An educational project in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine to help citizens navigate political processes and ideologies. Free online courses on conservatism, liberalism, social democracy, Christian democracy, green ideology, and other political movements. A political education course for a conscious citizen – a vaccination against populism and manipulation.
The School of Social and Political Education is an educational project of the NGO “Democracy Action Fund” launched in 2020 in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine. The goal of the project is to promote understanding of the dynamics of modern political processes and to educate a generation of thoughtful and responsible citizens.
The project was born out of the belief that democracy requires informed citizens. Populism, manipulation, corruption, and Russian propaganda thrive where people do not understand the basic principles of the political system, do not know their rights, and are unable to critically evaluate information. The School of Civic and Political Education aims to fill this gap by becoming a continuation of civic education programs in schools and universities.
The first focus of the School was the curriculum on basic political ideologies – conservatism, liberalism and social democracy. A series of online lectures was held, online interviews with representatives of these political movements were organized, a video about political ideologies in general was produced, and three thematic brochures and a booklet with infographics of the core values of each ideology were published. In 2021, the School expanded its program to include new ideological areas: Christian democracy, feminism, libertarianism, and green ideology, with 3-4 classes on each of these topics.
The second area was the “Political Education Course for a Conscious Citizen” launched in 2021. The course covers European practices of relations between the citizen, society and the state, the value foundations of the European Union, the principles of conscious and responsible citizenship, the functioning of the political system in a democracy, the work of public authorities, the role of parties in the life of the citizen and the state, and the structure of the institutions of the European Union.
The third area was “Blogger’s School. Blogging in a Time of War” is a practical course that responds to the challenges of wartime, when every citizen can become a participant in the information space.
All training courses are available free of charge in online format on the Platform for Social and Political Education (osvita.site). Lectures are methodically designed for convenient distance learning, accompanied by tests and additional materials. Upon successful completion of the tasks, participants receive a certificate.
Among the School’s lecturers are political scientists, lawyers, philosophers, journalists and public figures, including experts from the NGO “Foundation for Promotion of Democracy” and partner organizations.
2020
2022
Member of the Management Board, serviceman
Democracy is based on an informed citizenry. Populism, corruption, and manipulation thrive where people do not understand how the political system works, what their rights are, and how to critically evaluate information. The School of Civic and Political Education provides practical knowledge and skills that become an “inoculation” against political manipulation and Russian propaganda.
The school offers several areas: basic courses on political ideologies (conservatism, liberalism, social democracy, Christian democracy, feminism, libertarianism, green ideology), “Political Education Course for a Conscious Citizen” (political system, authorities, parties, EU institutions) and “Blogger’s School. Blogging in a time of war”.
All courses are completely free thanks to a partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine. Training takes place online at a convenient pace for the participant: video lectures, test tasks, additional materials. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a certificate.
In addition to the online courses, the School has published three thematic brochures on basic political ideologies, a booklet with infographics of the key values of each ideology, and a video about political ideologies in general. These materials are available as study guides for self-study.
The School of Socio-Political Education is implemented by the NGO “Foundation for Promotion of Democracy” in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine. The lecturers include political scientists, lawyers, philosophers and journalists from leading Ukrainian universities and think tanks.
