EU/LLP/Jean Monnet-School: ACES - Active Citizens of Europe through School

General information

Code: EU/LLP/JMSchool
Period: 1.9.2013 - 31.8.2014
Project leader at FDV: prof.dr. Tomaž Deželan

Abstract

The project “Active Citizens for Europe through School” (ACES - 542835-LLP-1-2013-1-AJM-ICS) tackles growing concern of alienation of community citizens from European institutions and the EU phenomena as such. It aims to improve the quality of participatory citizenship of high-school students by creating a tool that will foster a coherent learning process in terms of acquianting students with the concept of citizenship as well as make them more aware of the rights granted by the EU citizenship. By demonstrating the scope and manner of making use of their citizenship rights, the project therefore aims to foster higher levels of participation, ownership of the European project and sense of belonging. ACES is set to achieve our aims by promoting several overlapping levels of influence: 1) influence on schools (teachers and students) and university (teaching and research); 2) influence on wider community encompassing civil society and individual citizens; and 3) influence on policy makers. The project is structured around several activities: 1. an in-depth analysis of high-school citizenship education curriculum; 2. preparation of teaching materials (for teachers and students) to promote EU citizenship; 3. preparation of four workshops where the teachers will be educated and trained in EU citizenship as well as; 4. involved in the construction of a blended-learning interactive toolbox that will be integrated in the project's website (learning management software) and available to all in order to promote computer-mediated learning process based on constructivist paradigm (Williams, 2010); 5. preparation of a final series of five events promoting the toolbox; and 6. the evaluation of the process resulting in publishing results of the project in the national media, on the project website as well as in the academic press. We expect to produce a coherent tool for application in addition to existing curricula and raise awareness among students regarding EU citizenship.