European Democratic Education Community

Introduction

Einführung

What is EUDEC?

EUDEC, the European Democratic Education Community, is a growing network of schools, organisations and individuals dedicated to the democratisation of schooling and education in Europe.

How and when was EUDEC founded?

EUDEC was founded in February 2008 by a group of students, teachers, academics and organisers active in the planning of the European Democratic Education Conference, EUDEC 2008. This group of roughly 40 individuals from Germany, the UK, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands has met three times a year for the past two years to work cooperatively on the organisation of the conference and establishment of the network. Represented in this group are schools, organisations, student council associations and universities. Students have been active in the planning and organisation of the conference and network from the very beginning.

How is EUDEC organised?

For an initial period of two years, EUDEC will be structured as a project of the Phoenix Education Trust, a non-profit organisation in the UK that "promotes education in which all members of the school community have a voice and real power in decision-making." (www.phoenixeducation.co.uk)

EUDEC is run by an 11-member Council made up of 4 students and 7 adults. The first members’ assembly will take place on 2 August 2008 in Leipzig, Germany, as part of the EUDEC 2008 conference.

What are the aims of the organisation?

Participants of the founding meeting in February 2008 voted to approve the following aims:

To support all forms of democratic education throughout Europe
To promote democratic education as the sensible educational model for all democratic states
To establish, in legislation, the right to found and attend democratic schools and to provide aid and support to democratic schools and start-up groups
To facilitate the exchange of information between democratic schools in Europe and create connections between schools for cooperation and mutual learning
To provide information and outreach programs for colleges and training institutes to give future teachers a practical understanding of the basics of democratic education and what it can mean for teachers, pupils, educational environments, and democratic states.

What is meant by democratic education?

In democratic education young people have the right to decide how, what, when, where and with whom they learn, taking into account the limitations of what the school is actually able to offer, and to have an equal say in decision-making concerning how their schools are run, and what rules and sanctions, if any, are necessary.

Regular democratic meetings, with one person one vote are a fundamental of Democratic Education. Democratic Education does not exist without them.

Who can join EUDEC?

Individuals, schools and organisations can become members of EUDEC. "Full membership" is open to any individual residing in Europe who supports the aims of the organisation. Democratic schools, or any school striving to incorporate democratic principles in their work, can also join as full members if they are located in Europe. Individual members, as well as representatives of schools with full membership, have voting rights at general assemblies and can run for Council. Associate membership is open to any school or organisation which supports the aims of EUDEC.

Awards and recognition

In its short existence as a fledgling network, EUDEC has already earned high-level recognition for its innovative work in the field of education.

Seven of the schools involved in its establishment have received funding from the Comenius program as a multi-lateral partnership.

The network itself has been recognised by the German UNESCO Commission as an official project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

For more information, please contact:

General:
Leonard Turton
lturton@eudec.org
Languages: English

Student:
Zsa-Zsa Shea:
zzshea@eudec.org
Languages: English