Fostering Active Civic Engagement
Moldova’s democracy is still young and fragile. The population is hesitant to participate in decision-making and to demand their rights. Good-quality civic education is an essential element for promoting democratic values, raising awareness about the rights and responsibilities of every citizen, and for stimulating a stronger civic engagement. Switzerland supports Moldova in providing children and adolescents with opportunities to apply civic learning inside and outside the classroom.
Democratic participation and civil society
Basic life skills
Policy framework on youth engagement and civic participation improved.
National capacities to train teachers and support them in the implementation of civic education curriculum strengthened.
Children and adolescents provided with skills, knowledge and opportunities to participate in the decision-making processes in their schools and communities, and engage in community development initiatives, jointly with local public authorities and civil society organizations.
- Council of Europe
- United Nations Population Fund
|Background||Moldovans’ level of civic engagement is low. Residents in small rural and small urban settlements show much higher rates of participation compared to those living in either large rural or large urban localities. The participation rate of young people in voluntary activities is lower than the national average. Children and adolescents in Moldova are not provided with sufficient opportunities for civic learning inside or outside the classroom. The program constitutes an important part of the new Local Governance Domain with a view to strengthening citizen-state relations by supporting citizens to become involved in governance themselves. The program includes both formal civic education, carried out through the educational system, and non-formal civic education, which takes place outside of schools, and includes voluntary activities. The combination of formal and informal elements will provide young adults with opportunities to practically apply what they have learned in theory.|
|Objectives||To contribute to an inclusive, peaceful and democratic Moldovan society with engaged citizens.|
|Target groups||Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, girls and boys, including those left behind because of migration and those representing ethnic minorities, local activists, youth resource centers and civil society organizations working in community engagement and civic education, teachers and schools. Final beneficiaries are communities, families, schools, local public authorities, Moldovan society as a whole.|
Outcome 1: The new civic education curriculum and regulatory framework are tested in practice
Outcome 2: Teachers, youth workers, local public authorities and community-based organizations present opportunities for children’s and youth participation.
Outcome 3: Girls and boys actively participate in decision-making processes at the local level (in the school, in youth clubs, in the communities).
|Directorate/federal office responsible||
Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
Other International Organization
United Nations Organization (UNO)
Council of Europe and United Nations Population Fund
|Coordination with other projects and actors||Synergies with the local governance, economic development and employment, and health domains will be continuously fostered. Interactions will be sought with other civic education and civic engagement related initiatives.|
|Budget||Current phase Swiss budget CHF 3'000'000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF 1'155'750|
|Project phases||Phase 99 01.10.2018 - 30.09.2030 (Current phase) Phase 1 01.07.2018 - 30.09.2030 (Current phase)|