The training course Democracy in Play has been hosted and conducted by FECE from 31 May to 3 June. The training welcomed a total of 16 youth workers from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece and North Macedonia, who explored topics such as EU values, participation, inclusion and equality.
On the first activity day, the youth workers took part in a variety of introductory activities, discussed their fears and expectations and created group definitions about democracy. In the afternoon, they were introduced to the Youth Pass Certificate and presented their sending organisations – Hessa (Romania), Creative Youth Academy (Hungary), SFERA International (North Macedonia), Youth Path (Greece) and Youth for Equality (Slovakia). After a short reflection session, they spent the rest of the day socialising and enjoying their free time on the beach and in the area around Detelina Hotel.
On the second activity day, the participants explored the core EU values: rule of law, democracy, respect of human rights, respect of human dignity, equality and freedom and created group projects to promote the values among youth. Shortly after, they discussed the traditional and alternative forms of participation (voting, petitions, signals, trade unions, joining political parties, protests, boycott and procott, social media, volunteering etc.) During the next activity called In and Out: Understanding Youth Participation, they discussed how they feel in terms of participation, what encourages them and what discourages them to participate. The day concluded with a creative task during which the youth workers had to create group theatre performances showcasing their representations of various human rights articles. A daily reflection session followed.
On day 3 the participants explored the SHINE educational podcasts, which explain in detail the citizenship competence of the European Commission and tackle topics such as youth participation, media literacy and e-participation. The youth workers had the chance to play a debate board game called Democracy in Play. They also joined an activity called The Future We Want to Live In. During the activity, the national groups discussed the topics of equality and inclusion in their countries and envisioned a utopian future in the year 2056 where all equality and inclusion challenges were overcome. The activity day finished with a daily evaluation session.
During the final day, the youth workers were introduced to the Erasmus+ Programme and its priorities and designed group Erasmus+ project ideas. The day concluded with a final evaluation and reflection session and a visit to Varna, during which the participants explored the city together. The youth workers organised two intercultural evenings and presented the traditions, local food and dances of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Palestine, Slovakia, Turkey, Greece and North Macedonia.
The Democracy in Play training course is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme.
