Project “Opportunities for Civic Participation in the Multicultural Society: from knowledge to the action“(2007 – 2008), funded by EU Phare and SFL.

The overall goal of the project was to promote mutual understanding and cooperation of people from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups living in Latvia. In a result of project implementation ethnic integration and civic consolidation of the Latvian society will be further developed and strengthened. The direct beneficiaries of the project will be: 1) 18 teachers and at least 360 students from nine schools with different languages of instructions; 2) at least 45 representatives (elected authorities, entrepreneurs, NGO activists, media representatives etc.) from nine municipalities; 3) parents and other family members of involved students; 4) people from the local communities; 5) Latvian educators who will received materials developed during the project.
The result of the project implementation was further development and strengthening of ethnic integration and civic consolidation of the Latvian society. During the project the regional cooperation network of civic society has been established in three parts of Latvia - Riga and its vicinity, Vidzeme and Latgale. The cooperation network consists of 10 school teams of Latvia in which the pedagogues, youth and representatives of local community and mass media cooperate. 90 participants took part in three project introductory conferences “Acquainting with the key concepts of democracy and the studying the needs of the target audience”. On the basis of the participants’ needs the program was worked out “Possibilities of civic participation in a multicultural society: from knowledge to action” and it was approbated in three knowledge- building seminars “The action principles of a judicial, democratic state” and in two skills- acquisition seminars “A democratic state in action”. The approbation of the program involved 90 participants – representatives of 10 school teams of Latvia. 30 participants evaluated the program “Possibilities of civic participation in a multicultural society: from knowledge to action” in the evaluation seminar. Two further education course programs have been worked out – 18 hours and 36 hours, which are approved by the Ministry of Education and science – “Development of participation and leadership skills in young people” and “Possibilities of teaching civic participation and judicial responsibility at schools”. In order to introduce the programs in the regions also after the end of the project, 20 multiplicators for implementing civic and intercultural education were trained in a two-day workshop.
To ensure the sustainability of the project ideas the support material for the multiplicators (40 copies) as well as the project experience material (150 copies) has been prepared, published and disseminated. The civic participation campaigns have taken place during the project in 10 places in Latvia which involved some 500 representatives of the local communities. In order to implement the participation campaigns the project participants have benefitted from nine consultations. The run of the project has been reflected in some 30 publications in different mass media and the hope page of EDC. The 100 participants have evaluated the project at the evaluation conference of the project.