![[EN] full](https://crjm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EN-full.svg)
For five days, 16 young men and women from different regions of the country participated in the Summer School programme “Applied Democracy”, the 2024 edition. For the seventh time, the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM) offered students and recent graduates a unique and interactive experience to explore more broadly topics related to democracy and human rights.
The agenda of this year’s programme included several sessions that combined in a balanced way the presentation of theoretical information with hands-on practical activities and discussions with invited experts. On the first day, Summer School participants familiarised themselves with the basics of project writing and implementation, which gave them the right context to understand how locally identified problems can inspire civic-minded people to find solutions and get involved.
The national challenges of ensuring democracy were addressed on the second day, when the trainers explained why justice reform is important and what the evaluation of judges and prosecutors implies, what are the negative effects of corruption on democracy and how corruption can be counteracted. The causes of conflicts at global and regional level were also discussed, as well as the essence of democracy in the age of information technologies.
“Applied Democracy is about the tools that citizens, regardless of age, gender identity or language spoken, can use to make their voice heard and assert their presence in society. It is the young generation that must embrace and master these tools if we want an environment where democratic values are brought to everyday life. That is why we are counting on their enthusiasm and energy and offer them, through the Summer School, a straightforward platform for understanding how genuine democracy works,ˮ underlined Daniel Goinic, Programme Director at the LRCM.
The interactive and practical part of this School’s agenda was ensured by study visits to the main national institutions that are guarantors of democracy – the Presidency and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Equality Council – as well as by interaction with the TV8 team as an independent media institution.
On the fourth day, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the basics of democratic debates, learning about the structure of the argument, the differences between debates on values and debates on strategy, and finally to simulate a forum debate.
The Summer School ended with a day dedicated to drafting project ideas and activity plans, as the novelty of the 2024 edition is the homework launched to the participants of this event. The most active and creative will be able to submit their own projects in a small grants programme, through which their ideas and visions for strengthening democracy can be turned into reality either in the community where they learn or work, or expanded through collaboration with other colleagues across the country. Funding project proposals will be the highlight of the Summer School, which aims to encourage young people and support initiatives that can bring about positive change.
The seventh edition of the “Applied Democracy” Summer School took place from 24-28 June and was organised within the project “Supporting the efforts to advance the protection of human rights”, implemented by the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova with the financial support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
