D.E.M.O.S.

Democratic Thinking in Education as a Medium to Overturn prejudices and Stereotypes is a KA229 School Exchange Partnership that involves 6 schools from Cyprus, Italy ,Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Bulgaria.This idea will act as a vivid reaction to today’s challenges of great linguistic, cultural, educational, economic, technological diversity in the school community at local and European level.

The study of the principles of Democracy linked to toleration, inclusion & empathy as agents for positive development and mutual understanding will give wider dimension to the EU concepts of active citizenship, civic engagement, social responsibility and respect for heterogeneity. The cultivation of democratic thinking in students as a learning living attitude by means of cooperative interaction & sharing of ideas is in accordance with the project’s goal to raise a future generation with profound democratic values.

Over the coming years, each participating school will welcome students of different origin and diverse socio-economical backgrounds. This way all multi-ethnic schools try to embrace these differences.The implementation of all short-term exchanges of students will stimulate all participants’ critical sense, encourage creativity & foster participation in activities evolved in the school community. Through commitment and creativity, school partnerships will generate strong community spirit, which makes a school more than just a building: it creates a learning environment where students feel the commitment of their fellow students, their teachers and their parents. By implementing certain approaches to volunteerism, community involvement, team-building & collaborative learning, D.E.M.O.S. will have a multicultural and transdisciplinary character, respecting different needs and points of view.

The students travelling abroad will be aged 13-17. This project will raise its participants’ sense of responsibility and ability to work in a team of different backgrounds and it will enrich their linguistic competence, using English as a common language through online chats, conversations, videos and e-mail.

To concluded, learning how to be an active EU citizen in a democratic multicultural community, while triggering a critical reflection on the meanings of social exclusion, marginalization, stereotypes and prejudices, is indeed a rigorous yet fruitful task. The students’ motivation to collaborate productively in conjunction with the usage of innovative practices in the areas of e-learning and digital technologies will strengthen all participants’ self-confidence and will reinforce the aspects of cultural identity and tolerance. Building and brighten all schools’ international perspective. An education system elaborated in accordance with the founding principles of democracy and the human rights promotes the development of key competences and social practices that will foster togetherness and solidarity.