Looking for European Culture and Democracy

What

The seminar will face young people from different parts of Europe with the topic of European Culture and European Democracy and will challenge them to define these two terms in the perspective of the current development of the continent and its countries. The participants from different countries (with special attention given to Western Balkans and South Caucasus) will learn and share their cultures and once finding out differences and similarities will try to define whether European Culture exist, and if yes what is it? The same way they will discover the existence or lack of the European Democracy.

Lectures and presentations will provide the participants with the necessary information on different cultures, religion and different democratic (and not democratic) systems existing in European countries.

The most important though will be the workshops, simulations, especially designed games and open spaces where the young participants will be put into the realities of different from their origin culture or political situation and will have to take decisions and solve given issues.

In order to understand points of view of representatives of other cultures and religions and raise the level or empathy and tolerance, the participants will take part in a cultural game specially designed by the qualified group of trainers.

Another point of focus will  be  democracy, its origin and its development in different countries. Centre of discussion will be a comparison of countries with well developed and stabilised democratic structures and countries that still need to build requirements for a stable democracy This will lead them to the discussion about the European (but in the meaning much wider than the EU) democratic integration.After having discussed the theoretical and practical aspects of democracy and political culture, the participants will deal with the concept of civil society. The main focus will be the role of NGOs and their possible impact on democratic decision-making processes and the society. The goal is to raise the awareness that decision-making doesn’t only depend on state-run structures, but that also non-governmental interest groups can influence these processes. The group will also elaborate on a clear picture of individual responsibility in society.

When

Organiser

Target Groups