Democracy and human rights are values that shape the European Union’s self-image. However, they are not a matter of course!
The project “Democracy & Puppetry” enables young Europeans between the ages of 13 and 16 to deal creatively with the topics of democracy and human rights and their significance for freedom and equality. For this purpose, they learn about the thematic background in school lessons and explore their personal environment in the further course of the project. They process the insights gained in short puppet theatre performances, which they perform in official buildings in front of their families, peer group, politicians and other interested parties. The artistic methods of puppet theatre help to express controversial issues, to get to the heart of what is difficult to say and to bring relationships into new contexts.
The methods for the topic-related work with the young people are taught to the participating teachers and artists by “Zentrum polis – Politik Lernen in der Schule” and developed together with the participants. For this purpose, a workshop lasting several days will be held in Vienna with representatives of all participating partners from four countries. The project will take place simultaneously in Budapest, Belgrade, Ravne na Koroskem and Vienna. Due to the broad mix of participating schools, pupils from different social backgrounds are reached. This contributes to the universal applicability of the finished methods.
The teaching methods developed in the project are made available free of charge for further use after the end of the project. They are passed on via the networks of all participants and thus find wide dissemination. The aims of the project are, on the one hand, to promote understanding of the importance of democracy and human rights for maintaining peace and cohesion in the European Union, and on the other hand, to develop methods of teaching democracy and human rights for teachers, youth workers, artists and interested parties throughout Europe.
