information without automatically refecting it or jumping to a premature conclusion Admits that sometimes there are no right or wrong answers to a question Accepts a task which requires dealing with unkown or unusual circumstances Engages well with other people who have a variety of different points of view.

Examples of descriptors Valuing cultural diversity: This value is based on the general belief that other cultural affiliations, cultural variability and diversity, pluralism of perspectives, views and practices ought to be positively regarded, appreciated and cherished. Examples of descriptors: Expresses the view that cultural diversity should be positively valued as an asset for society Promotes the view that we should be tolerant of the different beliefs that are held by others in society Argues that one should promote communication and dialogue between people from different cultural bakgrounds

Examples of descriptors Conflict resolution skills: Skills required to address, manage and resolve conflicts in a peaceful way by guiding conflicting parties towards optimal solutions that are acceptable to all parties. Examples of descriptors: Can summarise the different points of view held by conflicting parties Can listen to conflicting parties to identify common interests Can deal effectively with other people’s emotional stress, anxiety and insecurity in situation involving conflict Work with others to resolve conflicts

What will the framework be used for? The competences & descriptors can be used in schools, universities, and other education settings to review, reflect and develop: curricula study and training programmes (learning outcomes) pedagogy (planning, teaching and assessment) professional development tool

A sustainable democracy needs competent citizens "We do not all necessarily need to leave school or university with qualifications in biology, history or journalism, but we all need democratic and intercultural competences; that is, the values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and critical understanding that enable us to participate effectively in today’s diverse democracies“ Snežana Samardžić-Marković, Director General for Democracy, Council of Europe

Thank you !