On 17 July, the international online training "Applying the Human Rights-Based Approach in Citizenship Education" brought together 29 participants from the Eastern Partnership countries, Kazakhstan, Germany, North Macedonia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, as well as representatives of organizations working in the international arena. The event was organized within the framework of the international project "HRBA in Action:
Strengthening Civic Education Through a Human Rights-Based Approach in the Eastern Partnership," implemented by the Democratic Initiatives Incubator NGO in cooperation with the Eastern European Network for Citizenship Education (EENCE) and with the support of the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), Germany.
The participants represented civil society organizations, educational institutions, youth centers and youth spaces, media organizations, and independent experts. This diverse, cross-sectoral group created valuable opportunities for exchanging experiences among professionals engaged in citizenship education across different countries and contexts.
The four-hour training focused on integrating the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) into the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of educational programmes.
During the training, participants explored the core HRBA principles, including the universality and indivisibility of human rights, inclusion and non-discrimination, participation, accountability, and transparency. Particular attention was paid to integrating these principles not only into educational content but also into the processes of designing, delivering, and evaluating educational programmes.
The practical component of the training included the analysis of real-life case studies from the field of citizenship education. Working in small groups, participants identified rights holders and duty bearers in different educational contexts, discussed ways to ensure meaningful participation of target groups, explored how to balance openness and safety in countries experiencing democratic backsliding, and developed approaches to mutual accountability between educational programme organizers and participants.
A separate session focused on applying the empowerment principle and the "do no harm" principle in the work of facilitators and trainers.
The next stage of the project will involve an expert HRBA audit of ten educational programmes implemented by participating organizations. Based on the audit findings, organizations will receive expert mentoring and tailored recommendations for strengthening the human rights-based approach within their educational activities.
The project also aims to further develop the international professional community, create new methodological resources, and promote good practices in human rights-based citizenship education.
The project "HRBA in Action: Strengthening Civic Education Through a Human Rights-Based Approach in the Eastern Partnership" is implemented by the Democratic Initiatives Incubator NGO (Ukraine). The project is funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb), Germany, in cooperation with the Eastern European Network for Citizenship Education (EENCE).
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