More than 4,000 students from all over the country will take part in informal civic education seminars designed to promote the profile of the active and involved citizen. The Center for Continuous Electoral Training launched the second stage of the civic education campaign “Democracy is learned”. During two months, a number of trainers of the Center will give seminars in 40 secondary schools and lyceums that are mostly rural ones, IPN reports.

According to a press release of the Center, in the seminars the students will be taught a new approach to the democratic values. Emphasis is placed on the possibility of expressing opinions and involvement in the work of representative organizations, especially the Council of Students. Five seminars will be staged in parallel in each school – four centering on the participation of young people in the decision-making process and one focusing on the creation and running of the Council of Students.

The Center’s project coordinator Aliona Placinta said the involvement of students in the work of representative organizations will bring short- and medium-term advantages. “The students will learn to represent their mates in the school’s Administration Board, where, together with teachers and the administration, will cooperate, negotiate and take part in making decisions that reflect the interests and needs of everyone,” she stated.

The first stage of the civic education campaign took place last November. More than 1,000 students from 30 secondary schools and lyceums were taught within it. The project is implemented in the framework of a campaign to promote the electoral culture and democratic values among young voters with support from the Embassy of Sweden, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the UN and UNDP.