The Education of Human Rights and Democracy MATTERS

The Erasmus+ Program addresses as a concern the limited participation of citizens in their democratic processes through involvement and participation in their communities or in political and social life. Strengthening citizens' understanding of the EU from an early age is crucial for the future of the EU, aware of the importance of its spiritual heritage:: the indivisible and universal values ​​of human rights, Knowledge of human rights is not innate, but makes It is known if it is taught. These rights must be respected and taught. Therefore, “Human Rights Education” as a “human right” is one of the indispensable conditions of democracy. Today, the most important obstacle to human rights is lack of information; the awareness of protecting one's own rights and respecting the rights of others can only be obtained through actions that promote the importance of this cornerstone of democratic societies. Awareness of this situation was the starting point for the construction of the project that, and all the partners involved, meet the societies in which they are located.

Our objectives were the following: Reinforce the importance of educating students, teachers, parents, civil society in promoting human rights and democratic reforms, Provide people with participation in democratic life, and social and civic involvement. Improve the language skills and competencies of teachers and students Protect and develop the EU's common values, diversity of cultures, and traditions. Integrate students into European society as active participants and potential future decision-makers. Promote cooperation between young people from different European countries. Integrate reflection on the exercise of democracy in school environments.

All planned mobility was carried out and with the expected number of participants per country. Each LTT presented a program based on the plan drawn up in the application. Despite the adjustments that all the plans present, the themes indicated and which consist of the democratic literacy of young people, based on respect and appreciation of human rights, the plans were fulfilled and integrated an equally valuable cultural component, essential for the creation of European entity and destroy prejudices and barriers through working in international teams. Games, presentations, traditional stories, representations, and music... were elements present in the international meetings that took place throughout the project. Preparation meetings were also held: one virtual and one in person, and a flow of communication was maintained between the partners that allowed the constant exchange of information.

As we expected, we had an innovative digital book, film archive, video library, a newspaper as concrete outputs. There were interactive materials in project outputs which included the project website and other network platforms, links, articles, and photos. Also, we expected to see intangible results such as more skills among students and teachers: communication, ICT, democratic awareness, respect for HR, responsibilities of active European citizenship, self-confidence, openmindedness, and team spirit. We still need to consider the intangible outputs such as self-esteem and the ability to develop tolerance and respect toward others. Since most of our schools have students with special needs and social and economic fragility, partners tried to include these students in the work to be done as well as mobilities.